The Merits of the Holy Rosary.

The Creed, or the Symbol of the Apostles, which is said on the crucifix of the rosary, is a holy summary of all the Christian truths. It is a prayer that has great merit, because faith is the root, foundation and beginning of all Christian virtues, of all eternal virtues, and of all prayers that are pleasing to God. "Anyone who comes to God must believe," and the greater his faith the more merit his prayer will have, the more powerful it will be, and the more it will glorify God.The holy Rosary contains many mysteries of Jesus and Mary, and since faith is the only key which opens up these mysteries for us, we must begin the Rosary by saying the Creed very devoutly, and the stronger our faith the more merit our Rosary will have.This faith must be lively and informed by charity; in other words, to recite the Rosary properly it is necessary to be in God's grace, or at least seeking it. This faith must be strong and constant, that is, one must not be looking for sensible devotion and spiritual consolation in the recitation of the Rosary; nor should one give it up because the mind is flooded with countless involuntary distractions, or because one experiences a strange distaste in the soul or an almost continual and oppressive fatigue of the body. Neither feelings, nor consolation, nor sighs, nor transports, nor the continual attention of the imagination are needed; faith and good intentions are quite enough. Sola fides sufficit.

The Our Father contains all the duties we owe to God, the acts of all the virtues and the petitions for all our spiritual and corporal needs. We should say the Our Father with the certitude that the eternal Father will hear us because it is the prayer of his Son, whom he always hears, and because we are his members. God will surely grant our petitions made through the Lord's Prayer because it is impossible to imagine that such a good Father could refuse a request couched in the language of so worthy a Son, reinforced by his merits, and made at his behest.St. Augustine assures us that whenever we say the Our Father devoutly our venial sins are forgiven. The just man falls seven times, and in the Lord's Prayer he will find seven petitions which will both help him to avoid lapses and protect him from his spiritual enemies. Our Lord, knowing how weak and helpless we are, and how many difficulties we endure, made his prayer short and easy to say, so that if we say it devoutly and often, we can be sure that God will quickly come to our aid.

The Angelic Salutation, or Hail Mary, is so heavenly and so beyond us in its depth of meaning, that Blessed Alan de la Roche held that no mere creature could ever understand it, and that only our Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, can really explain it.By the Angelic Salutation God became man, a virgin became the Mother of God, the souls of the just were delivered from Limbo, the empty thrones in heaven have been filled, sin has been pardoned, grace been given to us, the sick been made well, the dead brought back to life, exiles brought home, the Blessed Trinity has been appeased, and men obtained eternal life. Finally, the Angelic Salutation is the rainbow in the sky, a sign of the mercy and grace which God has given to the world (Blessed Alan).Although this new hymn is in praise of the Mother of God and is sung directly to her, it is nevertheless most glorious to the Blessed Trinity, for any honour we pay to our Lady returns inevitably to God, the source of all her perfections and virtues. God the Father is glorified when we honour the most perfect of his creatures; God the Son is glorified when we praise his most pure Mother; the Holy Spirit is glorified when we are lost in admiration at the graces with which he has filled his spouse. When we praise and bless our Lady by saying the Angelic Salutation, she always refers these praises to God in the same way as she did when she was praised by St. Elizabeth. The latter blessed her in her high dignity as Mother of God and our Lady immediately returned these praises to God in her beautiful Magnificat.

Just as the Angelic Salutation gave glory to the Blessed Trinity, it is also the very highest praise that we can give to Mary.One day, when St. Mechtilde was praying and was trying to think of some way in which she could express her love of the Blessed Virgin better than before, she fell into ecstasy. Our Lady appeared to her with the Angelic Salutation written in letters of gold upon her breast and said to her, "My daughter, I want you to know that no one can please me more than by saying the greeting which the most adorable Trinity presented to me and by which I was raised to the dignity of the Mother of God. "By the word Ave, which is the name of Eve, Eva, I learned that God in his infinite power had preserved me from all sin and its attendant misery which the first woman had been subject to. "The name Mary, which means 'lady of light,' shows that God has filled me with wisdom and light, like a shining star, to light up heaven and earth. "The words, full of grace, remind me that the Holy Spirit has showered so many graces upon me that I am able to give these graces in abundance to those who ask for them through my mediation. "When people say, The Lord is with thee, they renew the indescribable joy that was mine when the eternal Word became incarnate in my womb. "When you say to me, Blessed art thou among women, I praise the mercy of God who has raised me to this exalted degree of happiness. "And at the words, Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, the whole of heaven rejoices with me to see my Son Jesus adored and glorified for having saved mankind."

Brief explanation of the Hail Mary:
Are you in the miserable state of sin? Then call on Mary and say to her, "Ave," which means "I greet thee with the most profound respect, thou who art without sin," and she will deliver you from the evil of your sins.Are you in sorrow? Turn to Mary, for her name means also "Sea of Bitterness which has been filled with bitterness in this world but which is now turned into a sea of purest joy in heaven," and she will turn your sorrow into joy and your affliction into consolation.Have you lost the state of grace? Praise and honour the numberless graces with which God has filled the Blessed Virgin and say to her, Thou art full of grace and filled with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and she will give you some of these graces.Are you alone, having lost God's protection? Pray to Mary and say, The Lord is with thee, in a nobler and more intimate way than he is with the saints and the just, because thou art one with him. He is thy Son and his flesh is thy flesh; thou art united to the Lord because of thy perfect likeness to him and by your mutual love, for thou art his Mother. And then say to her, "The three persons of the Godhead are with thee because thou art the Temple of the Blessed Trinity," and she will place you once more under the protection and care of God.Have you become an outcast and been accursed by God? Then say to our Lady, "Blessed art thou above all women and above all nations by thy purity and fertility; thou hast turned God's maledictions into blessings for us." She will bless you.Do you hunger for the bread of grace and the bread of life? Draw near to her who bore the living Bread which came down from heaven, and say to her, "Blessed be the fruit of thy womb, whom thou hast conceived without the slightest loss to thy virginity, whom thou didst carry without discomfort and brought forth without pain. Blessed be Jesus who redeemed our suffering world when we were in the bondage of sin, who has healed the world of its sickness, who has raised the dead to life, brought home the banished, restored sinners to grace, and saved men from damnation. Without doubt, your soul will be filled with the bread of grace in this life and of eternal glory in the next. Amen."

