Today the conversion of St. Paul

Today is Tues: The Sorrowful Mysteries on the Rosary



Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Stations of the Cross daily. For the Salvation of Souls, the ending of Abortion, the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict, Peace,the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the needs and intentions of at least 10 others, and for your nation. 3 million of us praying these prayers daily will have a significant impact for good on the lives of others.

Please read the Free E-Book Covenant of Mercy and Blessing. It is found on the right hand column under the pages section. Feel free to copy it to your computer and share it with as many others as you want. If this site is a blessing to you please share it with at least 10 others and help with our vision of spreading Devotion to the Divine Mercy and Grace of Jesus and helping 3 million new people start praying the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Stations of the Cross daily. Your prayers and gifts are greatly appreciated in this effort. Thanks, Todd



ST. Paul's Conversion:
Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant, he saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “...entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he himself was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior.


One sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the loving group of people Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus, he saw, was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing.
From then on, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me” (Colossians 1:28b-29). “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a).

Paul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They are made into a new creation, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the Spirit on them, making them completely new.

So Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate.

Quote:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1271

Conversation of the Merciful God with a Sinful Soul

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Stations of the Cross daily. For the Salvation of Souls, the ending of Abortion, the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict, Peace,the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the needs and intentions of at least 10 others, and for your nation. 3 million of us praying these prayers daily will have a significant impact for good on the lives of others

I thought this was good.

The mercy of God, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, the voice of the Lord who speaks to us from the throne of mercy: Come to Me, all of you.


Conversation of the Merciful God with a Sinful Soul.(Excerpts from Saint Faustina's Diary)


Jesus: Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart.

Soul: Lord, I hear your voice calling me to turn back from the path of sin, but I have neither the strength nor the courage to do so.

Jesus: I am your strength, I will help you in the struggle.

 Soul: Lord, I recognize your holiness, and I fear You.

Jesus: My child, do you fear the God of mercy? My holiness (80) does not prevent Me front being merciful. Behold, for you I have established a throne of mercy on earth—the tabernacle—and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart. I am not surrounded by a retinue or guards. You can come to me at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace.

Soul: Lord, I doubt that You will pardon my numerous sins; my misery fills me with fright.

Jesus: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.

(81) Soul: You have conquered, O Lord, my stony heart with Your goodness. In trust and humility I approach the tribunal of Your mercy, where You yourself absolve me by the hand of your representative. O Lord, I feel Your grace and Your peace filling my poor soul. I feel overwhelmed by Your mercy, O Lord. You forgive me, which is more than I dared to hope for or could imagine. Your goodness surpasses all my desires. And now, filled with gratitude for so many graces, I invite You to my heart. I wandered, like a prodigal child gone astray; but you did not cease to be my Father. Increase Your mercy toward me, for You see how weak I am.

Jesus: Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child, to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain of Life whatever your heart desires. Drink copiously from the Fountain of Life and you will not weary on your journey. Look at the splendors of My mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy.
http://www.pornnomore.com/Conversations.htm

Happy and Blessed New Year in 2011

Well here we are headed into the New Year with all of the hopes and dreams that a fresh start has. It is so much like the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The only difference is we do not have to wait for a New Year to go to Reconciliation. Have you gone to confession recently? Why not go before you partake of the Holy Eucharist next mass and see what will happen to you? God bless, Todd

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Stations of the Cross daily. For the Salvation of Souls, the ending of Abortion, the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict, Peace, the needs and intentions of at least 10 others, and for your nation. 3 million of us praying these prayers will have a significant impact on the lives of others.

You may notice a new look this year.We will include the daily mass readings, a saint, pope, or doctrine for your edification. God bless, Todd
Tuesday, January 04, 2011


St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Memorial)

First Reading:1 John 4:7-10
Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8
Mark 6:34-44

A weak minded person is frequently diverted toward pursuing exterior happiness when the breath of popular favor accompanies his good actions. So he gives up his own personal choices, preferring to remain at the mercy of whatever he hears from others. Thus, he rejoices not so much to become but to be called blessed. Eager for praise, he gives up what he had begun to be; and so he is severed from God by the very means by which he appeared to be commendable in God
-- Pope St. Gregory the Great

Gospel text (Jn 1:35-42): As John was standing with two of his disciples, Jesus walked by, and John looked at him and said, «There is the Lamb of God». On hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. He turned and saw them following, and He said to them, «What are you looking for?». They answered, «Rabbi (which means Master), where are you staying?». Jesus said, «Come and see». So they went and saw where he stayed and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard what John had said and followed Jesus. Early the next morning he found his brother Simon and said to him, «We have found the Messiah» (which means the Christ), and he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, «You are Simon, son of John, but you shall be called Cephas» (which means Rock).

