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Driven By Desire…For What?

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What gets you out of bed before dawn?

We push ourselves beyond our superficial comforts for things that we value. Some people seem to focus on fun or competition and stay up late gaming. Some value their health or appearance, so they push themselves to get up early and exercise. Some prioritize learning and burn the midnight oil to read or study. Some people see their duty to family or friends as a value, so they push themselves beyond their need for rest or recreation to serve their needs. In each of these scenarios, a different value drives a person to stretch themselves.

What drives you?

What drives Jesus?

 “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.”

We are all busy, and prayer can seem like “one more thing” that we can’t find time to do. Can we be as busy as Jesus was? He had just taught in the synagogue, left (maybe hoping for some rest) and healed Simon’s mother-in-law, and found himself faced with many people in need – some ill, some possessed, no doubt some who just wanted a word of encouragement. This began after sunset, so it seems he did not get a full night’s sleep.

And yet, he rose before the sun to seek out some silence and solitude. Why?

Jesus is always driven by the same thing: the Father. He does the will of the Father (Jn 6:38). He says what the Father tells him to say (Jn 12:49). He does the works he sees the Father doing (Jn 5:17-19, 14:10). He needs to be in communication with the Father, in solitude, to know the Father’s will and to do it perfectly (Matt 14:23, 26:36; Mk 1:35, 6:46; Lk 3:21, 5:16, 9:18, 11:1) .

Surely, his whole life was prayer, because he was always seeking to please the Father. And yet it is recorded for us in the very Gospels that Jesus went away from the work in order to pray. It’s stunning, isn’t it? The Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word Incarnate, as man, must seek out actual times of solitude to PRAY, to be in union with the Father, to listen to the Voice of God.

When do you pray? Before dawn? At mealtimes? When you can? Can you never?

Does seeking the loving Face of the Father drive us to set aside times of prayer each day? Each year, I resolve to be more faithful to my daily prayer, and this year is no different! How well will I keep this resolution this year? How about you? No matter how well you are able to walk with Jesus and spend time with him each day, it seems certain that this world would benefit from an even greater commitment to prayer in 2021.

May God bless you abundantly.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Joys and Sorrows

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Becoming a parent is a profoundly meaningful, deeply moving, beautifully life-changing moment. It also opens up a whole vista of possibilities, uncertainties, and challenges. How will we provide for this child? What will we teach him? What will he become? Even entering into this with strong faith and firm hope, parenthood requires a great deal of prudence, resilience, adaptability, generosity, and self-sacrifice.

Parents cannot help but hear deeply every comment made about their child. “Your baby is so beautiful!” “He’s getting so big!” “He’s so alert!” “He seems a little cranky…” “Is he rolling over yet?” Each word can make a mother’s heart soar with joy, rest contentedly, begin to fret, or ache with pain. Surely this was true for the parents of Jesus as well.

Obeying the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph travel to the Temple to present the baby Jesus to the Lord, bringing the prescribed sacrifice. God again enters the Temple, but quietly. No one notices anything about this poor, young family. No one recognizes this Child, except Simeon (and Anna, see tomorrow’s Gospel). Simeon is awaiting the Messiah, watching for the Promised One, and the Holy Spirit leads him to this quiet little family. And then he says words that amaze the parents: “This child is our salvation! This child is light! This child is the glory of Israel!” How the parents hearts must have rejoiced at these words, this confirmation that God was powerfully at work already.

But then, Simeon addresses different words to Mary: “This child will be contradicted. A sword will pierce through you too.” It must have felt like the sword was already in her at those words. Why was this necessary? “So that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

I’ve always marveled that the 5th Joyful Mystery of the Rosary is also the 1st Sorrow of Mary’s Heart (see https://catholic-link.org/the-seven-sorrows-of-mary-why-you-should-know-them-and-pray-them-2/ ). In this life, joy is always tinged with sorrow, and sorrows also have their joys. In this case, Mary’s intimate bond with Jesus would mean that her YES to the angel at the Annunciation was a YES to full motherhood and all that being the Mother of God would demand. She would feed him, clothe him, teach him, pray, and suffer with him, all the way to the Cross. She would snuggle him, marvel at him, anticipate his needs, ponder his heart.  She would be his mother, and when Jesus gave all of humanity to her from the Cross (“Behold your mother.”), she would – as the New Eve – be Mother to everyone who becomes brother and sister of Jesus through Baptism.

