HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
THEME: ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord’
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OCTOBER 7 2022
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Acts 1:12-14
Res Ps Luke 1:46-55
Luke 1:26-38
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
WHITE
*THEME OF THE HOMILY*
*INTRODUCTION*
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the 7th October, we celebrate in a special the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Remember for us catholics the Rosary invites us to reflect on the great mysteries of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and on the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as well as on Mary in glory. The two readings this morning present us with two of the mysteries we reflect on in the Rosary. And this feast makes October to be traditionally the month of the Rosary.
*FROM OUR FIRST READING*
The first reading is the beginning of the story of Pentecost; the disciples are in continuous prayer, together with Mary the mother of Jesus and other members of Jesus’ family as they wait for the coming of the Spirit.
*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
In the gospel reading, Mary is told by Gabriel that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and so the child to be born of her will be holy and will be called Son of God. It could be said that Gabriel announces Mary’s personal Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was needed at this moment of crucial new beginning.
*CONCLUSION*
Dear brethrens, Let us always remember that, Jesus Christ is our King, so his mother is now the perpetual Queen Mother. Mary is our great Lady, and she carries a powerful weapon for good: the most holy rosary. We can carry it too! The rosary is powerful because it is based on Scripture. Many of the mysteries focus on how Jesus has overcome sin and death. When we ponder these mysteries daily, we carry with us this powerful reminder of our victory in Christ. Jesus became man out of love for us; through this love, he suffered and died to set us free. His death was the greatest victory the world has ever seen; through it, he won the battle for our salvation. He defied death and rose again, finally victoriously taking our human nature into Heaven. When we pray the rosary, we remember Christ’s victory and ours, which empowers us to confront and conquer the evil we encounter in our lives. The rosary is also powerful because, through our prayers, we ask Mary to pray for us. She who sits at the right hand of God’s throne (Psalm 45:9) is our powerful Mother, and she presents our prayers to him.
Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.