INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Do You Have A Rosary?”
If you answer “Yes” to that question, could you find it
and have it in hand in less than 10 minutes?
In a bureau drawer? In your pocket? On your car mirror?
In a box next to your bed?
Today is the feast the Most Holy Rosary. It’s not
mentioned because October 7th falls on a Sunday this year - and
we’re celebrating the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. However, I want
to be practical - hands on - and I think thoughts about the rosary can be
helpful for some Sunday reflections
ANOTHER QUESTION
What scenes, what stories, what memories, what thoughts
hit you when you hear the word, “rosary”.
Can you picture an aunt or an uncle buying you a rosary
for your first communion or confirmation or graduation or what have you?
Did someone go to Rome or Jerusalem and bring you back a
wooden rosary - as a gift - a remembrance - instead of a t-shirt?
Did anyone ever see a rosary in your stuff and ask:
“What’s this?”
Did you ever go to a funeral - go up to the casket - and see a rosary in the dead person’s hands?
When I see a rosary in hand at a funeral parlor - I reach in and say one Hail
Mary on that person’s rosary beads.
I sort of remember - that when my brother died, they were
looking everywhere for his rosary. I don’t
think it was my sister-in-law - who is visiting here today - buy I think it was
his buddy, Marty Goldberger, a Jewish guy, who found it.
ROSARY SCENES
I remember the 1940’s and early 1950’s when we said the
Family Rosary together. It took 15 minutes but it always felt like an hour. We knelt at my parent’s bed . The floors were
wooden and they were hard. We’d be out on the street playing stick ball. It
would be a warm summer evening. Then one of my sisters would scream from the
front door, “Rosary!” That interrupted our evening for a while. Then we’d go
back out and finish our game.
I remember - one time there - in the 1970’s - walking up 2nd Avenue - in
Manhattan, New York City. 2nd Avenue had wide, wide sidewalks. The cement
sidewalk was crowded. It was around 3 PM.
Coming towards me was this big crowd of people. However, this one lady stood
out as she walked towards us - rosary in hand.
For some reason this well dressed middle aged woman saying the rosary -
as she walked - stood out. She still is walking down the sidewalk of my mind?
How many other people do that every day? While walking ….
While driving …. While sitting in an easy chair in a parlor or on a back porch
- and they are saying their rosary?
When you hear the word “rosary” what are your rosary
scenes? Do you picture a grandmother or a parent in a nursing home - saying
their prayers?
I remember being back home once. We were now adults. My
brother was there - up from Maryland - and someone suggested saying the rosary
together once again as a family.
Compared to our childhood, by now my mother had added on
a bunch of extras. Ugh. That rosary took forever. When we finally finished my
brother said to my mother, “Are you going to put on vestments now and say Mass
for us?”
MYSTERIES
Those of us who went to Catholic School and / or were
trained as Catholics were taught the 15 mysteries of the rosary: the Joyful,
the Sorrowful and the Glorious mysteries. Then Pope John Paul 2 added the Light
Bearing Mysteries. Religion always has add on’s.
The rosary gives us a chance to reflect upon 20 events in
the life of Jesus
People ask what should they think about while saying the rosary.
I suggest look at the 20 events in Jesus life - with the
same 20 events in our own life.
We all have experienced annunciations, announcements,
phone calls that changed our lives.
We’ve all experienced visitations, visits, surprise meetings that changed our lives.
We’ve all experienced births - children, adopted or born
to us - babies that were Christmas like gifts that changed our lives.
We’ve all experienced presentations, graduations, awards,
and findings in church or school or work or in the family that changed our
lives.
We’ve all had our sufferings, our crosses, our falls, our
headaches, our beatings, our deaths.
We’ve all had our glorious moments: times we realized
those who have died are with the Lord.
We’ve climbed - moved up - ascended closer to God - trips to the
mountains, Ocean City - moments when the Holy Spirit breathed new life into us.
We’ve figured out who Mary is and how she fits into the Christian life.
We’ve all experienced light - sun rising moments -
epiphany moments - baptisms, weddings - marriages - the stuff of today’s readings -
transfiguration moments when all changed - so too great Masses.
Taking out a rosary for a Catholic is like taking out a
prayer rug for a Muslim. Now I’m going
to pray.
ROSARY BEADS ARE NOT JUST FOR HAIL MARY’S
For the past 30 plus years I’ve been saying, “Rosary Beads
are not just for Hail Mary’s anymore.”
Rosary beads are great worry beads.
While driving, while relaxing, while wanting to pray, take
your rosary in hand and use the 59 beads as prayer beads.
Finger the beads and say 59 times - a word per bead:
“Thanks” - “Help” - “Wonderful” - “Amazing grace”.
Or pick out 10 or 59 people you want the Lord to bless.
The one word per one bead rosary takes 3 minutes or you can
go slow and think of 59 people you’re remembering.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is a question: “Do You Have a
Rosary.”
Find it and say 59
times: “Lord, teach me how to pray.”
Or, “Thank You God for everything. It’s been a great life so
far.”
Or say in prayer to Christ, “You are the way the truth and
the life.”
