In past articles, I have explored the benefits of mental prayer and developing good habits to help you pray throughout the day. Today, I’ll emphasize another form of prayer that should be part of your daily devotions: the Rosary.
And as May is the Month of Mary, now is an excellent time to renew your commitment to the Rosary.
The Power and Importance of the Rosary
Eight hundred years years ago, St. Dominic popularized the recitation of the Rosary and used this great weapon to defeat the Albigensian heresy. In 1571, Europe was threatened by the Muslim forces of the Ottoman Empire; Pope Saint Pius V asked the faithful to pray the Rosary and, against great odds, Christian forces prevailed at the Battle of Lepanto, saving Europe. More recently, in 1917, as World War I raged and the evil of communism spread, Our Lady herself appeared in Fatima and asked that we pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace in the world.
Our Neglect
Despite the obvious power of the Rosary, many of us neglect it. We make excuses: We lack time. We’re bored. It’s too repetitive. We’re not sure we’re praying it right. We’re distracted.
I know these excuses because I’ve made them myself. Thankfully, I’ve now put most of these excuses behind me. You can too.
St. Louis de Montfort’s The Secret of the Rosary
Two years ago, on the Feast of St. Louis de Montfort (April 28), I was inspired to pick up his book, The Secret of the Rosary, which had sat long-neglected on my bookshelf. (Part 1 of The Secret of the Rosary is available for free here.)
What a splendid little book! As I read it, I frequently wondered, “Why had no one taught me these things?” or “How had I forgotten this?”
Because St. Louis is a far better teacher than I, I’ll only share a few of St. Louis’s “secrets” here. Please do read the rest for yourself.
Secret #1 – The Rosary Defined
I can’t improve on St. Louis’s opening paragraph, so here it is:
The Rosary is made up of two things: mental prayer and vocal prayer. In the Holy Rosary mental prayer is none other than meditation of the chief mysteries of the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ and of His Blessed Mother. Vocal prayer consists in saying fifteen decades of the Hail Mary, each decade headed by an Our Father, while at the same time meditating on and contemplating the fifteen principal virtues which Jesus and Mary practiced in the fifteen mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
Secret #2 – The Psalter of Jesus and Mary
The 150 Hail Mary’s of the Rosary correspond to the 150 psalms in the psalter. Because of this, the Rosary is considered the psalter of Jesus and Mary. St. Louis even boldly proclaims that the Rosary is more valuable than the actual psalter, as the psalms only prefigure Christ; whereas the prayers of the Rosary–the Our Father and Hail Mary–and its fifteen mysteries are centered in Christ.
Secret #3 – The Leaves, Thorns, and Bloom
Why is it called the Rosary? The Joyful Mysteries are the green leaves of the rose; the sorrowful mysteries, the thorns; the glorious mysteries, the bloom. With every Hail Mary, we give Mary a white rose; with every Our Father, a red rose. Thus, in praying the full Rosary (15 decades), we give Mary 153 white roses and 16 red ones. Quite a bouquet for our Blessed Mother!
Secret #4 – Conversion of Sinners
Do you want to convert sinners? Preach the Rosary. Pray the Rosary. This will change hearts. It’s that simple.
Secret #5 – Slow Down
If you’ve struggled with the Rosary, try slowing down. Rather than rushing through five decades at a time, consider praying one decade slowly and well. When you begin a new decade, pause and visualize the mystery before launching into the Our Father. (A visual aid of sacred art can help!)
Another technique to consider is to devoutly pause at the name of Jesus in each Hail Mary; you can also add a brief phrase describing Jesus in that particular mystery. So, for example, if you’re praying the Second Sorrowful Mystery, the Scourging at the Pillar, you’d pray: “. . . and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, scourged for our sins. Holy Mary, Mother of God . . .”
Secret #6 – The Rosary Confraternity
St. Louis recommends joining the Confraternity of the Rosary, which is a society of people that agree to regularly pray the Rosary. Ordinary membership means praying all fifteen decades every week. Perpetual membership means praying all fifteen decades once a year. Others agree to pray a full fifteen decade Rosary every day.
By joining, you get to share in the prayers of countless other Confraternity members throughout the world–even after death. To enroll visit here.
For me, the notion of ordinary membership in the Confraternity–just fifteen decades every week–was very encouraging. That amounts to about two decades each day. Who doesn’t have the time to pray a decade here or a decade there? Praying a decade at a time can also be a great way to begin for families with young children.
