Theology Thursday - RVM 9-17

Every follower of Christ delvs into Christian contemplation. What is Christian contemplation? "To look upon the face of Christ, to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of his human life, and then to grasp the divine splendor definitively revealed in the Risen Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father." The best role model for Christian contemplation is his mother Mary. Mary was the first to look upon the face of Christ with so much joy, Mary was the first to recognize and accept His divinity when as she said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word." The rosary is centered on the events in Christ's life and is therefore a Christocentric prayer. When we enter into the christian contemplation upon praying the rosary we are reflecting and contemplating upon any of 20 events in Christ's life, but we try to imagine what it would be like to view His life through the eyes of His mother, the very first and best model of Christianity.

Some people chastise others for saying the rosary because it's just a meaningless repitition. Which, for some people some of the time, is unfortunately true. But, without the contemplation on Christ's life, the rosary is essentially a "body without a soul." St. Louis Grignion de Montfort writes that "one Hail Mary said well is worth more than one-hundred and fifty said badly." (The Secret of the Rosary, 116)

Christ is the supreme Teacher, and we must strive to learn and understand what he taught. As Christians, we strive to be like Christ; in order to be Christ-like, we must learn and understand Christ himself and not just solely his teachings. Spiritually, the Holy Spirit is our guide down this path, but as humans, we typically need something concrete or experiences to learn from. Who better to be our teach on the subject of Christ than Mary? The first miracle performed by Jesus at the wedding in Cana, Mary shows that she is a teacher of Christ as she convinces the servants to do what Jesus commands. Most likely, she continued being a teacher after He died with His apostles. So too, we should go to Mary to learn from her teaching.

Paix du Christ!