After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram Rome, Italy, Apr 21, 2015 / 02:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Nigerian bishop says that he has seen Christ in a vision and now knows that the rosary is the key to ridding the country of the Islamist terrorist organization Boko Haram. Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme says he is being driven by a God-given mandate to lead others in praying the rosary until the extremist group disappears. “Towards the end of last year I was in my chapel before the Blessed Sacrament… praying the rosary, and then suddenly the Lord appeared,” Bishop Dashe told CNA April 18. In the vision, the prelate said, Jesus didn’t say anything at first, but extended a sword toward him, and he in turn reached out for it. “As soon as I received the sword, it turned into a rosary,” the bishop said, adding that Jesus then told him three times: “Boko Haram is gone.” “I didn’t need any prophet to give me the explanation,” he said. “It was clear that with the rosary we would be able to expel Boko Haram.” The bishop said he didn’t want to tell anyone, but “felt that the Holy Spirit was pushing him to do so.” He started with the priests of his diocese, and then told participants in the April 17-19 #WeAreN2015 congress in Madrid, Spain. The event is being sponsored by the Spanish Catholic sister groups hazteoir.org and CitizenGo to gather ideas on how to preserve the Christian presence in nations where they are most persecuted. Bishop Dashe leads the Diocese of Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State. In 2009, there were around 125,000 Catholics under his guidance. After a surge in violence from the Islamist extremist group called Boko Haram, today “there are only 50 to 60 thousand left,” he said. Most of those who fled sought safer areas in other parts of Nigeria, he said. Some of the same families are now returning home as armed forces from Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon liberate their homes. In 2014, Boko Haram became known worldwide when members kidnapped nearly 300 girls from a school in Borno State. On March 7, 2015, five suicide bombers killed 54 and wounded nearly three times as many in the capital city of Maidaguri, where the bishop lives and works. The group has killed 1,000 people across Nigeria in the first three months of 2015, according to Human Rights Watch, which reports that more than 6,000 have died in Boko Haram-led violence since 2009. Just last month, the group pledged its allegiance to ISIS – also known as the Islamic State – which launched a bloody campaign in Iraq and Syria last summer. Meanwhile, Bishop Dashe has just completed a “consolation tour” to communities in his diocese, promoting forgiveness and continued faith. He believes he was asked by Jesus to spread devotion to the rosary in order to aid them as they do so. “Maybe that’s why he did it,” said the bishop, referring to Jesus in his vision. Bishop Dashe said he has a strong devotion to Christ’s mother, and that “I never joke with ‘Mamma Mary.’ I know she is here with us.” And he is not the only Nigerian bishop putting the future of the country in the hands of Mary. The nation’s bishops’ conference has consecrated the country to her twice in recent years. Bishop Dashe believes that one day his diocese will completely recover and grow thanks to her intercession. “These terrorists… think that by burning our churches, burning our structures, they will destroy Christanity. Never,” Bishop Dashe told several hundred people from the dais of the #WeAreN2015 congress. “It may take a few months or a few years … but ‘Boko Haram is gone.’” He later told CNA that “prayer, particularly the prayer of the rosary, is (what) will deliver us from the claws of this demon, the demon of terrorism. And of course, it is working.”
