THE ROSARY: THE PRAYER OF HOPE

 Why pray the Rosary?  In short, it is an ancient, beautiful , and powerful prayer.  Through the Mysteries of the  Rosary we are meditating on the life of Jesus with the help of Mary.  This devotion to Mary is not worshipping Mary, but asking her to pray with us, and to lead us closer to her Son Jesus.   

 As you say the prayers, it allows your mind to focus on one of the mysteries, which are a remembrance of the most important moments in Jesus' life - such as The Nativity, The Crucifixion or The Resurrection...   So it's not only a vocal prayer but a meditative and contemplative prayer as well.    Meditating on these mysteries gives us the opportunity to spend a few quiet minutes with God, away from all of life's distractions and discouragements.  In today's world this is essential because it is only in the silence of our hearts that we can hear God speak to us. 

Next to the Mass, the Rosary is the most powerful prayer we have.  When you pray the Rosary,  the Blessed Mother comes instantly to your side to pray with you.  And she does not come alone,  she brings angels with her - not just one or two,  but choirs of angels.    And she and Jesus are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus with her.  And Jesus cannot be separated from the Holy Trinity so He brings the Father and the Holy Spirit with Him.  And where the Holy Trinity is all of creation is and you are surrounded by such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in this life.  Is it any wonder that anyone who prays the Rosary from the heart is so blessed and protected and powerful in their prayers for others?

Entrust your children to Jesus through the heart of His mother by praying the Rosary - the prayer of hope.  As Jesus' mother, Mary knows better than anyone a mother's heart because she has walked this road before us -  she is simply the best advocate our children can have.

Your mamma wears combat boots! ~ Fr. John Corapi

DECEMBER

MONTH OF THE DIVINE INFANCY

Click on each saint's name to learn more about them

December 3

St. Francis Xavier

Pray for our children & those that love them

December 4

St. John Damascus

Pray for our children & those that love them

December 4

St. Barbara

Pray for our children & those that love them

December 6
St. Nicholas
Pray for our children & those that love them
One of the most beloved of all saints - he is the patron of children, sailors, prisoners, and many more!
He is known for his kindness and loving care, especially for children and the needy. He brings the  the love of Christ to all by his selfless giving.  Here are some more reasons to celebrate this wonderful saint's day:

• To tell the story of a saint, whose life inspires charity and compassion.
• To discover who the real Santa Claus is!
• To focus on giving instead of receiving
• It's a festive way to kick off advent, as we begin the weeks of waiting.
• Helps us to realize a spiritual dimension to gift giving.
• To keep Jesus the center of Christmas - He is the reason for the season!

Ideas from families on how they celebrate St. Nicholas Day - http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=113

December 7

St. Ambrose

Pray for our children & those that love them

December 8

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 

OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

December 9

St. Juan Diego
Pray for our children & those that love them

  Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill, as a beautiful Aztec princess, telling him she was the Virgin Mary.  She asked him to tell the Bishop to have a church built on the site.  She said, "I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings."

The Bishop was skeptical, and asked Juan Diego to bring him proof of the Lady's identity.  She told Juan to climb to the top of the hill where she first appeared, where he found beautiful Castilion roses (this type of rose was not grown in Mexico) in the frozen soil.  Juan gathered the roses up in his cloak and took them to the Bishop.  When he opened his cloak, the roses fell to the ground.  The Bishop was  surprised to see the roses, but  even more astonished to see the vivid image of Our Lady imprinted on Juan's cloak.

A church was built on the site where Our Lady appeared, and there were thousands who converted to Christianity.  Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the patroness of the Americas.

December 10

Pope St. Gregory the III
Pray for our children & those that love them

December 11

St. Damasus
Pray for our children & those that love them

December 12

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Patroness of the Americas

December 13

St. Lucy
Pray for our children & those that love them

Patroness of the blind and those with eye trouble

December 14

St. John of the Cross
Pray for our children & those that love them

St. John suffered a life of poverty and persecution, yet lived by the beliefs that "who has ever seen people persuaded to love God by harshness", and "where there is no love, put love - and you will find love."

He wrote many books of spiritual advice and prayer, including:  The Dark Night of the Soul, Ascent of Mount Carmel, A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and The Bridegroom of Christ.

December 21

St. Peter Canisius
Pray for our children & those that love them

Known as the second apostle to Germany 

He is a Doctor of the Church

DECEMBER 25
BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST














December 26
Feast of the Holy Family Novena
December 16-24












December 26
St. Stephen
Pray for our children & those that love them
First disciple of Jesus to become a martyr












December 27
St. John the Apostle
Pray for our children & those that love them
St. John was the only Apostle who stood faithfully at the foot of the cross.  It was here he became the guardian of Our Lady, and St. John (representing all of Mary's children) was placed under the protection of Jesus' Mother. 












