Daily Collection from the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Collect: Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ you Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns…
“Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts”
— In Jewish and Christian usage, the “heart” is not just the vessel that pumps blood. It is also not just where you keep your emotions. The “heart” represents the deepest part of the self, the unifying principle at the root of who a person is. So, this request is a request for God’s grace to take root at the deepest possible level, which includes thoughts, feelings, desires, etc.
“that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ you Son was made known by the message of an Angel”
— We remember the annunciation as the first proclamation of the Gospel and see ourselves as recipients of that same Gospel. In other words, there is a continuity and unity between us and Mary as the recipients of the Good News.
“may, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection”
— Notice that this line lists two instruments involved in salvation: Mary’s intercession and Christ’s passion and Cross. While Christ’s Passion is obviously primary, the Church has long held that Mary is a Co-redemptrix. God chose to intimately involve her in his plan of salvation and she is par excellence the example of a Christian’s cooperation in salvation.
Advice: You may recognize this prayer as part of the Angelus. It is the reason that most Church bells ring at 6 AM, Noon, and 6 PM – to call people to prayer. It is based on Mary’s example of “keeping these things in her heart.” The “things” we should keep in our hearts are the mysteries of our salvation. By reflecting on them regularly, we open ourselves to Grace and deepen our faith. Consider setting your watch or phone alarm to one or all three of these traditional times and praying the Angelus when it goes off each day.
Do not be afraid of the Catholic devotion to Mary. Learn about her role in salvation, seek her intercession, and never be bashful about fostering a deeper devotion. There are more visionaries than I can count who advocate Marian devotion as one of the surest ways to keep yourself from drifting out of the Church, falling pray to heresy, or losing faith. Pray the Rosary as often as possible – even while you lay in bed and start to fall asleep is a good place to start.
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| Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us! |