Luky:
WOULD you describe yourself as a Martha or a Mary type of person?
Years ago I tried to get someone to promise to pray the rosary daily with her family. A friend and I obtained such pledges on behalf of the World Rosary Crusade for Peace.
When I had used up all the arguments in favor of the rosary I could think of, the person tersely said: "You pray! I work!"
Balance needed
What the Marthas of the world don't always seem to realize, however, is that working and caring for the home are just not enough; you've got to pray a little too.
"You tell me", another housewife said, "Do I drop everything at the busiest time of the day to recite my rosary with the family? What about my cooking, dishes, the children's baths? Which would you like me to skip?"
I was amazed to hear myself answering: "None. You see to everything, but make sure our Lord gets His share too."
Why?
For what purpose are we washing nappies, serving meals, cleaning dishes, pulling out weeds, or playing chauffeur, chef and nanny, if these and our other daily chores are not backed by a meaning? Would you want to continue living if you truly believed that life were one continuous effort, terminating in the grave?
Only prayer and meditation can give meaning to these seemingly meaningless tasks.
Like all other human beings, the housewife has a contemplative side to her nature, although it may seem to sit ill on one wearing an apron, holding a baby and a broom or a duster. It isn't strange, when you think about it, because she has been used as an instrument in the miracle of creation, and that should make anyone thoughtful.
When she hears words like: "My soul is thirsting for the Lord; when shall I see Him face to face?", the housewife may be moved to tears of longing. But then again, if her doctor told her she had a fatal disease, she'd make straight for the church, light a candle and pray for the joy of seeing the Lord face to face to be deferred till her children were off her hands.
I don't meditate
I read with interest the exchange in the letter columns about meditation on the rosary, and have come to the horrible conclusion that I don't meditate properly, either on the mysteries or on the words of the Our Father and the Hail Mary.
I try to, honestly, but I fail time and time again. I've been tempted to leave off reciting the rosary, but can't because of my pledge.
Fortunately God knows I've a lot on my plate, so I continued rounding up the family for the rosary. Maybe one day I'll learn to meditate properly as I pray.
Simply beautiful
And yet I wonder if perfection is what God demands of His children as much as the desire to become perfect. One of my children used to bring me a bedraggled bunch of veld flowers, picked daily on the way from school. The smile on the child's face would be so devastating that I'd arrange the flowers in a good vase, where they would flop gracelessly.
I suppose my rosary, when it reaches Mary's feet, looks as bedraggled as those veld flowers. But I hope and believe that when she in her turn presents my bouquet to Jesus, it will look beautiful.
Catherine Nicolette
Ah, the rosary - what a blessed prayer. If you would like to join the Rosary Crusade for peace, click in the link
https://www.mdrevelation.org/rosary-crusade-for-peace/
If you do not know how to pray the rosary, and would like to do so, click in the following link
https://www.praytherosary.org/how-to-pray
If you wish to join worldwide prayer of the rosary, this is made possible in the following link
https://www.comepraytherosary.org/
With thanks to mdrevelation.org, praytherosary.or and comepraytherosary.org
Clip art with thanks to free clipart-library.com
