Rosary- A Shadow in Our Lives

A conversation between a mother and her son on a bridge while crossing a river,

Mother: Son, hold on my hand tightly.

Son: No mother, you hold my hand properly

Mother: Both are same right?

Son: No mother, I may leave my hand, if a thorn or a stone hits my leg but I have umpteen times of surety that you won’t leave my hand.

Celebration or recitation of Rosary invites us to meditate upon a mother who holds our hands throughout our life like the mother whom we have heard in the story. Here the saying is important “A mother carries her child nine months in her womb and bears forever in her heart after the birth.” I would say Rosary is a renewal of our promise what apostle St. John has made which we read in the gospel, “And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”  

 As we are entering into the concluding day of solemn Rosary I would request you to reflect upon two concepts which will help us to make this Rosary more meaningful. The first notion is the attitude of Mother Mary. She keeps her promise even in the 20^th century after Jesus entrusted her as the mother of the whole world, saying “Women here is your son.” Yes she is always with us. She helps us during the time of trials and tribulations and the best example is the wedding at Cana. I would like to entitle her as a shadow. Philosophically shadow is what always with us or it is inbuilt. We see it only when the rays of light fall on us. Hope that this celebration of Rosary spread the rays of hope on us so that we feel the presence of Mary with us always and everywhere.

Secondly it is the attitude of St. John the evangelist.  When Jesus told him, “Here is your mother. And from that moment the disciple took her in to his own home.” The home is nothing but heart. So John received Mother Mary into his heart. Today we represent John and it’s our duty to prepare our heart to obtain our mother. Rosary is the best means to welcome Mamma Mary to our heart and that’s why Fr. Shaji Thumpechirayil had sung “പൊട്ടിയിട്ടും കൂട്ടികെട്ടിയ പ ഴയൊരു ജപമാല വീട്ടിലുണ്ടായിരുന്നു” It highlights that Rosary is the easiest link to connect Jesus along with Mary.  Rosary connects 3 C’s of Christian life. Cana, Calvary and Christ. Cana is a place of litany of sorrows and struggles where you intercede to our mother; Calvary is a mountain of suffering and torment where our mother is with us and Christ is our destiny to which our mother helps us to reach. 

I would like to wind up with the concept of AIDA employed in the world of advertisement. It is an acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. An advertisement becomes more colorful when these four concepts are applied properly and proportionally. The same way our Rosary becomes more meaningful and fruitful when we recite with attention, interest, desire which leads to action. 
Jithin Kalan CMI