Mary and Joseph are not just Christmas decorations. They are real Christians, real parents, who experienced real hardship, and lived by real faith and hope and love! And now they are real intercessors who understand our needs and can really pray for us to the Son of God, who was also their son. And a son always listens attentively to his parents.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Fiber and Flesh, and the O Antiphons

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Each year the Church presents this genealogy of Jesus, which we can easily skim over when reading because the names do not hold much meaning for us. But this genealogy is significant because it establishes the historical fact of Christ, and his entry into a very human line of very real and imperfect people. Even the great poet, King David (the Hebrew letters of whose name (דוד) add up to the number fourteen, establishing the structure of Jesus’ genealogy as three sets of fourteen generations), was a great sinner.

And yet, this is how God comes to us, entering into human history, into a human family, into human time, in human flesh. “What tremendous dignity God acknowledges mankind to possess when he reveals to it a mystery that has been contained within the very fiber and flesh of generation after generation! God reveals to man not only the being of God: God reveals man to himself in all his hidden possibilities… Who could have suspected humanity’s hidden talent to be able to bear God, not as a cup bears water or as the hand bears a weight, but in the most intimate, physiological sense possible: as a mother bears her child, with everything that implies for the interpenetration of two beings?” (Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word)

In the Incarnation, we come face to face with the Mysterious Fact that we, too, are caught up in a biological and spiritual genealogy, each with the possibility and responsibility of bearing God’s Presence within us and among us, for others.

Today we also begin the “O Antiphons,” recited for the next seven days before the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours, and as the Alleluia Antiphon before the Gospel at Mass. These antiphons have been chanted since the early centuries of the Church, each one highlighting a title for the Messiah found in the prophecy of Isaiah. Most people recognize these antiphons from the popular Advent hymn, O come, O come, Emmanuel. We express our longing and pray and beseech the Messiah to come to us, invoking imagery from the Old Testament that has helped us understand our relationship with God for thousands of years. Each year, we acknowledge this patrimony and beseech the Lord to come to us anew. These supplications are reminders of preparation for the Parousia – the final Coming of Christ in glory –  the long-range focus of our Christmas preparations.

If, on Christmas Eve, we look back and start at the last title in the O Antiphons and take the first letter of each one (Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia) the Latin words ERO CRAS are formed, meaning “Tomorrow, I will come.” The monks arranged these antiphons with definite purpose!

Maybe you can recite the day’s antiphon before Grace at dinner each night. Maybe you can explore even more deeply the ancient meanings at prayer. Because praying with the Church is a way to grow in holiness!

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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The Three Comings

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On this Second Sunday of Advent, the Gospel presents to us the impassioned presence of St. John the Baptist – in the desert alone, dressed in camel’s hair, eating insects and wild honey – proclaiming the coming of the Lord. What John the Baptist lived, we are called to live; his entire life was an expectation and preparation for the coming of the Christ, and our lives are to be oriented toward Christ’s coming as well.

St. John’s certainty that his role was to “prepare the way of the Lord,” to be the messenger crying out to others that there is preparation to be done, marked his whole life. He knew God’s will for him and embraced it humbly and energetically, never becoming confused by his own ideas or desires, but giving himself over completely to his God-given task.

But he also did this with understanding and knowledge, which were certainly guided by the Holy Spirit. John was not some wild zealot living primitively in the desert without any refined comprehension of the whole picture. Indeed, the locus of his ministry was part of the message! Just as at the time of the Exodus the Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert and then crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, so John situated himself in the desert and invited the people to a new Exodus, bringing them through baptism in the same river Jordan into a new freedom. The first time, the Promised Land was Canaan, flowing with milk and honey; this time, the Promised Land would be the Messiah, who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit. The first Exodus freed them from slavery in Egypt; this time, they were called to repentance, to be freed from slavery to sin.

Christ’s life will likewise trace the path of ancient Israel, beginning with time in the desert. And we are called during Advent to stir up the thirst and longing of a desert wanderer in search of the Promised Land, the Kingdom of the Messiah, in the certain knowledge that we cannot be free except for His coming. This “coming” is threefold, and we must be ever open to all three: 1) His coming as an infant in Bethlehem; 2) His coming to each of us, every day; 3) His triumphant coming at the end of time.