Battle of Lepanto Rosary Victory The Battle that Saved the Christian West Americans know that in 1492 Christopher Columbus "sailed the ocean blue," but how many know that in the same year the heroic Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella conquered the Moors in Grenada? Americans would also probably recognize 1588 as the year of the defeat of the Spanish Armada by Francis Drake and the rest of Queen Elizabeth’s pirates. It was a tragedy for the Catholic kingdom of Spain and a triumph for the Protestant British Empire, and the defeat determined the kind of history that would one day be taught in American schools: Protestant British history. As a result, 1571, the year of the battle of Lepanto, the most important naval contest in human history, is not well known to Americans. October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, celebrates the victory at Lepanto, the battle that saved the Christian West from defeat at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Read more......http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/the-battle-that-saved-the-christian-west Interesting Facts about the Battle A young contemporary of Don John’s, Miguel Cervantes, fought with abandon and lost his left hand to a Turkish blade. With his remaining hand, he later penned Spain’s greatest novel, Don Quixote. On another galley, a soldier of the Holy League, his soul torn with despair, took his sword to the ship’s crucifix. The blade instantly shattered. Many years later, an attempt to re-forge the sword was made, but when the new blade was pulled from the fire, it fell to pieces. The crucifix on board the Real, which twisted itself to avoid a Turkish cannonball, is displayed in a side chapel of the cathedral of Barcelona. Gianandrea Doria carried on his galley a gift from the king of Spain, an image that is now displayed in the Doria chapel in the cathedral in Genoa. Exactly forty years before the battle of Lepanto, the Blessed Virgin appeared to a peasant boy leaving a miraculous image of herself on his smock. The bishop of the region immediately commissioned an artist to paint five copies of the image, and he touched each one to the original. Our Lady of Guadalupe was present at Lepanto. Timeline for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary In thanksgiving for the victory at Lepanto on the first Sunday of October 1571, Pope St. Pius V ordered that a commemoration of the Rosary should be made on that day. At the request of the Dominican Order, in 1573 Pope Gregory XIII allowed the feast to be kept in all churches with an altar dedicated to the Holy Rosary. In 1671, the observance of the feast was extended by Pope Clement X to the whole of Spain. Pope Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church after the important victory over the Turks gained by Prince Eugene on August 6, 1716, the feast of our Lady of the Snows, at Peterwardein in Hungary.
A Rosary Miracle at Hiroshima FR. HUBERT SCHIFFER OF HIROSHIMA By Fr. Paul Ruge, O.F.M.I. At 2:45 a.m. on August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber took off from the island of Tinian to drop the first atomic bomb on Japan. At 8:15 a.m. the bomb exploded eight city blocks from the Jesuit Church of Our Lady's Assumption in Hiroshima. However, the four Jesuit fathers stationed there survived: Fathers Hugo Lassalle, Kleinsorge, Cieslik and Schiffer. (Note - all other accounts state clearly that there were eight Jesuits stationed in this home not four - and it is well known that all eight survived - the author of this present article apparently only had the names of four of them, for instance Fr. Arrupe is left out of the list - and at this writing, I have not been able to find the names of the other three Jesuits. end of note.) According to the experts they "ought to be dead," being within a one-mile radius of the explosion. Nine days later on August 15, Feast of Our Lady's Assumption, U.S. forces were ordered to cease fire. I met Fr. Schiffer (says Father Paul) in the late 70s at the Tri-City Airport in Saginaw, Michigan, as he was going to give a talk for the Blue Army Novena/Triduum. As I chauffeured him around he told me stories of his life, especially of the atomic explosion at Hiroshima. On the morning of August 6, 1945, he had just finished Mass, went into the rectory and sat down at the breakfast table, and had just sliced a grapefruit, and had just put his spoon into the grapefruit when there was a bright flash of light. His first thought was that it was an explosion in the harbor (this was a major port where the Japanese refueled their submarines.) Then, in the words of Fr. Schiffer: "Suddenly, a terrific explosion filled the air with one bursting thunderstroke. An invisible force lifted me from the chair, hurled me through the air, shook me, battered me, whirled me 'round and 'round like a leaf in a gust of autumn wind." The next thing he remembered, he opened his eyes and he was laying on the ground. He looked around and there was NOTHING in any direction: the railroad station and buildings in all directions were leveled to the ground. The only physical harm to himself was that he could feel a few pieces of glass in the back of his neck. As far as he could tell, there was nothing else physically wrong with himself. Many thousands were killed or maimed by the explosion. After the conquest of the Americans, their army doctors and scientists explained to him that his body would begin to deteriorate because of the radiation. Many of the Japanese people had blisters and sores from the radiation. To the doctors amazement, Fr. Schiffer's body contained no radiation or ill-effects from the bomb. Fr. Schiffer attributes this to devotion to the Blessed Mother, and his daily Fatima Rosary. He feels that he received a protective shield from the Blessed Mother which protected him from all radiation and ill-effects. (This coincides with the bombing of Nagasaki where St. Maximilian Kolbe had established a Franciscan Friary which was also unharmed because of special protection from the Blessed Mother, as the Brothers too prayed the daily Rosary and also had no effects from the bomb.)
