THE LORD BE WITH YOU…

THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

Acts 1:12-14

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away;
13 and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
14 All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”34 And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?”35 And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING: After witnessing Christs ascension to heaven on the Mount of Olivet the eleven apostles make their way to the Upper Room, joined by a handful of the Lords disciples and Mary His mother to spend the next fifty days in prayer to await the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.

THE GOSPEL READING describe Mary’s encounter with the angel that saw the long awaited fulfillment of God’s promise to send His Son to save His people and establish His earthy Church. Mary is the protagonist in the drama of mans salvation since she is the first to have been graced and favored by God, long before the visitation of the angel when she was overshadowed by God’s transformative power that made the Son of God present in her life!

Catec 2676 “…Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: These two phrases of the angel’s greeting shed light on one another. Mary is full of grace because the Lord is with her. The grace with which she is filled is the presence of him who is the source of all grace. “Rejoice . . . O Daughter of Jerusalem . . . the Lord your God is in your midst.” Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is “the dwelling of God . . . with men.” Full of grace, Mary is wholly given over to him who has come to dwell in her and whom she is about to give to the world.” 

God’s benevolent magnanimous outreach is ever present to the mother who: birthed Jesus, watched over Him, went in hiding with Him, accompanied Him to Golgotha, witnessed His expired state, saw the empty tomb, was present at His ascension and received the gift of the Holy Spirit with the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday! At every Mass when the priest extends his hands and invoke Christs presence [ the Lord be with you] at the introductery rite, may we like Mary submit and accept Jesus’ invitation to make Himself present in our lives also!

 LET US PRAY:Luke 1:46-55
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
52 he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree;53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”

Author. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days