As we continue through October, rosary month, I want to pass along this article from the Catholic News Agency. Archbishop of Argentina, Jose Luis Mollaghan of Rosario, said that in praying the rosary we “can find a respite for their hurried lives and a source of true peace for every person and family.” I know many of us do not usually think of prayer as a break but only one more obligation or inconvenience in our lives. But as October ends we should make a renewed effort to integrate prayer, especially the rosary, into our daily routine. Not only will it make us more spiritually fit, but it also provides a source of peace.
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As we continue through October, rosary month, I want to pass along this article from the Catholic News Agency. Archbishop of Argentina, Jose Luis Mollaghan of Rosario, said that in praying the rosary we “can find a respite for their hurried lives and a source of true peace for every person and family.” I know many of us do not usually think of prayer as a break but only one more obligation or inconvenience in our lives. But as October ends we should make a renewed effort to integrate prayer, especially the rosary, into our daily routine. Not only will it make us more spiritually fit, but it also provides a source of peace.
When we pray we acknowledge that there is something more to our existence that what we see around us. Prayer connects us with something far greater than what we see on television, hear on the radio, and see around us. It offers us comfort knowing that everything in this world will one day end and we can make a new start in God’s kingdom of Heaven. All our suffering, worries, fears, and anxiety will no longer exist one day. Prayer keeps us centered on what’s really important — our eternal souls. Without consistent prayer we can become so consumed by our day-to-day fears and worries that we go into a downward spiral where our happiness is solely determined by the physical world, not God’s grace and love. As October ends, try to make time to pray the rosary so that you can experience a lasting happiness that cannot be sold to you in any shop, advertised on any billboard, nor taken away from you by anyone.
I came across this article on Catholic Exchange. It discusses the idea of “perfect prayer” and how the Holy Spirit guides us in our spiritual life. It also dives into the idea of how reciting prayers, like the “Hail Mary” repetitively in the Catholic rosary, is different from the mindless incantations that Jesus warns us against in the Gospel. Many of the ideas put forth by the article’s author, Mark Shea, run along similar lines as many of my articles so I thought this was worth further commentary.
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I came across this article on Catholic Exchange. It discusses the idea of “perfect prayer” and how the Holy Spirit guides us in our spiritual life. It also dives into the idea of how reciting prayers, like the “Hail Mary” repeatedly in the Catholic rosary, is different from the mindless incantations that Jesus warns us against in the Gospel. Many of the ideas put forth by the article’s author, Mark Shea, run along similar lines as many of my articles so I thought this was worth further commentary.
The article starts by explaining to us the role of the Holy Spirit in prayer:
Because we don’t know what we are doing when we pray, God sends us help. The principal help he gives is the Spirit who, if you will, prays through us and in union with us.
Naturally, this calls to mind the Third Glorious Mystery, the Coming of the Holy Spirit. This same gift given to the apostles is also available to us to help guide us through life. Remember, the purpose of prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit is not to erase all of life’s problems. The world will always be an imperfect place where there is sadness, sickness, cruelty, war, and suffering. The world moves like raging, white water rapids where it is so easy to lose control and smash upon the rocks. But the Holy Spirit helps us navigate those rapids so that we make it through intact. The Holy Spirit doesn’t make the rapids go away but gives us the strength and knowledge to survive and even thrive among the chaos of this world.
The article moves on to discuss repetitive prayer and cites Jesus in Matthew 6:7:
And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
I always found this warning against “empty phrases” interesting because people always ask this about praying the rosary. Many people feel like repeating the Hail Mary ten times for each decade is just the recitation of empty phrases. And surely, it can become that if we say them without any focus or conviction. But Mark Shea makes a good point that we do not recite the Hail Mary or the Our Father as if it is some sort of magic spell and hence reduce God to a genie who grants us wishes. Instead, reciting these prayers repeatedly moves us into a more meditative and receptive state to hear God’s will. And this brings us back to the earlier part about letting the Holy Spirit guide us. By praying and meditating we prepare ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit’s guidance. In a way, its not the words of the prayer that are important. Rather, it’s the frame of mind that prayer puts us in since it shows an effort to really have a closer relationship with God.