THE MESSAGE OF OUR LADY OF AKITA (1973 - 1981) Apparitions Approved – An Urgent Message "Pray the Rosary often. Only I can prevent the disaster" "The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son" "As I said before if mankind does not repent, the Heavenly Father will inflict a very serious punishment on the whole world; a punishment the likes of which has never happened before. Many people will perish. Pray the Rosary often. Only I can prevent the disaster. Whoever entrusts themselves to me will be saved." The third message on October 13, 1973, the actual anniversary of the final visions and miracle of Fatima is as follows: "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day, recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their Confreres. The Church and altars will be vandalized. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. "The demon will rage especially against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will no longer be pardon for them." In his pastoral letter approving the events of Akita as supernatural, the Bishop of Niigata said: "After the inquiries conducted up to the present day, one cannot deny the supernatural character of a series of unexplainable events relative to the statue of the Virgin honored at Akita (Diocese of Niigata). Consequently I authorize that all of the diocese entrusted to me venerate the Holy Mother of Akita." On October 13, 1973, Our Lady gave Sister Sasagawa this serious message: "As I said before if mankind does not repent, the Heavenly Father will inflict a very serious punishment on the whole world; a punishment the likes of which has never happened before. Many people will perish. Pray the Rosary often. Only I can prevent the disaster. Whoever entrusts themselves to me will be saved." The statue continued to weep and other messages followed. Pilgrims came and many received answers to their prayers. Then, in 1981, Theresa Chon, who was suffering from terminal brain cancer, was miraculously healed through the intercession of Our Lady of Akita. This healing was well documented by Fr. Joseph Oh of Seoul, S. Korea. In his pastoral letter, Bishop Ito said that it would have been difficult to believe in a message from Our Lady that is so terrible, unless there was overwhelming proof that it was indeed from Her. But he points out that the terrible chastisement of which Our Lady speaks is on the condition: "If men do not repent and do not better themselves . . ." The Bishop added it is a serious warning, while at the same time one perceives in it the maternal love of Our Lady. In Her message warning the world of the annihilation of a great part of humanity, She said: "The thought of the loss of numerous souls makes me sad." Read more...........https://www.olrl.org/prophecy/akita.shtml
“Bring me my weapon” -Padre Pio St. Padre Pio “Bring me my weapon”– Blessed Pope Pius IX “Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.”– St. Josemaria Escriva “The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.” Why the rosary? How does the rosary have anything to do with our fight against secularism, relativism, and heresy? You might be a non-catholic wondering about the claims of the rosary and how they square away with your beliefs. Or you might be a practicing Catholic who is puzzled that the “weapon of choice” for this battle against the secular monster is simply prayer beads. St. Padre Pio called the rosary a weapon- because that’s exactly what it is. A weapon. It’s not just some fuzzy-feeling meditation-the very gates of hell tremble when the rosary is prayed fervently. As Catholics, we know that the prayers of the holy rosary are more than just “vain” repetitious words. Saint Padre Pio states that “The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.” If we truly focus on the meditations of the mysteries, we examine deep into the heart of the Gospel of truth. Some might still be thinking “Why the rosary?” The simple answer is because it’s powerful. Because it requires discipline. Because it fosters a love for the Immaculata and asks for her powerful intercession. The secular culture is also powerful and requires no discipline whatsoever. Rather, it promotes instant selfish pleasure. It is built on lies and the twisting of good and evil. If we are ever going to shake the very foundation of falsehood that the secularism is built on, we must arm ourselves with the truth. Praying the rosary is such a powerful way in which we will begin to take down the secret walls of hidden shame in our homes; praying the rosary for those nailed down by addictions of this world is the silent prescription for this disease. The rosary is the Gospel on a chain. In many third-world countries, as in times before the printing press- the Bible was and is unavailable to the common man. For some, owning a personal copy of scripture was and is a luxury. How do those people know the Gospel truths? One time tested way is the regular recitation of the rosary. There are many Christians who have never personally read one page of Holy Scripture, but they know the saving message through a devotion of the rosary. They know Him personally because they pray the rosary. While reciting the rosary, we mediate on the essential moments of Christ’s life and on the life of Christ through His Mother’s perspective- a perspective that knows Christ more than we can ever hope too. The prayers of the rosary help us gain insight into the One who is the Divine Truth and Truth Giver. Not only do we arm ourselves with the truth, but we also implore the one who is the Mother of Truth to act with us. In the rosary we ask the model of purity herself, Mary, to pray for our purity. When we gain the intersession of our Blessed Mother, we gain all the power heaven can yield. St. Josemaria Escriva declares “If you say the Holy Rosary every day, with a spirit of faith and love, our Lady will make sure she leads you very far along her Son’s path.” We have a Goliath to take down and just as David had five stones in his arsenal, we have five decades in ours. So grab those beads and start praying, this beast must go down!
