Imagine yourself as a child walking through a garden, a light breeze whispering its way through the leaves on the trees and flowering roses as you make your way along the edge of a softly babbling stream, sounds of birds chirping in the background.
You are not alone on this stroll but are walking hand in hand, with your mother, Mary, as she reminisces with you about the life of her Son, Jesus.
She recounts each of the major events that she has kept in her heart from the moment the Angel Gabriel greeted her in the Annunciation, up until the time that her Son, Jesus, ascended into Heaven.
She tells you about her conversation with Gabriel, and how she was overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit and conceived God’s only begotten Son.
She recalls how she hurried to the home of Zechariah and was greeted by Elizabeth saying, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”
She describes how she and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, and she gave birth to The Savior, and how others came to worship the baby.
She remembers bringing the Child to the Temple in Jerusalem to consecrate Him to The Lord, as was the Law. And she tells you about Simeon and Anna, and their prophesies regarding the Boy… and herself…
She speaks of Losing Jesus, searching for Him and finally finding Him, after three days, in the temple. And she tells us of his remaining obedient to her and Joseph.
As you walk along the stream, Mary recalls how Jesus asked John The Baptist to baptize Him in the Jordan River, and how John refused, at first, because he was not worthy. And how he relented and did, indeed, baptize The Son Of God. And she tells you about how the Holy spirit descended upon Him like a dove – and how a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
She recounts, with love, how she informed Jesus that the supply of wine had been depleted early in the festivities at the wedding in Cana, and how, when He said, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come,” She merely told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” And they did. And He turned water into the finest wine. And He had performed His first public miracle… at the request of His mother…
She speaks about her Son proclaiming the Kingdom Of God as He stood up in the synagogue on the sabbath day to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. And how He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written…
Lk 4:17-21 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, “and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
And she continues on about how, rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. And then how He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And she recounts how they reacted…
After a moment of silent reflection, as you approach a small hill, she moves on to relate to you an event on a mountain witnessed by Peter, James and John where Jesus was transfigured and His face became as bright as the sun and His clothes whiter than snow. She tells you about how Elijah and Moses came to Him and how they spoke. And she tells you how a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; and how from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” And she tells you how afraid they were. And she tells you that suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As you proceed, She calls to mind the great event of the Passover celebration. Not just any celebration, but the supper – the Last Supper – during which Jesus institutes the one thing that ensures that we are all truly united as one. She reminds you that Jesus prayed that we all be one with each other as He and the Father are one. She also reminds you that He said that “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, you have no life within you.” And then she goes on…
Lk 22:19-20 “Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”
“And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.“
Again, silence… Reflection…
Several quiet minutes go by, and you begin to notice a chill in the air. The breeze is no longer whispering, but has begun to shout as a stronger wind. The gently waving leaves and flowers have taken on the appearance of struggling to maintain their hold on the limbs and stalks to which they are connected, many failing to do so and are blown away. Clouds have moved in, darkening the the skies and the garden. The happy chirping of the birds has ceased…
It is dark, windy, and cold…
Mary begins to speak of her Son and His disciples going out to The Mount Of Olives to pray. Hesitantly, her voice breaking, she begins to tell you about how her Son asked his friends to pray with that they not be put to the test. About how He moved away from them and fell to His knees, praying and asking the Father to take this cup from Him, but that the Father’s will, not His, be done. About how He repeated this request several times. About how His sweat became like drops of blood, falling to the ground. About how He found his friends sleeping. And, finally…
About how Judas betrayed Him with a kiss…
As you continue your journey, you happen upon a small cave and, seeking shelter, enter.
Mary continues with her reminiscence…
She describes to you Jesus’ interview with Pilate, the man in who’s hands lies His fate. Her voice faltering, tears falling from her eyes, she tells you how Pilate found no guilt in Him, but, in order to keep the peace, handed Him over to be scourged. She tells you how, tied to a pillar, He was beaten with a Roman flagrum, His flesh shredded and ripped from His bones.
Waiting a few moments, she composes herself and goes on…
She describes how the soldiers then move him to another location, strip him, and place a purple cloak on his shoulders. They then weave a crown of thorns. She describes the thorns as being two to four inches long. She goes on…
She goes on to describe His ‘crowning’. The soldiers do not merely place the thorns on His head – they push them into his skull, piercing one of His eyes. They then hand him a reed – a long blade of grass – as a scepter and, almost immediately, take it from Him and start beating Him with it as they take turns kneeling before Him, mocking Him as the King He claims to be. They blindfold Him and take turns striking Him, taunting Him and telling Him to tell them who had just hit Him.
She goes on, finally, they rip the cloak from His back and prepare Him to go back to Pilate. As they rip the cloak from His back, the dried blood is torn and His wounds reopen.
She says that her Son is taken back to Pontius Pilate where the crowds scream for His crucifixion. Pilate succumbs to their demands, condemning Jesus.