Conclude your prayer with the Church and say, "Holy Mary," holy because of thy incomparable and eternal devotion to the service of God, holy in thy great rank as Mother of God, who has endowed thee with eminent holiness, in keeping with this great dignity."Mother of God, and our Mother, our Advocate and Mediatrix, Treasurer and dispenser of God's graces, obtain for us the prompt forgiveness of our sins and grant that we may be reconciled with the divine majesty."Pray for us sinners, thou who art always filled with compassion for those in need, who never despise sinners or turn them away, for without them you would never have been Mother of the Redeemer."Pray for us now, during this short life, so fraught with sorrow and uncertainty; now, because we can be sure of nothing except the present moment; now that we are surrounded and attacked night and day by powerful and ruthless enemies."And at the hour of our death, so terrible and full of danger, when our strength is waning and our spirits are sinking, and our souls and bodies are worn out with fear and pain; at the hour of our death when the devil is working with might and main to ensnare us and cast us into perdition; at that hour when our lot will be decided forever and ever, heaven or hell. Lead us to thy Son's judgment-seat and remain at our side. Intercede for us and ask thy Son to pardon us and receive us into the ranks of thy elect in the realms of everlasting glory. Amen."
No one could help admiring the excellence of the holy Rosary, made up as it is of these two divine parts: the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic Salutation. How could there be any prayers more pleasing to God and to the Blessed Virgin, or any that are easier, more precious, or more helpful than these two prayers? We should always have them in our hearts and on our lips to honour the most Blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ our Saviour and his most holy Mother.In addition, at the end of each decade it is good to add the Gloria Patri, that is: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

God bless.

Tip-toeing to Mary...

A picture truly does say - a thousand words.

I hope to encourage my readers, as this precious child's mpther did, to be as humble as a little one, before the Lord.

May we all find, as this child has, favor with God, and His Mother.

God bless.

Christ Jesus - "Mediator & Fullness of All Revelation".

God has said everything in his Word: [Taken from the Catechism of the Holy Catholic Church.]

65 "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son."[26] Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:
In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behaviour but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty.[27]

There will be no further Revelation:

66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ."[28] Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.
67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.
Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfilment, as is the case in certain nonChristian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations".

IN BRIEF:

68 By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. He has thus provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.
69 God has revealed himself to man by gradually communicating his own mystery in deeds and in words.
70 Beyond the witness to himself that God gives in created things, he manifested himself to our first parents, spoke to them and, after the fall, promised them salvation (cf. Gen 3:15) and offered them his covenant.
71 God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and with all living beings (cf. Gen 9:16). It will remain in force as long as the world lasts.
72 God chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants. By the covenant God formed his people and revealed his law to them through Moses. Through the prophets, he prepared them to accept the salvation destined for all humanity.
73 God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant for ever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him.

ARTICLE 2 - THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION:

74 God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth":[29] that is, of Christ Jesus.[30] Christ must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals, so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth:
God graciously arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations.[31]

I. THE APOSTOLIC TRADITION:

75 "Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline."[32]

In the apostolic preaching. . .

76 In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways: - orally "by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit";[33] - in writing "by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing".[34]

. . . continued in apostolic succession

77 "In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority."[35] Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time."[36]
78 This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition, since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture, though closely connected to it. Through Tradition, "the Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes."[37] "The sayings of the holy Fathers are a witness to the life-giving presence of this Tradition, showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and life of the Church, in her belief and her prayer."[38]
79 The Father's self-communication made through his Word in the Holy Spirit, remains present and active in the Church: "God, who spoke in the past, continues to converse with the Spouse of his beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church - and through her in the world - leads believers to the full truth, and makes the Word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness."[39]

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE:

One common source. . .
80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."[40] Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".[41]

. . . two distinct modes of transmission

81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."[42]
"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."[43]
82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."[44]

Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions:

83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.
Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH:

The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church 84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),[45] contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practising and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."[46]

The Magisterium of the Church:

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."[47] This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.
86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."[48]
87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",[49] the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

The dogmas of the faith:

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes in a definitive way truths having a necessary connection with them.
89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.[50]
90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.[51] "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy 234 of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."[52]
The supernatural sense of faith

91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them[53] and guides them into all truth.[54]
92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."[55]
93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."[56]
Growth in understanding the faith
94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church: - "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";[57] it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".[58] - "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",[59] the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."[60] - "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".[61]
95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."[62]

IN BRIEF:

96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.
97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.
98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 # 1).
99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.
100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him. Article 3

Honor of the Sacred Humanity - The Face of Christ.

The Thirty-Three Petitions in Honor of the Sacred Humanity.

O good Jesus, Word of the Eternal Father,Convert me.

O good Jesus, Son of Mary,Make me her child.

O good Jesus, My Master,Teach me.

O good Jesus, Prince of peace,Give me peace.

O good Jesus, my Refuge,Receive me.

O good Jesus, my Pastor,Feed my soul.

O good Jesus, Model of patience,Comfort me.

O good Jesus, meek and humble of heart,Make my heart like unto Thine.

O good Jesus, my Redeemer,Save me.

O good Jesus, my God and my All,Possess me.

O good Jesus, the true Way,Direct me.

O good Jesus, Eternal Truth,Instruct me.

O good Jesus, Life of the blessed,Make me live in Thee.

O good Jesus, my Support,Strengthen me.

O good Jesus, my Justice,Justify me.

O good Jesus, my Mediator, Reconcile me to Thy Father.

O good Jesus, Physician of my soul,Heal me.

O good Jesus, my Judge,Absolve me.

O good Jesus, my King,Govern me.

O good Jesus, my Sanctification,Sanctify me.

O good Jesus, Abyss of goodness,Pardon me.

O good Jesus, Living Bread from Heaven,Satiate me.

O good Jesus, the Father of the prodigal,Receive me.

O good Jesus, Joy of my soul,Refresh me.