These are great examples of the power of the Rosary. We have a simple, yet powerful personal story of the Rosary that I would like to share. My wife and I always visit several Churches to spend time with Jesus on Holy Thursday. Several years ago as we were leaving a Church, a woman comes racing after us and catches us at the Church steps. She is very excited and says just wait here a minute. She said when she saw us, she was interioraly moved to give us something. She went and grabbed a prayer card- The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary Beads. Now, this was well before The Feast of Divine Mercy and the strangest thing is my wife's sister wanted us to pray it, but never said what is was. We only learned after the fact- we prayed this for my mother in law who after suffering a severe stroke had list her spirituality and Her want to pray the Rosary. Now, as far as the Rosary beads- we had tons of them so didn't really "need" anymore. But the second they were pressed into my wife's hands, she "knew" they were meant for her best friend who had a son with special needs who was regressing. Our friend, a Protestant, gladly accepted the Rosary and we taught her how to pray with it. Long story short, her son's deterioration stopped (still has some use needs but did not get worse) and our friend entered RCIA and became a Catholic. My mother in law's physical health improved to point where she could walk again, but more importantly, her spirit completed revived. She had a sense of joy about her and I believe was a kind of suffering soul. I believe this all happened from that one brave woman chasing us down to give us her Rosary!
The Rosary Defeats a Philippino Dictatorship in 1986 The citizens of the Philippines were poor and starving while President Marcos and his wife Imelda lived in lavish luxury. To this day people make jokes about Imelda Marcos’s shoes because she had 3000 pairs, along with 15 mink coats, 1000 purses, and 508 fancy gowns. The people wanted to elect a new president, Benigno Aquino, nicknamed Ninoy. He was assassinated right in front of his wife and family as he stepped off a plane to run for office in Manila. After this brutal murder, Ninoy’s wife Corazon “Cory” Aquino became active in protests against the Marcos regime. The people clamored for Cory to run for President, and when they presented her with one million signatures urging her to do so, she fulfilled the people’s wishes. Marcos called a snap election day on February 7, 1986 which turned out to be a bloody, violent, and fraud-filled event. President Marcos, declared the winner by his corrupt government, took control of the media and sent out the military to quell any protests. Cardinal Sin of the Archdiocese of Manila urged a peaceful protest and the Catholic people came out in droves. They surrounded the military tanks and armed soldiers, prayed the rosary, and sang religious and protest songs. Holy Masses and prayer vigils took place in churches. This prayerful protest continued for almost a week when unexpectedly, the soldiers stepped away from their tanks, put down their guns, and joined the peaceful crowd. President Marcos fled the country on February 26, 1986 and the whole nation took to the streets in celebration. Prayers of thanksgiving and holy masses were held in gratitude to God. As the new President, Cory Aquino made sweeping changes and the Philippines became a free and democratic country. To this day people are in awe that the evil, corrupt regime of Marcos was completely overturned through peaceful means. Pray the rosary unceasingly for a moral government, leaders with integrity, and an end to evil regimes! http://miraculousrosary.blogspot.com/p/famous-rosary-miracles.html
Pope John Paul II proclaims the “Year of the Rosary” And adds a new set of mysteries, “the mysteries of light” For peace in the world and in the families On October 16, 2002, the 24th Anniversary of his election as Roman Pontiff, Pope John Paul II signed the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (the Rosary of the Virgin Mary) that presents the Rosary as an outstanding way to contemplate the face and mysteries of Christ. He also proclaimed a “Year of the Rosary”, which extends from October 2002 to October 2003. For 900 years there have been three series of five mysteries in the Rosary: the Joyous (the infancy of Jesus), the Sorrowful (the Passion of Jesus), and the Glorious (Christ and Heaven). Given that in these 15 mysteries prayed up until now the great events of Christ's public life were not contemplated, in the new apostolic letter the Pontiff adds five mysteries, which he calls the “mysteries of light”: 1) Jesus's Baptism in the Jordan, 2) His self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, 