Resolutions
If you’ve neglected the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort’s The Secret of the Rosary might be just what you need to renew your commitment to this devotion. And the month of May, which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a perfect time to begin.
So let’s make some resolutions: (1) Join the Rosary Confraternity. (2) Spend ten minutes each night throughout May prayerfully reading The Secret of the Rosary. (3) Commit to praying at least a decade of the Rosary every day throughout May.
Steve, I really appreciate this. And, of course, my thanks to the author, Mr. Bloomfield. If you don’t mind, I’d like to add a little something which has helped both me and – perhaps more importantly – my children to dive deeper into the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. We struggled with the daily family Rosary until I happened upon the idea of adding Scripture to the prayers, which I got from listening to a recording of Pope Benedict reciting the Rosary with a scriptural passage before each decade. My contribution was to beef it up by adding a short passage before each Hail Mary. That might sound like it would disrupt the prayer, but the results were simply amazing: the little ones can now sit – at full attention, mind you – through the entire ca. 30 minutes it takes to do one set of mysteries, because they are listening to the story of the mystery as it is recorded in Sacred Scripture. The older kids – not to mention my wife and I – are taken deeper into both Scripture and prayer, and passages which before seemed merely historical suddenly become deeply meaningful. Also, we take turns with the older kids, so that everyone who can read has the chance to lead the prayer for one decade ( = practice reading aloud, Scripture study and prayer: three birds with one stone). On top of that, my kids now know almost entire chapters of Sacred Scripture by heart.
I just uploaded the readings for the Joyful Mysteries to my Drive account, so anyone can download them to try them out. I would upload the readings for all of the mysteries, but I don’t want to give the impression that it has to be exactly these readings: I recommend searching through Scripture and finding those which speak to you and your family.
Here’s the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vBj2GiZBusz7maTc2MgkWMMTWNafHdzn3XZFCnSEm8Y/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks for sharing your document 🙂 I think you might like this: http://angeluspress.org/Holy-Rosary
God bless!
Thank God and thank you for this you did. We look forward to get the other 2 sets of mysteries as to save and/or print.
Would you, please, if all possible, add links here?
May god’s Peace be with you and yours.
Carlos,
I’m pleased to see someone possibly getting some benefit from this.
I have just uploaded the readings for the Sorrowful Mysteries, which can be viewed here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OMZrHdPDZyEXWJjgQNRe3w22oiHRpp0zylEgF6f6xLY/edit?usp=sharing
I’m a bit busy at the moment, but I’ll try to get the Glorious Mysteries formatted and uploaded either later today or tomorrow.
I just uploaded the readings for the Glorious Mysteries:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_infwLdYKl0ynEy-wyWL9ZKiUO3S-GNpvI5njjvkH0g/edit?usp=sharing
I hope you are able to take some inspiration from them.
Thanks once more.
Beautifully done, and thank you for sharing. I will consider trying this out with my kids. God bless!
Mr. Bloomfield:
Thank you.
God bless
Richard W Comerford
The Rosary is pure spiritual currency…….. accumulate it as much and often as you possible can. There are many debts to pay. Be generous. Don’t give in to procrastination. Just do it !!!
The Rosary is the most powerful prayer (besides the Mass), so pray 5 decades every day, and really make a sacrifice to do 10 or 15 decades every day. Get rid of TV and pray the Rosary.
I am sorry to say this, but you are mistaken. There are TWO major liturgies of the Church, each prayed daily at all hours of the day: one is the Sacrifice of the Mass. The other is the Liturgy of the Hours, changed by order of Pope Paul Vi to make it more available to the laity.
This is written NOT to denigrate the Rosary, but the Liturgy of the Hours complements the Mass in providing a daily routine of prayer…….to which the Rosary may certainly be added. From the beginning of the Church, the Psalms were said as part of Hebrew worship that continued for “People of the Way”. Can we disregard the examples of Peter and John in the Acts of the Apostles?
The LOTH complements the Mass. Traditionally, the Our Father is prayed…specifically….three times a day, perhaps in honor of the Three Persons. It is first said at Morning Prayer, secondly at the Mass, and for the third time of the day at Vespers or Evening Prayer..
Also, we must not discount the LOTH for being “only” Psalms. Not only are the three Gospel Canticles from the Gospel of Luke repeated every day, but there are substantial Readings from the Hebrew and Christian Testaments, in addition to a teaching of the Fathers of the Church in the Office of Readings.
