Unpack the Hail Mary: Dr. Rev. Fr. Charles Nahm & Dr. Josephine Lombardi of St. Augustine's Seminary explore the story & words of this powerful prayer. Plus online options for praying the Rosary.
Guest Dr. Peter Kahn reflects on ways to say the Hail Mary during the Christmas octave. CAFOD author discusses the 3rd Joyful Mystery - excerpt from our newest project from the Camino to Santiago.
4 GUEST CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS SPECIAL EVENING CHRISTMAS POST:
1. Dr. Rev. Fr. Charles Nahm [Click on the new video link on the “Hail Mary” via The Rosary: A Mini Series, with a focus on some of the Latin origins of the “Ave Maria”, with suggested reading by St. Bernard.
2. Dr. Peter Kahn (UK), Editor & Author for CTS Publishing [Musings on Praying the Hail Mary more often, “Can you take or leave a love for Our Lady? Could you not just find some other devotion, and leave the Rosary aside?” He draws on the example of St. Padre Pio: “Padre Pio particularly loved the Rosary.”
3. Dr. Josephine Lombardi, St. Augustine’s Seminary Toronto (Canada) [*NEW VIDEO* on the Story of the Hail Mary]. Thanks to St. Augustine’s for their generous support of our podcast efforts to spread the message of the Rosary.
4. Jenny Hayward-Jones (UK), CAFOD. Hayward-Jones reflects on the 3rd Joyful Mystery with Nyanguet and her family from South Sudan: “In the Third Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, we celebrate the birth of a baby. A vulnerable child, born into a poor and oppressed community with little power. A vulnerable child, who is God with us.”
Where to pray the Christmas Rosary before retiring to bed:
Joyful Mysteries with Keith Nester’s Rosary Crew;
Glorious Mysteries in Scotland via St. Augustine’s Youth Rosary Leader for Fr. Kane’s Online {*Space}*.
Pray with The Marian Seminarians: click *here*.
THE ROSARY HOUR PODCAST NEWSLETTER [2nd Edition
25 dezembro / 25 December 2022] Feliz Natal!
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR #1: Dr. Reverend Fr. Charles Nahm (CANADA)1
CLICK “WATCH ON YOUTUBE” ABOVE, or click this link.2
Accompanying the above video a suggested reading by Fr. Charles: he provided an excerpt from a sermon by St. Bernard, Abbot, of Clairvaux (Homily 2: 1-2,. 4 — Opera omnia, Edit Cisterc. 4 [1966], 21-23) is used in the Divine Office / Liturgy of the Hours Readings)3. Enjoy.
St. Bernard’s Sermon for Reflection on Christmas Day
“It was fitting that the Virgin should give birth only to God; and it was also fitting that God should be born only of the Virgin.
Accordingly, the Creator of mankind, in order that he might become a man by being born a human being, had to seek out from among all mankind and designate as his mother a woman he knew would be worthy of him and pleasing to him.
And so he chose a sinless virgin, that he might be born sinless and free of all stain. He chose a humble virgin, from whom he might come forth meek and humble of heart, to display a most necessary and salutary model of these virtues for all mankind.
Thus he allowed a virgin to conceive, in whom he had earlier inspired a vow of virginity, and required of her the merit of humility.
Otherwise how could the angel afterward pronounce her full of grace, if she had the slightest good quality which did not come from grace?
Thus she, who was to conceive and bring forth the holy of holies, must be sanctified physically and so she received the gift of virginity; that she might be sanctified spiritually, she received the gift of humility.
The Virgin then, adorned like a queen with the jewels of virtue, shone with the glory of body and soul; and seen on high as radiantly beautiful, she so attracted the inhabitants of heaven that she moved the heart of the King with desire for her and brought down from above the heavenly message.
Scripture says: The angel was sent to a virgin. For she was truly virgin in body, virgin in mind, a virgin by her special calling, sanctified, as the Apostle reminds us, in both mind and body. This came about by no unforeseen or accidental occurrence; she was chosen from eternity, foreknown and prepared by the Most High for himself, guarded by the angels, prefigured by the patriarchs, and promised by the prophets.
FR. NAHM ALSO SUGGESTS PRAYING THE FOLLOWING PRAYER BY ST. BERNARD: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55353/prayer-by-st-bernard-of-clairvaux
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR #2: FROM WARRINGTON, ENGLAND
by: Dr. Peter Kahn4 (UK)
Can you take or leave a love for Our Lady? Could you not just find some other devotion, and leave the Rosary aside?
Well, by all accounts canonised saints displayed a remarkable love for Jesus’ mother. There isn’t any other route to becoming a saint, other than one that includes a love for Our Lady.
In this reflection, I want to focus on the life of Padre Pio, the Italian Franciscan friar who died in 1968 and was canonised in the year 2000. It's partly because Padre Pio lived so recently that there are so many witnesses to his love for Our Lady.
Padre Pio's novitiate house possessed a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows.
There was an inscription next to the painting encouraging you to pray a Hail Mary as you passed by. Padre Pio realised that it was essential to pray as continually as possible in this life. He took time to pause whenever he passed any image of Our Lady, not only when passing this painting.
Padre Pio particularly loved the Rosary.
