One Day at a Time

A Rosary Meditation: The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, The Carrying of the Cross.

“And take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23.

We get all caught up in future tense, don’t we? What if tomorrow … ? Or next week, or next year, or … I’ll share a little story here, told me by my Grandad years ago. It goes like this …

During the Great Depression my grandparents set up housekeeping in an empty cabin in the woods. They didn’t have much, but they did have a cured ham which my Grandad hung from a rafter, trying to keep critters away from it if any got in the house. Well, one day my Grandad came home to find Grandma setting on the side of the bed, holding their new baby, their first, in her arms bawling her eyes out. So Grandad asked her what was wrong. She said: “One day Naomi (the new baby girl) is gonna be all grown up and she’ll get married and have a baby of her own. And she’ll bring the baby over to visit and it’ll be playin’ on the floor …. SNIFFLE! SOB! … And, and that rope ‘ll break and the ham ‘ll fall on the baby and kill it!”

Well, now you know something about the folks that raised me. 🙂 Anyway, this meditation is short, direct and to the point …

“Be not therefore solicitous for to morrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34, Douay-Rheims.

Just a thought … The last time you worried about tomorrow, what changed? I mean other than the loss of today? Jesus never asked anyone to carry tomorrows cross today.

 

Saturday, December 15

A Rosary Meditation … The Fourth Glorious Mystery, The Assumption. “Blessed art though, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon earth.” Judith 13:23. Assumption. I like words, I enjoy a good play on words. I understand what the word “assumption” means in this context, but do you think Mary made the assumption that she would be assumed into Heaven? 🙂 Probably not. I find it hard to believe, given her humility, that Mary assumed much of anything in her relationship with God other than His goodness. If she didn’t make assumptions should we? Well, so much for playing with words. Mary was blessed by God above every other woman on earth. That means all of the women for all of time. It’s not every lady that’s chosen to give birth to Messiah. Or to stand with Him on Calvary while He hung on the cross. She was with Him from His conception till His Ascension. And He kept her with Him. No one remains with Jesus on their own. We’re all creatures and need His strength and grace in order to be able to do anything. So He kept her and she of course co-operated. He can’t keep us if we don’t co-operate. Its called free will.  After His Ascension He kept her here, during her earthly life, as mother of His Body, the Church. Do you think a loving son would ever NOT keep his mother? And so the keeping continued. All the way from this world and this life to the next. I assume He can do the same for you and me if, like Mary, we let Him.

Today … St. Mary Di Rosa. In 1848 there was war in Brescia, Italy. Sister Paula di Rosa, as she was known, was a member of the Handmaids of Charity. She and some other nuns were helping at a military hospital. No one really wanted them there. The doctors would have preferred secular or military personnel as help. One night there was a great pounding on the door. Everyone knew what it was. Soldiers. There were shouts to open. This was a dangerous situation, the soldiers angry and looking for plunder. And here was an unwanted nun, a burden and worse than a burden in such a situation, worthless to defend and needing to be defended by others not having the desire or the means, and she was heading towards the door to open it! When the door opened the soldiers were faced with this nun holding a large crucifix before them. They slunk away in silence. I don’t think she assumed God would protect her and the others. Godly people know better than to foolishly tempt Him or put Him to the test. There is a great and wonderful difference between assuming and trust.

Read … Luke 4:12 & Psalm 2:12.