O good Jesus, my Helper,Assist me.

O good Jesus, Magnet of love,Attract me.

O good Jesus, my Protector,Defend me.

O good Jesus, my Hope,Sustain me.

O good Jesus, Object of my love,Make me love Thee.

O good Jesus, Fountain of life,Cleanse me.

O good Jesus, my Propitiation,Purify me.

O good Jesus, my Last End,Let me obtain Thee.

O good Jesus, my Glory,Glorify me. Amen.

V. Jesus, hear my prayer.

R. Jesus, graciously hear me.

Let Us Pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you," mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the gift of Thy Divine Charity, that we may ever love Thee with our whole hearts, and may never cease from praising Thee, Who livest and reignest world without end. R. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Face of Jesus

Holy Face of Jesus,Be my joy.

Holy Face of Jesus,Be my strength.

Holy Face of Jesus,Be my health.

Holy Face of Jesus,Be my courage.

Holy Face of Jesus,Be my wisdom.

Holy Face of Jesus, Image of the Father,Provide for me.

Holy Face of Jesus, Mirror of Thy Priestly Heart,Be my zeal.

Holy Face of Jesus, Gift of the Spirit,Show me Thy love.

Holy Face of Jesus, saddened by sorrow, Grant my requests through Thy merits.

Amen.

Composed by Rev. Emery Pethro of Detroit, Michigan

A true Letter from our Lord Jesus Christ!

A TRUE LETTER OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

Consecrating the Drops of Blood

which Our Lord lost on His way to Calvary.

Copy of a letter of the Oration found in the Holy Sepulcher of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, preserved in a silver box by His Holiness and by the Emperors and Empresses of the Christian Faith.

St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Bridget, wishing to know something of the Passion of Jesus Christ, offered fervent and special prayers, upon which there appeared to them Our Lord Jesus Christ Who spoke to them in the following manner:

I descended from Heaven to the Earth in order to convert you. In olden times people were religious and their harvests were abundant; at present, on the contrary, they are scanty.
If you want to reap an abundant harvest you must not work on Sunday, for on Sunday you must go to Church, and pray to God to forgive your sins. He gave you six days in which to work and one for rest and devotion and to tender your help to the poor and assist the Church.
Those people who brawl against My religion and cast slurs on this Sacred Letter, shall be forsaken by Me.

On the contrary, those people who shall carry a copy of this letter with them shall be free of death by drowning and from sudden death. They shall be free from all contagious diseases and lightning; they shall not die without Confession, and shall be free from their enemies and from the hand of wrongful authority, and from all their slanderers and false witnesses.

Women in peril at child-birth will, by keeping this Oration about them. immediately overcome the difficulty. In the houses where this Oration is kept, no evil thing will ever happen: and forty days before the death of a person who has this Oration about him or her, the Blessed Virgin will appear to him or her. So said St. Gregorius.

TO ALL THOSE FAITHFUL WHO SHALL RECITE FOR 3 YEARS, EACH DAY, 2 PATERS, GLORIAS AND AVES, IN HONOR OF THE DROPS OF BLOOD I LOST, I WILL CONCEDE THE FOLLOWING 5 GRACES:

1. The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins. 2. You will be free from the pains of Purgatory. 3. If you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them. 4. It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith. 5. I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation.

Be it known that the number of armed soldiers were 150; those who trailed me while I was bound were 23. The executioners of justice were 83; the blows received on my head were 150; those on my stomach, 108; kicks on my shoulders, 80. I was led, bound with cords by the hair, 24 times; spits in the face were 180; I was beaten on the body 6666 times; beaten on the head 110 times; I was roughly pushed, and at 12 o' clock I was lifted up by the hair; pricked with thorns and pulled by the beard 23 times; received 20 wounds on the head; thorns of marine junks, 72; pricks of thorns in the head, 110; mortal thorns in the forehead, 3. I was afterwards flogged and dressed as a mocked king; wounds in the body, 1000. The soldiers who led Me to the Calvary were 608; those who watched Me were 3, and those who mocked Me were 1008; the drops of blood which I lost were 28,430.

BENEDETTA DA SS., POPE LEO XIII, IN ROMA 5 APRILE 1890
MIRACLES ACCOMPLISHED BY THE SACRED LETTER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
A second and similar copy of this Letter has been found in a place called "Pursit," three leagues from Marseilles, written in golden letters, and believed to be of supernatural origin. It was found by a boy 7 years old of the same town. With it is an appendix and declaration of the 2nd of January, 1750, which says: "All those who work on Sunday, will be cursed by me, for on the Sacred day you must rest, go to Church, attend all Divine Services, so that you and your generation will be blessed.

If on the contrary you do not believe this you will be chastised, and to your children I will send pest, famine, war, spasms and heartaches; to show you My anger, you will see signs in the sky, thunders and earthquakes.

Those who do not believe that this letter is written by Divine workmanship and dictated by the Sacred Mouth of Christ, and who will keep it hidden from other persons, will be cursed by God and condemned on the Day of Judgment. To those who will publish it, if they have many sins and are truly repentant for having offended Me, even though they have done some injury to their neighbors, when they ask pardon I will cancel their sins. Those who will copy this, or read it, or who will induce others to read it, will be free from all temptations."

A certain Spanish Captain traveling by land near Barcelona, saw a head severed from the body, which spoke to him as follows, "As you are bound for Barcelona, my good man, for God's sake send hither a Priest so that I may confess myself. It is already three days now that I have been attacked by robbers, and I cannot die without first confessing myself." The Captain brought the Confessor to the place; the living head confessed and then expired. On the body from which the head had been severed, the present Oration was found. On that occasion it was approved by several Tribunals of the Holy Inquisition and by the Queen of Spain. The said Paters, Glorias and Aves can be recited for the benefit of any soul.

At the time of the terrible earthquake in Northern Italy and in France, a girl from Nice named Nathaline was caught under a fallen house and remained 3 days buried alive. When unearthed, a copy of this Letter was found on her! She was illiterate and uneducated. When found she was sleeping, untouched by the devastation of the earthquake!

