Praying to lose in order to win

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The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, 07 October 2024
Acts 1:12-14     <*{{{{><  +  ><}}}}*>     Luke 1:26-38

God our loving Father,
You are the God of History:
nothing happens without your
knowing as You ensure that despite
setbacks, history is always directed 
to your Divine Plan.

As we celebrate today the
Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary,
we remember too how You answered 
our prayers in that decisive victory 
of the Spanish Armada against the 
more and better-equipped navy of
the Ottoman Turks at the  
Battle of Lepanto Bay in 1571 
that finally stopped the Moslems
from occupying Europe.

We pray, O God,
that in a similar way,
teach us to "lose"
in order to "win":
like the Blessed Mother Mary,
grant us the grace to lose ourself
to You in Jesus Christ;
how lovely to think Mary
was a "loser" of her self to You
when she told the Archangel Gabriel,
"Behold, I am the handmaid
of the Lord.
May it be done to me
according to your word"
(Luke 1:38);
it was in losing herself
to You, dear God,
that Mary became your instrument
for our victory of salvation
 through her Son Jesus Christ.

Teach us, O Lord,
to be like Mary in submitting
our total selves to the
Father's will and plans,
ready to endure sufferings
and trials in life that many times
we feel we are at the losing end;
when we are patient and understanding,
when we are forgiving of others sins,
when we bear all pains because we love,
that is when we win as we lose
ourselves and begins to be filled with
Jesus like Mary in the gospel.

Remind us always,
God our loving Father,
that when we feel losing 
many battles in life 
like when we stand 
for what is true and good,
that is actually when we win
the war against evil and sin,
the greatest victory Christ 
had gifted us, first with His
Mother Mary - salvation!

Blessed Mother of the Rosary,
continue praying for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.