There is a very wide opportunity to expand one’s meditations on Scripture by saying the LOTH each day, even if only one or two of the Hours may be observed.
Please do not “write off” the LOTH as some function of which each Catholic is not capable and is “second-rate” compared to the Rosary.
Peace be with you.
How about the Little Office?
All are great! Either Mass, LOTH, Rosary or Mass, Little Office, Rosary.
But for those who don’t have a whole lot of time Mass, Rosary 🙂
Correct. The Blessed Mother has repeatedly asked us to pray the Rosary EVERY DAY. That wasn’t for naught.
It’s easy to see you like and/or have a devotion to The Little Office of Our Lady which is very good. My wife and I tried to do it often (sometimes daily) and it was very difficult for us to stay with it (lack of devotion comes to mind). Nevertheless, the Holy Rosary is a good way to show love for Our Mother and to respond to her command at Fatima.
Did you know that the Rosary was orginally modeled on the Psalter(which is the Origin of the Breviary)?
From the Marian Library at the University of Dayton (WIKI):
“The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a variation of the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office). It may have originally been put together to be prayed in connection with the Votive Masses of Our Lady on Saturday, which were written by Alcuin, the liturgical master of Charlemagne’s court.”
You must define liturgy from devotion. This is a commendable devotion, as is the Rosary. But the Divine Office is official liturgy of the Church.
Eyes opened: The Rosary is “easier” to pray than the Mass. Does that make it preferable to the Mass? Has the Blessed Mother, or Jesus Himself EVER appeared to ANYONE and said, “The best practice for you is to attend daily Mass.”? Why not? What would make the Rosary more preferable than the Mass, which is the central liturgy of the Catholic Church, because various apparitions approve it? You see, this becomes a silly argument.
Maybe we should consider that the reason the Rosary is recommended is simply for simplicity. The Divine Office, as well as daily Mass, takes longer and does not repeat itself over and over. So the Rosary has been proposed to those who may not have either the time, nor the inclination to say the Divine Office, nor to attend daily Mass. It is an “easier” thing to do.
But please do not confuse “easiness” or popularity with liturgy. The Catholic Church could exist without the Rosary, and, indeed, did, for hundreds of years. The Church cannot exist without the Mass, and in the order of importance, then also without the Divine Office.
Peace be unto you!
What you mention may be technically true. But Our Lady says always, such as Fatima, to pray the daily Rosary. You may also recall that Jesus appeared to an African bishop in the last couple years and said to pray the Rosary to help defeat Boko Haram. If Heaven says that versus pray the Divine Office, there is a reason. The Rosary is the best for absolutely everyone, and anyone, even children can pray it. So *practically speaking*, the Rosary is best after the Mass.
I agreed with all you said except for one point. And that is that all Paul VI changed was not intended for the “Catholic Laity”, he’s more interested in making it less difficult (or offensive) for protestants. He was very concern with not “offending” them at the cost of offending God.
I believe that would be a difficult thesis for you to prove, Carlos, but please try to give documentation for your comment.
Peace.
Just get a Bible which has, as part of the introduction, what Pope Paul VI said about changing words/meanings (??)-specially the Psalms- of parts that are “offensive to our separate brethren”. Recently we dispose of such Bible for having that statement.
Just remember that for Vatican II council, there were 6-8 (maybe more if we count jews and freemasons) protestants helping (to what I think) to destroy Jesus’ Church.
Even more than you thought, Carlos, altho I do not see “Freemasons” listed. Click on: https://vaticaniiat50.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/63-non-catholic-observers-attending-second-session/
I would like the name and version of the Bible which you got rid of. Your statements are quite inflammatory concerning a Pope of the Church, and I would expect that you did due diligence to make sure your charges are true.
Peace.
I don’t remember if it was the Jerusalem Bible or another of the ones recommended by Mother Angelica R.I.P. And, yes we read the statement before mentioned. As the part of the “freemasons” you can research and find more about it. I wish I could remember where I saw/read it, but I don’t. And for that, I apologize. Furthermore, Bishop Fellay showed, in at least one occasion, pictures of the tomb of Paul VI’s mother in which freemason’s symbols were decorating it which further shows his attachments to that group. Bishop Fellay said that “he sent someone to take those pictures”.
God’s Peace back to you.
Sorry, Carlos, I have searched the Internet and find only third- or fourth-hand references to the supposed Masonic symbol on Pope Paul’s parents’ tombstone. There are NO direct references to the tombstone; there are no pictures. Curious. Could someone have imagined this? Could there be another explanation? Bishop Fellay, a schismatic and enemy of the Holy Spirit, is hardly an honest or reputable source. So, this becomes a calumny of Pope Paul VI…..a lie without evidence.