On March 12, 1821, many emigrants from S. Giovanni Incarico, in the Province of Caserta (Italy) sailed for America to look for work. During the trip they were caught in a most terrible storm, which threw their ship into collision with a warship. This caused it to sink. The event occurred on the 19th, St. Joseph's Day. Out of the 667 people on board, only 9 were saved. Everyone of them had a copy of this Letter of Christ in his possession. The survivors were found almost naked, wearing only their vests, in the pockets of which the Letters were found, dry and not even wrinkled!

Two of the survivors from the same town, named Luigi Ceccaccio and Francesco Nero, furnished ample and substantial proof of the miraculous event.

Another miracle of the Sacred Letter of Jesus Christ was revealed at the Island of Iri, also in Italy. A man was peacefully sleeping in his bed, when a mysterious hand shook him abruptly and a voice thundered: "Get up in haste, and save yourself, in a corner of the house!" Promptly complying with the divine warning, the man rose and reached, pale and trembling, a remote corner, just in time to see the floor whereon he had lain in bed, sink into a deep abyss. This Letter saved him.

Another miracle was accomplished by the "Mater Dolorosa" three miles from the town of Castelpetrosa, in the Province of Campobasso, Italy. A 13 year old shepherdess, named Maria Grazia Estassia Bibiana, was attending to her duties in the vicinity of an old Convent. Suddenly appeared to her, and to her astonished mother who was nearby, the Virgin Mater Dolorosa, who told them: "Come with me to this old Church, wherein My Son is vexed with the people of the world, as there are too many sins committed, vice is rampant everywhere; religion is neglected. Therefore destructive earthquakes, pestilence and famine are putting humanity to severe punishment. Go to Church and receive your Holy Communion at least once a year. Thus, He will pardon your sins." Then the Virgin disappeared.

Another miracle was reported recently. In the last days of June, 1889, there appeared at the railroad station of Ancona a woman in mourning. She said she was to go to Rome but lacked the money to pay for her ticket. The train left the station but after a while it stopped. Though 5 more engines were added, it would not budge. A gentleman on the train, named Chev Morelli, thought of the black dressed lady who could not board the train at the station for the lack of the money to pay her fare to Rome. He went immediately to find her, and he offered to pay for it. He paid, in fact, 47 lires for a first class ticket to Rome. This the lady accepted under the condition that she travel alone. No sooner had the lady boarded the train, than it started up speedily, to the astonishment of all.

Chev Morelli, upon reaching Rome, wished to pay his respects to the lady. He went to the car where she had been seated. However, no one was there, and on the seat he found 2,000 lire in money and a note in golden letters, which read, "I am the Mater Dolorosa Virgin; and I wish to tell the sinners of the world that they must redeem themselves, believe in God and serve Him. Otherwise, a great calamity will soon befall Christianity."

His Holiness the Pope received a letter October 2nd, 1889 wherein it was stated that if in the future the people would not renounce the devil and all his work, mortifying all evils and corrupt dealings, and make solemn vows of proceeding daily in all virtue and godliness of living, they would be overcome by disaster. This Letter was sent by the Saviour, Christ. It mentioned the appearance of the Mater Dolorosa at Ancona. It declared that on the last Good Friday no visitors were seen at the Holy Sepulchre. It sid that people should remember the Day of Judgment, when the faithful shall enjoy the Glory of the Heavens and the ungodly shall be overwhelmed in a storm of snares, fire, brimstones, and bolts.

On July 2nd, 1889, when a terrible flood caused ruin, misery and appalling loss of life, the few survivors found in the many districts stricken by the disaster were in many cases in possession of the Sacred Letter.

One Giovanni Santarello who happened to be in France at the time of the earthquake, which made thousands of victims in the Southern Departments, was found buried alive under the wreck of a house after remaining in a deep anxiety four days and four nights. A copy of this Sacred Letter was found on him.

In commemoration of the apparition of the Mater Dolorosa Virgin in Ancoma, the people of the Township of Castelpetrosa, in the Province of Campobasso were so deeply shaken by the divine event that a great revival of worship was proclaimed and a pilgrimage was organized. At a meeting of the leading citizens, the clergy and authorities, it was resolved to build a great temple in honor of the Holy Virgin. On the day set for the laying of the cornerstone, a great gathering of bishops, priests, high church dignitaries and the laity, assisted by several hundred workmen, were ready to start the ceremony. Suddenly all tools, picks and shovels disappeared. To the spectators' terrified eyes appeared the Mater Dolorosa Virgin, who said: "Why are you digging this ground? Yonder, amid those beautiful woods, you will find the Sanctuary for your worship."
Speechless and confused the people beheld, as she vanished, the Virgin ascending to the heavens. A few days afterwards, three miles from Castelpetrosa, in the vicinity of the old Convent, three magnificent fountains were found beside a shrine decked with flowers and golden stars, seemingly erected by a divine hand.

On the solemn occasion of the last Pope's Jubilee, the Saviour, Christ, made His sudden appearance to the Pope, who was then on his throne, surrounded by cardinals, bishops and high dignitaries of the Church. The Holy Spirit spoke thus: "People of the world, forsake your sins or else the end shall soon be forthcoming!" Our Lord then disappeared. All present threw themselves at the feet of the Pope, beseeching pardon and clemency!

OUR FATHER
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth, as it is in Heave. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Jesus Adoration Day. [Pt. I]

To Jesus, Our Friend

O Jesus! Thou art my true Friend, my only Friend. Thou doth take a part in all my misfortunes; Thou doth take them on Thyself; thou doth know how to change them into blessings. Thou doth listen to me with the greatest kindness when I relate my troubles to Thee, and thou hast always balm to pour on my wounds. I find Thee at all times; I find Thee everywhere; Thou never goest away; if I have to change my dwelling, I find Thee wherever I go. Thou art never weary of listening to me; Thou art never tired of doing me good. I am certain of being beloved by Thee if I love Thee; my goods are nothing to Thee and by bestowing Thine on me, Thou never growest poor. However miserable I may be, no one more noble or learned or even holier can come between Thee and me, and deprive me of Thy friendship; and death which tears us away from all other friends, will unite me for ever to Thee. All the humiliations attached to old age or to the loss of honor, will never detach Thee from me. On the contrary, I shall never enjoy Thee more fully, and Thou will never be closer to me than when everything seems to conspire against me, to overwhelm me and to cast me down. Thou doth bear with all my faults with extreme patience. Even my want of fidelity and my ingratitude do not wound Thee to such a degree as to make Thee unwilling to receive me back when I return to Thee. O Jesus! Grant that I may die praising Thee, that I may die loving Thee, that I may die for the love of Thee. Amen.

