Today marks the end of October so quickly come and gone, this beautiful month dedicated to the precious gift from heaven, the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin, our Holy Mother Mary. Ask yourself how you did this month with this prayer which comes second only to the Holy Mass itself. Ask yourself if you availed of the power that is hidden in the meditation upon its mysteries, for reflecting on the salvific actions of our loving Saviour therein, we receive strength to battle the infernal dragon who seeks our ruin day in and day out.
Hence in today’s first reading, so providentially applicable to what we are saying above, Saint Paul reminds the Ephesians and by extension, all of us, to “put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.” Saint Paul saw so clearly what the devil tries to conceal from all of us – his presence and machinations.
I can tell you my brothers and sisters, that we went through a certain something right here in this formation house that I am a part of this week, and boy could I ever see how Satan was trying to sift us like wheat, as he did with the apostles.
Almost three of us were about to pack it in, throw in the towel and head home… until, we prayed the Rosary. Then the veil was lifted, and we were able to see that this is the diabolical which continually tries to divide us and set us against each other.
How important it is then, to allow the Lord to defend us from such evil. And again, one may ask why one has to pray so as to be protected. Does not a child receive protection from a parent even at an age when it is not yet able to reason and ask for anything? And that is true, and in much the same way God has protected us from innumerable evils without us even being aware of it. However, it all reverts back to the importance of relationship. God has invited us, not forced us, to be in a relationship with him. It is a loving, trusting, and genuine relationship he wants. He doesn’t want us to smile at him on the one hand, while engaging in sinful behaviour on the other. He doesn’t want us to be like a seemingly loving husband and father in the eyes of his family, while heading out to a mistress by night whenever he has an opportunity. That’s not a trusting, loving relationship. True love means we will make an effort to change, to fight, and to freely choose the good over the evil that presents itself to us.
In today’s gospel, some pharisees come to Jesus warning him to depart from the place he was at because King Herod had a mind to put him to death. Our Lord tells them to remind Herod that he is “busy” with the work of God’s kingdom, casting out demons “and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.” Not only does Jesus indicate his Messianic mission, but also once again foretells his resurrection from the dead on the third day. We remember that before our Lord gave up his spirit and breathed his last on the cross, he punctuated the end of his successful mission, in obedience to the Eternal Father, with an “It is accomplished.” Yet, in this passage he is also indicating that his entire purpose will be accomplished only on the third day, after he rises from the grave.
The time between his death on the cross and his resurrection on Easter Sunday is important because it was a moment where he not only descended to the netherworld and announced liberty to those who were waiting for entrance into paradise forever, but it was also a moment where many important figures were having their faith purified. The apostles in the upper room, wondering if they’d made a mistake giving everything up for him, having seen how Jesus was brutally executed and killed. He saw the tears of the likes of Saint Mary Magdalene, who loved the master so much that she plummeted to the depths of her sorrow and visited the grave early Sunday morning when it was her first possible opportunity to do so. A lot of things were happening in those three days, where Jesus thought his purpose was still unfolding.
So too it is with us my dear brothers and sisters. The Lord gives us the time we need to begin to see clearly how much he loves us, and how good and holy his merciful plan for all humanity has always been, but we don’t always see it right away.
Let us be like the apostles, and the saints, who knew that to be able to see the hand and plan of the Lord clearly in our lives and the events of the world, we must take the time to want to be with him in prayer and reflection. Then, and only then, will we be able to “stand firm against the tactics of the Devil.” Then and only then will we know that the Rosary has been a precious gift to us all along, for all these years. Would we but give it more importance in our lives!
Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, on this last day of October, may you be blessed in a special way, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is with you, as he has always been, go now and glorify him through virtuous living. Praised be to God.
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