Praise be Jesus and Mary.
Today we're celebrating a votive mass of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Her feast falls on October 7th, which is tomorrow, but the mass for Sunday kind of trumps Our Lady.
So we're celebrating today.
This whole month, actually, we know is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary.
And this is primarily due to the fact...
that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is annually celebrated on October 7th.
And it was instituted in honor of the Blessed Virgin...
in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church...
in answer to the praying of the Rosary by the faithful.
Namely, the occasion was the Battle of Lepanto.
Lepanto.
When the Holy Father asked Christendom to pray for the Christian Navy...
to overcome the invading Muslims who wanted to destroy Christianity.
That was St. Pius V in the year 1571.
And today, in the Gospel, Jesus tells us...
as disciples, not to take joy in their own successes.
And the Holy Father gave all the credit to Our Lady.
He knew it wasn't his own power.
The Christians knew that it was the Blessed Mother.
The Muslims knew it was the Blessed Mother at Lepanto.
The Christians were far outnumbered.
But it was God himself, and God alone, just in today's Gospel...
who gives the power, and we're the ones to give him the glory.
Regardless of the circumstances.
In good times and in bad times.
In success or in loss.
God always assures us of victory.
In Jesus and Mary.
And Jesus himself assures his disciples...
that he has all power over evil.
Including the power over Satan and evil spirits.
For nothing more than fallen angels who conspire against us.
In fact...
that's why Jesus came into the world to overthrow the evil one.
And St. John assures us that we too, as disciples of Jesus...
have been given spiritual authority and power...
for overcoming the works of darkness and evil.
Notice St. John says...
the works...
of darkness and evil.
We should never think that we have any power.
We're not more powerful than Satan.
He has a far superior intellect.
A far superior being.
Than us.
Puny, finite humans.
It's through the power of God.
Through the power of Our Lady.
That we're able to overcome temptation.
Through the power of the Rosary.
And I don't know if everyone here had an opportunity...
to walk the Rosary path this morning.
But I had not seen every image of each mystery.
But they are indeed beautiful and inspiring.
And if you can get that opportunity sometime today...
I would encourage you to look upon them.
They bring those mysteries to life.
Those mysteries of our faith.
That we contemplate during this month of the Rosary.
Such a very simple prayer.
Frowned upon...
and discouraged...
by many so-called scholars.
Who think it's just for old women and children...
and the uneducated.
And in today's Gospel...
Jesus thanks His Heavenly Father...
for revealing to His disciples...
the wisdom and knowledge...
of God.
That He's hidden these things from the wise...
and the learned.
It's so ironic.
The wise and the learned today...
think that we came from apes.
And...
they persecute...
and ridicule anyone who thinks otherwise.
You know, what does Jesus' prayer...
in today's Gospel tell us about God...
and about ourselves?
Well, first of all...
it tells us that God is both Father...
and Lord of Earth...
as well as Heaven.
He's both Creator...
and Author...
of all that He's made.
I mean...
that should convince any Christian...
that evolution is a joke.
It comes from the lips of Jesus Himself...
the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity...
the Son of God.
Is He going to mislead us?
Jesus' prayer also contains...
a warning...
that pride...
can keep us...
from the love...
and the knowledge...
of God.
Sinful pride...
springs...
from exaggerated...
self-centeredness.
It closes the mind...
to God's truth...
and wisdom...
for our lives.
You know, the angels fell into pride...
and they were cast...
out of Heaven.
The virtue of humility...
the only...
true remedy...
against...
false pride...
and which is very different...
from the feelings...
of inferiority...
and low self-esteem.
You know, these lead to...
true humility leads to...
a true recognition...
of who we are in God...
and our dependence...
on God.
Jesus...
He contrasts...
intellectual pride...
with childlike...
simplicity...
and humility.
The simple of heart...
are...
like...
children.
He says, we're not going to get to Heaven...
if we don't become...
like...
children.
Not childish...
but childlike...
in the sense that...
they see...
purely...
you know, without any...
pretense.