I did find this from a comment on a Rorate Caeli article: ” In addition, a priest friend of mine who is the Pastor of a Catholic Church in Italy, told me that the tombstone of Pope Paul VI’s parents contains the Masonic symbol.” First, there is no singular Masonic symbol. Here is a (partial) paicture of masonic symbols: https://www.google.com/search?q=masonic+symbols&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=775&site=webhp&tbm=isch&imgil=L-Y-l-ZZEfnn0M%253A%253BVuyBtS1ISXeyZM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.pinterest.com%25252Fpin%25252F489696159452708666%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=L-Y-l-ZZEfnn0M%253A%252CVuyBtS1ISXeyZM%252C_&usg=__SRDbkZTjQocGrzyAM8ZUhZxmRdQ%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjo4IX688DMAhUF3SYKHVi9A28QyjcIKQ&ei=FiwqV-j9OoW6mwHY-o74Bg#imgrc=L-Y-l-ZZEfnn0M%3A
As you may note, there are many symbols. Could it be a similar situation to the comparison of a Navajo Indian symbol that matches the Nazi swastika?
Then back to the problem (?) with Scripture translation. Please read this encyclical of Pope Paul VI and tell me if this is the cause of your concern? http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html
Al,so, I referenced an article from Rorate Caeli. You must admit the site is very “traditionalist” in nature. Yet they published this:
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/12/paul-vi-on-ignorance-of-christ.html and were quite complimentary of the homily.
I think you should review the information you have accumulated about Pope Paul VI, to make sure you have sufficient accurate information for your opinion. What will you say to him about these remarks when you meet him face-to-face in Heaven? I would not count on Bishop Fellay being there to back you up……………..unless he expresses obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Wow, you did cut deep here about Bishop Fellay. I do hope you do come to terms with your hate for him for even “pope Francis” whom I believe you like, called him Catholic.
In my view, there isn’t anything more schismatic and enemy of the Holy Ghost than Vatican II and all its supporters.
If wrong, May God have Mercy in our Souls.
Good bye and out…..
Sorry that hit so hard, Carlos, but you must trust the Holy Spirit to guide the Church. Bishop Fellay does not. He is not only dismissive of various popes elected with the guidance of the Spirit, but completely opposed to Vatican 2 Council, which was also guided by the Spirit. That is a doctrine of the Catholic Church….not someone’s uninformed opinion.
If we do not believe in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then we have committed the greatest sin, the one that cannot be forgiven, for it is a direct sin of pride against the cardinal virtues of Hope and Faith. Yes, we can be confused, as I am about Pope Francis’ actions, but we cannot be faithful Catholics and claim he is not pope, nor can we disregard his teachings..
I stand by my words about Bishop Fellay, and anyone who supports his schismatic views.
Sorry if that hurts feelings, but truth must be said.
Peace be with you.
The Holy Spirit has no direct causal relation to the election of a pope. The Holy Spirit has no direct causal relation to the election of a pope. The Holy Spirit has no direct causal relation to the election of a pope.
Maybe if I repeat it enough, it will sink in.
+Fellay is not so much dismissive of, but CRITICAL of, certain popes. As well he should be. They are deserving of criticism. If they were easily dismissed, we should waste no time on their notable mistakes.
We also have no guarantee of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in a council beyond its protection from promulgating, in a binding way, error in faith and morals. I would very much like to see any doctrinal citation that claims more.
Furthermore, those sins that cannot be forgiven (against the Holy Spirit) are despair and final impenitence — and these cannot be forgiven because we close ourselves off to repentance thereby.
We need to knock down these strawmen, James. I have no doubt you have good intentions, but you need good information, too.
Dear Steve and Carlos,
As far as the schismatic Bishop Fellay is concerned, please refer to CCC 875 and 883.
For the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I beg your pardon: Here is a quote of the established procedure:
“On the first day of the conclave, the Cardinals meet in the morning to celebrate the Holy Mass. At some point prior to the deliberations, “two ecclesiastics known for sound doctrine, wisdom, and moral authority” present two meditations to the Cardinals on the current problems facing the Church and on the need for careful discernment in choosing the next successor of St. Peter (RDG, #13d). In the afternoon, they assemble in the Pauline Chapel and invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit. While chanting the Veni Creator, they then proceed to the Sistine Chapel to begin deliberations (RDG, #50). That day, the first ballot takes place.”
