Daily Reflection for Thursday, October 07, 2021
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Thursday's readings at this link:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100721.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Malachi 3:13-20
Responsorial: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Gospel: Luke 11:5-13
Our reflection on Thursday’s readings:
Hail Mary, full of Grace…
I can remember my mother telling me stories about how her family every evening would be in their small living room on their knees praying the Rosary. There were 16 family members in total, as my mother had 13 brothers and sisters and my grandparents would lead the prayers and set the cadence. Spanish was my mother’s first language, and so the rhythm of the prayer was influenced by the intonations of the language. This was a tradition they continued every night and life’s daily commitments were planned before or after the Rosary, but never during it.
October is recognized in the Catholic tradition as the month of the Rosary, and today we celebrate the actual feast day—the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. While it was a strong tradition in my mother’s family, the tradition was not passed on to the next generation. Recently, however, I have been drawn to the Rosary and have a deeper sense of its sacred power.
I can recall an experience with the Rosary that moved me. I was the main caregiver for my dear mother as she journeyed her last years with Alzheimer’s disease. I recall a visit my mother had from my aunt and uncles. It was during her last few weeks of her amazing life when they came; she was not very responsive to visitors. During the visit, my aunt found a rosary in her purse and the three of them recited the prayer. A prayer that was recited in their living room as children was now being said by mother’s bedside. It was powerful to witness the three of them praying for my mother, and I often wondered if my mother heard the cadence of the Rosary and recognized and felt its healing power. As her caregiver, I was strengthened as I faced my last weeks with her.
While I cannot say that I recite the Rosary every night, I do believe today invites me to lean towards a tradition that was so valued by my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, and my dear mother. The prayer is a beautiful tradition of my Catholic faith and one which continues to be said by our global community and connects us all to Mary our Blessed Mother.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.
May the sacred beauty of the Rosary, give you strength today,
Margarita Solis Deal