3) His proclamation of the Kingdom of God with the invitation to conversion, 4) His Transfiguration on Mount Thabor, 5) His institution of the Eucharist. If the Pope insists on the recitation and meditation of the Rosary, it is because he knows the Church and mankind are facing great dangers, like the threat of a world war and the attacks against the family, that can only be stopped “through an intervention from on high.” As the Holy Father wrote: “The Church has always attributed particular efficacy to this prayer, entrusting to the Rosary the most difficult problems. At times when Christianity itself seemed under threat, its deliverance was attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady was acclaimed as the one whose intercession brought salvation.” In Her many Apparitions on earth, like in Lourdes and Fatima, the Virgin Mary always recommended the recitation of the Rosary to obtain peace, and to stop heresies. St. Dominic received the revelation of the Rosary at a time when the Church was in a critical battle against the heresy of Albegensians. It was at Prouille in France in 1208 that Dominic suddenly experienced an Apparition of the Blessed Mother, who said, “Wonder not that you have obtained so little fruit by your labors. You have spent them on barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of Divine grace. When God willed to renew the face of the earth, He began by sending down on it fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation. Therefore preach my psalter composed of 150 Angelic Salutations and fifteen Our Fathers, and you will obtain an abundant harvest.” Let us read and meditate carefully on this letter of the Pope about the Rosary which, as John Paul II puts it, is “a treasure to be rediscovered”, that is more urgently needed than ever today. May this call of the Holy Father, for all to take up the Rosary once again, not go unheard! more.................. http://www.michaeljournal.org/rosary.htm
“Young man,” inquired Mother Teresa, “do you say the rosary often?” “No, not really,” he admitted. She took his hand, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled. “Well, you will now.” And she dropped her rosary into his palm. Jim Castle was tired when he boarded his plane in Cincinnati, Ohio, that night in 1981. The 45-year-old management consultant had put on a week-long series of business meetings and seminars, and now he sank gratefully into his seat ready for the flight home to Kansas City, Kansas. As more passengers entered, the place hummed with conversation, mixed with the sound of bags being stowed. Then, suddenly, people fell silent. The quiet moved slowly up the aisle like an invisible wake behind a boat. Jim craned his head to see what was happening, and his mouth dropped open. Walking up the aisle were two nuns clad in simple white habits bordered in blue. He recognized the familiar face of one at once, the wrinkled skin, the eyes warmly intent. This was a face he'd seen in newscasts and on the cover of TIME. The two nuns halted, and Jim realized that his seat companion was going to be Mother Teresa. As the last few passengers settled in, Mother Teresa and her companion pulled out rosaries. Each decade of the beads was a different color, Jim noticed. The decades represented various areas of the world, Mother Teresa told him later, and added, "I pray for the poor and dying on each continent." The airplane taxied to the runway, and the two women began to pray, their voices a low murmur. Though Jim considered himself not a very religious Catholic who went to church mostly out of habit, inexplicably he found himself joining in. By the time they murmured the final prayer, the plane had reached cruising altitude. Mother Teresa turned toward him. For the first time in his life, Jim understood what people meant when they spoke of a person possessing an "aura." As she gazed at him, a sense of peace filled him; he could no more see it than he could see the wind, but he felt it, just as surely as he felt a warm summer breeze. "Young man," she inquired, "do you say the rosary often?" "No, not really," he admitted. She took his hand, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled. "Well, you will now." And she dropped her rosary into his palm. An hour later Jim entered the Kansas City airport, where he was met by his wife, Ruth. "What in the world?" Ruth asked when she noticed the rosary in his hand. They kissed and Jim described his encounter. Driving home, he said. "I feel as if I met a true sister of God." Nine months later Jim and Ruth visited Connie, a friend of theirs for several years. Connie confessed that she'd been told she had ovarian cancer. "The doctor says it's a