Day 191: Unworthy Yet Welcomed

Hi, I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in the Year podcast, where through prayer and meditation, the Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world.

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This is day 191.

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Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the third joyful mystery, the Nativity.

So again, today we will begin with a bit of a review, calling to mind some of what we've covered up to this point.

Now, if you recall one of our meditations, our early meditations on the Nativity, where we're looking at Luke chapter 2, verses 1 through 20,

I shared the story of the man named Fitz,

Fitz who had come to the homeless shelter,

just getting out of prison after a number of years.

And

it's the evening that we are having our Christmas party.

And he comes in that night and

he joins us and slowly but surely he kind of sees everything happening.

And then it's his opportunity to go and to get a couple of gifts.

And he comes back and the brothers work in the shelter.

They find him.

With his head in his palms, like in tears.

And as the brother goes up and says, hey, Fitz, are you okay?

He says, it's just too much.

It's just too much.

And we saw our brother there, our brother Fitz, overwhelmed with joy, overwhelmed by the heaviness of the gift.

So aware of his unworthiness, but experiencing so deeply

the gift.

And how right this response is before the nativity,

where we encounter, where we receive the gift, par excellence, the gift of Jesus.

My brothers and sisters, it's a joyful gift, but it is a heavy gift.

And I can't help but think that Fitz's response to what he received is right and just for us.

It is a fitting response

before the gift of God,

before our Savior, Jesus, born in Bethlehem.

And in some ways, consistent with this theme is the writing, specifically from Saint Leo the Great, where he wrote,

Our Savior, dearly beloved, was born today.

Let us be glad.

For there is no proper place for sadness when we keep the birthday of the life which destroys the fear of mortality and brings us the joy of promised eternity.

And I do believe there is this invitation to great joy, joy on behalf of all of history, of all of humanity, but also joy for you and me.

It is an invitation to a personal joy.

And to each of us, St.

Leo says these words.

There's no proper place for sadness before the nativity.

But also, we recognize we're all here on a journey.

And that's the place, that's the invitation.

That's where we're headed.

Perhaps today we don't experience that joy.

But can we receive the invitation to be drawn deeper and deeper into this joy

of who Jesus is,

of what he has come to do,

and the joyful news

of who he is,

of what he has come to do.

And that this is truly a cause and source of joy for all of us.

And then, particularly with our artwork,

we took a moment to kind of look at the eyes, to look at the people present.

And we saw, for example, in the painting of the Nativity by the artist Pellegrini, we saw

Joseph and Mary

and their eyes on Jesus,

and the ways in which, for Joseph and Mary to Jesus, there is worship,

there is adoration.

They see before them in the manger their God,

their Savior,

but also

their son,

Joseph as foster father, Mary as mother.

And then the nativity, there's this beautiful union before worship and warmth.

And that the one they worship, the one who is their God, as he grows, Jesus, he will receive their worship, but he will also offer them not just salvation, but also warmth.

That he will deeply and dearly love them both.

Love their voices.

Love spending time with them.

And that, as Christians, like here and now, particularly in prayer,

we're offered the opportunity to enter into this place,

the scene at the Nativity,

to sit at the table in Nazareth,

to worship Jesus, to receive his salvation,

but also to love God, to love Jesus with warmth and affection,

and to receive his love, his affection for us.

Now we're going to slow down.

We're going to take a moment,

resting here.

And now we'll invite you to first of all, from what we've reviewed today,

or anything from your own personal prayer,

today at this moment,

what is the truth of God?

What of the heart of God

is being revealed

that you are being invited to receive?

How is God calling you to respond?

What is the grace that you need to request?

And then rejoice.

Give thanks for this moment of prayer,

for the truth revealed,

and the grace communicated,

and the share in Jesus' own life that is offered.

And now with Mary, let us pray.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

And thy kingdom come.

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace.

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace.

the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace.

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Okay, so thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

Poco, Poco, friends.

God bless you all.