Reciting the Hail Mary as a form of rosary meditation is our spiritual exercise. In a past article, I liken rosary prayer to doing push ups. You don’t get in shape physically by doing a single push up periodically. Similarly, you don’t get spiritually healthy by praying a single Hail Mary once in a while. So what some see as mindless incantations in praying the rosary, I see as a healthy spiritual workout regiment. Very few of us can get “in the zone” with a few seconds of praying. It takes time to organize our thoughts and present them to the Lord. And that is why God designed the rosary the way it is. It allows us to take our time, warm up a little, and really focus on trying to build our relationship with the Lord.
It takes discipline to pray the rosary and stay focused and receptive to the Holy Spirit. Anyone who has meditated deeply will tell you it is anything but the recitation of easy, mindless phrases.
Mary’s July Medjugorje messages focus on the idea of “surrendering” to God. There are many rosary mysteries that center around putting our faith in the Lord and His divine plan for each of us.
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Mary’s July Medjugorje messages focus on the idea of “surrendering” to God. There are many rosary mysteries that center around putting our faith in the Lord and His divine plan for each of us.
Mary’s message at Medjugorje on July 2, 2010:
Dear children, my motherly call, which I direct to you today, is a call of truth and life. My Son, who is Life, loves you and knows you in truth. To come to know and to love yourself, you must come to know my Son; to come to know and to love others, you must see my Son in them. Therefore, my children, pray, pray, that you may comprehend and surrender with a spirit that is free, be completely transformed and, in this way, may have the Kingdom of Heaven in your heart on earth. Thank you!
Mary says that we must have the Kingdom of Heaven in our hearts here on earth. Her statement reminds me of the Third Luminous Mystery where Jesus proclaims His Kingdom and calls us all to conversion. Mary, in Her message, and Jesus, in that rosary mystery, both say that we need to convert or “transform” our lives by orienting them towards God. How do we do that? Mary says that we must pray and surrender ourselves to God’s will. When we pray and make our hearts open to God we mimic the Apostles in the Third Glorious Mystery when the Holy Spirit came to them. The Holy Spirit guides us and empowers us to do God’s will. However, in order for us to be truly transformed, we have to silence all those earthly distractions so we can hear and see God in our lives. Those distractions include earthly pursuits of money, power, lust, greed, and anything else that orients us to live solely for this world. Mary challenges us to give up our earthly desires since they blind us from the truth of Jesus Christ.
Mary’s message at Medjugorje on July 25, 2010:
Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy. I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Savior. You are not aware that without Him you do not have joy and peace, nor a future or eternal life. Therefore, little children, make good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Again, Mary uses the word “surrender” like She did in the July 2nd message. She does not ask us to surrender in the traditional sense of the word as in surrendering because we are beaten down and defeated. Instead she asks us to surrender to God by saying to him through our actions, “thy will be done.” Much like Mary in the Annunciation, surrendering to God means opening ourselves to lead the life He plans for each one of us. Instead of fighting God’s plan by falsely believing that we know better, we acknowledge that true happiness is only found though God. Mary and the saints know this and all they desire is that we come to know this simple fact as well. This type of surrender isn’t meant to beat us down and make us slaves. On the contrary, this surrender actually lifts us up into a state of grace because we forge a closer relationship with the Lord. All we need to do is put our faith and trust in God to follow the path He lays before us knowing that it will ultimately lead us to eternal life in Heaven.
I discuss Mary’s two messages at Medjugorje for June, 2010.
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I discuss Mary‘s two messages at Medjugorje for June, 2010.
Mary’s message at Medjugorje on June 2, 2010:
Dear Children, Today I call you with prayer and fasting to clear the path in which my Son will enter into your hearts. Accept me as a mother and a messenger of God‘s love and His desire for your salvation. Free yourself of everything from the past which burdens you, that gives you a sense of guilt, that which previously led you astray in error and darkness. Accept the light. Be born anew in the righteousness of my Son. Thank you.
Mary explains Her role as Queen of Heaven when she asks us to accept Her as a “mother and a messenger of God’s love.” We must remember that Mary and all the saints want to guide us into God’s kingdom. The saints are eternally in God’s love and their greatest desire is for all of us to one day feel that indescribable closeness with Him. We can ask Mary and the saints to help us through our struggles in this life and stay in a state of grace.
