Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Our Lady of Consolation
in Friars' Chapel at Mt St Francis

Lectionary: 462

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Although daily repetition of the Hail Mary reminds us of our peccancy, it also helps to hear the eloquent prayer of Psalm 130. The psalm is burdened with despair and uplifted by hope. 

Within our history, experience, and innermost thoughts we find little reason to hope. There have been moments of admirably virtuous life; but mostly those good old days are falsified memories. They might have been good for some, perhaps even the majority, but the underworld of disappointment, distress, and suffering was only ignored in those halcyon days. It could not be hidden forever. "Winners write history; losers remember it." 

Penance, as the Catholic Church practices the virtue, freely acknowledges our sins. We begin each Mass with a penitential rite; and later, approach the altar with, "Lord, I am not worthy...." 

I find a wry humor in the graphic prophecies of Ezekiel 36:17-20. 

Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in its land, they defiled it with their behavior and their deeds....

So I poured out my fury upon them for the blood they poured out on the ground and for the idols with which they defiled it.

I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through other lands; according to their behavior and their deeds I carried out judgment against them.

But when they came to the nations, where they went, they desecrated my holy name, for people said of them: “These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave their land.” 

So I relented because of my holy name which the house of Israel desecrated among the nations to which they came.

Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Not for your sake do I act, house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you desecrated among the nations to which you came.

The Good News is the Lord will restore our prosperity, security, and general happiness. Can there be bad news with that? 

It's simply that God will not do this marvelous because we have earned or deserved it. We have not. And never will! But he will restore us to grace because we've been an embarrassment to God. The entire world knows we're supposed to be holy people, and our failure reflects badly on His Holy Name. 

So if you think your contentment is a just reward for your virtue, fuggetaboutit! It's simply not true! 

But, on the other hand, if you want to hang onto your remorse over your misconduct, you're welcome to it but it will only make you look more ridiculous and will prove nothing. So get over yourself! 

On this feast of the Holy Rosary we can look at Mary and praise God for the wonder of her life, which so clearly demonstrates God's abundant mercy. She was saved from sin and concupiscence at the moment of her conception. That was for God's purposes alone. He wanted the Mother of his Only Begotten Son to be immaculately conceived. And so we admire her for both what God has done for her, and for the purity which she never compromised. 

And finally, because she is obedient to her divine Son, we can ask her with every confidence, to "pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." 

We do not and will not deserve her care; but because she is like her God, she gives it anyway.