—-http://catholicstraightanswers.com/how-is-a-pope-elected/
To save space and time, I will not repeat this three times.
As for Holy Spirit guidance for a General or Ecumenical Council, I defer to an expert who wrote an article on what would happen before V2.: I quote:
“The bishops, united with the Pope, participate in the Church’s infallibility, and at the forthcoming council will be specially assisted by the Holy Spirit, to avoid doctrinal error in dealing with problems that face the Church and reaching solutions demanded by the will of God. Unquestionably the acts and decrees of the council must be confirmed by the Pope to become binding on the faithful; but in all the conciliar deliberations which precede the papal approval, it is Catholic teaching that the bishops, under the Roman Pontiff, are divinely guided to preserve and interpret the deposit of Christian revelation.”
—http://www.hardonsj.org/guidance-holy-spirit/
I am sort of surprised I was able to find this material so easily. But then, I believe what the Christ told the assembled Apostles before He ascended: John 14:16-17, 26 and John 16:13, for three.
Sorry I could not highlight the specific words.
Peace be with you, and the Holy Spirit, as well.
1. He is not schismatic. We’ve covered this endlessly here. There is no formal schism between the SSPX and Rome. There are no canonical penalties. There is only a lack of juridical status. And while this lack is significant, it does NOT rise to the level of schism.
2. Invoking the Holy Spirit is NOT the same as having a guarantee that he guides the election or chooses the pope. Cardinal Ratzinger said as much before he was elected pope. He made the point that there were too many popes in history who the Holy Spirit clearly would not have chosen.
3. Again, the assistance of the Holy Spirit (which guarantees that an ecumenical council will not promulgate error) is not equivalent to the entire work of the council being the will of the Holy Spirit. There are some serious theological issues raised in Vatican II that as yet have still not been addressed, and demand to be.
It’s easy — especially with the Internet — to prooftext what you think supports your position; it’s much more difficult to come to a sufficient understanding of theology to understand what it all means.
CCC 2089 defines schismatic activity. I think it applies specifically in this case.
Your comments about the guidance of the Holy Spirit amount to “splitting hairs”. I made no statement about “guarantees”, just about “guidance”. Your are right, theology is not my strong point; I never studied it. However, the words in John’s Gospel seem to confirm constant guidance, no matter who is the pope, nor who questions his authority, election or announcements.
Yes, the Internet is a great service. Allowed me to go directly to CCC 2089.
Peace be with you!
This is getting tiresome; moreso because this same argument has been repeated for decades.
In what, specifically, has the SSPX refused “submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him”?
And I am not splitting hairs on the Holy Spirit. You originally said of +Fellay, “He is not only dismissive of various popes elected with the guidance of the Spirit…” — implying that the Holy Spirit endorsed those elections and the subsequent actions of their pontificates.
You also said that +Fellay was “completely opposed to Vatican II Council, which was also guided by the Spirit. That is a doctrine of the Catholic Church….not someone’s uninformed opinion.”
Not only is this latter point factually incorrect (they do not completely oppose Vatican II so much as they have specific theological objections) but their concerns are shared by many faithful within the Church, including Bishop Athanasius Schneider, who has called for a syllabus of errors of Vatican II. (There has even been controversy around evidence produced that Archbishop Lefebvre, in fact, signed ALL the documents of V2; I do not think this would have precluded him from later criticizing them, however.)
I do not mean to make a blanket endorsement of the SSPX. I am in no way associated with them, though I am friendly with some people who are, or who work for them. I just want us to be factually correct in our assessment of their situation, because there’s a great deal of misinformation floating around.
You are right, Steve, tiresome. Good night!
To clarify (I forgot to add this below) The sin of despair (against the holy Spirit) is a sin against the cardinal virtue of Hope. Final impenitence would then be a sin against both Hope, and Faith (in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to heal).
Not strawmen. Pretty fundamental catechism.
Yes, James. Pretty fundamental Catholicism. I don’t usually cite Jimmy Akin, but he lays it out pretty clearly here:
https://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/UNFORGIV.HTM
Good ole Jimmy! He can say in 300+ words what I said in 36.
So what is your disagreement with me? I said (and Akin affirms — in far more than 300 words if you look at the link!) that sin against the Holy Spirit is final impenitence; you say it’s not believing in “the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” So which is it?
Thank you!
