The Joyful Mysteries
Sunday 17th May 2020
Fifth Joyful Mystery: Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple
‘Every year his parents
used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he [Jesus] was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as
usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed
behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it...Three days later, they
found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them and
asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his
intelligence and replies.’ (Lk 2:41-50)
Pray to St. Anthony! Glasses, phone,
TV Remote, wallet and purse; whatever you may have lost ask St. Anthony and he
will find it. Every good Catholic knows this piece of wisdom, even the pagan
and lapsed. The prayer that is sometimes recited to this miracle working Saint
is, “Saint Anthony, please look around; something is lost and must be
found.”
Where does
this tradition come from for invoking the intercession of St. Anthony? One
story that has been handed down from generation to generation begins with the
theft of a book. This book was the prayer book of Anthony which he would use
daily as it contained the psalms. The words of the psalms allowed him to praise
God, to feel His Presence and to reflect on his relationship with the Lord. The
words of the prayer book were oxygen for his spiritual lungs. Every syllable,
nuance and sound was straight from the life giving breath of God.
Anthony’s
sadness and grief at losing his prayer book became so intense that day and
night he would not and could not settle until he found it. The energy and
effort he put into seeking and searching for that prayer book became
supernatural. And so it happened one night when the thief, a young novice, was
asleep, he awoke in terror to see an apparition before him. The spirit was the
grieved Anthony wailing for the loss of his precious possession. The novice
realising the miraculous and divine nature of this incident quickly returned
Antony’s property and confessed his crime.
That is
one traditional story associated with why St. Anthony will help you find
something lost. The other is connected with the saint’s eloquent preaching.
Through his gift of speaking about God and preaching the Faith many lost souls
were won for the Kingdom of God. (I prefer the haunting apparition story!)
The
current novel I’m reading is called ‘Silence’ by the Japanese Catholic
author Shusaku Endo. I’m only halfway through, but without giving too much of
the plot away, it is set in 17th century Japan where Christianity
has been outlawed. The narrator of the story is a Jesuit priest and missionary
called Rodrigues. He has arrived on the shores of Japan and begins ministering,
secretly, to the underground Catholic communities he finds.
Through
Rodrigues we encounter the persecution and torture of Catholic’s who will not
renounce their faith. There is a gruesome episode where two devout villagers
who have helped the Jesuit priest, suffer a prolonged and exhausting death. As
Rodrigues witnesses their demise from a safe distance on the hillside, he
begins to ask the question – Where is God? A natural question in the face of
suffering and evil. Where is God? One of the victims begins to sing a hymn
which concludes abruptly when he dies from sheer exhaustion. Then there is
silence. Silence. All the priest hears from this moment on is the silence of
God.
The
chapter I’ve just finished however offers a glimmer of hope to the silence
Rodrigues experiences. On a journey to find another underground Catholic
community he crouches down to drink from a pool of water on the roadside.
‘The clouds disappeared from the
water and instead there appeared the face of a man – yes, there reflected in
the water was a tired, hollow face.
I don’t know why, but at that
moment I thought of the face of yet another man. This was the face of a
crucified man, a face which for so many centuries had given inspiration to
artists.’
(extract from Silence,
Shusaku Endo)
At a low
moment in the priests life, at a time when he is doubting, when he seems to
have lost Jesus and all he can hear is silence, the Lord uniquely makes his
Presence felt. Not in a glorified and radiant state but in a muddy roadside
puddle. The face that Rodrigues sees is not the noble image of a distant king
but a close and present crucified Saviour. A Saviour who knows and has
experienced the trials and tribulations of this life. This closeness of Jesus
reminds me of Hebrews:
‘For it is not as if we had a high
priest who was incapable of feeling our weakness with us; but we have one who
has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be
confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy
from him and find grace when we are in need of help.’ (Hebrews 5:15-16)
Rodrigues,
the persecuted suffering missionary, has not lost Jesus. In fact, he never lost
Jesus. Jesus was always present but now in silence, when there is no
distraction, he sees the Lord more clearly.
During
this time of the global Coronavirus pandemic many things have changed and have
been lost. The loss of lives, the loss of everyday routines, the loss of social
gatherings and the loss of close and present human contact because of social
distancing. But in this loss, something is found. I have seen the work of God
the Holy Spirit each and every day from the news, phone calls and looking
around me. God is not silent at this moment; God is not absent but has come
closer as always in His unique and mysterious ways.
The
Thursday 8pm public show of appreciation has not died out on Catlow Hall Street
after these last two months; in fact, it’s got louder. When I go to the
Lychgate there is a really sense of togetherness and people let on to each
other. There is no rushing but simply being present and appreciating the work
of all key workers.
Parishioners
are getting to know each other in different ways and meeting new members of the
St. Mary’s family. Those helping to do shopping, those ringing mobiles and
landlines and face-timing all these relationships of faith are being cemented
by the Holy Spirit.
As far as
I can see the Lord is not lost, as he never went away. Through us his
disciples, and with the grace of the Holy Spirit, he is present. As the
suffering Jesuit priest saw in the roadside muddy puddle, the face of his
compassionate Saviour, so we in our present trials can see the face of Jesus in
our brothers and sisters.
First Single Bead: Our
Father
Let us ask the Father today for the
care of those who are bewildered at this moment in time. Those stricken with
grief with the loss of a loved one and those mourning the familiar lives they
had before Covid-19.
Ten Beads: Hail Mary for
each one
Mary, beside herself at not being
able to find Jesus her son, was given these comforting words at their reunion:
‘‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied, ‘Did you not know
that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’’ (Lk 2:49)
The Lord reminds Mary that when she
turns to God she will always find the Son. Let us ask the intercession of Our
Lady to help us remember in times of doubt and uncertainty that Christ our Lord
is always present and doing his loving Father’s business for the salvation of
the world.
Single Bead: Glory be
In God the Holy Trinity we see the
image of a loving family. Three Persons, One God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit
united in their love. United in their work of mercy, reaching out to a fallen
and corrupted world. Let us ask God to continue to help us in the ups and downs
of our life.
When we pray the Fatima prayer let
us love those brothers and sisters who have consciously chosen to walk away
from the Lord and have freely decided to not live by his commandments and
teachings.
Hail Holy Queen
Since the 12th Century
the ‘Hail Holy Queen’ has been prayed by Catholics and it is the prayer
that we normally recite to complete a rosary after meditating on a set of
mysteries.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our
life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of
Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of
tears.
Turn
then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our
exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.
Each day I go to the Chapel of Our
Lady of Oswaldtwistle, and before her statue I pray the Hail Holy Queen.
My intention when I pray those words is always for you, the parishioners of St.
Mary’s. I have also discovered my gift for flower arranging! Each week I make
sure she has flowers as a votive offering for all of us, the St. Mary’s family.
Final Prayer
Let us pray:
O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life. Grant, we beseech Thee, that by meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
God Bless you all, may the Angels watch over you and may Our
Lady and the Saints always pray for you. Amen
I hope my inadequate reflections have in some small way
helped you in prayer.
God Bless and keep praying.
Fr. O’Brien