tough case," said Connie, "but I'm going to fight it. I won't give up." Jim clasped her hand. Then, after reaching into his pocket, he gently twined Mother Teresa's rosary around her fingers. He told her the story and said, "Keep it with you Connie. It may help." "Although Connie wasn't Catholic, her hand closed willingly around the small plastic beads. "Thank you," she whispered. "I hope I can return it." More than a year passed before Jim saw Connie again. This time, face glowing, she hurried toward him and handed him the rosary "I carried it with me all year," she said. "I've had surgery and have been on chemotherapy, too. Last month, the doctors did second-look surgery, and the tumor's gone. Completely!" Her eyes met Jim's. "I knew it was time to give the rosary back." In the fall of 1987, Ruth's sister, Liz, fell into a deep depression after her divorce. She asked Jim if she could borrow the rosary, and when he sent it, she hung it over her bedpost in a small velvet bag. "At night I held on to it, just physically held on. I was so lonely and afraid," she says, "yet when I gripped that rosary, I felt as if I held a loving hand." Gradually, Liz pulled her life together, and she mailed the rosary back. "Someone else may need it," she said. Then one night in 1988, a stranger telephoned Ruth. She'd heard about the rosary from a neighbor and asked if she could borrow it to take to the hospital where her mother lay in a coma. The family hoped the rosary might help their mother die peacefully. A few days later, the woman returned the beads. "The nurses told me a coma patient can still hear," she said, "so I explained to my mother that I had Mother Teresa's rosary and that when I gave it to her she could let go; it would be all right. Then I put the rosary in her hand. Right away, we saw her face relax! The lines smoothed out until she looked so peaceful, so young." The woman's voice caught. "A few minutes later she was gone." Fervently, she gripped Ruth's hands. "Thank you." Is there special power in those humble beads? Or is the power of the human spirit simply renewed in each person who borrows the rosary? Jim only knows that requests continue to come often unexpectedly. He always responds though whenever he lends the rosary. He says, "When you're through needing it, send it back. Someone else may need it." Jim's own life has changed, too, since his unexpected meeting on the airplane. When he realized Mother Teresa carries everything she owns in a small bag, he made an effort to simplify his own life. "I try to remember what really counts-not money or titles or possessions, but the way we love others," he says
I know I've told this story before...but what are old women for, but to tell the same stories over and over? Years ago I worked with a dear, compassionate hospice doctor. One of the older nurses told me he used to be a terror. He was at the bedside of his father-in-law as he lay dying. The father-in-law was a devout Catholic but this doctor had nothing but contempt for his faith. At the moment of death, the father-in-law's rosary fell from his hands, and the doctor caught it. He had an immediate profound conversion, became Catholic (and a daily Mass man). He spent the rest of his professional life ministering to the dying with incredible skill.
Many years ago, my husband and I prayed the 54 day Rosary novena asking for heavenly help with our desire for me to stay home with our first born instead of returning to work. At the completion of the novena, my husband received an unexpected raise in the exact amount of my previous full time salary, therefore enabling me to stay home! I'm still blown away by God's kindness and generosity and thankful for Mary's intercession. God is good!
Sister Lucia spent her life telling us of the power of the Rosary... “The two means to save the world are prayer and sacrifice. Look, Father, the Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Holy Rosary. She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the private life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, of the religious communities or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be resolved through the prayer of the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve through the recitation of the Holy Rosary. Through the Holy Rosary we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls. Finally, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Mother, consists in considering Her as the seat of mercy, of goodness and of pardon and as the sure door through which we are to enter Heaven.” .. These are the Holy Rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These are the last two remedies, which signify that there will not be others.
