Mass Readings: Acts 1:12-14, Lk
1:46-55 Lk 1:26-38
Key verse to Meditate: "Greetings, favoured
one! The Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28).
Today, the Church celebrates the Blessed Virgin
Mary of the Rosary. October is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy
Rosary, and this feast is celebrated on October 7. It was instituted by Pope
Pius V following the decisive victory of the Holy League over the Ottoman navy
at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, a victory attributed to the intercession of
Our Lady through the praying of the Rosary. According to Dominican tradition,
this feast also commemorates the vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St.
Dominic in 1206 in France, when she gave him the Rosary as a spiritual weapon
to combat heresy and guide the Albigensians back to the Catholic faith.
The Rosary leads our minds and hearts to the
opening words of the Hail Mary: “Hail,
full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Each repetition of this
prayer draws us into the presence of Mary, and through her, into the presence
of the Lord, for indeed, “the Lord is with her.” As we
meditate upon the mysteries of Jesus’ life—the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and
glorious mysteries—we unite ourselves with Mary in prayer, contemplating the
wonders of our salvation.
It is important to understand that the mysteries
of the Rosary form a single, unified whole. Within the joyful mysteries lie the
seeds of the glorious and the sorrowful, and the mysteries of light illuminate
the path toward glory. The saints have long emphasized the power of the Rosary
to unite us with the life of Christ. Through the rhythm of Our
Father, Hail Marys, and Glory
Be, we contemplate the Father, the Son, and the Mother together. We
reflect on the angel’s greeting to Mary, her humble acceptance, and her “Yes”
that initiated the redemptive work of Christ. Today, we ask Our Lady to help us
grasp the unity of Christ’s mysteries so that we may live them out in every
moment of our lives.
In the Gospel, we read of the visit of the Angel
Gabriel to Mary: “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with
you.” This greeting became the foundation of the prayer we recite
in the Rosary. We honor Mary because of her singular privilege as Mother of the
Savior. Hail Mary, full of grace: she was graced abundantly
because God willed her to be the dwelling place of His Son, Jesus Christ. Being
the Mother of Christ is the highest honor bestowed upon any human being. Truly,
she was blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of
her womb, Jesus. God fills each person with grace according to the
mission they are called to fulfill. Mary recognized her blessedness, and in her
humility and gratitude, she proclaimed the Magnificat: “My
soul magnifies the Lord.” Only a soul sanctified by God can truly
magnify Him.
Through baptism, we too are called to share in
God’s Favor. We are invited to grow in grace, and Mary serves as our perfect
model. Even when God asks us to participate in His great work, we must, like
Mary, respond with humility and trust: “Let it be to me
according to your word” (Lk 1:38). A soul filled with grace
surrenders completely to God’s plan. By cultivating obedience to His will, we
find Favor with God.
The Rosary reminds us of all that God can
accomplish in our lives, just as He fulfilled the mysteries of salvation. In
meditating upon the Word made flesh, Jesus, and repeating the words of the
Angel Gabriel, St. Elizabeth, and the Church throughout history, we grow in
grace and knowledge of the Savior. United with countless others in prayer, we
can echo Mary’s own response: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let
it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from
her (Lk 1:26-38).
Points for Personal Reflection
Mary, Mother of Grace
Mary alone found grace with God—not only for
herself but for every individual person. As the angel declared, “Do
not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God” (Lk 1:30).
But what exactly is grace? Grace is eternal life already begun within us. St.
Thomas Aquinas beautifully explains: “Grace is nothing else
but a certain beginning of glory within us.”
No patriarch, prophet, or any other holy person
of the Old Covenant could attain this fullness of grace. It was Mary who gave
existence and life to the Author of all grace (Acts 3:15)—the Author of life.
Because of this unique role, she is rightly called the “Mother
of Grace.”
Being full of grace and filled with God, Mary is
entrusted to us as our spiritual mother. At the foot of the Cross, Jesus said, “Behold
your mother” (Jn 19:26-27), inviting us into her maternal care and
guidance.
The Fuel for Spiritual Life
Mary is the supreme example of welcoming the
divine presence. At the angel’s greeting, she was completely possessed by God,
allowing His life to take root within her. She felt the stirring of God’s
presence, the spark of new life, and the growth of holiness within her. The
Favor and blessing of God was not something merely around her—it was within
her.
From this, we learn a profound lesson from
today’s Gospel: God dwells deeply within each of us, working silently and
creating new life. Grace is the fuel of our spiritual life; without it, we
cannot reach Heaven. And to receive this grace, we turn to Mary, the Mediatrix
of all Grace, who continually leads us to her Son.
On this feast, let us examine ourselves:
Do we approach God in confidence and faith?
Do we pray persistently and insistently?
What is the depth of our faith in prayer?
And most importantly, do we pray the Holy Rosary
daily, allowing it to draw us closer to Christ through Mary’s intercession?
