Prayers - The path to empowerment, intimacy and peace
A) Joyful Mysteries
The Annunciation
Luke 1:26-38 | Isaiah 7:10-15 | Genesis 49:8-10
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and wondered in her heart what this salutation could mean. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “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 holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, your cousin Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month, 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” After this, the angel departed from her. *(NCB)
Pick any one Reflection below for Meditating this Decade:
A) CO-OPERATION WITH GRACE [Read verse 28 above] or "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you" *(NCB). The Greek word Luke used for grace is κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitōmenē) the origins of which mean to indue with special honor, and to be freely given , which is a far more powerful description than that used for St Stephen in Acts 6:8 πλήρης χάριτος (plērēs charitos) where he was already described as "filled with grace and power, began to work great wonders and signs among the people." *(NCB) God had imbued Mary full of grace since the point of her creation, and she "is now" filled with that divine grace.
Meditation: Beloved Mother, teach us to surrender ourselves to the richness of God's grace offered us in our lives today, and everyday.
B) HUMILITY [Read verse 29 above] Mary was troubled because she did not see herself as exalted. In her humility she recognized the greatness and privilege of her calling from God. It was revealed to St Matilda that the first virtue that the Blessed Mother exercised was that of humility. St John Vianney said that humility is to the various virtues what the chain is to a rosary. Take away the chain and the beads are scattered. Remove humility and all virtues vanish.
Meditation: Will we be like our Blessed Mother, recognizing the greatness of our potential God calls us to through our humility?
C) RESPONSE TO GOD [Read verse 38 above] "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." This possibly is the greatest response ever by a man (or woman) to God. In this act of sweet and complete surrender to God, the fate of man is forever changed. The doors are flung wide open for the incarnation of Jesus, and so the possibility of our salvation.
Meditation: Mother teach us your children this day to surrender and love our Lord Jesus just a little more this day.
D) FROM SIN TO GRACE [Read verse 38 above] Mary is "The new Eve" (a term found in the writings of St Irenaeus, Bishop, born in 130 AD). Where the first Eve opened the doors to death to humankind when she succumbed to the serpent's temptation; Mary, the New Eve, through the New Adam opened the doors to new eternal spiritual life for all of us, in her expression and act of complete self-surrender to our Creator.
Meditation: Help us Mother, especially where others hurt us, to take your example of relying on God's grace to take a little step and transform sin into a moment of grace in the lives of those around us. Just as Rom 5:20 says "where sin abounded, grace did more abound." *(DRA)
E) [You may use the above reflections or when praying as a family or group come up with your own! Have one family member read a part or the entire scriptural passage above that strikes them (1 or 2 verses is just fine). Listen with an open heart as this person shares his/her thoughts or insights. A family praying the rosary together is a grace-filled way to foster spiritual growth and bonding together.]
The Visitation
Birth of Jesus
Presentation at the Temple
Finding of our Lord Jesus
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