The Fifteen Promises of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to those who recite the Rosary 1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2. I promise My special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means. 5. The soul which recommends itself to Me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish. 6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church. 8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9. I shall deliver from purgatory, those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven. 11. You shall obtain all you ask of Me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by Me in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from My Divine Son, that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors, the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death. 14. All who recite the Rosary are My sons, and brothers of My only Son, Jesus Christ. 15. Devotion to My Rosary is a great sign of pre-destination. "Say the Rosary every day, to earn peace for the world and the end of war." -- Our Lady of Fatima, 1917 --
I never knew this story of the Rosary about a girl in the midst of serial killer, Ted Bundy: At 3: 00 am on January 15 Bundy entered the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University and murdered two girls before heading off to search for more victims. When he entered a third girl’s room with a bat for a weapon, he saw a rosary clutched in her hand, dropped the bat and fled. Later the girl told authorities that before she left for college she had promised her grandmother that she would pray the rosary every night for protection, even if she fell asleep in the process. This is what she had done that night, and she was still holding the rosary when the murderer entered her room. Bundy later confessed to over thirty murders. Father Joseph M. Esper says in his book With Mary to Jesus, "Ironically, when Ted Bundy was on death row, awaiting execution for his crimes, he asked Monsignor Kerr to serve as a spiritual counselor, and the priest took the opportunity to ask about that terrible night. Bundy explained that when he entered the girl's room, he had fully intended on murdering her; some mysterious power was preventing him." Father Esper adds, "And not only does it (the rosary) aid our own spiritual growth -- it also undermines the kingdom of Satan. The famous Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth testified, 'One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism, "Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful the Rosary was, it would be my end."' Pray the rosary daily for protection and to defeat the forces of Satan!
Found this story on the rosary that I thought was inspirational. Car Accident Survival by Pietro (South Africa ) I have a habit of saying the Rosary every morning when I wake up and then one on the way to work and one on the way home from work. On Tuesday 29 October I had a nasty car accident where another driver lost control of his vehicle and came across towards mine at approximately 45 degrees. I hit him from the side. My vehicle got squashed between the barrier and his vehicle lifting on its left side and sliding for a few meters. Mine destroyed the barrier. During the accident something told me to let go of the steering wheel which I did, and I closed my eyes and saw a white color inside the cabin of the car as I closed my eyes. I felt a bubble of comfort surround me and something told me again just to relax and wait for the vehicle come to a stop. After the accident I found my spectacles neatly folded on my back seat, my cell phone lost its battery and cover but I recovered that, put it together and it was working. I found the rosary I was holding just before the accident, because I hold a small rosary while I drive and say it. This is to confirm that Mother Mary watches over and protects those who sincerely say the Rosary on a daily basis. I have also been blessed with a better vehicle since then. Always say the Rosary with sincerity even if you are busy with something else that distracts you, Mother Mary knows when you are sincere and she understands your distractions, but try and bring your mind back to the rosary during your distractions. ALWAYS say the Rosary. and thank her after wards, even during times of difficulty. Mother Theresa of Calcutta said pray your worries away with the Rosary. Because of this my faith in the Rosary has increased. This story reminds me of this song
And of course all of this points to the power of the Cross. I thought this brief talk by Fr. Barron on Isis and the Cross was spot on and very powerful as we all may be facing similar situations in the future as these virtuous martyrs.
I know that I should not be amazed because when Our Blessed Mother is called upon and invoked as she was by this wonderful bishop, she never fails to intercede. But, I am amazed at how quickly she has acted! To me this goes down now with all the other examples of the power of the Rosary! Praise God and once again thank you to Our Lady. A sure sign that she is with us and will continue to be our shield in the storms ahead. http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/30/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-hostages-rescued/index.html