He always kept his right hand in the pocket of his habit, and constantly fingered a small set of Rosary beads. If there was any pause in a conversation, you could see his lips move a little as he prayed.
He prayed the Rosary more than 30 times a day.
It matters a great deal to find time to pray.
As we arrive at the season of Christmas, what better way to celebrate the feast than to use as much of our spare time as possible praying, just as Padre Pio did.
Pray a Hail Mary whenever you see an image of Our Lady, keep a set of Rosary beads in your pocket, and pray it whenever you can.
Take time to pause, and see how God is at work, when something happens to you.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR #3: DR. JOSEPHINE LOMBARDI (CANADA)
DR. LOMBARDI5 teaches Mariology & Pastoral Theology in Toronto, Canada at St. Augustine’s Seminary, and she is the author of the book “Experts in Humanity” which Dr. Tina Bailey reviews with her in an upcoming interview on the Digital Café.
In this video, Dr. Lombardi tells our podcast listeners the story of the Hail Mary in her latest episode for “The Rosary: A Mini-Series”.6
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR #4: CAFOD — EXCERPT
“The Birth of Jesus” - The Birth of Jesus: a reflection from CAFOD
In the Third Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, we celebrate the birth of a baby. A vulnerable child, born into a poor and oppressed community with little power. A vulnerable child, who is God with us.
Mary gave birth in a stable in Bethlehem, a simple place where she and Joseph were offered refuge after a long and difficult journey.
TO BE CONTINUED IN OUR NEXT POST:
Pray CAFOD’s Joyful Mysteries or listen to the podcast here.
This reflection from Jenny Hayward-Jones is adapted from CAFOD’s Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and interactive Advent Calendar.
GLOBAL CHRISTMAS CAROL CORNER — A POLISH CUSTOM
FUN FACTS
Have you ever listened to the POLISH SONG: "Lulajże, Jezuniu" (Sleep, Infant Jesus)?
Did you know that this tune appears in Chopin’s First Scherzo Op. 20 in B Minor?
SEE — https://lyricstranslate.com/en/lulajze-jezuniu-hush-little-jesus.html and the story of this Christmas Carol
DR. FR. CHARLES NAHM, DR. PETER KAHN, DR. JOSEPHINE LOMBARDI & JENNY HAYWARD JONES JOIN AS A GUEST CONTRIBUTORS / MENTORS for THE ROSARY HOUR PODCAST NEWSLETTER on the “HAIL MARY” for CHRISTMAS (COPYRIGHT © TRAVESSA DA SENRA HOUSE PRESS in PORTO, PORTUGAL 2022-present). FIRST EDITION SENT AUTOMATICALLY BY E-MAIL on DECEMBER 25, 2022.
FOOTNOTES
ABOUT DR. REV. FR. CHARLES NAHM: Fr. Charles Nahm was born in South Korea and immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1968 with his parents and four younger sisters. During his final year of high school studies in Montreal in 1970, he was baptized in a Pentecostal church. Afterward he went to McGill University to study biochemistry. During this time, in 1972, through contact with a friend, who was a member of Opus Dei, he was conditionally re-baptized as a Catholic in Montreal and received the Sacrament of Confirmation the following year. In 1974 he began his dentistry program at McGill University, graduating in 1978. He practiced dentistry in Montreal until 1985 when he went to the International Seminary of Opus Dei in Rome. In 1987 he went to the University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain, to begin his licentiate and doctoral program in theology. While finishing his doctoral program we went back to Rome and was ordained a priest of the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei on June 10, 1990 at St. Peter’s Basilica by Saint Pope John Paul II. After spending a year in Spain he returned to Canada to work for the Prelature of Opus Dei in various capacities.
Thanks to Dr. Lombardi for supporting Fr. Charles in this conversation and thanks to Fr. Charles for his theological insights on the “Hail Mary”.
Doctor of the Church, St. Bernard of Clairvaux died in 1153. We celebrate his Feast Day on August 20, 2022 and this is the Reading in the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time (Tuesday’s Second Reading in the Office of Readings).
Brief Bio: Dr. Peter Kahn is writing a Marian book. He posts regularly about being close to Mary. Author for CTS publishers on family life. He is a Catholic academic, married with seven sons, and a home educator. He is the Editor of Routledge UK’s Journal on Teaching & Education.
https://josephinelombardi.com/ SEE ALSO — https://staugustines.on.ca/ St. Augustine’s Seminary, TORONTO, CANADA.
About Dr. Lombardi
Dr. Lombardi is an award-winning author and documentary film maker who has worked as a parish minister, university campus minister, high school chaplaincy leader, teacher educator through O.E.C.T.A., professor of Religious Education, Brock University, retreat facilitator, faith formation consultant, and program coordinator in the Diocese of Hamilton. Presently, she is the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor of Pastoral and Systematic Theology at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough, Ontario, where she served as Director of Lay Spiritual Formation for eleven years. She has done media work in radio and television and has been an advisor to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in the area of doctrine and Catholic-Muslim relations. Her books On Earth as it is in Heaven and Experts in Humanity have been featured on Salt and Light TV. Experts in Humanity was awarded first place in the category of Family Life by the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada in 2017.
She is the Series Theologian for the new Religious Education resource for grades 1 through 8, “Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ” for Catholic School Boards in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.