Dear Brothers and Sisters in Carmel,
October: month to celebrate our holy mother, St Teresa, and our dear little flower, St Thérèse. Two mighty Doctors! And all in the backdrop of the month’s dedication – the Holy Rosary. We are blessed indeed.
I would like to share with you a quote I found from Pope Benedict XVI in an address at the Basilica of St Mary Major where he prayed the rosary with the faithful. I think it makes a beautiful reflection:
Today, together we confirm that the Holy Rosary is not a pious practice banished to the past, like prayers of other times thought of with nostalgia. Instead, the Rosary is experiencing a new Springtime. Without a doubt, this is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his Mother, Mary. In the current world, so dispersive, this prayer helps to put Christ at the centre, as the Virgin did, who meditated within all that was said about her Son, and also what he did and said. When reciting the Rosary, the important and meaningful moments of salvation history are relived. The various steps of Christ's mission are traced.
With Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. Christ is put at the centre of our life, of our time, of our city, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory. May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace emanating from these mysteries, so that through us we can ‘water’ society, beginning with our daily relationships, and purifying them from so many negative forces, thus opening them to the newness of God.
The Rosary, when it is prayed in an authentic way, not mechanical and superficial but profoundly, it brings, in fact, peace and reconciliation. It contains within itself the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the centre of each ‘Hail Mary’.
St Teresa of Jesus and St Thérèse of Lisieux provide us with wonderful encouragement and inspiration in prayer. St Thérèse approached prayer with childlike simplicity and was used to begin the section on prayer in the Catechism: “prayer is a burst from my heart, a heartfelt glance toward heaven and a cry of love”. So deep, so simple. And St Teresa’ s description of prayer as “an intimate sharing between friends; taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us”, is so consoling, so reassuring. He knows us, He loves us! No explanations, references, requirements are needed from us! He knows us! He loves us! No fancy words or feelings needed, just us giving ourselves completely to Him.
Christchurch's Peace of Christ Community President