Monday, May 10, 2010

For Love of Mary!

A tradition in Okinawa during the Month of May is the daily rosary, which takes place every morning at 5:30am.  It consists in leaving your casa with every layer you have in the freezing cold as you make your way in the dark to find the gas station.  And, as much fun as that sounds, I had really wanted to go every morning, but hadn’t even gone once…until one day at assembly when Sor Marta decided to talk to the students about the importance of going to the rosary.

“Everyone is cold, everyone is tired, but you need to go! Don’t go because your friends are going, don’t go because someone makes you, rather go for Love of Mary!”

Sor Marta definitely made me feel sufficiently sheepish and after her talk, I went in the mornings – no more excuses, all I needed to remember was who I was waking up for! :D

***Rosary Reflection by Jacques Philippe, from his book Time for God (Beautiful book to read! pg. 94)

“…The rosary is also a simple, poor prayer, for poor people – and who is not poor?  It has the advantage of being a prayer for all seasons: community prayer, family prayer, prayer of petition…But, at least for those who receive the grace, it can also be prayer of the heart that, very much like the Jesus Prayer, leads into mental prayer.  After all, the name of Jesus is at the center of the Hail Mary.

In the rosary it is Mary who leads us into her own prayer, gives us access to the humanity of Jesus and introduces us into the mysteries of her Son.  Mary somehow offers us a share in her own mental prayer, surely the deepest ever.

Often, when said slowly and in a spirit of recollection, the rosary can establish our hearts in communion with God.  Mary’s heart gives us access to Jesus’ Heart.  Finding it difficult to be recollected and do mental prayer, I have many times had the experience of beginning the rosary and quickly reached inner peace and communion with God.  Today, after a period of neglect, the rosary is being rediscovered as a valuable way of entering into grace of deep, loving prayer.  It is not a matter of fashion or a return to an outworn devotion, but a sign of Mary’s maternal presence, so very evident in our times.  She wishes to lead the hearts of all her children back to their Father through prayer.”