Jesus, Help Me!

In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust, saying, Jesus, help me! In all my doubts, perplexities, and temptations, Jesus, help me! In hours of loneliness, weariness and trials, Jesus, help me! In the failure of my plans and hopes; in disappointments, troubles and sorrows, Jesus, help me! When my heart is cast down by failure, at seeing no good come from my efforts, Jesus, help me! When others fail me, and Thy grace alone can assist me, Jesus, help me! When I throw myself on Thy tender love as Father and Savior, Jesus, help me! When I feel impatient, and my cross irritates me, Jesus, help me! When sickness and loneliness overcome me, Jesus, help me! Always, in weakness, falls and shortcomings of every kind, Jesus, help me and never forsake me.

The Lady of All Nations.

Our Lady of All Nations - Amsterdam.

Explanation of the Image:

The messages of Amsterdam are unique in the history of Marian apparitions because Our Lady gives detailed descriptions of her image in six messages. Mary appears here as the COREDEMPTRIX in three ways:
• She stands, penetrated by God’s light, before the Cross of her Son, with whom she is inseparably united.
• She has a cloth wrapped around her, about which she explains, “Listen carefully to what this means. This is as the Loincloth of the Son. For I stand as the Lady before the Cross of the Son” (April 15, 1951).

• Her hands have radiant Wounds. Thereby Mary describes in an

image the suffering of body and soul which she bore in union with her divine Son for the redemption of mankind.Again the Lady directs Ida’s look to her hands and thereby reveals to her that she is MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACE: “Now look at my hands and describe what you see.” Now it is as if there, in the middle of her hands, had been a wound. From there, from each hand, three rays of light are coming forth, shining upon the sheep. The Lady smiles and says, “These are three rays, the rays of Grace, Redemption and Peace” (May 31, 1951). Grace from the Father, Redemption from the Son, and Peace from the Holy Spirit.

“I have firmly placed my feet upon the globe, for in this time the Father and the Son wants to bring me into this world as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate” (May 31, 1951). “This time is our time” (July 2, 1951).
In a biblical representation, Mary shows the visionary sheep around the globe which symbolize all the nations and races of the earth. Then she says that they will not find true rest “until they lie down and in tranquility look up at the Cross, the center of this world” (May 31, 1951).
Again and again, Mary directs our look to the Cross, the center of the world. Mary asks us therefore to spread this image throughout the world because “It is the interpretation and illustration of the new dogma” (December 8, 1952). For this reason, Mary emphasizes several times that this image must precede the dogma. “This image will precede ... will precede a dogma, a new dogma” (April 15, 1951).
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Notes...

What I love about this vision of our Mother, is that it's completely Scrriptural. Mary doesn't make herself the center - but her Son - Jesus Christ.

Isn't that amazing? She's so humble. This vision, and picture, means a ot to me.

Hail Mary!

God bless!

Magnificent Rosaries.

Purchase them at: http://www.olrosaries.ca/

These Rosaries are truly breathtaking! If you are in need of your first Rosary, or would love to add another one to your current collection, then this is the site for you! See below.


Holy Spirit Rosary
Made with garnet-red Czech glass, the Our Father beads on this rosary are Holy Spirit beads with tiny Czech glass beads attached in the center.


First Communion Rosary
Made with a soft shade of pink glass pearls, each bead is capped with silver plated floral shaped caps. Silver plated chain along with a 3-dimensional Eucharistic center and a nickel crucifix with grape detailing combine to make a special gift for First Communion.


The Jesus Rosary
This chaplet is inspirational for private devotion and ideal for prayer groups. It includes specific mysteries, prayer intentions and time for meditation and spontaneous prayer. It has been handcrafted with economical and durable Sea King twine and is also available in nickel with glass or wood beads.


Ribbon of Hope Rosary
featuring 8mm smooth opaque white hearts, pink ribbon medal, heavy Miraculous medal and crucifix with chapel finish.


Sacred Heart Rosary
6mm faceted Czech glass, handworked permanently coloured tarnish resistant copper wire, gold tone crucifix and center

There are many more, but these were my personal favorites. I did not purchase either of these Rosaries, due to it being an International currency, and noot Rands.

But my reason for this post, was to bless fellow "Rosary-lovers", with something special.

God bless!
Danica-Christine.

Messages from Mary...

Mary has appeared thousands of times, over the ages, to the Faithful, and has given messages to those who believe in her. However, the Holy Mother does not appear in a vision nor does she give a message to everyone who is faithful to her, despite our wishes. Several messages from Our Holy Mother are outlined below.

Israel, in the time of Christ
And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy. As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Guadalupe, Mexico, 1531
Know and understand well that I am the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. I wish that a temple be erected here quickly, so I may therein exhibit and give all my love, compassion, help, and protection, because I am your merciful mother, to you, and to all the inhabitants of this land and all the rest who love me, invoke and confide in me.

Lourdes, France, 1858.
I am the Immaculate Conception. I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other.

Fatima, Portugal, 1917
When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of your Mercy. I have come to exhort the faithful to change their life, to avoid grieving Our Lord by sin, to pray the Rosary.
In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and a period of grace will be granted to the world.

Akita, Japan, 1973
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with Your Heart being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father, pleading for the coming of His Kingdom.
Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls.

A thank you letter to my readers.

Dear readers,

The comments I received from you all, have touched my heart greatly. Thank you very much. I hope to grow closer to our Lord and His Mother everyday of my life.

Nothing will make me happier.

I will visit the pages advised to me, by those of you who have requested me to have a look at them; it will be an honor.

