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The Rosary and Social Realities
First Published: Reflections - Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication Date: 11th October 1992 Author's Name: Father Shay Cullen SSC The family Rosary crusade is fifty years old. The Rosary as a form of prayer is changing from a pious devotion to one that calls for reflection and action on relevant social issues that effect the lives of every Filipino family. Perhaps people of other religious faith may not fully understand the particular devotion that Catholics have to the mother of Jesus of Nazareth. The rosary is a form of group prayer that brings parents and children together to reflect on religious themes values and beliefs. The special themes from now until the end of the year are: 1. Child abuse and prostitution. 2. Abortion 3 Drug addiction . Honoring Mary has special significance for women and children. Mary was a peasant village girl who was chosen by God to be the mother of a great prophet, a messiah and for Christians the Son of God. For the most part women and children have been looked down upon as insignificant and unimportant in a male dominated world. In the time of Jesus were were not allowed into the temple proper, they had no part in decision making and were denied many human rights. Even today women and children are frequently discriminated against and abused and have little or no legal recourse when beaten and battered. In some Asian countries women are forbidden to leave the house most of the time and suffer loss of sight as a result. If they are raped and complain to the police they can be locked up and charged with adultery, much as it was in the time of Jesus. That's why respect and honor for Mary, the Mother of Jesus does so much to give women their rightful and equal place in society. Perhaps this is why Philippine women have been aware of and worked for their civil and human rights more assertively and for longer than many an Asian neighbor. But there is still a long way to go. We honor Mary because God did, and gave her a powerful role in salvation history. We know that children are what they are because of their parents, none have as much influence by word and example whether it be good or bad. Through Mary especially Jesus, like any child, became what he did. He learned at his mothers knee and in his fathers shop God's great love for the poor. The magnificat, a biblical song is sung by Mary. "...He has scattered the proud with all their plans. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things and has sent the rich away empty". (Lk. 1: 51-53) Mary and Joseph we must remember were oppressed and threatened with death by king Herod, they were hunted and became refugees in Egypt. Jesus heard it all from his parents and in God's plan,absorbed much of his social awareness from Mary, his love for the poor and under the power of the spirit went out to change society bring about God's Kingdom. We, as Christians are called to continue his work. But Faith, devotion, prayer if it is not translated into relevant social action that goes beyond hand-outs and tackles the root causes of social evil and injustice cannot be genuine and what God wants. Too often individual or group religious emotionalism is mistaken for faith Praying the Rosary is a way to inspire spiritual reflection that helps bring people closer to God and to each other. The rosary as a form of group prayer can strengthen family and small group solidarity and is now increasingly associated with social relevance and community action . This growth began as early as 1975 when the Catholic bishops of the Philippines issued a pastoral letter called "Ang Mahal na Birhen" .They said that rather than an exercise in pious individualism, devotion to Mary should be rooted in the Bible. Mary's prophetic song the magnificat as found in Lk.1:51-53) is in the tradition of the prophets who called the wealthy to repentance and to have compassion on the poor, the pastoral letter says. " The utterances of the prophets who condemned the wealthy not for their wealth but for their selfish complacency, the powerful officials not for their positions of authority but for their injustice and cunning. The poor of Israel were a blight in the land; they were the manifestations of a sick society, but even more fundamentally, of a radical deviation from God's intentions for his people. In brief the poor were visible signs of the deep rooted sins of the nation. Greed and deceit were in the hearts of the powerful of the land who were squeezing the lifeblood from the poor for their own selfish purposes. Though entrenched in this social sin, they put a facade of piety and respectability which was sacrilegious in the eyes of the prophets. It was to those people that the Lord said: "when you stretch out your hands I turn my eyes away. You may multiply your prayers, I shall not listen....take your wrong doing out of my sight, cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow". (Isaiah 1:15-17) The Bishops went on to say that such a sick society is found in the Philippines. "..God's work of salvation must must take the form of work for justice, freedom and peace - not in the abstract but in the daily realities of living, for they are the conditions of salvation. Wherever there is injustice, bondage and unrest, sin prevails". Some readings before the Rosary from the Bible about children and women. Lk.7:36-48, 15:11-31, 18:15 Matt: 19:16-23, Matt 3:16-17 Also reading of the rights of women and children can help us focus on the social and Biblical realities and inspire us to do something practical to change the injustice that challenges our faith.
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