Modern, worldy four letter words … Thursday, May 2

The Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary and the Virgin of the Rosary, a Rosary-based cycle.

A Rosary Meditation … The First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.” Luke 1:38. Respect for rightful authority. Obedience. It seems these, respect and obedience, are regarded as a four letter words in our modern society. Mary showed respect for the messenger of God and obedience to the will of God. Lets not look at the world right now. You would expect disrespect and disobedience from the satanically controlled, and that literally, masses. Mary was not of the world, she was of the people of God, the Jews. We are not of the world, we are of the people of God, Christ‘s Church. Mary did not hesitate in her obedience and the respect she showed reflected her view of God’s messenger. She saw the angel as having been sent by God with God’s message. How do we view our parish priest? How do we react to the advice given us by our Holy Father the Pope? What is our reaction to a plea from our bishop? What do we think of the rights our spouse has over us, the God-given ones? There are Biblical commands concerning all of these, which is to say authoritative statements from the God who made us, sustains us, and owns us. If an angel from heaven came to us, like one did to Mary, we’d be impressed and listen wouldn’t we? And why would we not listen respectfully to those here on earth who have God-assigned authority over us? Because they put on their cassock one leg at a time, just like we do?

Today … This is Mary’s month. Every saint has a day, not every saint has whole month. Today lets consider the respectful and obedient example she gives us and pray to be saints ourselves.

From the Rule of St. Benedict, the chapter on Obedience …

The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This is the virtue of those who hold nothing dearer to them than Christ; who, because of the holy service they have professed, and the fear of hell, and the glory of life everlasting, as soon as anything has been ordered by the Superior, receive it as a divine command and cannot suffer any delay in executing it. Of these the Lord says, “As soon as he heard, he obeyed Me” (Ps. 17[18]:45). And again to teachers He says, “He who hears you, hears Me” (Luke 10:16).

Such as these, therefore, immediately leaving their own affairs and forsaking their own will, dropping the work they were engaged on and leaving it unfinished, with the ready step of obedience follow-up with their deeds the voice of him who commands. And so as it were at the same moment the master’s command is given and the disciple’s work is completed, the two things being speedily accomplished together in the swiftness of the fear of God by those who are moved with the desire of attaining life everlasting. That desire is their motive for choosing the narrow way, of which the Lord says, “Narrow is the way that leads to life” (Matt. 7:14), so that, not living according to their own choice nor obeying their own desires and pleasures but walking by another’s judgment and command, they dwell in monasteries and desire to have an Abbot over them. Assuredly such as these are living up to that maxim of the Lord in which He says, “I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).