Why not just pray directly to God? If He hears our prayers then why pray to a saint who was a human just like you or me? Why pray to people who had sins, struggles, and all those human imperfections when you can just pray directly to the one who can grant you eternal grace and happiness? The fact is, we still do pray to God when we pray through the saints. Think of the saints as our interface to God. Because God’s nature is so indescribable, the saints offer us a model of the different aspects of God in a way we can comprehend. They are simpler examples of God’s love, charity, mercy, knowledge, power, strength. They show us the path to Heaven in a way we understand. This is why God was made man through Jesus Christ. And this is why Jesus established the Church which provides us with the collective wisdom of Mary and the saints. All of this was done so that we may come to know God.
Mary’s message on June 25, 2010:
Dear children! With joy, I call you all to live my messages with joy; only in this way, little children, will you be able to be closer to my Son. I desire to lead you all only to Him, and in Him you will find true peace and the joy of your heart. I bless you all and love you with immeasurable love. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Again, Mary asks us to accept Her guidance to Jesus so that we may find true peace and joy. Mary, the saints, your guardian angel, the souls in purgatory, and the Holy Spirit constantly try to guide us into Heaven. Each one of us has an entire divine team that wants to put us on the right track to eternal happiness. But are we listening? Have we silenced our hearts of earthly desires to hear these messages? I’m going to assume that no one who made it into Heaven was ever disappointed in what they found. So why are we so often reluctant to follow the guidance of those who just want us to feel what they feel for all eternity? We should pray that we make room in our hearts and minds for those offering us their help.
Dear children! At this time, when in a special way you are praying and seeking my intercession, I call you, little children, to pray so that through your prayers I can help you to have all the more hearts be opened to my messages. Pray for my intentions. I am with you and I intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
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Can you believe it? I’m actually posting Mary‘s Medjugorje‘s message on that day She sent it! Sorry for the long delays between posts but I’ve been very busy lately. Here’s Mary’s message of April 25, 2010:
Dear children! At this time, when in a special way you are praying and seeking my intercession, I call you, little children, to pray so that through your prayers I can help you to have all the more hearts be opened to my messages. Pray for my intentions. I am with you and I intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Her message is simple — ask for Her help (and the aid of the saints) and She will give it to you. Mary is queen of Heaven and She desires nothing more than seeing you in Jesus‘ graces. We just have to remember to ask for the right things. Do you know what they are? I’ll give you a clue. It’s not money, wealth, fame, or power. You see, no one ever got into heaven because they were wealthy. St. Peter doesn’t ask how large your house was or what position you held in your company before opening the Pearly Gates for you. None of that matters in the eyes of Jesus. In fact, many times in the Gospel Jesus tells people how devotion to material wealth hampers you from receiving His graces (think of the story of the rich man). So let us remember to pray and ask Mary for the right things and the only truly important thing — to be close to Her son, Jesus Christ.
Dear children; With motherly love, today I call you to be a lighthouse to all souls who wander in the darkness of ignorance of God’s love. That you may shine all the brighter and draw all the more souls, do not permit the untruths which come out of your mouth to silence your consience. Be perfect. I am leading you with my motherly hand – a hand of love. Thank you.
Our Lady’s message to Mirjana on February 2, 2010
Dear children; With motherly love, today I call you to be a lighthouse to all souls who wander in the darkness of ignorance of God‘s love. That you may shine all the brighter and draw all the more souls, do not permit the untruths which come out of your mouth to silence your consience. Be perfect. I am leading you with my motherly hand – a hand of love. Thank you.
I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! All through human existence people have been searching for meaning; to make sense of everything in this world. In other words, we have been searching for God and trying to know His ways. On Christmas, God answered that eternal question through the birth of Jesus Christ.
I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! All through human existence people have been searching for meaning; to make sense of everything in this world. In other words, we have been searching for God and trying to know His ways. On Christmas, God answered that eternal question through the birth of Jesus Christ. He became flesh so that we could try to comprehend His incomprehensible nature. And we find that God is not distant, petty, or power-hungry like the false gods people worshiped in ages past, but is as innocent and humble as a newborn baby. May we embrace this great gift from God by increasing our faith and love for Jesus.