Whether you use an Advent wreath, hymns, special prayers (like the St Andrew Christmas Novena), or particular practices to keep focused on the “reason for the season”, try each day to consider how you have opened yourself to each of the “3 comings” of Christ in your home and in your heart. You might spend just one minute at the end of the day considering each of these; by Christmas, your heart will be wide and welcoming for the coming of the Savior!

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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The Presentation of Mary

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Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Presentation of Mary. This is not found in the Gospel, but is based on an ancient tradition that Mary was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated to God as a child. Its place on the liturgical calendar dates back to the 6th century in the East (where it is celebrated as the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, one of the Eastern Orthodoxy’s 12 Great Feasts!) and the 16th century in the West (though it had some widespread local celebrations before being included in the universal Roman Calendar in 1585).

It is interesting to note that the three feasts of the life of Jesus – Christmas, the Holy Name of Jesus, and the Presentation in the Temple – are mirrored in the three feasts of the Marian cycle: the Nativity of Mary, the Holy Name of Mary, and her Presentation in the Temple. It is this mirroring that gives us a clue as to why this celebration is significant and remains on the liturgical calendar. Mary always points to Jesus and she was the first disciple, the first Christian, the one who followed Jesus most closely. These “parallel feasts” are a reminder that Mary’s life paralleled the life of Christ her Son.

Everything that Jesus tells us to do, Mary has done in an exemplary way, and so we are encouraged to look to her, as the human being on earth who knew Jesus best and can teach us how to follow him closely. We can look to her example to learn how to “ponder in the heart,” seek first the Kingdom of God, bear the cross in the world, trust in God’s mercy and love, and keep our eyes on the eternal treasure of Heaven.

Mary’s deepest identity is BELIEVER – one who encountered the Word of God, accepted it, assented to it, and never wavered, all the way to the cross and beyond.  She is our example of complete receptivity to the Word and a ready YES to every breath, every movement of the Holy Spirit.

There is nothing that Mary does without it being undertaken by the impulse of that original and ever-active grace of the Spirit that filled her from the beginning. And so, this tradition that her parents brought her to the Temple to dedicate her to God makes sense. We can almost see her there, prompted by the Spirit to open herself wholly to the God of her people. This act of dedication would be fully realized as she grew under the gaze of the Father, seeking His Will alone, so that she could truthfully say to the angel: “I am the handmaid of the Lord.”

So, let us ask Mary, “full of grace,” to intercede for us before the Throne of Grace, that we will love and serve the Lord freely and fully as she did!

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Father Knows Best (And Gives Freely To His Children)

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Today’s parable is straightforward on the surface: we should never become weary of praying, even if it seems our prayer is not being heard. But if we just look a little deeper, there is a more profound lesson.

We’ve all heard many times that we should “pray without ceasing” and that God hears all our prayers. And we know that when we pray, there is a possibility (or even probability) that things will not work out precisely the way we want. We’ve heard that’s because God knows what’s best, which is certainly true.  I sometimes say that God has three answers to prayer: 1) “Yes.” 2) “In just a minute.” and 3) “Actually, I have a better idea.” Our trustful prayer must be open to all three possible answers!

Jesus insists over the course of several parables on the importance of prayer, on our correct attitude at prayer, and the need to pray always. Prayer is simply a conversation with God; words are not even necessary, as it can be a simple lifting of the heart and mind to God because we desire to know His will, to walk in His ways, to glorify Him. When this becomes a habit, we are “praying always” and our love quietly deepens. St. Augustine says, “Desire always, and you pray always. This is the continual voice of prayer…You are silent when you cease to love. The cooling of charity is the silence of the heart.” If our hearts are not reaching toward God, even wordlessly, we are not fanning the flames of love.

The constant prayer of those “who call out to him day and night” must be accompanied by a firm faith, a confident hope that God hears every prayer. In this, Jesus seems to speak to each individual as well as to the Church as a whole: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” These words point to the final coming of Christ; before that apocalyptic day, the faith of all will be put to the test. As in the case of the foolish virgins in another parable, the oil necessary for keeping the fire of faith burning cannot be borrowed or bought at the last minute! It is a habit of prayer and Spirit-led action that keeps our oil lamps burning in expectation of the coming of the Bridegroom.

