THE WORD AND THE FEAST
At times suffering, cross and sacrifice are presented as typical traits of Christ's gospel. They could be, provided they are taken within the framework of love. It is not suffering in itself: it would become sadistic! It is not cross in isolation: it would still remain a symbol of shame! It is not sacrifice for its own sake: it would lead to unnecessary ego trips! Suffering out of love one has for the other, Cross as an expression of God's love, Sacrifice as a language of genuine love - those are CHRISTian and those are gospels (good news!).
Our Blessed Mother is one who understood this more than anyone else in the faith history, because she more the highest manifestation of God's love in her womb, and continued to walk in the footsteps of the Son of God. Celebrating today the Queen of the Holy Rosary, we are celebrate the Gospel in beads... the simplest but deepest of prayers that we have learnt from our childhood... the Rosary. As we contemplate the mysteries on every decade of those beads, we are resounded with this message of love from the Gospel - to realise God's love, to experience it and to reach out to the other in expression of that love.
Anyone who needs me, becomes my neighbour. Irrespective of whether I need him (or her) or not, I am expected to play the neighbour. Am I really ready to reach out to the other without considerations of whether or not I know him, or whether or not I like her, or whether or not the other has done anything good to me in the past? Let us behold this Gospel of Christ, that our Blessed Mother holds out to us this day.