December 28
Feast of the Holy Innocents
It is hard for us to imagine the horror of the massacre of all infant boys 2 and under, and the devastation of the mothers and fathers in Bethlehem.  And yet, the horror of genocide and abortion in our day is enormous in comparison.  
Perhaps the devastation for mothers and fathers of aborted children is worse, because they could have given their children life if they had only known the truth.  So many women succumb to abortion because they have nowhere to turn for options and support.  There was  recently a very disturbing article stating psychologists have denied the existence of post abortion syndrome. This is blatantly false -  the women who suffer the aftereffects of abortion (depression and anxiety, drug and alcohol addictions, difficulty with relationships, anger, even attempted suicide) know all too well the pain is very real. The women who have had the courage to join Silent No More confirm this reality when they share their stories. To deny their pain is real is to subject these women to abuse a second time. Make no mistake, abortion is the ultimate abuse of a woman. We should pray for these mothers and fathers - that they will find the mercy and peace of Jesus, for only He can give them healing and wholeness once again. In addition, we can spiritually adopt an unborn child by saying the following prayer recommended by Bishop Fulton Sheen.  The prayer should be said daily for one year:


Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much.  I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion.


The child will be unknown to you in this life, but in the life to come, you will meet and spend all eternity with them in heaven.

September 9, 2010
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" (Matthew 7:15-18).


BE ALERT!  There are a number of organizations that claim to be Catholic, but dissent from the truth handed down by Jesus to His apostles and their successors - the Pope and the Magisterium.  They cleverly promote their objectives under the guise of "tolerance", "social justice", or "equal rights."  St. Paul clearly warned us of this in Acts 20:30 -  "And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them." Dissenting Organizations is an excellent resource, providing a listing of false Catholic groups, information on their agenda and tactics, and in depth analysis of some of the organizations. 


 Consider this quote:  "false compassion in the form of "tolerance" is the highest form of treason."  It seems that any form of "intolerance" in our society is automatically labelled bigotry.  And yet, if we do not speak the truth with love to our brothers and sisters, it is the spiritual equivalent of watching them sky dive without a parachute! 


"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it."  ~ G. K. Chesterton


"Fight to the death for Truth, and the Lord God will do battle for you." ~ Sirach 4:33


"Comfort in tribulation can be secured only on the sure ground of faith holding as true the words of Scripture and the teaching of the Catholic Church. ~ St. Thomas More
“Love of Christ does not distract us from interest in others, but rather invites us to responsibility for them, to the exclusion of no one….” ~ Pope John Paul II

CS Lewis once remarked that Hell is full of people who said "My will be done". Heaven is full of people who said "Thy will be done", so choose wisely !

"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions."  ~ G. K. Chesterton

"Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance." ~ G.K. Chesterton

"The more one understands the holiness of God, the more one understands the opposite of what is holy, namely, the deceptive masks of the devil."  ~  Pope Benedict VI

August 25


Just a few days ago, I hugged my son goodbye.  He is now on his own and beginning the adventures of college life.  Though I am thrilled for him, it is heartrending to let him go.  I am so grateful for cell phones, text messaging, Skype, and the Miraculous Medal my son wears!  

In fact, my son going off to college, and my blogging partner's oldest son beginning high school prompted us to begin St. Monica's Prayer Group.  It was only logical that we chose St. Monica as our patron saint - after all, her tears and persistent prayer for nearly 20 years obtained the conversion of her son St. Augustine. 


Shortly after we had begun St. Monica's Group, we attended a Divine Mercy Conference and heard Fr. Donald Calloway speak about his own truly amazing conversion.  A previous drug addict and criminal, he is now a surfer-priest with with a tremendous love for Jesus and Mary!  


We encourage everyone to read Fr. Donald's book - No Turning Back, a Witness to Mercy.  He tells his story with candor and simplicity, and devotes one chapter to his mother, referring to her as his own St. Monica.  His message to mothers who have suffered a broken heart is a message of hope.  He wants us to know that there is always hope because God can change things. We may not see change immediately, but things will change for the better if we persevere in prayer and love like his mother (and St. Monica) did - the tears of  a mother are powerful before God.

“There is a beautiful supplication, a quick prayer that our Lord gave to Sister Maria [Consolata] Betrone. It says- ‘Jesus and Mary, I love You. Save souls.’ It is very simple, but oh it carries a lot of weight.” -Mother M Angelica of EWTN

“Jesus, Mary, I love You, save souls encompasses everything,” the Lord had told her: love for Him and for creatures: “the souls in Purgatory and the souls in the Militant Church; the innocent soul and the guilty soul; the dying, the atheist, etc… Do not lose time; remember that every act of love is a soul.” This act of love, if uninterrupted, is destined to cut off the roots of all evil, and to remove life from the old man so that the new man may live and be only and totally love for God (Jesus, Mary I love you) and only and totally love for men (save souls). It is anevangelical way in the true meaning of the word, for it requires that one should remain continuously in His love, to have Christ’s own sentiments, to have no other time except to think of loving Jesus and Mary and saving souls. This is equal to the perfect denial of self that Jesus asked of His disciples.

"JESUS,MARY,I LOVE YOU,SAVE SOULS" has a partial indulgence each time it is said. It is one of Mother Angelica's favorite prayers and she recites it often during the day.

The Holy Souls will repay us a "Thousand Times Over" When they are finally released from their pains and enjoy the beatitude of Heaven, far from forgetting their friends on earth, their gratitude knows no bounds. They Never cease to pray for those who helped them.