OCTOBER 2015: MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY

October, the month of the Holy Rosary, celebrates the spiritual beauty of the Rosary, emphasizing the need for prayer, fasting and sacrifice. The Rosary is a prayer. The rosary (notice lowercase) is a tool for this specific prayer.  The Rosary is a Christocentric setting for Lectio Divina, that is, a meditation on the Life of Christ, particularly His Ministry, Passion, Death and Resurrection. The Rosary is the prayer of the saints, and has a is easy to pray. It offers hope and healing.

Oct. 1: St. Therese Lisieux 

Oct. 2: St. Leger

Oct. 3: St. Menna

Oct. 4: Twenty - Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Francis of Assisi, more...

SEPTEMBER 2015: MONTH OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS

September, the month of Our Lady of Sorrows, remembers the suffering of Mary, Jesus' Mother. There are seven sorrows, seven afflictions that pierced her heart. Catholics commonly reflect upon each and they say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Mary's for each.

• The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35)
• The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)
• The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43–45)
• Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary.
• Jesus dies on the cross. (John 19:25)
• The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary's receiving the body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57–59)
• The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb. (John 19:40–42)

“Our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” - St. Augustine

Life isn’t easy. Each one of us has difficulties that we must work through in order to reach a place of peace and joy— which ultimately, is happiness. On our own, we can wander around in the desert, say for 40 years, as did the ancient Israelites, or we can follow the maps as received via the Church.

The Rosary being one of these maps will give us graces to persevere, the ability to find solutions to the challenges we face, and will help us reach our goals much sooner. By praying the Rosary, we are making an act of faith that no matter what happens, we will trust in God, do our best, live out our calling, and thus, serve God and others, fulfilling the twofold commandment of love: love God and your neighbor. more...

While St. Dominic is known for spreading the devotion of the Rosary throughout the world (as we know it in its present form), it would erroneous to solely give him the title of the “Rosary Saint.” So many Saints have illustrated by their words and actions the beauty and depth of the Rosary. In their own generation and environments, they encouraged the fervor for the “Divine Garland of Roses”. In fact, it is because of the countless witnesses of the communion of Saints, that we can have confidence that the Rosary is a powerful tool of healing, conversion, and for discerning God’s Will. There is no greater testimony than how they lived; we can trust their words and we should follow their example. Below is but a sample of thoughts from a selection of the Saints: more...

Rosary booklets are not necessary for praying the Rosary, but they are a helpful aid as they provide explanatory and even meditation points on the Rosary and Rosary Mysteries.  They have a twofold purpose: they are educational, and they help keep the focus on what is being prayed. more...

The Hail Mary prayer is mostly known for being the main prayer in the Rosary, though it is often prayed as an individual prayer. It appears in each decade ten times, and at the beginning, three times, for an increase in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.

Besides this, the Hail Mary is a testimony of faith—being the most recognized “Catholic” prayer.  No other religion honors Mary to the extent that the Catholics do.  Unfortunately, this love for her is often understood wrongly. Catholics don’t worship Mary; she is not God, but they do recognize her role in salvation.  It is because of her Fiat, her yes to God, that the Incarnation took place.  In other words, she is a key player in redemption.  In particular, she is the new Eve, the woman prophesied in Genesis, and the one spoken of in Revelation. more...

Most people recognize a rosary when they see one. It is a popular Catholic symbol, but many may not be aware of what a rosary really is for, and why it is important to Catholics.

The word, rosary, comes from the Latin, rosarium, which means crown of roses. It is a bouquet that Catholics give to Mary as they participate in her life with a focus on her Son, Jesus Christ. The Rosary is a prayer, more specifically, a meditation, where Catholics get to know the Son by loving the Mother.

“The Rosary is essentially a contemplative prayer, which requires "tranquillity of rhythm or even a mental lingering which encourages the faithful to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life”.” more...