From the Pastor’s desk— Octobre 1, 2023

  

October is a busy month with the beginning of Fall, Halloween decorations everywhere, and the time for pumpkin spice in everything.  For us as Catholics, it is none of these things, rather it is about all things Mary from the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7), for which this month is named, to the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar in Spain (October 12) to celebration of the last apparition in Fatima (October 13^th) and finally the feast of St Anthony Claret (October 23), one of her most faithful sons.  Because we Catholics are criticized so often for our relationship to Mary, it is also a good month to grow deeper with the Mother of God through the rosary.

The Rosary is not a profession of faith in Mary but a profession of faith in God from the Creed, to the key moments of the Gospels reflected in the mysteries, to the Our Father.  So, what do we do with the 63 Hail Mary’s?  We remember this biblical prayer which comes from the Gospel of Luke (1:36 -46) is an intercessory prayer.  It may seem this is a prayer to Mary but this prayer, like all intercessory prayer is a prayer to God through that person.  We pray with her, not to her.

The rosary is our way to draw closer to God, through prayer and through meditating and following Mary’s example as the chosen vessel of God.  This is what the children of Fatima and St Anthony Claret knew.  Whereas many people share they struggle with the rosary or feel guilty for not praying it, October is an opportunity to look at it in a deeper way.

Many say that repetition makes it boring, yet if we look around our world, there are places we see the value in repetition.  In the eastern religions, there is the ancient practice of repeating a mantra.  This practice is now common in self-improvement circles and even corporate settings, when you envision what you want and repeat that on a regular basis, whether it is I will get the job I want or the raise I deserve.  The rosary is this but more.  We repeat three simple things, blessed be God, blessed be God’s daughter Mary who brought us God, and pray for us.  The utter simplicity is the profound beauty of this prayer and one that through the mantra drills into us our need and dependence on God. 

We at Sacred Heart have two community rosaries every week.  Perhaps in this month you could join us on one of our rosaries: at 3:30pm on Saturdays in English or 5:30pm on Sundays in Spanish.  Of course, you may offer a rosary in our church at any point the church or office is open.  Time with Mary is time with Jesus’ sacred heart and time in His heart is always time well spent.

 

   

 

 

 

                     

 

With a heart for Mission,
Fr. Ray