They...
they...
acknowledge...
their dependence...
and trust...
on one who is...
greater...
on one who is...
wiser...
and...
and more trustworthy.
They seek...
one thing...
the...
the greatest...
good...
who of course...
is God Himself.
Simplicity of heart...
is wedded...
with humility...
because...
humility inclines the heart...
to grace...
and truth.
Jesus...
teaches us...
to be meek...
and humble...
of heart.
Just as pride...
is the root...
of...
every sin...
and...
evil...
so...
humility...
is the only...
soil...
in which...
the grace...
of God...
can take...
root.
You know...
it alone...
takes...
the right...
attitude...
before...
God...
and...
the grace...
of God...
can take...
root.
You know...
it alone...
of God...
and...
allows...
Him...
as God...
to do...
all.
God...
opposes...
the proud.
You know...
so many people think...
I've got to do it...
my way.
Why don't we let God...
be God?
You know...
you've got...
people...
who...
teach...
natural...
family...
planning...
and that's...
approved...
by the church...
but...
what about...
God's...
family...
planning...
to...
trust...
God...
to...
to...
provide...
and...
to...
to...
to...
to...
to...
to...
to...
find...
to...
to...
trust God...
when...
we find ourselves...
in the middle...
of a crisis...
and...
and we...
the whole world's...
falling apart...
and we don't know...
what we're going to do...
God knows...
what you're going through...
and it's like the disciples...
in the boat...
the storm's...
raging...
and...
they're scared to death...
the boat's going to sink...
they're all going to die...
and...
our Lord's asleep...
on a pillow...
he must have been exhausted...
asleep during a raging storm...
so they wake him up...
I mean...
and he says...
oh...
you...
you have little faith...
they didn't...
I mean...
did they really...
believe in God...
or the Son of God...
you really think...
the boat's going to sink...
with...
the Messiah in it...
who has a mission...
to accomplish...
trust...
yeah...
the storms rage...
in our lives...
and we may think...
our Lord's asleep...
but he wants us...
to trust...
him...
the grace...
of Christ...
like...
humility...
inclines us...
to...
God...
disposes us...
to receive...
God's wisdom...
you know...
we're constantly reminded...
man does not think of...
like God thinks...
God's...
God's ways...
are not man's ways...
nothing can give us...
greater joy...
than the knowledge...
that we are God's...
beloved...
and...
that our names...
are written in heaven...
that's what...
our Lord tells us...
to rejoice in...
Jesus...
being the...
perfect...
revelation of God...
makes a claim...
which...
no one else...
would have ever dared...
to make...
what's he tell us...
you know...
he...
shares with us...
this wisdom of God...
that is hidden...
from the proud...
you know...
one of the greatest...
truths...
of the Christian faith...
is that...
we can know...
the living God...
our knowledge of God...
is not...
simply...
limited...
to knowing...
something...
about God...
but...
we can know...
God...
personally...
the essence...
of Christianity...
and...
what makes it...
distinct...
from...
Judaism...
or...
Islam...
and...
other religions...
is the...
the knowledge...
of God...
as...
our...
Father...
the knowledge...
of Mary...
as...
our...
mother...
Mary...
Jesus...
makes it possible...
for each...
one of us...
to personally...
know...
God...
as our...
Father...
You know...
Saint Augustine...
wrote...
God loves...
each...
of us...
as if...
there were...
only...
one...
If we were the only one, if we were the only one to love, to see Jesus is to see what God is like.
In Jesus, we see the perfect love of God.
A God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them on the cross.
Jesus is the revelation of God, we're told.
A God who loves us completely, unconditionally.
And perfectly.
Jesus also promises that God the Father will hear our prayers when we pray in his name.
That's why Jesus taught his followers to pray with confidence.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done.
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.
He's taught us the Our Father, the Hail Mary.
Our mothers given us the Rosary.
If we're to become like Jesus, we need to meditate on what Jesus did.
That's the Rosary, our Lord's life, our Lady's life, the mysteries of our faith.
How else will we know how we're to act if we never think about how they acted?
So let us heed our mother's request.
And pray the Rosary so that we may become like her and her divine Son.