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Reflections on the Rosary
It seems to me that the more someone tries to grow spiritually, the more he or she struggles to embrace in a healthy way the unworthiness we all share. Teresa of Ávila counsels us: “Humility is truth.” Jesus counsels us not to bury our talents or hide our light. Are we unworthy of God’s love and infinite blessings? Yes. But that is only half the picture; the other half is that
human beings are amazing and God loves us beyond comprehension.
Today: Pray three decades of the Rosary today.
Hospitality is a powerful ministry. Jesus never preached to anyone before he had addressed some human need. First he fed them, healed them, comforted them, made them feel like they belonged and were welcome. He opened their hearts to the divine by paying attention to their ordinary human needs. People hear differently, respond differently, live differently, and give differently when they feel welcome.
Today: Spend a few minutes reflecting on your own parish. Sunday an out-of-town visitor will walk into your parish church for Mass. Will she feel welcomed? Do you feel welcome in your own parish? How many people do you think don’t really feel welcome in their parish?
Everyone needs the kingdom. It’s a place; it’s a person; it’s a worldview; it’s the question and the answer; it’s the ultimate system of values. And it is to be sought unrelentingly. Jesus came to reveal the kingdom of God to us so we could live loving and just lives in the eyes of God. He stays at our side, encouraging and challenging us, so that we can live up to the promise of baptism, live more loving and just lives, and in the process make our tiny corner of the world more loving
and just. Jesus invites us to live in this world in a kingdom way.
Today: Think about your own life. Are you making the world more like the kingdom of God? How are you proclaiming the kingdom of God in your own life?
What is the problem in your life? Are you allowing Jesus to be the solution? Or are you looking at it from an earthly perspective and trying to solve it with your own might? Jesus wants to show us what is possible. God is constantly trying to help us to see possibilities that we don’t see because of our blind spots, low self-esteem, attachment to a particular path or outcome, and other flaws and limitations. Most of the time we don’t see many of the options and possibilities that exist for us in a situation. God
wants you to see things differently. He wants you to see all that you are capable of doing, being, and becoming. With this new sense of yourself, he wants you to live differently.
Today: Pray four decades of the Rosary.
Have you ever helped somebody, really gone above and beyond to make his life better, but then afterward he resented you? His indifference toward you stings at first, but as you reflect on all you did for him, the pain goes way beyond a shallow sting; it goes deep to the core of your heart and soul. You are shocked and appalled, but you shouldn’t be. We all do it. Worst of all, we do it to God. It’s amazing what we choose to focus on in our lives. It’s astounding what we choose to care about. Put whatever you are worried about right now in the big picture of
God, life, the history of the world, and eternity, and let God rearrange your priorities.
Today: Make a list of the top five priorities in your life. Then, make a list of the top five things that take up the most time in your life. How are these lists similar? How are they different? How should you rearrange your time to reflect your priorities?
Stay awake. Jesus says it three times in the garden. But we cannot. I still fall asleep today. Sometimes I fall asleep when I am praying. I fall asleep in other ways too. Some days I fall asleep in my marriage, or as a parent. There are times when I have been asleep for weeks or months with regard to physical fitness. It’s so easy to take a nap from financial responsibility. God instructs us, as pilgrims who are just passing through this place we call earth, to
stay awake and be constantly vigilant and attentive to what matters most, rather than letting what matters least take over our schedules and lives.
Today: Pray five decades of the Rosary.
While we each have an overwhelming desire to be treated as a unique human being, we often ignore other people’s humanity and treat them according to the function they play in our lives. Do you treat the person who serves you at a restaurant as a person or as a server? Ever wonder what is going on in that person’s life? His grades might be suffering because he has to work so many hours just to pay for school and doesn’t have enough time to study. She might have just had a miscarriage. He might have just found out that his dad has cancer. But most of all, like we all do from time to time, she might just
be having a bad day for no particular reason.
Today: Consider this: Who is the one person you have loved more than any other in your life? Jesus loved the man who scourged him more than that. Jesus loved that man more than you and I have ever loved anyone.
The world believes that suffering is meaningless and should be avoided at all costs. God believes that suffering has value. There is a whole continuum of suffering. At one end you have something as common as inconvenience. At the other end you have something as horrible as the death of a child. By going deep into the smaller forms rather than running from them, by embracing the lesser forms of unavoidable suffering, we allow this hideous aspect of life to strengthen our will so we can choose what is good, true, and
right in the moments of our lives—but this spiritual practice of embracing suffering prepares us for greater suffering that may be in our future.
Today: Put it all together! Pray the full Rosary today.
The Scriptures invite us deeper and deeper into every story each time we read or ponder them. Let’s consider Judas for a moment. Is he just the villain of the Gospel? Have you ever learned anything from him? Have you ever considered it from his point of view? Are you like Judas in any way? Every sin leaves behind so many unanswered questions. Whatever the reason Judas betrayed Jesus and broke his heart.
Today: The Scriptures invite us deeper and deeper into every story each time we read or ponder them. Reflect on Judas’s story today. Is he just the villain of the Gospel? Have you ever learned anything from him? Have you ever considered it from his point of view? Are you like Judas in any way?
What was Jesus hoping to achieve by dying on the cross? What were the dreams that gave him courage and the perseverance to go through with it? I suspect his hopes and dreams were many and beautiful. Let’s consider one. He hoped his life and death would change what people placed at the center of their lives.
Today: As you pray the Rosary today, reflect on what is at the center of your life. Is it Jesus, or something else?