So it is wise to ask for the gifts of prayer, patience, and perseverance. These are gifts that the Spirit loves to pour out on the People of God, but our asking for them shows that we understand these powers do not come from ourselves and places our souls in the position to receive them properly. When we acknowledge that without Him we can do nothing, we give God permission and opportunity to work freely in us and through us, and our prayer is directed by the Spirit through Jesus right to the Heart of the Father.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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I Do Not Know You

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Let’s begin by clarifying that the “wedding feast” here refers to Heaven, and the bridegroom is Jesus himself (images already present in the Old Testament). The Church is the Bride of Christ, and each one of us is also his bride.  The bridegroom comes to bring the virgins into the feast with him, but only half of them are ready – the foolish half had run out of oil. They were not prepared for the coming of the bridegroom.

What did they need to do to be prepared? They needed to have enough oil to keep their lamps burning until midnight, of course!

Those waiting for the bridegroom are “virgins” – those who seek “the one thing necessary”, as Jesus said to Martha (Lk 10:42). As today’s Psalm reminds us, their souls thirst for the Lord (Psalm 63); they are focused fully on being ready for Jesus to return for them. He is delayed and comes at the very end, at midnight, when they have all become weary and fallen asleep. Clearly, they were not eagerly watching for his coming! But the wise virgins replenish their oil and stoke up their flames.

What is this “oil”? The oil that keeps their lamps burning to the end of their lives when Jesus comes to bring them into the Heavenly Feast signifies grace and love, their loving desire, faithfulness, and prayer, their pure and burning offering of themselves to him. The foolish ones think of these things as a commodity they can run out and get at the last minute, but growing in love and grace and becoming the person we are created to be is the work of a lifetime. This is why the wise virgins cannot give any of their oil to the foolish ones – the oil is a specific image of Christ-life within each of us, and the warmth and light that come from deep devotion and fidelity cannot be handed off to another at the last minute.

Jesus tells us that he has come to cast a fire on earth (Lk 12:49), and he desires that it burn in a unique way in each of us. This fire that God longs to see in each soul grows throughout our spiritual journey, gradually taking its shape in the depths of our relationship with the Lord and with one another. We can let our light shine for others, and others may light their lamps from this fire, but the oil must come from each person’s cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit within them, as they become a unique Image of God.

This is the goal of each individual life and of the whole of human history – to grow in our relationship with God in such a way that we burn with the radiance He created us for so that He knows us as His own and we light up the world and heaven in the way that He has called us to shine.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Signs of the Times

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Jesus points to the fact that his listeners (and his detractors) could certainly interpret indications of oncoming weather – clouds mean rain, wind from the south means heat – and he suggests that interpreting indications of spiritual realities should be just as easy. But is it?

Spiritual indicators are, on the one hand, just as obvious as weather indicators; they are, on the other hand, just as likely to be misinterpreted. The “secret” to interpreting properly is in the dispositions of our own hearts and minds.

The Jewish people should have known the signs of the Messiah’s coming, announced for centuries by the prophets. St. John the Baptist had paved a clear way, announcing that the Kingdom was at hand. Jesus himself was performing miracles of healing and restoration, preaching the coming of the Kingdom among them, and announcing (sometimes subtly, sometimes more clearly) that he was the One sent by the Father. And yet, those in authority did not want to accept these signs. Jesus called them out, making clear their reasons: they were not sincere in their intentions, they did not have the necessary good will, they had a personal interest in protecting the status quo because they liked the power and prestige they enjoyed. This roaming rabbi did not promise to overturn the rule of the Romans or restore the earthly Kingdom they looked for, and so they could not accept that Jesus was who he said he was.

When Jesus says to them (and to us), “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” he is pointing to the truth that God is always revealing the Truth, revealing His Will, revealing the way for us, if only we open ourselves to it with sincerity, humility, and love. IN CHRIST, we can know the Will of God, understand our position in the universe (which is infinitesimally small), and therefore appreciate our position in the Heart of the Father (which is disproportionately large). It is here, placing ourselves in our correct position of universal smallness and ontological largeness – here where we know that despite the fact that our existence on this planet is short and limited in scope, we have been called to the magnificence of life within the very Heart of God – that we are truly open to see God at work in our lives and in the world.

So when Jesus says we should be able to judge for ourselves what is right, and what is happening, what he is really inviting us to do is to humble ourselves before the objective Truth that IS, and open ourselves fully to the Spirit’s creative activity in human life. In prayer and immersion in the Word, we can enter more deeply into a relationship with God, and begin to hear the beating Heart of the Father.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Blessed Are Who?