Comment: Fr. Josep Mª MASSANA i Mola OFM (Barcelona, Spain)

‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’. Jesus said, ‘Come and see’

Today, the Gospel reminds us of the vocational circumstances of Jesus' first disciples. To get ready for the advent of the Messiah, John and his friend Andrew had listened to, and followed for a while, John the Baptist. One day, John the Baptist, points out to Jesus, by calling him the Lamb of God. On hearing this, John and Andrew understand that He is the long-waited Messiah! And, by leaving the Baptist, they set to follow Jesus.
Jesus hears them behind. He turns and sees them following. Jesus and those unassuming men exchange glances. They remain captivated. Jesus' gaze turns their hearts over and they feel the need to stay on with him: «Where are you staying?» (Jn 1:38), they ask him. «Come and see» (Jn 1:39), answers Jesus. He invites them to remain, to see, to meditate.
They go, and they contemplate Him while listening to Him. And they spend the evening and the night with Him. It is a time of closeness and confidences. A time of love sharing. They remain with Him until the following morning. When the Sun rises over the world.
Stirred up with the flame of that «sunrise which shines upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death...» (cf. Lk 1:78-79), they set forth to irradiate it. Exalted, they feel the urge to communicate what they have seen and lived to the first ones they may meet: «We have found the Messiah!» (Jn 1:41). Many saints have also done it similarly. St. Frances, love wounded, went about streets and squares, hamlets and woods, shouting: «Love is not loved!».
In our Christian life, the essential part is to allow Jesus to gaze into us, to go and see where he stays, to stay with him and to share. And, afterwards, to announce it. This is the way and procedure followed by the disciples and saints. It is our way
http://evangeli.net/gospel

Jesus to St. Faustina "Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy"

   As I write this morning we are snowed in having had a blizzard yesterday.
This of course gives me plenty of time to think and reflect upon the things of God. I find in myself this struggle between obedience and my own sinful nature. I struggle with lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life (1 John 2, 15-17). It is easy sometimes to forget about what a poor soul we all are in light of the Divine Mercy of Jesus.
   All of us fall far short of Him and will not be justified without His Mercy (Romans 3:23). It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God and I fear for anyone who thinks they can stand before Him justified without His mercy (Hebrews 10:31). I pray for all souls that we all come to true repentance, reconciliation, restoration, and complete redemption (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
   Jesus spoke of this to St. Faustina, "[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice..."

I pray that each of us comes to Jesus and seeks mercy for: ourselves, our families, those we love and their families, all of mankind especially sinners, the souls of priests and religious, all devout and faithful souls, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, those who have separated themselves from His Church, meek and humble souls especially the souls of little children, the souls of those who especially venerate and glorify His Mercy, the Holy souls in Purgatory, and those who have become lukewarm (these are from the novena). Please pray for His mercy on our nation, our leaders, the ending of abortion, the salvation of mothers and their babies, and especially the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. May God truly bless each of you and make you a blessing this third week of advent. Todd

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for the Divine Mercy and Divine Grace of Jesus upon all souls, for peace,the salvation of expecting mothers, the ending of abortion, the salvation of all souls, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI

Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us,the souls of all sinners, the souls of the dying, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religious, the Holy souls in purgatory, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, all who are suffering and in need. May Jesus have mercy on us all.

Please pray the Stations of the Cross daily to remember the Divine Mercy and Grace of Jesus, the sacrifice Jesus made for us and to encourage us to do the same for others. Abortion is a national tragedy and will not end without the intercession of Jesus and Mary. Jesus, we trust in you.

Please pray that we help the New Evangelism and reach 3 million who will be devoted to these prayers, with the intercession of Mary and Jesus this can actively change our world for the better!

Pius IX Prayers for Peace

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for the Divine Mercy and Divine Grace of Jesus upon all souls, for peace,the salvation of expecting mothers, the ending of abortion, the salvation of all souls, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVII

Instructions on how to pray the Rosary- http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/rosary/how_to.htm


Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us,the souls of all sinners, the souls of the dying, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religious, the Holy souls in purgatory, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, all who are suffering and in need. May Jesus have mercy on us all.
Instructions on how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet-http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm


Please pray the Stations of the Cross daily to remember the Divine Mercy and Grace of Jesus, the sacrifice Jesus made for us and to encourage us to do the same for others. Abortion is a national tragedy and will not end without the intercession of Jesus and Mary. Jesus, we trust in you.
Instructions on the Stations of the Cross-http://www.cptryon.org/xpipassio/stations/


Please pray that we help the New Evangelism and reach 3 million who will be devoted to these prayers, with the intercession of Mary and Jesus this can actively change our world for the better!

Please read the following in light of today's world. We never seem to change.

APOSTOLICAE NOSTRAE CARITATIS


ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS IX

URGING PRAYERS FOR PEACE

AUGUST 1, 1854

To the Venerable Brothers, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Local Ordinaries Who Share Grace and Communion with the Apostolic See.
Venerable Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic Benediction.
When We contemplate the whole Catholic world with the care and affection of Our apostolic love, We can hardly put into words how deeply saddened We are at seeing Christian and civil society disturbed and thoroughly confused, oppressed and torn apart by all kinds of disasters. Moreover you know very well how the Christian people are afflicted and harassed by ferocious wars, internal discords, plagues, earthquakes, and other serious troubles. In addition, it is lamentable that among so many injuries and evils perpetrated by the sons of darkness, who are more artful than the sons of light, they try energetically to wage a bitter war against the Catholic Church and its doctrines. In this they use diabolic deceits, arts, and labors. They attempt to overthrow the authority of the Church's legitimate power and to corrupt the minds and souls of everyone. They want to spread everywhere the deadly virus of indifferentism and unbelief; to mix together all human and divine rights; to promote dissension, discord, and movements of impious rebellion; and to commit vicious deeds and cruel crimes. They leave nothing untried so that if it were possible, Our religion would be uprooted and human society itself might be destroyed.



