Our Lady is a prayerful woman, which we can learn about by reflecting on her seven words in the Gospel.
We meditate on the first two words of Our Lady in the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary (the Annunciation). Mary wants to find out how to fulfil the will of God by asking the Archangel Gabriel: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34)
After the angel’s reply, Mary says, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38)
Pope Francis said Mary’s “small yet immense ‘Here I am,’ which made all of creation jump for joy in that moment, had been preceded throughout salvation history by many other ‘Here I ams,’ by many trusting obediences, by many who were open to God’s will. There is no better way to pray than to place oneself like Mary in an attitude of openness, with a heart open to God: ‘Lord, what you want, when you want, and how you want.’”
We meditate on the third and fourth words of Our Lady in the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary (the Visitation). Our Lady “entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.” (Lk 1:40–41)
Just as King David leaped and danced in the presence of the ark of the Lord (2 Sam 6:16), the baby John leaps in the presence of Our Lady, the Ark of the New Covenant.
Our Lady then praises God with the Magnificat. (Lk 1:46-55) The Catechism states: “The prayers of the Virgin Mary, in her Fiat and Magnificat, are characterized by the generous offering of her whole being in faith.” (CCC 2622) The Magnificat is prayed daily in the Evening Prayer of the Church.
The fifth word of Our Lady takes place in the Fifth Joyful Mystery (the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple). Mary says, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” (Lk 2:48)
According to St. Ambrose, “the discovery of Jesus in the Temple prefigures his Resurrection, when Christ will be three days absent in death, only to be found again in the flesh. The anxiety following his burial will likewise give way to joy and relief at his rising.”
We meditate on the sixth and seventh words of Our Lady in the Second Luminous Mystery of the Rosary (the Wedding at Cana).
“When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” (Jn 2:3–5)
The Catechism states: “The Gospel reveals to us how Mary prays and intercedes in faith. At Cana, the mother of Jesus asks her son for the needs of a wedding feast; this is the sign of another feast—that of the wedding of the Lamb where he gives his body and blood at the request of the Church, his Bride. It is at the hour of the New Covenant, at the foot of the cross, that Mary is heard as the Woman, the new Eve, the true ‘Mother of all the living.’” (CCC 2618)
The mystic Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich said, “Mary’s anxiety for the wedding guests was now entirely relieved. She had mentioned the matter to her Son; therefore, she says confidently to the servants: ‘Do all that He shall tell you.’ In like manner does the Church, the Bride of Jesus, say to Him: ‘Lord, your children have no wine.’ And Jesus replies: ‘Church’ (not Bride), ‘be not troubled, be not disquieted! My hour is not yet come.’ Then says the Church to her priests: ‘Hearken to His words, obey all His commands, for He will always help you!’”
Luke the evangelist recounts: “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19) and “His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:51)
Pope Francis said, “Everything that happened around her ended up being reflected on in the depths of her heart.”
When we pray the Rosary, we are pondering the words and deeds of Christ with the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
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聖母七言
聖母是勤於祈禱的女人。通過反思福音中聖母的七句話，我們可以從中學習。
在玫瑰經歡喜奧蹟的第一端（聖母領報）中，我們默想聖母的頭兩句話。聖母希望通過向天使加俾額爾的詢問來了解如何承行天主的旨意：「這事怎能成就? 因為我不認識男人。」（路 1:34）在了解了天主的旨意後，瑪利亞說：「看，上主的婢女，願照祢的話成就於我吧！」（路1:38）
教宗方濟各說：「她那小而偉大的說話『我在這裡』，在那一刻讓所有受造物都為之歡躍，並超越之前在救贖史上已經有許多其他的『我在這裡』、許多信任的服從、許多願意接受天主旨意的人。沒有比像瑪利亞一樣更好的祈禱方式，以全心開放的態度，擁有一顆向天主敞開的心：『主啊，祢的旨意，無論何時和以何種方式，也都成就於我吧！』」
在歡喜奧蹟的第二端（聖母訪親）中，我們默想聖母的第三和第四句話。聖母親瑪利亞「進入匝加利亞的家，向依撒伯爾問安。當依撒伯爾聽見瑪利亞問安時，懷中的胎兒就在她腹中跳動。」(路 1:40–41) 猶如達味王在天主的約櫃前跳躍起舞 (撒下 6:16) ，小若翰在我主耶穌的母親瑪利亞 - 新約的約櫃面前跳躍。聖母瑪利亞頌揚上主（路 1:46-55）。天主教教理指出「童貞瑪利亞以她的『爾旨承行』(Fiat) 和『頌揚上主』(Magnificat) 所作的祈禱有一特色，就是在信德中慷慨地將自己作完全的奉獻。」天主教教理#2622）在教會的晚禱中，每次都會頌念聖母謝主曲。
歡喜奧蹟第五端（耶穌十二齡講道）中聖母的第五句話語，聖母說：「孩子，為什麼你這樣對待我們? 看，祢的父親和我，一直痛苦的找祢。」（路 2:48）據聖安博所言：「耶穌在聖殿中被尋獲一事預示了衪的復活，基督死後，不見了三天，然後再次以肉身被找到。對衪的埋葬後所產生的焦慮也將轉變為對衪復活的喜悅和寬慰。」（依納爵天主教聖經研讀）
我們在光明奧蹟的第二端（加納婚宴）中默想聖母的第六和七句的話語。「他們沒有酒了。」耶穌回答說：「女人，這於我和妳有什麼關係？我的時刻尚未來到。」 衪的母親給僕役說：「衪無論吩咐你們什麼，你們就作什麼。」（若 2:3–5） 天主教教理記載：「福音告訴我們，瑪利亞怎樣以信德祈禱和代禱：在加納婚宴上，耶穌的母 親向她的兒子請求，提供婚宴上的需要。此婚宴預示另一個筵席、羔羊的婚宴，羔羊答應自己的淨配 ─ 教會的請求，在此婚宴中獻出自己的體血。是在締結新約的時刻，在十字架下 ，瑪利亞被視為那女人、新厄娃、 真正的『眾生之母』而蒙垂聽。」（天主教教理#2618）
真福Anne Catherine Emmerich論及她的神視說：「瑪利亞將婚禮客人的焦慮完全消除了。她向她的兒子提到了這件事，因此她對僕人們自信地說：『照他所吩咐你們的去做。』同樣，耶穌的新娘 — 教會也對衪說：『主啊，你的兒女沒有酒了。』 耶穌回答道：『教會（不是新娘），不要煩惱，不要心慌！我的時候還沒有到。於是教會對神父們說：『聽從衪的話語，順從衪的一切命令，衪將永遠幫助你們！』」
聖史路加記述：「瑪利亞卻把這一切事默存在自己心中，反覆思想。」（路 2:19）和「衪的母親把一切默存在心中。」（路2:51）教宗方濟各說：「她周團發生的一切最終都在她内心深處反映出來。」當我們頌念玫瑰經時，我們是以聖母無玷聖心去默想基督的聖言和奧蹟。
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