On the practical side, let us remember to take advantage of Christmas Mass whether that be on Christmas eve, midnight, or Christmas day. I know all too often Christmas Mass is seen as something to “get out of the way” if we even go at all. And often we spend our time at Mass thinking, “I wonder what is in that big box under the tree?” Or, “I need to get home and start on that turkey!” I know sometimes I just “zone out” and start scanning the congregation for friends I have not seen in a long time. I just want to remind you that the Mass is the high point of this holiday. As I mentioned in my Third Joyful Mystery Meditation, let us not be consumed by the “trappings” of Christmas even if it can only be for that one hour during Mass (hey, it’s a start). Really take in the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament and reflect on the greatest gift humanity has ever received — a personal and loving relationship with God.
Mother Mary’s message at Medjugorje on Dec. 2, 2009:
Dear children. At this time of preparation and joyful expectation I, as a mother, desire to point you to what is the most important, to your soul. Can my Son be born in it? Is it cleansed by love from lies, arrogance, hatred and malice? Above all else does your soul love God as your Father and does it love your fellow brother in Christ? I am pointing you to the way which will raise your soul to a complete union with my Son. I desire for my Son to be born in you. What a joy that would be for me as mother. Thank you.
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Mother Mary’s message at Medjugorje on Dec. 2, 2009:
Dear children. At this time of preparation and joyful expectation I, as a mother, desire to point you to what is the most important, to your soul. Can my Son be born in it? Is it cleansed by love from lies, arrogance, hatred and malice? Above all else does your soul love God as your Father and does it love your fellow brother in Christ? I am pointing you to the way which will raise your soul to a complete union with my Son. I desire for my Son to be born in you. What a joy that would be for me as mother. Thank you.
You cannot help but notice that obvious Advent and Christmas theme in Mary’s message as She talks about Jesus being born in your soul. Like Her previous messages, Mary asks that we make room in our hearts for Jesus by clearing away the “junk” of sin. We do this house cleaning through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I know that for most people between the Christmas shopping, work, and getting ready for that huge family gathering, going to Confession is probably the last thing on “TO DO” list. However, a clean soul would be the perfect Christmas gift for Mother Mary this year. And like a selfless mother, Mary does not ask this of us for Her sake, but for ours. She desires nothing more than seeing us, side-by-side with Jesus, in His Heavenly kingdom. So as we flock to the malls, let us also remember to flock to our churches as well and really receive the gift that keeps on giving — God’s grace.
Oh boy, I have fallen very behind on my commentary on Mary’s messages at Medjugorje as well as other posts to RosaryMeds. With Thanksgiving, catching a cold, and now Christmas, I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time reading Her messages, much less meditating on them. This is doubly-bad considering Her message asks us to make more room for Jesus in our lives. This time you all receive a special “double feature” of Mary’s messages on Nov. 25 and then Her Dec. 2 message in a post in the very near future.
Our Lady’s message on Nov. 25:
Dear children! In this time of grace I call you all to renew prayer in your families. Prepare yourselves with joy for the coming of Jesus. Little children, may your hearts be pure and pleasing, so that love and warmth may flow through you into every heart that is far from His love. Little children, be my extended hands, hands of love for all those who have become lost, who have no more faith and hope. Thank you for having responded to my call.
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Oh boy, I have fallen very behind on my commentary on Mary’s messages at Medjugorje as well as other posts to RosaryMeds. With Thanksgiving, catching a cold, and now Christmas, I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time reading Her messages, much less meditating on them. This is doubly-bad considering Her message asks us to make more room for Jesus in our lives. This time you all receive a special “double feature” of Mary’s messages on Nov. 25 and then Her Dec. 2 message in a post in the very near future.
