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| Monte Casino Bird Sanctuary, 24 April 2021 |
Two months ago, walking on the edge of a tennis court, I found a series of spider webs. I spent some time trying to get some good shots for my blog post on sanctifying my work like a spider. It was late afternoon, around 5 pm, when I heard in the adjacent hedge the sound of running water. I stopped and thought that were no nearby water pipes, so where could the sound be coming from?
The sound became more distinct and appeared to be approaching closer and moving swiftly through the dead leaves. My eye caught something moving that was thicker than a garden hose and about a meter and a half in length. My initial thought was a snake, and I took one step closer to examine and take a shot (suspense…). As I did that, the head of a highly venomous snouted cobra revealed itself. Thinking I was safe inside the tennis court, I pursued a step further to get a better image. Suddenly the cobra raised its head and flared its wide hood indicating that I was intruding. Any degree further would mean serious business.
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| Snouted cobra at Ducks Dam Hall, 6 March 2021 |
We all know the creation story and how the serpent, more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made, planted doubt in her mind to disobey God. The command to Adam and Eve was simple, you may eat the fruit of any tree, except one tree. The fruit of this tree, if even touched, would bring mankind death (Genesis 3:1-5). The story may leave us with many doubts, questions, and even ask why did Eve take the fruit? The story is symbolic and only helps man understand that we encounter the same scene every day and, more often than not, eat the fruit!
If we think for a moment of the serpent, starring as the boring old devil, the story makes more sense. The devil, a fallen angel that went by the name Lucifer (meaning morning star or bringer of light), he was one of the most excellent angels God created. Although, his pride and desire to be as great as God led him to lose this honourable title and be compared to a cunning snake that lurks in the darkness waiting to strike. The irony is that his pride led him to no longer bring light but darkness to the world.
Back to the story! The snouted cobra with a wide hood was now playing a game of patience. I paused and refraining from taking any more pictures to avoid the slightest movement. The cobra then, within seconds, fled away from me and out of sight (I hope you were not waiting for something more dramatic?!). I thought that this is an excellent illustration of the protection Our Lady offers us.
Death is a reality and consequence of the first or original sin. When old Eve decided to eat from the tree of good and evil, she offended God. In other words, she, like us, sinned against the will of God. Mary is known as the new Eve as through giving her "Yes," she brought Jesus Christ into this world. Through accepting the will of his Father in heaven, Jesus redeemed us from sin through his death and resurrection from the dead.
Catholics definitely do not worship Mary when we pray the Rosary. Still, we contemplate her life and call on her for help (Do we pray to saints or they pray for us?). Does the Bible actually mention the Rosary? No, it does not, but neither is going to church every Sunday, worshipping through song, or celebrating Christmas. Similarly, praying the Rosary is a tradition handed down through time, but the words of the Rosary can all be traced back to the scriptures. When we pray the Rosary, we repeat reflections of sacred Scripture, making this a Scripture-based prayer.
It begins with the Apostles' Creed, summarising all we believe in as Catholics. The Our Father introduces each mystery, which can be directly traced to Jesus teaching his disciples to pray. While the first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary. Finally, the Mysteries of the Rosary focus on the main events of Christ's life, the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous moments from sacred Scripture.
Praying the Rosary brings us closer to understanding Mary's obedience to accept the will of God despite all its challenges. There were many challenges. First, she dealt with the scandal of appearing pregnant before her marriage. Then she had no place to give birth to her newborn son. Afterward, she needed St. Joseph to protect her child and flee off to a foreign country to avoid the decree of killing the firstborn son of all families. That is just getting started, and we can name many more incidents. All these incidents involved both Mary and Jesus, making them so integrally connected that it would be impossible to know Jesus without Mary and Mary without Jesus. If we remove Mary from the picture, our Lord's life seems disconnected and far removed from reality.
"The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence, and you will be amazed at the results." (The Way, 558).
Now, praying the Rosary is not about showing off the power of this weapon. Praying the Rosary is discovering that this weapon is not in the beads, but in contemplating the profound mystery and truth that Jesus came into this world as a helpless little baby because Mary permitted. Yes, Mary gave God her "Yes"!
When the cobra fled out of my sight, it was not for seemingly no apparent reason. It was because I stood my ground and never retreated. The snake came into my proximity unexpectedly like the devil tries to do daily. But, when I have devotion to Mary in the Rosary, I welcome the new Eve, Mary our Mother, to crush the head of the serpent with her heel.
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| Statue of Our Lady, Nazareth House Chapel, 29 April 2021 |
A witness of the power of the Rosary relayed by Fr. Schiffer of how he and eight priests survived the atomic explosion at Hiroshima, Japan:
On the morning of August 6, 1945, he had just finished Mass, went into the rectory, and sat down at the breakfast table. He had just sliced a grapefruit and put his spoon into the grapefruit when there was a bright flash of light. His first thought was that it was an explosion in the harbour. "Suddenly, a terrific explosion filled the air with one bursting thunderstrike. An invisible force lifted me from the chair, hurled me through the air, shook me, battered me, whirled me 'round and 'round like a leaf in a gust of autumn wind." The next thing he remembered, he opened his eyes, and he was lying on the ground. He looked around. There was NOTHING in any direction: the railroad station and buildings in all directions were levelled to the ground.
The only harm to him was that he could feel a few pieces of glass in the back of his neck. As far as he could tell, there was nothing else physically wrong with him. Hundreds of thousands were killed or maimed by the explosion. After the conquest of the Americans, their army doctors and scientists explained to him that his body would begin to deteriorate because of the radiation. Many of the Japanese people had blisters and sores from the radiation. To the doctors' amazement, Father Schiffer and the other priests had no radiation or ill-effects from the bomb. When asked to account for this incredible situation, in which he and his companions were spared, he said: "We believe that we survived because we were living the message of Fatima. We lived and prayed the Rosary daily in that home." (Full story here)
The month of May is dedicated to Our Lady, and it is a great opportunity to deepen your love for the Blessed Virgin. If you have never prayed the Rosary, it could be no better time to learn, or maybe use it as an opportunity to pray together as a family. Another great custom is to take time in May to make a pilgrimage to a shrine or image of Our Lady with someone close and pray the Rosary together (feel free to add in the comment section your favourite image, statue, or grotto of Our Lady in your area).
"Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did." (Saint Maximilian Kolbe)
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