Very interesting list, I just checked it out. I’m sure that many more -behind the scene- individuals were there.
Anyways, seen that list, re-affirms my conviction that, since enemies of the Catholic Church were there setting/changing the teachings and/or rules of Jesus’ Church, said council is illegal. Only real Princes of the Church can do Its work.
Since I don’t have much preparation/education in many thing, I can’t really present you with many facts, something you appear to be very knowledgeable of. I just like to read many things and -as our kids said- I’m very opinionated.
My technique to finding time to pray 5 mysteries is to break it up over the course of the day. I pray 2 decades in the morning while driving to work (30 minute journey with minimal traffic), two while driving home from work, and the last one before going to bed. Breaking it up like this has made praying the rosary easy. Too easy in fact.
Hello Julius. Whom I consider to be a very holy Priest spoke -at least once- about praying the Holy Rosary while driving and/or doing some other activities. He was fine with us praying that way as a form of devotion but, at least once a day, we should pray the Rosary with attention and devotion. According to him, which I agree, praying it while doing something else, isn’t appropriate.
My wife and I pray 16 decades in our way to church on Sundays (yes 16 for we add a decade at the end for the “poor souls in Purgatory” and it take us 90 min. each way in Sunday’s traffic) but, that doesn’t compare with the 5 decades prayed before Mass with the attention just on Our Lady’s Psalter.
May God’s Peace be with you and yours.
Mr Bloomfield, is it possible to make your Rosary flip book on Amazon available to overseas customers?
God bless!
Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, exporting is not an option I can do at this time.
As Much as I love the Rosary,I would rather promote the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Rosary is nothing but a Subsitute for the Latter.
The Rosary is not a lesser thing in the sense that you are describing here, but a different thing. It is a private devotion. Our Lady has asked for us all to pray it. For the laity it is certainly a good thing to pray the LOTH or Little Office. But is is not always able to be done by all the laity. The Rosary however can be.
OK…I respect those who have the Time to use the Rosary. But it is the spin-off of the Breviary. Also,private revelations are NOT Dogmatic.
Apparently you are not aware that the Rosary is rooted in the New Testament at the very least. That alone should make the Rosary a priority for anyone calling themselves Catholic.
I guess St. Louis de Montfort and St. Dominic, who so far as I know never used the Little Office of the B.V.M., and who by their preaching and praying the Rosary converted Thousands upon Thousands of people to living good lives following Christ were totally mistaken in promoting the Rosary. Pope Leo XIII wrote something like 10 encyclicals on the Rosary alone. I don’t recall seeing any Pope writing an encyclical promoting the widespread use of the Little Office.
8 Jesuit priests didn’t survive Hiroshima because they prayed the Little Office.
Millions and millions of miracles are attributed to the Rosary. Lepanto wasn’t won by people praying the Little Office. Brazil and Austria aren’t communist countries today because of the Little Office, but because of the Rosary.
There is no record of the devil being terrified of the Little Office, but their are many revelations of his being terrified by the Rosary.
The Little Office is a fine method of prayer which is all well and good, but the Rosary is THE prayer that is most powerful with God (after the Mass).
Understood. I am just trying to preach making popular piety a bridge to Active Participation in the Liturgy.
Our Lady says to pray the Rosary daily.
Can’t we do both? I mean, if we are able.
I’m not an “either/or” person. 🙂
Mr. Bloomfield has been good enough to make his flip book available as a Power Point presentation which we project upon the wall of our choir area, in an enlarged form, during the Rosary prior to our weekly weekday Mass. There are usually only about 40 people there, but they are seated all over the church. This allows everyone to see the paintings. Oh, he doesn’t charge for the service. A living apostolate!
My friends, Yes, wonderful!
When we pray with others as a family, as a congregation, or as a worldwide confraternity, then we lovingly reap the benefits of love/grace, which exudes, so to speak, from the devotion of those with whom we pray.
For instance, God’s Math formula proves that when we pray the Most Holy Rosary with five other people, then each one of us reap the benefits of six Rosaries. Ave Maria!
Sister Lucia of Fatima speaks on the Most Holy Rosary:
“The Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our family, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even the life of peoples and nations that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” My dear friends in Jesus & Mary, with the Rosary, we will save ourselves, we will sanctify ourselves, we will console our Lord, Jesus, and we will be instruments in obtaining the salvation of many souls.
Of all the creatures created by God, Mary is the most conformed to Jesus. The more that one is Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, then the more that one is Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
JAMLY,
euie