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In today’s short Gospel, we have much to ponder. A woman from the crowd, acknowledging Jesus’ goodness, acknowledges also the presumed blessedness of his mother. It is a compliment of the highest order, perhaps inspired by Mary’s presence there, a way of honoring Jesus’ history, his mother, his belonging.

At first it may seem that Jesus is dismissing this compliment, as if he is saying, “Actually, the blessed ones are those who hear and keep God’s word, and not my mother.” But isn’t Mary the first one to “hear the word of God and observe it”? In fact, Jesus is acknowledging that the real reason Mary is to be honored is not her biological motherhood, but her total faithfulness to the Word of God. His words apply in the deepest way to her: “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it.” She is the one who heard the Word of God, opened herself to it fully, received that Word so completely that it became Flesh within her. Mary is the first disciple, the one who believed, whose loving and obedient “yes” made the Incarnation possible. By looking at Mary, we can see the whole mystery of our redemption, from the Son’s conception in her womb to our own conception in the womb of Mother Church, “until Christ be fully formed in us” (Gal 4:19).

Mary encountered the Word of God, accepted it, assented to it, and never wavered, all the way to the Cross and beyond. Her whole life is summed up in her words at the Annunciation: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).  Later, Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy will be done” (Matt. 6:10). Our own daily “yes” should echo this complete willingness to do the Father’s will. But we must remember that God doesn’t want us to do His will because He wants submissive subjects; He wants children who live the joy and peace of a life of love. Love is not just obedience (though lovers often submit to the desires of the other); love is encounter, relationship, and union! Jesus reminds us that this life of real loving union begins with hearing God’s word and aligning our lives with it. In keeping the commands of love, we find the One who IS Love, and our hearts and wills are one with His. This is the “blessedness” and joy and peace Jesus desires for each of us.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Our Lady Of The Rosary, Our Lady Of Victory

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Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. Where does this title and celebration come from?

At the last apparition of Fatima on October 13, Mary identified herself in this way, saying, “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day.” But nearly 350 years earlier, the history of this memorial celebration began. The troops of the Turkish Ottoman Empire had invaded and occupied the Byzantine Empire by 1453, and brought a large portion of the Christian world under a version of Islamic law. They continued to expand westward for the next 100 years, determined to invade Rome. In 1571, a fleet of 300 ships of the Ottoman Empire was preparing to wage a battle to conquer Europe, off the coast of Western Greece. Genoa, Spain, and the Papal States – three Catholic powers of Europe – formed an alliance called the Holy League, to defend Christian civilization against the looming Turkish invasion, sailing to confront them near Lepanto. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory, and the crew of the 200 ships of the Holy League prayed it as well.

Lepanto was a decisive battle, setting the trajectory of European history for hundreds of years. The pope attributed this to the intercession of Our Lady through the Rosary, and in thanksgiving instituted the celebration of “Our Lady of Victory” on October 7 and inserted the invocation “Help of Christians” into the Litany of Loreto. The name of the feast was changed by several popes, but always with the intention of giving thanks for this victory.

It is interesting that it was at Fatima that Mary revealed herself as the “Lady of the Rosary”, as the name of this little village refers to the youngest daughter of the prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam (Portugal and Spain were occupied by Muslims for centuries). Mary is also the only woman named in the Quran, which describes her as being chosen above all other women. This indicates the possibility of a connection between Islam, Mary, and the Rosary.

At the July apparition, Mary told the children to “Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary in order to obtain peace for the world…because only she can help you.”

Pope Francis called the Rosary a “simple contemplative prayer, accessible to all… In the Rosary we turn to the Virgin Mary so that she may guide us to an ever closer union with her Son, Jesus, to bring us into conformity with him, to have his sentiments and behave like him… The Rosary is an effective means for opening ourselves to God.”

So let us make or renew our resolution to pray this simple prayer, as so many popes, saints, and Mary herself have encouraged us to do; for peace in our hearts, in our homes, in our families, and in our world!

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Angels

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It seems many of us don’t give angels a lot of thought. When we do think about them, we tend to think about them in either a childish way (“Angel of God, my guardian dear…”) or in a superstitious way (as evidenced by most books on angels found on the shelves of your local bookstore). Maybe the scant information about angels causes us to dismiss them as a quaint or useless fiction. But what is true?

