by Chanel Magisa and Vinh Marco Tumang
Sun-set ending. On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Dominicans contemplate on the danger and beauty in a line of The Lord’s Prayer: “Your kingdom come.”
The spirit of prayer prospers as the Dominican family marked the ninth day of Family Rosary Crusade 2021. As a precursor to the final fold of the novena-mass, the eucharistic celebration which Rev. Fr. Jan Brian S. Samson led highlights facets of hope for the kingdom of the Lord. Day 9 reflects a message of love and change of heart magnified in its theme set as “Maria: Ina ng Panalangin.”
“Familiarity breeds contempt,” Fr. Samson opened the homily with a familiar concept.
From the first communion to the first day of school, fascinating events turn ordinary as they pass by daily. The same truth applies to faith, the mass presider expounded in his sermon. Traditional prayers like "Our Father" tend to lose kerygmatic sense when often told but seldom contemplated.
"Our Father", the prayer Jesus articulated in the Gospel, is one of the most powerful prayers Fr. Samson described. There is a force deeply rooted behind the line “Your kingdom come.”
Like a coin with two sides, the forceful statement reveals the two meanings of the prayer:
First, praying for the kingship of the Lord poses dangers for selfish people in the world today. This parallels the First Reading in the book of Jonah in which he questioned the will of God, and even wished death upon himself. The prophet saw the lack of fairness in the Lord’s decision of stopping him from preaching in Nineveh, despite all the hardships he faced along the way. This reminds us of the very nature of God and His kingdom: equality. In the midst of people blinded by prejudice and greed, the Lord views in the light of equality - seeing not just an individual, but a whole.
Furthermore, the prayer is considered precarious for it could place someone out of their comfort zones in alignment with the inexplicable yet marvelous plan of the Lord – a plan made equally for His dear creations.
On the flip side of the coin, the mass presider highlighted the beauty alongside the danger of the prayer.
“The Lord’s Prayer is the most beautiful prayer of a Christian because it seeks to renew all things,” he stated.
The injustices in the society, the poverty and hardships, and the deception of those who yearn for power – all of these will be replaced with something new and better. As told in the book of Revelations, the second coming of His Son will bring us New Heaven and Earth. Everything that we perceive will be renewed, and this would be the greatest present we could ever receive.
Likewise, Fr. Samson made an example of Mary in attempting to understand the will of God. No matter how agonizing it must have been for her to witness the suffering and death of her beloved Son nor how unfathomable her situation with Jesus went, she held and kept these in the deepest chambers of her heart. Because of doing her part in the reign of the Lord, she was endowed with a place in God’s kingdom — a gift she never doubted nor denied.
The homily ended with the Aramaic term, “Maranatha”, the first ever prayer of the Christians which calls for the Second Advent of Christ - a call for salvation and new life in His kingdom.
“‘Mapasaamin nawa ang kaharian mo’. Hindi ang kalooban ng tao, kundi ang kalooban ng Diyos."
As Dominicans with the annual tradition of FRC in honor and veneration of the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, we are challenged to not only end the feast by praying the rosary and novena, nor by just handing our offerings to the image of Mary, but to continue doing so with enlivenment and subservience to the reign of God. We must be thrilled for the renewal of our lives on Earth, the same way we were, or even more so, when we had our very first presents.
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