The Rosary- Simply Amazing! Jim Castle was tired when he boarded his plane in Cincinnati , Ohio , that night in 1981. The 45-year-old management consultant had put on a week long series of business meetings and seminars, and now he sank gratefully into his seat ready for the flight home to Kansas City , Kansas . As more passengers entered, the place hummed with conversation, mixed with the sound of bags being stowed. Then, suddenly, people fell silent. The quiet moved slowly up the aisle like an invisible wake behind a boat.. Jim craned his head to see what was happening, and his mouth dropped open. Walking up the aisle were two nuns clad in simple white habits bordered in blue. He recognized the familiar face of one at once, the wrinkled skin, and the eyes warmly intent. This was a face he'd seen in newscasts and on the cover of TIME. The two nuns halted, and Jim realized that his seat companion was going to be Mother Teresa! As the last few passengers settled in, Mother Teresa and her companion pulled out rosaries. Each decade of the beads was a different color, Jim noticed... The decades represented various areas of the world, Mother Teresa told him later, and added, 'I pray for the poor and dying on each continent.' The airplane taxied to the runway and the two women began to pray, their voices a low murmur. Though Jim considered himself not a very religious Catholic who went to church mostly out of habit, inexplicably he found himself joining in. By the time they murmured the final prayer, the plane had reached cruising altitude. Mother Teresa turned toward him. For the first time in his life, Jim understood what people meant when they spoke of a person possessing an 'aura'. As she gazed at him, a sense of peace filled him; he could no more see it than he could see the wind but he felt it, just as surely as he felt a warm summer breeze. 'Young man,' she inquired, 'do you say the rosary often?' 'No, not really,' he admitted. She took his hand, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled.. 'Well, you will now.' And she dropped her rosary into his palm. An hour later Jim entered the Kansas City airport where he was met by his wife, Ruth.'What in the world?' Ruth asked when she noticed the rosary in his hand. They kissed and Jim described his encounter. Driving home, he said. 'I feel as if I met a true sister of God.' Nine months later Jim and Ruth visited Connie, a friend of theirs for several years. Connie confessed that she'd been told she had ovarian cancer. 'The doctor says it's a tough case,' said Connie, 'but I'm going to fight it. I won't give up.' Jim clasped her hand. Then, after reaching into his pocket, he gently twined Mother Teresa's rosary around her fingers. He told her the story and said, 'Keep it with you Connie. It may help.' Although Connie wasn't Catholic, her hand closed willingly around the small plastic beads. 'Thank you,' she whispered. 'I hope I can return it.' More than a year passed before Jim saw Connie again. This time her face was glowing, she hurried toward him and handed him the rosary. 'I carried it with me all year,' she said. 'I've had surgery and have been on chemotherapy, too. Last month, the doctors did second-look surgery, and the tumor's gone.. Completely!' Her eyes met Jim's. 'I knew it was time to give the rosary back.' In the fall of 1987, Ruth's sister, Liz, fell into a deep depression after her divorce. She asked Jim if she could borrow the rosary, and when he sent it, she hung it over her bedpost in a small velvet bag. At night I held on to it, just physically held on. I was so lonely and afraid,' she says, 'yet when I gripped that rosary, I felt as if I held a loving hand.' Gradually, Liz pulled her life together, and she mailed the rosary back. 'Someone else may need it,' she said. Then one night in 1988, a stranger telephoned Ruth. She'd heard about the rosary from a neighbor and asked if she could borrow it to take to the hospital where her mother lay in a coma. The family hoped the rosary might help their mother die peacefully. A few days later, the woman returned the beads. 'The nurses told me a coma patient can still hear,' she said, 'so I explained to my mother that I had Mother Teresa's rosary and that when I gave it to her she could let go; it would be all rosary in her hand. Right away, we saw her face relax. The lines smoothed out until she looked so peaceful, so young.' The woman's voice caught. 'A few minutes later she was gone.' Fervently, she gripped Ruth's hands. 'Thank you.' Is there special power in those humble beads? Or is the power of the human spirit simply renewed in each person who borrows the rosary? Jim only knows that requests continue to come, often unexpectedly. He always responds though, whenever he lends the rosary, 'When you're through needing it, send it back. Someone else may need it.' Jim's own life has changed, too, since his unexpected meeting on the airplane. When he realized Mother Teresa carries everything she owns in a small bag, he made an effort to simplify his own life. 'I try to remember what really counts - not money or titles or possessions, but the way we love others,' he says. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY, MAY MOTHER MARY ASK HER SON JESUS TO SHOWER YOU WITH GRACE. Please feel free to pass this mail on, especially to all those in despair so that they might know that they are not alone in their hour of need.. The reason I sent you this mail is because I know the power of the prayers of these simple beads and I wanted to share it with you. Every sacrifice has a fruitful reward. Every failure has a second chance. We only have to be strong thru God's grace and persevere in life's many tests! May GOD bless you always.
THE FEAST DAY OF THE ROSARY October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, celebrates the victory at Lepanto, the battle that saved the Christian West from defeat at the hands of the Ottoman ... http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/the-battle-that-saved-the-christian-west
Wanted to pass this on from One Peter 5, from earlier this year: A Fatima Novena for the Conversion of Muslims