2. Well aware of these dangerous circumstances, We have not failed to raise Our eyes to the holy mountain whence We trust every future help will come. We asked to obtain all the good things which We lack and to avoid the evils We dread. We do not cease to beseech Our merciful God with fervent prayers so that, banishing war to the ends of the earth and removing all disagreements from the Christian princes, He might grant peace and tranquility to their people. May God especially grant to those princes a pious zeal by preserving and spreading the Catholic faith and doctrine. The happiness of the people depends upon this. May He also save those leaders and people from all the evils which afflict them and make them rejoice in true prosperity. May He bestow the gift of His grace on those who stray so that they may return from the path of perdition to the way of truth and justice and may be turned toward God with a sincere heart. Moreover We have ordered that prayer imploring the divine mercy be offered in this Our beloved city. Following in the footsteps of Our predecessors, We decided to have recourse to your prayers and to those of the whole Church.



3. Therefore, We are writing this letter to you. We implore you to arouse the faithful entrusted to your care concerning the matters mentioned above so that they might strive to appease the wrath of God provoked by the shameful deeds of men. They should do this by true penance with prayers, fasting, almsgiving, and other good works. Also explain to the faithful how God is merciful to all who call upon Him and how powerful prayer is if We go to the Lord without permitting any enemy of our salvation to have access to us. To use the words of Chrysostom, prayer is "the source, the root, and the mother of innumerable good things. The power of prayer extinguishes the strength of fire, restrains the raging of lions, settles wars and fights, endures storms, escapes devils, opens the doors of heaven, breaks the bonds of death, casts out diseases, repels injuries, and strengthens shattered cities. Prayer endures the blows inflicted from heaven, all the snares of men, and every evil."[1]

4. We strongly desire that when you pray to the Father of Mercies about these matters you do not forget to pray to Him humbly, ardently, and zealously, following the guidelines of Our encyclical letter dated February 2, 1849. Pray that He will desire to enlighten Our mind with the light of His Holy Spirit by which We might issue a decree as soon as possible concerning the conception of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Immaculate Virgin Mary. This would result in the greater glory of God and the praise of that Virgin, the loving mother of us all.
5. Indeed We have decided to offer the treasures of divine gifts, whose dispensation the Most High entrusted to Our care, so that your faithful may pray with more fervent love and more abundant fruit. For this reason, by the mercy of almighty God and trusting in the authority of His blessed apostles Peter and Paul, We confer, by the power of binding and loosing which the Lord gave to Us, a plenary indulgence of all sins as in a jubilee. This indulgence will be granted to all the faithful of your dioceses who accomplish the following acts within a three month span to be determined by each one of you and computed from the day which you decide upon. They must have humbly confessed their sins with sincere regret for them, and after being purified with sacramental absolution, they must have reverently received the sacrament of the Eucharist. They must also visit three churches designated by you or one of the churches three times and must say prayers there for the exaltation and prosperity of Holy Mother Church and the Apostolic See, for the elimination of heresies, for the peace and harmony of the Christian princes, and for the tranquillity and unity of the whole Christian people. Moreover they should fast once within the same period and give some alms to the poor. This indulgence can also be applied to the souls in purgatory. Since We desire even cloistered nuns and other people permanently in cloister to participate in this indulgence, as well as people in prisons, invalids, and other people prevented by any handicap from carrying out some of the aforementioned works, We grant the confessors the ability to exchange one work of piety for another or to defer it to another time. In addition, the confessors will have the power to give communion to children who have not yet had their first communion. Therefore, We authorize you on this occasion and during this three month period to bestow on the confessors of your dioceses all those same powers which We gave in the other jubilee announced through Our encyclical letter of November 21, 1851. We published that letter which begins with "Ex aliis nostris" and sent it to you. All those things which We excepted in that letter must be observed. In addition, We also grant you the favor of giving the faithful -- both laymen and clerics -- the ability on this occasion to choose their own confessors, either secular or regular, from those approved. We also grant this same power to the cloistered nuns exempt from the jurisdiction of the Ordinary and to other women living in cloister.

