Our Lady of the Rosary

October 7, 2015:  Our Lady of the Rosary

• 'Hand' tie pin:  "Should I not be concerned over Nineveh where there are more than 120,000 who can't tell their right hand from their left?” (1st reading)

• 'Phone' tie bar:  "I 'call' to you all the day" (psalm)

• 'Sunset Blvd.' tie with its palm trees: The tree is as close I can come to the 1st reading's gourd plant; it's only coincidental that there's a Gourd and the Palm Tree fable.

• 'Magnificat' pin, rosary, 'Blessed Mother blue' shirt:  Our Lady of the Rosary

Listen:  pray and sing along

For Our Lady of the Rosary

• Pope John Paul II celebration and vigil (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels) (a 2+hour rosary)

• Pray audio rosaries from ScripturalRosary.org

• Pray audio rosaries from EWTN

For the gospel

• Russian Orthodox chant Our Father (gospel)
• Echo Our Father, from Communion Muse/ Garza (gospel)
• Our Father/ Malotte (gospel)
• Familiar Our Father chant (though sung more slowly and, unfortunately, less 'spoken on pitch') (gospel)

Pope Francis

General audience:  During the Synod, I'll reflect on aspects of the profound relationship between the Church and the family, with a view to society's common good.  When families journey along the way of the Lord, they witness to God’s love and deserve the Church's commitment and support.  In the family we learn of the bonds that unite us—fidelity, sincerity, trust, cooperation, and respect—even amid difficulties.  In family life the most vulnerable are cared for.  But political and economic life today doesn't always support the family; it seems it can't incorporate the virtues of family life into the life of society.  The Church must examine how she's living as the family of God.  Like Peter, the Church is called to be a fisher of people and so needs a new type of net.  Families are this net, freeing us from the sea of loneliness and indifference so we can experience the freedom of the children of God.  May the Church go out into the deep, confident that the catch will be great.  May the Synod Fathers, inspired by the Spirit, encourage the Church to cast out her net with confidence and faith.

• Tuesday homily:  Jonah initially resists God's will but eventually learns he must obey .  He abandons his stubbornness to do what the Lord commanded, and Nineveh converts.  But afterwards Jonah, not docile to the Spirit, was angry.  The Jonah/Nineveh story unfolds in three chapters:  Jonah’s resistance to the Lord's mission, his obedience, and resistance to God’s mercy.  Jesus too was misunderstood because of his mercy.  He lived with the Doctors of the Law who didn't understand why he didn't let the adulteress be stoned or why he dined with sinners.  Today's psalm tells us to wait for the Lord, because with the Lord is mercy and redemption.  Rigidity defies mission and challenges mercy.  Lord, help us understand your heart, and understand what mercy means....

Read

Animate the rosary

• Jon 4:1-11  Jonah, angry God didn't carry out the evil he threatened against Nineveh:  “Lord, this is why I fled.  I knew you're gracious and merciful, slow to anger, loathe to punish.  Take my life; it's better for me to die.” / “Have you reason to be angry?” / Jonah built himself a hut and waited under it to see what would happen to the city.  The Lord provided a gourd plant over his head to give shade, and Jonah was happy about the plant.  But the next morning God sent a worm that attacked the plant, and at sunrise, God sent a burning wind, and the sun beat on Jonah’s head till he grew faint.  Jonah / God:  “I'd be better off dead.” / “Have you reason to be angry?” / “Yes; enough to die.” / “You're concerned over the plant which cost you no labor; it came up then perished.  Should I not be concerned over Nineveh, in which over 120,000 can't tell their right hand from their left?”

• Ps 86:3-6, 9-10  "Lord, you are merciful and gracious."  Have mercy on me; I call You all day.  Hearken to my prayer.  All shall come worship You and glorify Your name....

• Lk 11:1-4  “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.” / “Say:  Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”

Reflect

• Pray the Rosary; see Universalis on the origin of today's feast

Gourd plant

• Creighton:  Jonah is furious that God doesn't punish the Ninevites and also angry over the death of the gourd plant.  How often do I actually have reason to be angry?  Do I display anger for personal gain, or am I 'righeously indignant' out of defense of someone or of values?

• One Bread One Body:  "Matters of concern":  Jonah was more interested in his comfort than the salvation of 120,000.  We can stay in our comfort zones and out of the "evangelization zone."  Jonah was unforgiving, bitter, angry, and hateful; that led him to disobey the Lord.  Though he later decided to obey, his heart hadn't changed.  Many Christians today are also unforgiving and disobedient....

Amazon image Tagul turned into the word cloud

• DailyScripture.net:  The Jews were noted for their devotion to prayer.  When Jesus' disciples asked him for such a prayer, he gave them the Our Father.  The prayer tells us God is Father both as Creator and by relationship with his Son.  We can address God as Father and ask for what we need.  We can approach him confidently and boldly because Christ opened the way to heaven for us.  God doesn't give us what we deserve but responds with grace and mercy; he's kind and forgiving and expects us to be the same.   We can pray with expectant faith because our Father loves us, treats us as his children, and delights to give us what's good.  He transforms us, making us like himself so we can love and serve as Jesus taught and did.  Do I treat others as they deserve, or do you as the Lord would with grace and mercy?  Do I forgive others as the Jesus forgives me?

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