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the three archangels mentioned in Scripture by name. Based on the Scriptural references, we actually know quite a bit about angels:

  • they are created beings (Psalm 148:2-5)
  • there are many, many angels (Daniel 7:10, Apocalypse 5:11, Psalm 67:18, Matthew 26:53)
  • they are of a higher order than humans (Psalm 8:6)
  • some of them turned against God and fell from grace (Genesis 3, 6, Apocalypse 9:11-15, 12:7-9, Luke 10:18)
  • these evil angels tempt humans to destruction (Matt 25:42, 2 Peter 2:4, Ephesians 6:12, 2 Corinthians 11:14 and 12:7)
  • they minister to God (Daniel 7:9-10; Tobit 12:15; Revelation 8:2-5)
  • they minister to us (Job 1:6, 2:1; Matt 18:10; Hebrews 1:14)
  • they are messengers to us (Judges 13, Daniel 8, Zechariah 1 ,2, 4, 5; Luke 2:9, etc.)
  • they are personal guardians to us (Genesis 24:7, Psalm 33:8, Matthew 4:6, 18:19; Hosea 12:4, Acts 12:7)
  • they are guardians of whole peoples (Exodus 14:19, Baruch 6:6, Daniel 10:12-21; Acts 16:9)
  • there is a hierarchy of 9 orders of angels: Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim (Ezekiel 1, Isaias 6, 1 Thes 4:15, Ephesians 1:21, Colossians 1:16)
  • the names of several archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael (Daniel 8, 10:13, 12; Tobit 12:15, Luke 1:19,  Apocalypse 12:7)

At every Mass, we join with the angels in praying the Gloria and the Holy, Holy, Holy. At funerals, we invoke their assistance for the deceased (“May the angels lead you to Paradise”). This compilation is not exhaustive, but it gives a good summary of what is true about angels: there are myriads of angels ministering before the Throne of God, and they are our fellow-creatures, friends, helpers, guides, defenders, and messengers.

We are each given an angel to be with us on our journey to the Heart of the eternal Father. He has given us each a companion to strengthen us in our weakness, keep our eyes open to God and His will, block for us every wrong way and point out the pitfalls the Enemy has set before us. In Heaven, we will rejoice with this companion forever before the Face of the Father!

So we can pray: Guardian Angel, guide and guard me. St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, watch over us. St. Michael, Friend of the friends of God, protect and defend us!

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Superpowers?

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When I was a child preparing for my first confession, it seemed to me that Jesus had “superpowers” in the Gospel stories I heard. I was amazed that the people walking down the street at the same time as Jesus saw an ordinary man, and they would even argue with him. But then he would, like all superheroes, engage his superpowers at just the right time, and in just the right way. His power is never destructive or, well, overpowering, but it is dazzling just the same.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses several of these powers. The Pharisee says something to himself – thinks something in his mind – and Jesus REPLIES to his thought! Not in a condescending or reprimanding way, but in an inviting way. He asks a question so that Simon can think a NEW thought, if he chooses. Jesus knows that his thought is negative and judgmental: “Doesn’t Jesus know what kind of woman this is?” In place of that, Jesus gently encourages the Pharisee to look beyond superficial appearances and look to the heart. In place of judgment, Jesus encourages the Pharisee to understand mercy. The Pharisee is busy mentally condemning the sinful woman and Jesus’ lack of prudence, and Jesus gently points out that in many ways, the woman is more generous and loving than the Pharisee.

Jesus expresses another “superpower” in this scene when he turns to the woman and tells her that her sins are forgiven. The others at the table are astonished at this bold statement. How can he forgive sins?! Only God can forgive sins! Exactly. Jesus is making clear Who He Is, if they will accept it. He is here to “make all things new” – our hearts and minds, our actions and our relationships. He is here to heal and enlighten and invite each of us to a new thought, a new way of seeing, a new way of being.

In the Church, He does this in a direct way through the sacraments. We are baptized into the Body of Christ, into his very life in the Trinity. We become one with him when he gives himself entirely to us – and we give ourselves entirely to him – in the Eucharist. And when we fall short, like the woman who was a sinner, we go to the confessional where he says the same words to us that he said to her: “Your sins are forgiven…go in peace.” These are the words that free us anew and set us on a renewed path. Let us pray to be filled with the same loving gratitude for the gift of mercy and peace that emboldened the sinful woman to weep at Jesus’ feet and cover them with kisses and precious ointment!

Jesus, I trust in You!

Contact the author

Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.