6. Set to work then, venerable brothers, since you have been called to share in Our cares and have been placed as guardians over the walls of Jerusalem. Do not cease night and day to cry to the Lord Our God with Us. Implore His divine mercy so that He may turn away the scourge of His wrath, which we deserve for our sins and may mercifully bestow the riches of His goodness on everyone. We do not doubt that you will be totally content with these wishes and requests. And We know for certain that everyone, especially the clergy, the men and women in religious orders, and the faithful laity who worthily walk in the vocation to which they were called, will send prayers and supplications unceasingly to God. Nor would We neglect to ask the help of those who have obtained the palm of victory so that God might more easily bend His ear to Our prayers. Above all, We constantly call upon the Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, who is the most suitable and most powerful intercessor with God and who is the mother of graces and mercies. Then We invoke the patronage of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul and of all the saints who reign with Christ in heaven. Nothing should be more important, nothing more preferable to you than to exhort the faithful entrusted to your care so that they, daily more firm and immovable, may persist in the profession of the Catholic faith; avoid the snares, lies, and deceptions of their enemies; advance more quickly in the ways of God's commandments; and carefully abstain from sin. From sin comes all the evils of the human race. For this reason never cease to inflame the zeal of the parish priests so that in discharging their office diligently, they may never stop instructing the Christian people entrusted to them in the principles and teachings of our faith, nourishing them through the administration of the sacraments, and exhorting them in sound doctrine.


7. Finally, as a sign of all heavenly gifts and as a witness of Our ardent love for you, receive the apostolic benediction which We affectionately impart to you and to all the clergy and laity entrusted to your care.
Given in Rome at St. Peter's on the first day of August in the year 1854, the ninth year of Our Pontificate.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (New American Standard Bible)
14 "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."


Matthew 28:19-21 (New American Standard Bible)
19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON THE ROSARY pary II

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.



Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religious, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us all.


Please pray the Stations of the Cross daily to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us and to encourage us to do the same for others. Abortion is a national tragedy and will not end without the intercession of Jesus and Mary.

ADIUTRICEM


ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON THE ROSARY

SEPTEMBER 5, 1895

To Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.

6. The mystery of Christ's immense love for us is revealed with dazzling brilliance in the fact that the dying Saviour bequeathed His Mother to His disciple John in the memorable testament: "Behold thy son." Now in John,as the Church has constantly taught, Christ designated the whole human race, and in the first rank are they who are joined with Him by faith. It is in this sense that St. Anselm of Canterbury says: "What dignity, O Virgin, could be more highly prized than to be the Mother of those to whom Christ deigned to be Father and Brother!"[2] With a generous heart Mary undertook and discharged the duties of her high but laborious office, the beginnings of which were consecrated in the Cenacle. With wonderful care she nurtured the first Christians by her holy example, her authoritative counsel, her sweet consolation, her fruitful prayers. She was, in very truth, the Mother of the Church, the Teacher and Queen of the Apostles, to whom, besides, she confided no small part of the divine mysteries which she kept in her heart.




7. It is impossible to measure the power and scope of her offices since the day she was taken up to that height of heavenly glory in the company of her Son, to which the dignity and luster of her merits entitle her. From her heavenly abode she began, by God's decree, to watch over the Church, to assist and befriend us as our Mother; so that she who was so intimately associated with the mystery of human salvation is just as closely associated with the distribution of the graces which for all time will flow from the Redemption.



8. The power thus put into her hands is all but unlimited. How unerringly right, then, are Christian souls when they turn to Mary for help as though impelled by an instinct of nature, confidently sharing with her their future hopes and past achievements, their sorrows and joys, commending themselves like children to the care of a bountiful mother. How rightly, too, has every nation and every liturgy without exception acclaimed her great renown, which has grown greater with the voice of each succeeding century. Among her many other titles we find her hailed as "our Lady, our Mediatrix,"[3] "the Reparatrix of the whole world,"[4] "the Dispenser of all heavenly gifts."[5]



9. Since faith is the foundation, the source, of the gifts of God by which man is raised above the order of nature and is endowed with the dispositions requisite for life eternal, we are in justice bound to recognize the hidden influence of Mary in obtaining the gift of faith and its salutary cultivation-of Mary who brought the "author of faith"[6] into this world and who, because of her own great faith, was called "blessed.""O Virgin most holy, none abounds in the knowledge of God except through thee; none, O Mother of God, attains salvation except through thee; none receives a gift from the throne of mercy except through thee."[7]



10. It is no exaggeration to say that it is due chiefly to her leadership and help that the wisdom and teachings of the Gospel spread so rapidly to all the nations of the world in spite of the most obstinate difficulties and most cruel persecutions, and brought everywhere in their train a new reign of justice and peace. This it was that stirred the soul of St. Cyril of Alexandria to the following prayerful address to the Blessed Virgin: "Through you the Apostles have preached salvation to the nations. . . through you the priceless Cross is everywhere honored and venerated; through you the demons have been put to rout and mankind has been summoned back to Heaven; through you every misguided creature held in the thrall of idols is led to recognize the truth; through you have the faithful been brought to the laver of holy Baptism and churches been founded among every people."[8]

http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13adiut.htm

Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Devotion of the Holy Rosary (September 1, 1883), part II

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@yahoo.com  Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, toddarausch@yahoo.com


Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.


Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religious, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us all.

Supremi Apostolatus Officio


Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Devotion of the Holy Rosary (September 1, 1883)

To all the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops and Bishops of the Catholic World in the Grace and Communion of the Apostolic See.

Venerable Brethren, Health and the Apostolic Benediction.