I would like to take a precious moment to encourage my readers in the faith:

During my devotions this past week, I have found several significent treasures in the Lord's Sacred Heart:

1. His un-parallel, and Sacred, love for us.
2. His precious heart is so filled with love for us, His Church, that even death could not waver His love; even though His Heart was pierced at His crucifixion!

3. His arms are up-held, open wide, awaiting us - in the day of our glorious ascension to His Kingdom of Heaven!

4. Through the Holy Rosary, has He given us a immaculate tool to worship Him with, to bring glory to His Holy name, and honor to His Blessed Mother.

Jesus lives! He has risen! Fall into His loving arms!

May The Sacred & Immaculate hearts bless you all greatly.

In Christ's Heart,
Danica-Christine.

The 12 promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus & Prayers

The Sacred Heart Promises:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will bless every house in which a picture of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.

4. I will console them in all their difficulites.
5. I will be their refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

6. I will shed abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.

7. Sinners shall find in My Heart a fountain and boundless ocean of mercy.

8. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
9. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
10. I will give to priests the power of touching the hardest hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.

12. I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all who communicate on the first Friday of the month for nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My displeasure nor without the sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Irrestistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

O my Jesus who didst say: "Indeed I say to you, ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you." Here I am, knocking, seeking, and asking the grace (mention your request).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be,...
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.

O my Jesus who didst say: "Indeed I say to you, whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, it shall be granted to you." Here I am, asking the Father in Thy name for the grace (mention your request).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be,...
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.

O my Jesus who didst say: "Indeed I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass." Here I am, and supporting myself on the infallibility of Thy words, I ask Thee the grace (mention your request).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be,...

Prayer:

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom only one thing is impossible and that is not to feel compassion for the wretched, have pity on us, miserable sinners, and grant us the grace which we ask Thee through the Immaculate Heart of She who is Thy tender Mother and also ours.
Hail Holy Queen, Memorare,...
Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
***
God bless.

The Holy Rosary...

The mysteries of the Holy Rosary are, indeed, magnificent - to say the least! Being Charismatic all my life, I knew little about Rosaries, but do now.

But glory be to God - in the Highest - for He led me to the truth!

I have not purchased a Rosary of my own, as of yet, but am saving for a special Rosary of my choice! I'm truly excited to start my new prayer life with our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Bless Mother, Mary.

Below are important information concerning the Rosary, and it's history:

Since the Rosary is composed, principally and in substance, of the prayer of Christ and the Angelic Salutation, that is, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, it was without doubt the first prayer and the principal devotion of the faithful and has been in use all through the centuries, from the time of the apostles and disciples down to the present. It was only in the year 1214, however, that the Church received the Rosary in its present form and according to the method we use today. It was given to the Church by St. Dominic, who had received it from the Blessed Virgin as a means of converting the Albigensians and other sinners. I will tell you the story of how he received it, which is found in the very well-known book De Dignitate Psalterii, by Blessed Alan de la Roche. Saint Dominic, seeing that the gravity of people's sins was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, where he prayed continuously for three days and three nights. During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of God. He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated, and finally he fell into a coma. At this point our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said, "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" "Oh, my Lady," answered Saint Dominic, "you know far better than I do, because next to your Son Jesus Christ you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation." Then our Lady replied, "I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the principal weapon has always been the Angelic Psalter, which is the foundation-stone of the New Testament. Therefore, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter." So he arose, comforted, and burning with zeal for the conversion of the people in that district, he made straight for the cathedral. At once unseen angels rang the bells to gather the people together, and Saint Dominic began to preach. At the very beginning of his sermon, an appalling storm broke out, the earth shook, the sun was darkened, and there was so much thunder and lightning that all were very much afraid. Even greater was their fear when, looking at a picture of our Lady exposed in a prominent place, they saw her raise her arms to heaven three times to call down God's vengeance upon them if they failed to be converted, to amend their lives, and seek the protection of the holy Mother of God. God wished, by means of these supernatural phenomena, to spread the new devotion of the holy Rosary and to make it more widely known. At last, at the prayer of Saint Dominic, the storm came to an end, and he went on preaching. So fervently and compellingly did he explain the importance and value of the Rosary that almost all the people of Toulouse embraced it and renounced their false beliefs. In a very short time a great improvement was seen in the town; people began leading Christian lives and gave up their former bad habits.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, instructed by the Blessed Virgin as well as by his own experience, Saint Dominic preached the Rosary for the rest of his life. He preached it by his example as well as by his sermons, in cities and in country places, to people of high station and low, before scholars and the uneducated, to Catholics and to heretics. The Rosary, which he said every day, was his preparation for every sermon and his little tryst with our Lady immediately after preaching. One day he had to preach at Notre Dame in Paris, and it happened to be the feast of St. John the Evangelist. He was in a little chapel behind the high altar prayerfully preparing his sermon by saying the Rosary, as he always did, when our Lady appeared to him and said: "Dominic, even though what you have planned to say may be very good, I am bringing you a much better sermon." Saint Dominic took in his hands the book our Lady proffered, read the sermon carefully and, when he had understood it and meditated on it, he gave thanks to her. When the time came, he went up into the pulpit and, in spite of the feast day, made no mention of Saint John other than to say that he had been found worthy to be the guardian of the Queen of Heaven. The congregation was made up of theologians and other eminent people, who were used to hearing unusual and polished discourses; but Saint Dominic told them that it was not his desire to give them a learned discourse, wise in the eyes of the world, but that he would speak in the simplicity of the Holy Spirit and with his forcefulness. So he began preaching the Rosary and explained the Hail Mary word by word as he would to a group of children, and used the very simple illustrations which were in the book given him by our Lady. Blessed Alan, according to Carthagena, mentioned several other occasions when our Lord and our Lady appeared to Saint Dominic to urge him and inspire him to preach the Rosary more and more in order to wipe out sin and convert sinners and heretics. In another passage Carthagena says, "Blessed Alan said our Lady revealed to him that, after she had appeared to Saint Dominic, her blessed Son appeared to him and said, 'Dominic, I rejoice to see that you are not relying on your own wisdom and that, rather than seek the empty praise of men, you are working with great humility for the salvation of souls. "'But many priests want to preach thunderously against the worst kinds of sin at the very outset, failing to realize that before a sick person is given bitter medicine, he needs to be prepared by being put into the right frame of mind to really benefit by it. "'That is why, before doing anything else, priests should try to kindle a love of prayer in people's hearts and especially a love of my Angelic Psalter. If only they would all start saying it and would really persevere, God in his mercy could hardly refuse to give them his grace. So I want you to preach my Rosary."'

