Today is the memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. This celebration commemorates the central role of our mother Mary in the history of our salvation. The rosary summarizes the gospel and more. It presents the gospel message from the perspective of Mary, who was part of the entire redemption story. Hence, the rosary presents the story of salvation preceding the Word being made flesh until the later events after His reunion with the Father in heaven. Hence, Mary’s story gives us the full picture of God’s intervention in human history. Mary’s story reveals how patient God has been with us and how enduring is his mercy.
God’s Patience
The readings of today reflect on the patience of God. God is always patient with us. His patience is for our own good. We experience His patience when He endures the hurt of our sins and shows mercy. Little wonder in the first reading, prophet Malachi noted the lamentations of the upright, that the Lord has been very patient with the arrogant and evil doers by letting them prosper and go free. But this does not mean that the Lord will let them have their way. There is always a time of response when God pays the wicked in their own coin. “For the day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble.” But the Lord rewards the faithful for being steadfast. Like a friend who assists his fellow because he persistently asks, God will give up his resistance for the sake of the faithful when they ask in faith without relenting.
Testing God
These readings demonstrate that we can “test” God positively when we are faithful in our trust. He will look towards us with mercy when we ask. We can also test him negatively when we persist in sin and arrogantly take His mercy for granted. Mary remains our model in seeking and doing God’s will. At the wedding in Galilee, she taught the disciples how to ask, seek and knock in order to receive a favourable response from the Lord who does not relent when His faithful ones fervently pray. Like Mary therefore, let us test God through our faithful recourse to His will. And we can do this when we PUSH i.e., Pray Until Something Happens.