4. The efficacy and power of this devotion was also wondrously exhibited in the sixteenth century, when the vast forces of the Turks threatened to impose on nearly the whole of Europe the yoke of superstition and barbarism. At that time the Supreme Pontiff, St. Pius V, after rousing the sentiment of a common defense among all the Christian princes, strove, above all, with the greatest zeal, to obtain for Christendom the favor of the most powerful Mother of God. So noble an example offered to heaven and earth in those times rallied around him all the minds and hearts of the age. And thus Christ's faithful warriors, prepared to sacrifice their life and blood for the salvation of their faith and their country, proceeded undauntedly to meet their foe near the Gulf of Corinth, while those who were unable to take part formed a pious band of supplicants, who called on Mary, and unitedly saluted her again and again in the words of the Rosary, imploring her to grant the victory to their companions engaged in battle. Our Sovereign Lady did grant her aid; for in the naval battle by the Echinades Islands, the Christian fleet gained a magnificent victory, with no great loss to itself, in which the enemy were routed with great slaughter. And it was to preserve the memory of this great boon thus granted, that the same Most Holy Pontiff desired that a feast in honor of Our Lady of Victories should celebrate the anniversary of so memorable a struggle, the feast which Gregory XIII dedicated under the title of "The Holy Rosary." Similarly, important successes were in the last century gained over the Turks at Temeswar, in Pannonia, and at Corfu; and in both cases these engagements coincided with feasts of the Blessed Virgin and with the conclusion of public devotions of the Rosary. And this led our predecessor, Clement XI., in his gratitude, to decree that the Blessed Mother of God should every year be especially honored in her Rosary by the whole Church.


5. Since, therefore, it is clearly evident that this form of prayer is particularly pleasing to the Blessed Virgin, and that it is especially suitable as a means of defense for the Church and all Christians, it is in no way wonderful that several others of Our Predecessors have made it their aim to favor and increase its spread by their high recommendations. Thus Urban IV. testified that "every day the Rosary obtained fresh boon for Christianity." Sixtus IV. declared that this method of prayer "redounded to the honor of God and the Blessed Virgin, and was well suited to obviate impending dangers;" Leo X. that "it was instituted to oppose pernicious heresiarchs and heresies;" while Julius III. called it "the glory of the Church." So also St. Pius V., that "with the spread of this devotion the meditations of the faithful have begun to be more inflamed, their prayers more fervent, and they have suddenly become different men; the darkness of heresy has been dissipated, and the light of Catholic faith has broken forth again." Lastly Gregory XIII in his turn pronounced that "the Rosary had been instituted by St. Dominic to appease the anger of God and to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

6. Moved by these thoughts and by the examples of Our Predecessors, We have deemed it most opportune for similar reasons to institute solemn prayers and to endeavor by adopting those addressed to the Blessed Virgin in the recital of the Rosary to obtain from her son Jesus Christ a similar aid against present dangers. You have before your eyes, Venerable Brethren, the trials to which the Church is daily exposed; Christian piety, public morality, nay, even faith itself, the supreme good and beginning of all the other virtues, all are daily menaced with the greatest perils.

7. Nor are you only spectators of the difficulty of the situation, but your charity, like Ours, is keenly wounded; for it is one of the most painful and grievous sights to see so many souls, redeemed by the blood of Christ, snatched from salvation by the whirlwind of an age of error, precipitated into the abyss of eternal death. Our need of divine help is as great today as when the great Dominic introduced the use of the Rosary of Mary as a balm for the wounds of his contemporaries.
http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_le13so.htm

Pentacost a time for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@gmail.com Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, Todd


Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.


Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religous, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us.

Please pray the Stations of the Cross daily for the mercy of God upon our sinful nation. Ma the sacrifice of Christ remind us of the cost of our sins.

         Today is Pentacost! We celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church. We celebrate the birth of the Church. We celebrate the hope of Christ within us. There is indeed much to celebrate.

  This is also a time to pray that the Father iginites the fire of the Holy Spirit within His Church. That we would be like the Apostles and run out into the streets telling everyone of the great things of God. It is also a time for prayer for our nation. What a mess we have made of it.

        This year or last we passed over 50 million babies aborted (depending on the source). This is an unimaginable national tradjedy and sin. What have we done? How can we stop it before it is too late? I am praying for forgiveness for our nation and mercy upon us. Maybe the Father will grant us the grace of true repentance, reconcilliation, rebirth, redemption, and restoration. I can only hope. I also hope that all who read this will join me by daily praying the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Stations of the cross for this intention and the intentions of the Holy Father the Pope. May Mary our Mother and all the Saints intercede for us. Todd

The Tenth Rose

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@gmail.com Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, Todd


Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.


Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religous, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us.

I started to pray The Stations Of The Cross today as well as the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. My heart is at peace and yet feels broken. The depth of the Love of Jesus is almost too much to try to understand. To do what He did for us is too much for me to fathom. Todd

Tenth Rose


Miracles

While Saint Dominic was preaching the Rosary in Carcasone, a heretic made fun of the miracles and the fifteen mysteries of the Holy Rosary, and this prevented other heretics from being converted. As a punishment God suffered fifteen thousand devils to enter the man's body.

His parents took him to Father Dominic to be delivered from the evil spirits. He started to pray and begged everyone who was there to say the Rosary out loud with him, and at each Hail Mary Our Lady drove out one hundred devils out of the heretic's body and they came out in the form of red hot coals.