She, again, pauses in silence, tears streaming from her eyes, falling from her face. You both sit there, clasping hands, staring out through the cave opening as rain begins to lightly fall outside…
After awhile, she is ready to continue…
She begins to relate how Jesus was forced to carry his own cross through the town, falling under its weight three times along the way, but that the soldiers pressed into service Simon, the Cyrenian, to help Him bear the weight. She describes large crowds, some taunting, many mourning Him. She tells you about a group of women who were lamenting Him. And she tells you what He said to them…
Lk 23:28-30 “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’
“And then,” she says, “we came to Golgotha…”
Again, she pauses…
She picks up where she left off, telling you that when they got to Golgotha, they stripped Him, again tearing open the wounds of the scourging. She says that they laid Him down on, and nailed his hands and feet to, the cross. She tells you that the nails were more like railroad spikes than regular nails. She says that when He was raised, He had to push Himself up with His feet just to be able to breath. She could tell that He was in great pain, but she says that He embraced it out of Love. Love for you. Love for me. Love for every person ever created. She tells you that the proof of this is what He asked of His Father…
Lk 23:34 “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
She tells you that people were taunting Him, telling Him that if He was the Messiah, prove it by saving Himself. She continues, telling you about two thieves who were crucified with Him, one on His right and the other on His left. She says that one of them was taunting Jesus with the same demands. The other defended Jesus, saying that he and his fellow criminal deserved the punishment but that Jesus had done nothing wrong. Then he asked Jesus to remember him when he comes into His kingdom. Jesus promised that he would be there with Him in Paradise that very day.
Mary then describes something that her Son did and said that has stayed with her forever. He looked at His mother and, referring to John, said “Behold your son,” and then looked at John and said, “Behold your mother.” She tells you that, at that moment, she became your mother, too…
Finally, her voice again cracking, Mary describes the moment of Jesus’ death…
Lk 23:46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.
At that moment, frightening loud cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning occur outside the cave. You quickly turn to the entrance to see that the light rainfall has become a torrent. You hold Mary’s hand more tightly…
You sit in the quiet darkness, watching the deluge outside the cave. After awhile, Mary is ready to begin again, now with no tears and with joy in her voice. You look look into her face and you see a radiant smile. Mary is happy…
You suddenly realize that the rain, thunder and lightning have stopped. And it is bright and sunny outside the cave. You both walk out into the sunshine and clear skies. And then it hits you – The ground is dry. the plants are dry. everything is fresh, dry and clean. you continue your walk…
Mary Starts out saying that on the third day everything changed. When they went to the tomb of Jesus, He wasn’t there. In stead, there was an Angel of the Lord, who told them,
Mt 28:5-8 Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. “He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.
Mary goes on to tell you about how the disciples were gathered in the upper room that evening, and how Jesus appeared to them saying,”Peace be with you.” She explains that He showed them His wounds and that they all rejoiced. He repeated His greeting, saying, “Peace be with you. As the father has sent me, so I send you.”
Mary recounts the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, recalling His words…
Mt 28:18-20 Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
And she tells you about how they are gazing up at Him as He rises into the clouds, finally disappearing. And then she tells you about the two men dressed in white who appeared standing next to them saying…
Ac 1:11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
You and Mary walk on in silent contemplation for a few minutes…
Suddenly Mary says two words: “Holy Spirit.” She calls to mind what Jesus said regarding the Paraclete that He would send to guide and protect His Church…
Jn 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.“
Jn 14-26 The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.
Ac 1:5,8 …for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.
But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
And then she shares what happened when the Holy Spirit came…
Ac 2:1-4 And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
She explains that the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in all of the languages of all of the people who had gathered in Jerusalem from all over the world and, in fact, that the disciples immediately went out and preached to them. And the people were amazed that they heard the message, each in their own language. There were about three thousand who were converted that day.
As you and Mary walk along, approaching the end of the garden, she tells you a story about two great prophets from the Old Testament of Sacred Scripture. One of them is Elijah and the other is Enoch. She tells you that both of these men, while living in different times and places have something very unique in common. You wonder what that something could be, and you ask her. She responds by telling you that they both were assumed bodily into Heaven…
Heb 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and “he was found no more because God had taken him.” Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God.“
2Kg 2:11 “As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.“
Mary then explains to you that she was honored in the same way and that, because of this and the Ascension of Jesus, you can also have hope of a glorified body after the second coming of Christ and the Last Judgement.
Now at the end of your walk, Mary says that she has more to tell you.
Lk 1:49 “For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.”
She explains that the place of the Queen Mother in the Dividic Kingdom is one of intercession for the people, and the king’s main advisor and that Dividic kings took their mothers very seriously and greatly honored their counsel…
2Kg 19 “Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right.
“There is one small favor I would ask of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.” “Ask it, my mother,” the king said to her, “for I will not refuse you.”
She continues, “My child, I am of the line of David, as is my Son, Jesus, the King of Kings.”
Rev 12:1 “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.“
Rev 12:5 “She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.”
To me, this is the Rosary – the Gospel on a string…
Hail, Holy Queen!…
BK
- This started out as a one line comment on a quote (“The rosary is the gospel on a string.” – Elisa Taylor Berry ), which I found very inspiring, and grew from there.
Sometimes the seemingly smallest things you say can have a huge affect on someone…
