Monday, 4/8/13
Today we observe the Feast of Mary’s
Annunciation, which we could not celebrate on the right day two weeks ago,
because we were contemplating the Passion of Christ.
We observe the Annunciation each time
we pray the Hail Mary, and so there is nothing left for me to say about it. If
you don’t mind, I’d like to speak of problems I used to have with saying the
Hail Mary, and I’d like speak too of how I got around the difficulties I always
had with repeating the rosary.
First of all, growing up, with the
other kids on my block being Methodists, I was uneasy with Catholics at school who
were so familiar with Mary. I took up praying that “Hail Holy Queen, Mother of
Mercy” prayer every night. I was asking Mary to help me develop feelings for
her. After two years of that, it began occurring to me that Jesus had given
Mary to me as a mother. And from then on I have felt that child-to-mother
relationship with her.
Later I tackled the problem of my
finding it terribly dull to repeat the Hail Marys over and over in the Rosary. Then,
a memory from when I was four years old freed me from that difficulty.
I recalled going Christmas shopping
in the big department stores, hanging on to my mother’s hand for dear life. As
she pushed us through the crowds I’d be gaping around at all the wonders. Transferring
that, now I gape at the mysteries of the rosary. I don’t try to consciously
reflecting on the words of the Hail Marys. I just think of them while holding
tight to Mary’s hand while I gape at the mysteries.
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