The Rosary in the Life of the Priest
“Like the Blessed Mother, the priest is called treasure and ponder the Word made flesh”
by Rev. Tony Gonoude
Diocese of Meath Vocations Reflection
The month of October is the time when we have the Holy Rosary as our backdrop. The seventh of October sees the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. With this in mind, we can reflect on what this prayer says to the life of the priest and those considering a call to the Sacred Priesthood.
In the gospel of Luke we hear, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Each stop along the way of the beads used in this great prayer, are like a moment of memory of the Blessed Virgin. She witnessed the events of her dear Son who came to be God-with-us. Through Mary, the Lord stepped into time, flesh and life to teach us. The thirty-three years of Jesus on earth, is the model and example of every priest. In the Rosary, he finds inspiration, guidance and example from the mysteries of Christ. In the Rosary, “with Mary the heart is oriented toward the mystery of Jesus. “ [1] Like the Blessed Mother, the priest is called treasure and ponder the Word made flesh (cf. John 1:14).
[1] His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, Basilica of Saint Mary Major Saturday, 3 May 2008
Every day in the life of the priest, he encounters different challenges through the aspects of his ministry. At one moment he will see vibrancy with young people who are in schools, college or who altar serve. He will look upon the joy of new life in baptisms and the unity of couples in marriage. The day will also perhaps, include the need for parish administration, the care of parishioners through First Friday calls or the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The priest may see sadness in the tragic stories of those who come to him for solace or be called to the death of a person. In all of these varying situations, there is joy, sorrow, consolation, pain or hope. Is this not the prayer of the Rosary too? For in these steps of the High Priest, we see all of the above. In the rhythm of the “Hail Marys” and the mysteries of the Rosary, the priest can find meaning in the sadness, the happiness and the energy he may have encountered in any day. The events of Christ give meaning to the happenings of each moment of ministry. With Mary, the Holy Mother, the priest can enter into the memory and the mystery of Jesus in every situation, as he recalls each event he was called to.
Mary always remembers Jesus, always places Him at the centre of her life and we are called to do the same. Let us take a brief look at the prayer of the rosary that can speak to our hearts. Pope Saint John Paul II suggested the recitation of the Rosary as follows: the JOYFUL mysteries Monday and Saturday, the LUMINOUS on Thursday, the SORROWFUL on Tuesday and Friday, and the GLORIOUS on Wednesday and Sunday (with this exception; Sundays of Advent and Christmas – the JOYFUL; Sundays of Lent – the SORROWFUL). Here we can see that with the Divine Office, (in another article on this website) we have a whole structure of prayer for the priest. His day, with its highs and lows can be mixed in with the living reality of Jesus in the Rosary prayer.
A brief comment on the different mysteries of the Rosary and their relationship with the life of the priest may now be helpful for our reflection. In the Joyful, Luminous and Glories mysteries we meet Jesus at the major events that teach us of His saving presence among us. In the Sorrowful Mysteries we see the pain of the Lord and the love He has for us to the end.
JOYFUL MYSTERIES
In the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) we see the openness of Mary to her call. In the Visitation (Luke 1:39-56), Mary, having said yes to God’s will now carries Jesus with her to her cousin In the Nativity (Luke 2:6-20; Matthew 1:18-25) we behold the Christ-Child, the High Priest born of Mary’s “yes” who draws the shepherds, the kings and all the world to Himself. In this mystery, we know that God has come to us. With Christ’s Presentation (Luke 2:22-39) we see the light of Christ fill the temple in the arms of the old priest. Priesthood is about being in the light of the Lord and holding Him up at every Mass. Then, there is the Finding of the Child Jesus (Luke 2:41-51). The young Jesus, having come to us, is now doing the will of His Father. Mary and Joseph look for and find Him. To be a priest is to also do the will of God, like the boy Jesus but also, to be as the holy couple and to always seek God.
LUMINOUS MYSTERIES
The Baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9-11) is where we see Christ revealed and anointed. Every vocation is called to unveil the Lord for the people they serve, as the ones anointed as priests. The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-12) again reveals that God has come to us. Christ transforms the water into the rich wine. His ministry will culminate in the wine of the Last Supper becoming His Precious Blood for us at every Mass. This is central to the life of the priest, to hold the mere wine that becomes the living presence of God. The Proclamation of the Kingdom (Matthew 5:1-16). Jesus teaches the way of the Lord’s reign in us. The Beatitudes are the model for Christian living that every priest is called to imitate and teach.The Transfiguration (Matthew 17: 1-8) is another event in the life of Christ that we see Him revealed as God. His clothes shine with heaven’s glory. Each priest puts on the clothing of Christ in the manner of his life. The vestments of the Holy Mass will transform the priest into the image of Christ’s light for others, as the altar becomes an open border from heaven to earth. The Institution of the Eucharist (Matthew (26:26-28; Mark 22-25; Luke 22:14-50; John 9:2-10) is the mystery that is central to our call. From the Last Supper, the Blessed Lord removes His clothing of glory to dress us in His Sacred Presence with His Body and Blood. The priest at every Mass will don the voice of Christ as he repeats his words, “My Body, My Blood.” The Priesthood is the surety of the Lord’s Sacred Presence through the ages.