Our Lady’s message on Nov. 25:
Dear children! In this time of grace I call you all to renew prayer in your families. Prepare yourselves with joy for the coming of Jesus. Little children, may your hearts be pure and pleasing, so that love and warmth may flow through you into every heart that is far from His love. Little children, be my extended hands, hands of love for all those who have become lost, who have no more faith and hope. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Mary calls us to have a renewal of prayer. That seems like a perfect message during this time of Advent. I feel that we too often get so consumed with the Christmas shopping season that we forget about the Advent praying season. Everyone looks for that perfect gift, the perfect tree, the perfect dinner, and tasty treats. And yet, we often forget to perfect our prayer lives. Mary reminds us that this is a time of prayer. Don’t forget to do your Christmas shopping but also don’t neglect your Advent praying.
Mary further asks us to help those who are far from God‘s grace. But she asks us to do more than just remember the lost souls in our prayers (although that is very helpful). She asks us to be an example of God’s love for those who have no hope. In other words, Mary asks us to follow up our prayers with good works and action. She does not say that we should come down hard on those who have strayed from God’s path with words of judgment and condemnation. Instead, she asks us to remain in a state of grace so that those who are lost will be attracted to God’s ways through our example. Basically, Mary is reiterating the old adage, “You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.” Let us remember that those who have fallen into a life of sin need more of our love, not less of it.
May we all strive to be beacons of God’s grace so that we may guide those who are lost back to God’s love this Advent season. May we strengthen ourselves through prayer and make room for Jesus in our lives. Basically, may we all have the strength to live according to the spirit and meaning of Advent.
This year Advent feels like it is one week longer. In the past week I’ve gone to a 50th wedding anniversary, a wedding, and had a great time with my wife’s family for Thanksgiving. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to friends and family at the various events. At the anniversary, my cousin and I talked about prayer and the rosary. We touched on many ideas and I can’t go into detail on all of them in this post (but I will probably bring them up in the future). However, there was one rosary prayer of her’s that I found particularly interesting that seemed relevant to Advent and preparing our souls for the Lord.
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Welcome to the wonderful season of Advent! My wife and I were so happy about the start of this blessed season that we tore into our closet, took out all our Christmas supplies, and got busy decorating. I hope that everyone feels energized and excited about the best four weeks of the year.
This year Advent feels like it is one week longer. In the past week I’ve gone to a 50th wedding anniversary, a wedding, and had a great time with my wife’s family for Thanksgiving. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to friends and family at the various events. At the anniversary, my cousin and I talked about prayer and the rosary. We touched on many ideas and I can’t go into detail on all of them in this post (but I will probably bring them up in the future). However, there was one rosary prayer of her’s that I found particularly interesting that seemed relevant to Advent and preparing our souls for the Lord.
The prayer is simple. On each bead of the rosary you remember someone who needs prayers, something you are thankful for, something you are sorry for, or any other situation that you feel needs remembering. You don’t need to say a long prayer on each bead. Just saying someone’s name will suffice. So that is sixty thoughts total (counting the small beads at the start and the crucifix). The point is to just think about people and situations so that they go to the front of your mind, heart, and hopefully your actions. I think this helps prevent us from making our prayers too general. When we say someone’s name, we attach a face and a real soul to our prayers. It gives our prayers, sacrifices, and offerings a real, human dimension that we sometimes miss when we just pray generally.
What do you think is more effective? Saying, “Lord please help those in need” or, “Lord, please look over my aunt during her surgery?” Now, God knows everyone’s needs whether we voice them our not. But we don’t need to be specific for God’s sake, but for ours. Suppose you really do have a family member going in for surgery. Perhaps actually thinking and voicing his/her name will remind you to give that person a phone call or visit in the hospital. Or maybe you can fast specifically for that person. In other words, by thinking of specific people you focus your prayers and spiritual energy towards their specific needs.
Sounds easy? That’s what I thought until I gave it a try. Sure, the first twenty or thirty beads are simple enough since I can rattle off friends and family members. However, I found it quite challenging to think of sixty people and circumstances that are in need of prayer. That is a little disappointing considering the millions of things to be thankful for, people to pray for, and sins to feel genuine remorse for. So that will be my challenge for this Advent — to say my sixty small prayers after praying the rosary so that I may remember the needs of those for whom I haven’t prayed enough. In doing so, in making room for others in my prayers, I will also be making room for Jesus when Christmas arrives.
Give this a try and let me know what you think. Have a great Advent!
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