After he had been delivered he abjured his former errors, was converted and joined the Rosary Confraternity. Several of his associates did the same, having been greatly moved by his punishment and by the power of the Rosary.

The learned Franciscan, Carthagena, as well as several other authors, say that an extraordinary event took place in 1482: The Venerable James Sprenger and other religious of his order were zealously working to reestablish devotion to the Holy Rosary and also to erect a Confraternity in the city of Cologne.

Unfortunately two priests who were famous for their preaching ability were jealous of the great influence they were exerting through preaching the Rosary. So these two Fathers spoke against this devotion whenever they had a chance, and as they were very eloquent and had a great reputation they persuaded many people not to join the Confraternity.

One of them, bound and determined to achieve his wicked end, wrote a special sermon against the Rosary and planned to give it the following Sunday. But when it came time for the sermon he never appeared and, after a certain amount of waiting somebody went to fetch him. He was found dead, and evidently had died alone without any one to help him and without seeing a priest.
After convincing himself that death had been due to natural causes, the other priest decided to carry out his friend's plan and hoped to put an end to the Confraternity of the Rosary. However, when the day came for him to preach and it was time to give the sermon God punished him by striking him down with paralysis which deprived him both of the use of his limbs and of his power of speech.

At last he admitted his sin and likewise that of his friend and immediately, in his heart of hearts, he silently besought Our Lady to help him. He promised her that is she would only cure him he would preach the Holy Rosary with as much zeal as that with which he had formerly fought against it. For this end he implored her to restore his health and speech which she did, and finding himself instantaneously cured he rose up like another Saul, a persecutor turned defender of the Holy Rosary. He publicly acknowledged his former error and ever after preached the wonders of the Most Holy Rosary with great zeal and eloquence.

I am quite sure that freethinkers and ultra-critical people of today will question the truth of the stories in this little book, in the very same way that they have always questioned most things, but all that I have done has been to copy them from very good contemporary writers and also, in part, from a book that was written only a short time ago: "The Mystical Rose Tree," by the Reverend Antonin Thomas, O.P.
Everyone knows that there are three different kinds of faith by which we believe different kinds of stories:

•To stories of Holy Scripture we own DIVINE FAITH;

•To stories concerning other than religious subjects, which do not militate against common sense and which are written by trustworthy authors, we pay the tribute of HUMAN FAITH; whereas

•To stories about holy subjects which are told by good authors and are not in the slightest degree contrary to reason, faith, or morals (even though they may sometimes deal with happenings which are above the ordinary run of events) we pay the tribute of PIOUS FAITH.

I agree that we must be neither too credulous nor too critical and that we should remember that "virtue takes the middle course" - keeping a happy medium in all things in order to find just where truth and virtue lie. But on the other hand I know equally well that charity easily leads us to believe all that is not contrary to faith or morals: "Charity ....believeth all things;" *1* in the same way pride induces us to doubt even well authenticated stories on the plea that they are not to be found in the Bible.

This is one of the devil's traps; heretics of the past who denied Tradition have fallen into it and overcritical people of today are falling into it too without even realizing it.

People of this kind refuse to believe what they do not understand or what is not to their liking, simply because of their own spirit of pride and independence.
http://www.rosary-center.org/secret.htm

The Ninth Rose of St Louis de Montfort

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@gmail.com  Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, Todd

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.





Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religous, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us.

The Ninth Rose

Ninth Rose

Enemies

It is very wicked indeed and unfair to other souls to hinder the progress of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Almighty God has severely punished many of those who have been so benighted as to scorn the Confraternity and who have sought to destroy it.

Even though God has set His seal of approval on the Holy Rosary by many miracles, and in spite of the Papal Bulls that have been written approving it, there are only too many people who are against the Holy Rosary today. These freethinkers and those who scorn religion either condemn the Rosary or try to turn others away from it.

It is easy to see that they have absorbed the poison of hell and that they are inspired by the devil - for nobody can condemn devotion to the Holy Rosary without condemning all that is most holy in the Catholic Faith, such as the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salutation and the mysteries of the life, death, and glory of Jesus Christ and of His Holy Mother.

These freethinkers who cannot bear others to say the Rosary often fall into a really heretical state of mind without even realizing it and some to hate the Rosary and its holy mysteries.

To have a loathing for confraternities is to fall away from God and true piety, for Our Lord Himself has told us that He is always in the midst of those who are gathered together in His name. No good Catholic should forget the many great indulgences which Holy Mother Church has granted to Confraternities. Finally, to dissuade others from joining the Rosary Confraternity is to be an enemy of souls because the Rosary is a sure means of curing oneself of sin and of embracing a Christian Life.

Saint Bonaventure said (in his Psalter) that whoever neglected Our Lady would perish in his sins and would be damned: "He who neglects her will die in his sins." If such is the penalty for neglecting her, what must be the punishment in store for those who actually turn others away from their devotions!
http://www.rosary-center.org/secret.htm

The 8th Rose, The Blessed Mother loves us with a true love

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@gmail.com  Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, Todd

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.

Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religous, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us.

 

Eighth Rose


Marvels of the Rosary

It would hardly be possible for me to put into words how much Our Lady thinks of the Holy Rosary and of how she vastly prefers it to all other devotions. Neither can I sufficiently express how highly she rewards those who work to preach the devotion, to establish it and spread it, nor on the other hand how firmly she punishes those who work against it.

All during life, Saint Dominic had nothing more at heart than to praise Our Lady, to preach her greatness and to inspire everybody to honor her by saying Her Rosary. As a reward he received countless graces from her; exercising her great power as Queen of Heaven she crowned his labors with many miracles and prodigies. Almighty God always granted him what he asked through Our Lady. The greatest honor of all was that she helped him crush the Albigensian heresy and made him the founder and patriarch of a great religious order.

As for Blessed Alan de la Roche who restored the devotion to the Rosary, he received many privileges from Our Lady; she graciously appeared to him several times to teach him how to work out his salvation, to become a good priest and perfect religious, and how to pattern himself on Our Lord.

He used to be horribly tempted and persecuted by devils, and then deep sadness would fall upon him and sometimes he used to be near to despair - but Our Lady always comforted him by her sweet presence which banished the clouds of darkness from his soul.

She taught him how to say the Rosary, explaining its value and the fruits to be gained by it and gave him a great and glorious privilege: the honor of being called her new spouse. As a token of her chaste love for him she placed a ring upon his finger and necklace made of her own hair about his neck and gave him a Rosary.

Father Triteme, Cathagena and Martin of Navarre (both very learned men) and others as well have spoken of him in terms of the highest praise. Blessed Alan died at Zunolle in Flanders September 8th, 1475, after having brought over one hundred thousand people into the Confraternity.

Blessed Thomas of Saint John was well known for his sermons on the Most Holy Rosary, and the devil, jealous of the success he had with souls, tortured him so much that he fell ill and was sick so long that the doctors gave him up. One night when he really thought that he was dying, the devil appeared to him in the most horrible form imaginable. There was a picture of Our Lady near his bed; he looked at it and cried with all his heart and soul and strength: "Help me, save me, my sweet, sweet Mother!" No sooner had he said this than the picture seemed to come alive and Our Lady put out her hand, took him by the arm and said:

"Do not be afraid, Thomas my son, here I am and I am going to save you: get up now and go on preaching my Rosary as you used to do. I promise to shield you from your enemies."

When Our Lady said this the devil fled and Blessed Thomas got up, finding that he was in perfect health. He then thanked the Blessed Mother with tears of joy. He resumed his Rosary apostolate and his sermons were marvelously successful.

Our Lady blesses not only those who preach her Rosary, but she highly rewards all those who get others to say it by their example.

Alphonsus, King of Leon and Galicia, very much wanted all his servants to honor the Blessed Virgin by saying the Rosary. So he used to hang a large rosary on his belt and always wore it, but unfortunately never said it himself. Nevertheless his wearing it encouraged his courtiers to say the Rosary very devoutly.

One day the King fell seriously ill and when he was given up for dead he found himself, in a vision, before the judgement seat of Our Lord. Many devils were there accusing him of all the sins he had committed and Our Lord as Sovereign Judge was just about to condemn him to hell when Our Lady appeared to intercede for him. She called for a pair of scales and had his sins placed in one of the balances whereas she put the rosary that he had always worn on the other scale, together with all the Rosaries that had been said because of his example. It was found that the Rosaries weighed more than his sins.

Looking at him with great kindness Our Lady said: "As a reward for this little honor that you paid me in wearing my Rosary, I have obtained a great grace for you from my Son. Your life will be spared for a few more years. See that you spend these years wisely, and do penance."

When the King regained consciousness he cried out: "Blessed be the Rosary of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, by which I have been delivered from eternal damnation!"

After he had recovered his health he spent the rest of his life in spreading devotion to the Holy Rosary and said it faithfully every day.

People who love the Blessed Virgin out to follow the example of King Alphonsus and that of the saints whom I have mentioned so that they too may win other souls for the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. They will then receive great graces on earth and eternal life later on. "They that explain me shall have life everlasting life." [1] Ecclus. 24:31
http://www.rosary-center.org/secret.htm

The seventh rose. Celebrate what is right with the Church today!

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@gmail.com  Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, Todd

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.



Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religous, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us.

Celebrate what is right with the Church today. The sacrament of baptism binds us together with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here we receive faith, the seal of the Holy Spirit, and adoption as Children of God.

The Seventh Rose
Crown of Roses

Ever since Blessed Alan de la Roche reestablished this devotion the voice of the people, which is the voice of God, called it the Rosary. The word Rosary means "Crown of Roses," that is to say that ever time people say the Rosary devoutly they place a crown of one hundred and fifty ---three red roses and sixteen white roses upon the heads of Jesus and Mary. Being heavenly flowers these roses will never fade or lose their exquisite beauty.

Our Lady has shown her thorough approval of the name Rosary; she had 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.

The well-known Jesuit, Brother Alphonsus Rodriguez, used to say his Rosary with such fervor that he often saw a red rose come out of his mouth at each Our Father and a white rose at each Hail Mary. The red and white roses were equal in beauty and fragrance, the only difference being in their color.

