MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY - Thursday - October 07, 2021

Thursday - October 07, 2021

"The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow  of this world, and open on the substance of the next.  The power of the rosary is beyond description."

- Archbishop Fulton Sheen

 

October 7 - Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

 

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Lectionary: 653

Below are the readings suggested for today's Memorial. However, readings for the Memorial may also be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, #707-712.

Reading 1ACTS 1:12-14

After Jesus had been taken up into heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day's journey away.

When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Responsorial PsalmLK 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

R.    (49)  The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R.    O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R.    O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"For he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R.    O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R.    O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R.    O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."
R.    The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R.    O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father.

AlleluiaSEE LK 1:28

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"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 called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

************************************************************** 

Praying the Scriptures

Jesus says in the Gospel reading for today: Ask in order to receive. Knock, and the way, the truth, and the life will be opened to you. He is, of course, talking about receiving the Holy Spirit. But remember: This includes the fullness of life that the Holy Spirit provides, the fullness of truth, and the fullness of making our way to heaven by uniting ourselves in holiness to God here on earth.

 

Obtaining all this occurs through one situation at a time in our everyday lives. One of the most excellent ways to pray is to use scriptures as a dialog with the Holy Spirit. Find any scripture that pertains to a current need and read it as a personal letter from God. Then answer that letter.

 

Let's illustrate this with today's first reading. Are you suffering hardships because of someone who believes that "it is vain to serve God" and thinks, "What do I profit by keeping his command?"

 

Use this scripture passage as a prayer to God, like so:

 

"Lord, they have defiled You in their words and in their evil actions. ... You are listening attentively to my pleas for help. I trust You. Protect me as You have promised. Show me Your compassion, that all the world may see. ... Destroy all the roots and the branches of evil in those who would harm me. ... Help me recover in the healing rays of Your justice. Thank you! Amen!"

 

Now re-read this scripture as a dialog with the Holy Spirit, like so:

 

"Then they who fear the Lord spoke with one another, and the Lord listened attentively." The Holy Spirit wants to remind you that when you seek the help of your Christian community, sharing your burden with Christ-centered friends, Jesus listens to you and ministers to you through them. Tell Jesus that you're going to visit one of your Christian companions today and you'd like him to reveal something helpful through that person.

 

Notice this phrase: " ... on the day I take action." A promise for you! (I'm skipping verses; please take time to read it thoroughly to discover all that the Holy Spirit is saying to you.) Tell Jesus how you feel about waiting for that day.

 

"You will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked; between those who serve God and those who do not." You've seen God intervene against evil before. You will we see it again! Tell Jesus how much you appreciate the times past when he vindicated you and that you'll trust him to do that again.

 

"The day is coming, blazing hot, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble ... setting them on fire ...." Everyone sooner or later faces justice. Either the evildoers who've hurt you will regret it and burn with a desire to repent, or they will burn with the deeper fires of regret during purgatory when they discover how little room they had made for God's love in their hearts, or they will burn where the fires are unquenchable because they've turned away from God forever. Ask Jesus to do everything possible to help them repent before it's too late. And ask him how you can help him do that.

 

"For you ... there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays." Ahhh, what a wonderful way to end this letter of reassurance from God! What are you going to say to him now?

 

Today's Prayer

 

My Lord, Give me the grace to persevere in my prayers without feeling discouraged, to ask according to Your plans for me and to trust that You have already listened to me. Amen.

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”