Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Scripture:
Galatians 1:13-24
Luke 10:38-42
Reflection:
St. Benedict told us hundreds of years ago, that there is only one thing that is important, to seek God. As high school students at the Passionist Prep, we were taught to periodically recall that we were in the presence of God. Each day one of the students was assigned the task of stopping whatever we were doing, i.e. playing baseball on the field, pinochle in the recreation room, studying hard for a test we would be taking shortly, to announce: "Presence of God!" When we heard that we would stop for a moment and then respond: "May Jesus and Mary be praised."
I wonder what would happen if I went into my local McDonald’s and announced: "Presence of God!" or even better yet, if I went downtown to the Chicago Board of Trade, got a hold of the public address system and announced: "Presence of God!" I suspect I would quickly be apprehended and either thrown in jail or sent to the psychiatric unit at the local hospital.
I suppose too the same thing might happen if I suggested in this reflection that we should all stop at sometime during our day and say the rosary. We’d all protest (myself included): I don’t have time to waste, I’ve got to clean my house, prepare a report for the boss, I’m running late for an appointment…
In today’s scripture we hear: "Martha, was distracted by her many tasks…there is need of only one thing." (Luke 10: 41-42) Help me God, to remember that St. Benedict was right, there truly is only one thing that is important in this moment, and that is to seek You. Help me remember too, that the rosary is a great way to think about Your mysterious involvement in my life.
Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists. He lives in Chicago.