All things, even the holiest, are subject to change, especially when they are dependent on man's free will. It is hardly to be wondered at, then, that the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary only retained its first fervour for a century after it was instituted by Saint Dominic. After this it was like a thing buried and forgotten. Doubtless, too, the wicked scheming and jealousy of the devil were largely responsible for getting people to neglect the Rosary, and thus block the flow of God's grace which it had drawn upon the world. Thus, in 1349 God punished the whole of Europe with the most terrible plague that had ever been known. Starting in the east, it spread throughout Italy, Germany, France, Poland and Hungary, bringing desolation wherever it went, for out of a hundred men hardly one lived to tell the tale. Big cities, towns, villages and monasteries were almost completely deserted during the three years that the epidemic lasted. This scourge of God was quickly followed by two others, the heresy of the Flagellants and a tragic schism in 1376. Later on, when these trials were over, thanks to the mercy of God, our Lady told Blessed Alan to revive the former Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Blessed Alan was one of the Dominican Fathers at the monastery at Dinan, in Brittany. He was an eminent theologian and a famous preacher. Our Lady chose him because, since the Confraternity had originally been started in that province, it was fitting that a Dominican from the same province should have the honour of re-establishing it. Blessed Alan began this great work in 1460, after a special warning from our Lord. This is how he received that urgent message, as he himself tells it: One day when he was offering Mass, our Lord, who wished to spur him on to preach the holy Rosary, spoke to him in the Sacred Host. "How can you crucify me again so soon?" Jesus said. "What did you say, Lord?" asked Blessed Alan, horrified. "You crucified me once before by your sins," answered Jesus, "and I would willingly be crucified again rather than have my Father offended by the sins you used to commit. You are crucifying me again now because you have all the learning and understanding that you need to preach my Mother's Rosary, and you are not doing it. If you only did that, you could teach many souls the right path and lead them away from sin. But you are not doing it, and so you yourself are guilty of the sins that they commit." This terrible reproach made Blessed Alan solemnly resolve to preach the Rosary unceasingly. Our Lady also said to him one day to inspire him to preach the Rosary more and more, "You were a great sinner in your youth, but I obtained the grace of your conversion from my Son. Had such a thing been possible, I would have liked to have gone through all kinds of suffering to save you, because converted sinners are a glory to me. And I would have done that also to make you worthy of preaching my Rosary far and wide." Saint Dominic appeared to Blessed Alan as well and told him of the great results of his ministry: he had preached the Rosary unceasingly, his sermons had borne great fruit and many people had been converted during his missions. He said to Blessed Alan, "See what wonderful results I have had through preaching the Rosary. You and all who love our Lady ought to do the same so that, by means of this holy practice of the Rosary, you may draw all people to the real science of the virtues." Briefly, then, this is the history of how Saint Dominic established the holy Rosary and of how Blessed Alan de la Roche restored it.
From the time Saint Dominic established the devotion to the holy Rosary up to the time when Blessed Alan de la Roche reestablished it in 1460, it has always been called the Psalter of Jesus and Mary. This is because it has the same number of Hail Marys as there are psalms in the Book of the Psalms of David. Since simple and uneducated people are not able to say the Psalms of David, the Rosary is held to be just as fruitful for them as David's Psalter is for others.

Ever since Blessed Alan de la Roche re-established this devotion, the voice of the people, which is the voice of God, gave it the name of the Rosary, which means "crown of roses." That is to say that every time people say the Rosary devoutly they place on the heads of Jesus and Mary 153 white roses and sixteen red roses. Being heavenly flowers, these roses will never fade or lose their beauty. Our Lady has approved and confirmed this name of the Rosary; she has revealed to several people that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose, and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. So the complete Rosary is a large crown of roses and each chaplet of five decades is a little wreath of flowers or a little crown of heavenly roses which we place on the heads of Jesus and Mary. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of devotions and the most important one

****************

God bless.

My Lyrical tribute to Jesus...

"God of My Essence" - my tribute to Jesus Christ. I hope you like it. My song is copyright to myself, and the S.A. Library Int.

I appologise for the form of the text, but, unfortionately, Blo Spot does not allow the proper spacing functions requitred to properly form my song.

(Verse one) I’m passing Through open doors Of life and death Father I need you To guide my mortal soul Hold my hand Catch me as I fall Never let go I can’t live If living is without you I’m frozen inside (Chorus)At this moment in time I capitulate my soul To the One Who ordained it to be You’re all that I’m living for Through the mystification The betrayal And the lies Of this present age I can’t live If living is without you The God of my essence My being Never let me go (Verse two) Let my heart not wonder From you Into darkness Don’t let me fade away Into the gateway of death Let me not become a sacrifice To the weight of the world Its lethal snare Entraps the foolish Yet cannot grasp the saved Oh, Christ Deliver them Deliver me From this frozen soul (Chorus) At this moment in time I capitulate my soul To the One Who ordained it to be Whilst I was but breath In the holy mouth Of the God of my soul You’re all that I’m living for Through the mystification The betrayal And the lies Of this present age That pursues me I can’t live If living is without you The God of my essence Christ of my being Never let me go Have mercy upon me ***

Special gifts from Our Lady...

.:: The Miraculous Medal::.

The Medal of the Immaculate Conception — popularly known as the Miraculous Medal — was designed by the Blessed Virgin herself! No wonder, then that it wins such extraordinary graces for those who wear it and pray for Mary's intercession and help.

The First Apparition

The story begins on the night of July 18-19, 1830. A child (perhaps her guardian angel) awakened Sister (now Saint) Catherine Labouré, a novice in the community of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, and summoned her to the chapel. There she met with the Virgin Mary and spoke with her for several hours. During the conversation Mary said to her, “My child, I am going to give you a mission.”

