Feast of the Holy Rosary - OCT Lk 10:17-24

It was a one-day convention on inner-healing.The people who were participating were given helium-filled balloons, and told to release them, at some point during the prayer service, when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Through the day, there were some balloons that ascended. But by the end of the day, it was found that more than forty percent of the balloons were unreleased. The reason: Those people were unable to let go off their inner bitterness and sorrows.  What about us. Are we in a position to let go of our balloons, in order to witness our joy in the Lord? The Gospel of the Day invites us to reflect on the theme of "Joy in the Lord".. with two instances of rejoicing: 1. The Disciples rejoicing after their successful mission experience 2. Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit and thanking His Father for His Infinite Wisdom One of the essential hallmarks of a Christian is a Life of Joy. This was the experience of the Disciples, when they returned back from the mission. They had enjoyed success in their ministry. They had a sense of satisfaction in the works that they had done.They realized that it was the power of the Lord that enabled them to taste success and relish triumph. So they rejoiced greatly, saying: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of Your Name" (Lk 10: 17) Do we also rejoice, by seeing the hand of the Lord in the success and achievements of our lives, knowing that whatever we achieve, is ultimately not just due to our hard-work and efforts; rather, was the result of our co-operation to the grace of God!   Our Blessed Lord, however also tells the Disciples to go beyond the peripheral joys and happiness in life; instead to rejoice in the Spirit. St Luke would testify this in the words: "At that very moment, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth...'" (Lk 10: 21) This then is what we too are expected to imitate from the Lord: Rejoicing in the Spirit. St Paul would beautifully explicate this, when he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Phil 4: 4) Our life is to be an inspiring exhibition of the Joy in the Lord and Rejoicing in the Spirit. Do we radiate joy in our encounter with one another, and spread the cheer of life?  even in the midst of hardships, knowing that we have a God who is deeply caring for us? thanking the Lord for His blessing, above all, for the gift of Himself in the Word and the Sacraments? There is, without doubt, many reasons for us to be grumpy, to complain and to feel resentment in life. But can we allow the power of the Lord to enamour us, and realise that beyond all these, we have a reason to celebrate and to rejoice knowing that God is with us, to ensure success in our journey of life, with our wholehearted co-operation knowing that God is the greatest reason to be happy and the treasure of life Who deserves every glory. Can we let go our balloons in order to display Christian joy and happiness in life? Today Holy Mother the Church celebrates the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary. This Feast of our Lady of the Rosary was instituted by Pope St. Pius V in the year 1570. It was a sign of thanksgiving for a great naval victory over the Turks at the battle of Lepanto, obtained primarily by the recitation of the Rosary. The Feast reminds us that that the Rosary is a Powerful Weapon. The word Rosary means a "Crown of Roses". Our Lady has revealed to several people that each time one says a Hail Mary, one is giving her a beautiful rose and that completion of each Rosary makes her a beautiful crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions. Like the exhibits in a museum, each mystery of the Rosary reveals much. Each Mystery that we meditate upon, is a miniature theology of the mysteries of the life of Jesus and the life of Mary, offered with a view to feeding the minds and the heart. The awesome story of our salvation is encapsulated in the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is the nutshell of our salvation history. Let us truly pray the Rosary and live the mysteries of the Rosary in our everyday life. The saying goes true..."No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: either they will give up sin or they will give up the Rosary".  Happy Feast of our Lady of the Rosary!   God Bless! Live Jesus!