THE SORROWIFUL MYSTERIES
The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46) Do you fear your vocation? Here we see the Lord fear what is to come and yet in this anguish He turns towards the Father. He will take the chalice that is for Him and we can too. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26) The High Priest is stripped of His clothes and dignity and whipped for being the true Word that speaks to every dark corner of history. He is humble on to death. Priesthood calls for humility too. Even in the face of rejection, we must remain true to Christ. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:29-30) Christ the King-Priest is crowned with the mock sign of power. Thorns instead of gold make His crown bear heavy on him. The Priesthood is the crowning glory of Jesus. As priest, He will offer himself up to save us. We crown Him with our love, when we answer His call and offer again and again His sacrifice of love in the Holy Mass. The Carrying of the Cross (Mark 15: 21; Luke 23:26-32) The weight of the cross is borne by the Holy One. The priest will carry many crosses; the needs of his parish, the ministering of the Sacraments, the call to teach and to witness. He will see the cross in others and offer them the healing of Christ. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27: 33-54; John 19: 17-37) On the altar of the Cross, the High Priest opens heaven and allows its light to burst open the dark doors of death. His arms outstretched lift us all up to the heights of God. The Priesthood is an opening into the life and light of the Christ who died for us. Through the Sacred Ministry, the priest opens heaven for the faithful with the power of the Holy Mass and the Sacraments. His vocation is an extension of the extended arms of the Lord who through His priests elevates souls to God. Every call answered, is a new blessing where an altar becomes the cross that opens the way to true life.
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10) The priest is so often called to the scene of dearth. He is to be a messenger of the hope of the Resurrection. Jesus went to the centre of death and brought us life; at the bedside of the dying, amidst tragedy, this is the consolation that the priest can bring. Jesus shattered death and brings us to life. The Ascension (Luke 24: 50-51; Acts 1:6-11) In his ministry the one ordained will encounter a constant bombardment of the message that this world is all we have. We are to live for the moment. The Lord Ascending shows us that there is so much more to here and now. We have a future in God. There is room for us in God. In a time ever more secular, the priest becomes a signpost for this message to look up and not just to what is in front of us. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-41) The Lord gives the disciples peace and breathes the fire of the Holy Spirit upon them. Their Apostolic Ministry is now filled with the anointing presence of holiness, strength, peace, wisdom and right judgment that the Sprit from the Lord gives. They no longer fear but go out in the power of the Paraclete. At the ordination of every priest, the Holy Spirit is involved, to give this strength of the Lord in the ministry of the one who ascends to the altar of God. The Assumption (Revelation 12:1) and The Coronation of Our Blessed Mother (Revelation 12:1-6; I Kings 2:19) Mary is assumed body and soul after her death to be in the everlasting day of Christ. Her nearness to him who defeated death, means that mortality is not to consume the womb who gave birth to the life of the world. Her “yes” to God has seen her vocation rise all the way to God’s presence. In this moment, Christ the King of heaven and earth honours the Woman who gave Him the flesh that still remains with us in the Blessed Eucharist. The Mother of God, the person of true holiness and dignity is crowned as Queen of heaven and Earth, the realms of her Divine Son. His path of saving us saw Him come through Mary to Bethlehem and go through the dark door of death to bring us life. She was with Him every step of this journey as the disciple of the deepest and perfect faith. Her path is for every priest to follow; to be a disciple who tries to go after the Lord in everything. To allow him to take flesh through our voice with His words in the Blessed Eucharist. To be a witness to his Resurrection and the hope it offers humanity. To be a man who aspires to holiness and dignity and despite our imperfections, by a good priestly way of life, aspire to be with the Lord for eternity, in the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother of priests.
In the Holy Rosary we have a sure direction for prayer, the way of the life of Jesus Christ as followed by the Blessed Virgin. As we recite and reflect on each of the mysteries before us, we can now see how this ancient prayer speaks to the life of priests with the person of Jesus and his example. Holy Mary, Mother of God, of priests, pray for us.
Very Rev. Tony Gonoude
Priest of the Diocese of Meath, Parish Priest of Ballynacarrigy, Vocations Director.