The Second Apparition

Mary gave her this mission in a vision during evening meditation on November 27, 1830. She saw Mary standing on what seemed to be half a globe and holding a golden globe in her hands as if offering it to heaven. On the globe was the word “France,” and our Lady explained that the globe represented the whole world, but especially France. The times were difficult in France then, especially for the poor who were unemployed and often refugees from the many wars of the time. France was first to experience many of those troubles which ultimately reached many other parts of the world and are even present today. Streaming from rings Mary's fingers as she held the globe were many rays of light. Mary explained that the rays symbolize the graces she obtains for those who ask for them. However, some of the gems on the rings were dark, and Mary explained that the rays and graces were available but did not come because no one had asked for them.

The Third Apparition and the Miraculous Medal

The vision then changed to show our Lady standing on a globe with her arms now outstretched and with the dazzling rays of light still streaming from her fingers. Framing the figure was an inscription: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The Meaning of the Front Side of the Miraculous Medal.

Mary is standing upon a globe, crushing the head of a serpent beneath her foot. She stands upon the globe, as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her feet crush the serpent to proclaim Satan and all his followers are helpless before her (Gn 3:15). The year of 1830 on the Miraculous Medal is the year the Blessed Mother gave the design of the Miraculous Medal to Saint Catherine Labouré. The reference to Mary conceived without sin supports the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary—not to be confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, and referring to Mary's sinlessness, “full of grace” and “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28)—that was proclaimed 24 years later in 1854.

The vision turned and showed the design of the reverse side of the medal. Twelve stars encircled a large "M" from which arose a cross. Below are two hearts with flames arising from them. One heart is encircled in thorns and the other is pierced by a sword.

The Meaning of the Back Side of the Miraculous Medal

The twelve stars can refer to the Apostles, who represent the entire Church as it surrounds Mary. They also recall the vision of Saint John, writer of the Book of Revelation (12:1), in which “a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.” The cross can symbolize Christ and our redemption, with the bar under the cross a sign of the earth. The “M” stands for Mary, and the interleaving of her initial and the cross shows Mary’s close involvement with Jesus and our world. In this we see Mary’s part in our salvation and her role as mother of the Church. The two hearts represent the love of Jesus and Mary for us. (See also Lk 2:35).

Then Mary spoke to Catherine: “Have a medal struck upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.” Catherine explained the entire series of apparitions to her confessor, and she worked through him to carry out Mary’s instructions. She did not reveal that she received the Medal until soon before her death 47 years later.

With approval of the Church, the first Medals were made in 1832 and were distributed in Paris. Almost immediately the blessings that Mary had promised began to shower down on those who wore her Medal. The devotion spread like wildfire. Marvels of grace and health, peace and prosperity, following in its wake. Before long people were calling it the “Miraculous” Medal. And in 1836, a Canonical inquiry undertaken at Paris declared the apparitions to be genuine.
There is no superstition, nothing of magic, connected with the Miraculous Medal. The Miraculous Medal is not a “good-luck charm”. Rather, it is a great testimony to faith and the power of trusting prayer. Its greatest miracles are those of patience, forgiveness, repentance, and faith. God uses a Medal, not as a sacrament, but as an agent, an instrument, in bringing to pass certain marvelous results. “The weak things of this earth hath God chosen to confound the strong.”
When our Blessed Mother gave the design of the medal to Saint Catherine Labouré she said, “Now it must be given to the whole world and to every person.”

My experience with the Blessed Mother Mary.

A few weeks ago, I was laying in bed, whislt waiting for my parents to return; it was around 10:30PM.

Being as close to my mother as I am, I felt as if something horrible had, or was, going to happen to her. I have no idea why.

Being a new convert to Catholicism, I had still to learn everything about the Blessed Virgin. My faith in her was minus zero, to be honest.

I printed a beautiful picture of Our Lady Fatima (Mary) the previous morning, and had put it on my cubbord. I truly believe, now, that Our Lady had a plan with me pritning that picture.

I felt as if something was urging me to call upon my Heavenly Mother, during my hour of sorrow. Thus, I did.

I pleaded with Her to comfort me, and to give me peace. At that moment, I heard a woman's voice speaking to me, and telling me not to be dismayed.

I was shocked, to say the least.

Yet, I knew it was her. That voice was so gentle, unlike any voice I had ever heard.

Since then, I have been studying more and more of Our Blessed Lady - and Heavenly Mother.

That was one experience that I will never forget, for as long as I live.

I hope this has been an insperation to those of you are seeking a mother to love you. She loves you!

I have since become a follower of our Blessed Mother, for She comforted me, during my darkest hour of need. I truly love you, Mother Mary.

A friend of mine, AveMaria, sent me two links to obtain gifts from our Mother; A Miraculous Medal and a picture of Her. I'm so excited!

My wish is to obtain a beautiful Rosary, with a breathtaking Crucifix. So I can pray to my Lord and His Mother properly.

God bless.

Today's Prayers for Christ our Lord...

Act of Consecration to The Sacred Heart of Christ.

I give myself and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, my person and my life, my actions, pains and sufferings, so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being other than to honor, love and glorify the Sacred Heart. This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all His, and to do all things for the love of Him, at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him. I therefore take You, O Sacred heart, to be the only object of my love, the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy, the atonement for all the faults of my life and my sure refuge at the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God the Father, and turn away from me the strokes of his righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in You, for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from Your goodness and bounty.Remove from me all that can displease You or resist Your holy will; let your pure love imprint Your image so deeply upon my heart, that I shall never be able to forget You or to be separated from You.May I obtain from all Your loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Your Heart, for in You I desire to place all my happiness and glory, living and dying in bondage to You.

Amen.

The Appostle's Creed: A Joyful Story.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived bythe power of the Holy Spiritand was born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.

My forums.

Below are my two forums:

:: The Jesus Community ::
http://christcatholic.proboards74.com/index.cgi

:: Mariah Media Studio ::
http://butterflyforest.proboards36.com/index.cgi

Enjoy.