The chronicles of Saint Francis tell of a young friar who had the praiseworthy habit of saying the Crown of Our Lady (the Rosary) every day before dinner. One day for some reason or other he did not manage to say it. The refectory bell had already been rung when he asked the Superior to allow him to say it before coming to the table, and having obtained the permission he withdrew to his cell to pray.

After he had been gone a long time the Superior sent another Friar to fetch him, and he found him in his room bathed in a heavenly light facing Our Lady who had two angels with her. Beautiful roses kept issuing from his mouth at each Hail Mary; the angels took them one by one, placing them on Our Lady's head, and she smilingly accepted them.

Finally two other friars who had been sent to find out what happened to the first two saw the same lovely scene, and Our Lady did not go away until the whole Rosary had been said.

So the complete Rosary is a large crown of roses and the Rosary of five decades is a little wreath of flowers or a small 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 all devotions and it is therefore the most important one.

http://www.rosary-center.org/secret.htm  

The fifth Rose. Please, remember to Celebrate what is right with the Church today!

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@gmail.com  Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, Todd

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.





Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religous, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us.

Today remember to Celebrate what is right with the Church: the kingdom of God is in the hearts of the believers. He is in His Church and His Church is in Him. That is what is right with the Church today.

Fifth Rose

Confraternity                                               



Strictly speaking, there can be only one kind of Confraternity of the Rosary - one whose members agree to say the entire Rosary of one hundred and fifty Hail Marys every day. However, considering the fervor of those who say it, we may distinguish three kinds: Ordinary membership which entails saying the complete Rosary once a week; Perpetual membership which requires it be said only once a year; Daily membership which obliges one to say it all every day, that is, the fifteen decades made up one hundred and fifty Hail Marys.



None of these Rosary memberships binds under the pain of sin. It is not even a venial sin to fail in this duty because such an undertaking is entirely voluntary and supererogatory. Needless to say, people should not join the Confraternity if they do not intend to fulfill their obligation by saying the Rosary as often as is required, without, however, neglecting the duties of their state in life.



So whenever the Rosary clashes with a duty of one's state in life, holy as the Rosary is, one must give preference to the duty to be performed. Similarly, sick people are not obliged to say the whole Rosary or even part of it if this effort might tire them and make them worse.



If you have been unable to say it because of some duty required by obedience or because you genuinely forgot, or because of some urgent necessity, you have not committed even a venial sin. You will then receive the benefits of the Confraternity just the same, sharing in the graces and merits of your brothers and sisters in the Holy Rosary who are saying it throughout the world.



And, my dear Catholic people, even if you fail to say your Rosary out of sheer carelessness or laziness, as long as you do not have any formal contempt for it, you do not sin, absolutely speaking - but in this case you forfeit your participation in the prayers, good works and merits of the Confraternity. More over, because you have not been faithful in things that are little and of superegoation, almost without knowing it you may fall into the habit of neglecting big things such as those duties which bind under pain of sin. For - "He that condemneth small things, shall fall by little and little." [1] [1] Ecclus. 19:1
http://www.rosary-center.org/secret.htm

Rose #4, Remember Celebrate what is right with Mother Church!!!

To receive your free copy of the ebook The Covenant of Blessing please email me at toddarausch@gmail.com  Please remember to donate to enable us to continue to send these books out. The suggested donation is $5 per ebook, whatever the LORD leads you to give would be greatly appreciated. God bless, Todd

Please pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary EVERY DAY for peace, the ending of abortion, and for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.



Please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Daily for the mercy of God upon us, the faithful, the Pope, all Bishops, all Priests, all religous, those who do not believe in God and who do not yet know Jesus, the Holy souls in purgatory, all in need, those who have left the Church, those who attack the Church, and those who seek the ruin of the kingdom. May Jesus have mercy on us.

Fourth Rose



Blessed Alan de la Roche

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 fervor for one 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 Holy Rosary, and thus block the flow of God's grace which it had drawn down upon the world.

Thus, in 1349, God punished the whole of Europe and sent the most terrible plague that had ever been known into every land. It started first in the east and spread throughout Italy, Germany, France, Poland, and Hungary, bringing desolation wherever it came - for out of a hundred men hardly one lived to tell the tale. Big towns, little 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 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 ancient Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. Blessed Alan was one of the Dominican Fathers from the monastery at Dinan, in Brittany. He was an eminent theologian and was famous for his sermons. Our Lady chose him because, since the Confraternity had originally been started in this province, it was most fitting that a Dominican from the very same province, should have the honor of reestablishing it.

Blessed Alan began this great work in 1460 after a special warning from 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 so. If you only did this you could teach many souls that 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 too spoke to him one day to inspire him to preach the Holy Rosary more and more:

"You were a great sinner in your youth," she said, "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 this 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 Holy Rosary unceasingly, his sermons had borne great fruit and many people had been converted during his missions. He said to Blessed Alan:

"See the wonderful results I have had through preaching the Holy Rosary! You and all those 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.
http://www.rosary-center.org/secret.htm