Thursday of the First Week of Advent

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)                          

THURSDAY, December 2nd   Mt 7:21, 24-27   “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Not everyone to says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.’”

Jesus goes on to say, “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” This is Principle and Foundation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola! It is always good to go back to the beginning—the point we started from, and remember who created us, why we are here, and our eternal destiny!

CREATION: A BEAUTIFUL LADDER TO GOD! by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

After coming to the keen awareness of the glory, greatness, and love of God as Creator in my own person, we take another aspect for raising our whole being to PRAISE GOD and this is through CREATION.

Never should we forget our destiny and our dignity that flow from God’s loving kindness and abundant mercy. You were created in the image and likeness of God. Then, as a result of God’s infinite bounty, He endowed you with one of the greatest gifts: the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. From this you entered into a deep and intimate union with the Trinitarian Family—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In all truth, you are loved infinitely by God. In the Mystery of the Trinity and your own personal life of grace, God is your Loving Father, Jesus is your Older Brother, and the Holy Spirit is your Close and Best of Friends. How good God is and how your heart should be overflowing with gratitude!

Now we will turn the corner and lift our minds, hearts, and souls to God through the contemplation of the beauty of Creation. All that is noble, pure, beautiful, and worthy of praise emanates from God. To be clear, creation is not God! This would be the error of Pantheism. Rather, the beauty of all of creation points to God who is the Author of all created beauty! After reading Genesis Chapter 1 and Daniel Chapter 3, we will offer as a stimulus for your meditation a few treasures of God’s creation as a springboard into a deep prayer of overflowing gratitude to God, our loving Creator. With the Psalmist we acclaim: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.” (Ps 136:1)

MEDITATION: READ Genesis Chapter 1 / Daniel Chapter 3 (Make sure you have a Catholic Bible – Daniel Chapter 3 has 100 verses.)

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: In all of God’s beautiful creation, what adornment or masterpiece captivates you most and leads you deepest into contemplative prayer and union with God? As you read and reflect upon the different manifestations of God’s beauty in creation, have this question in the back of your mind!

1. THE SUN.  How easy it is to contemplate the sun and have your mind lifted to God by means of symbol, allusion, and reference. Jesus is the Light of the world; Jesus is the “Sun of God”. The sun rises on high, just as the consecrated Host is elevated in the hands of the Catholic priest. The sun is circular, and the Consecrated Host also is circular. By means of properties, the sun transmits both light and heat. So does the Holy Spirit as we see on Pentecost when He descended in Tongues of Fire over the heads of the Apostles. Jesus desires that His Real Presence in the Eucharist fill you with the Light of truth and the Fire of burning love! Jesus said: “I have come to cast fire on the earth, and I am not at peace until that fire be enkindled.” (Lk 12: 49) Still more, the rising sun symbolizes Jesus who rose from the dead to give us life and life in abundance!

2. STARS.  A modern writer describes the night sky with its diversity and splendor of stars as an image of heaven. Thus, the stars speckled over a wide range with varying degrees of light, some brighter than others, symbolize the various saints in the firmament of heaven. Therefore, as you lift your gaze to the night sky, symbolic of heaven and the inhabitants of heaven, the saints, you might feel moved to open up your heart and talk to the saints. If there were ever a true and enormous multitude of authentic friends, these are the saints. They long to listen to your prayers; they long to talk to you; they long to intercede for you before the throne of the Almighty God. Get a little help from your friends—go to the stars in heaven, the saints. Who are your favorite saints to talk with, imitate, and go to with your prayer requests? Incidentally, Saint Ignatius of Loyola loved to step out on the terrace when he lived in Rome and contemplate the stars in their majestic beauty. He could spend long periods of time arriving at God through the beauty of creation—the starry night sky!

3. POWERFUL AND MAJESTIC OCEAN WAVES.  Perhaps you feel captivated by another masterpiece of God’s creative Hand—the ocean, with its waves and immensity. Standing on the seashore or walking along the shore close to the waves, you can contemplate the huge, powerful, and majestic waves that forcefully batter against the shore, then return to the depths. If time permitted, you could spend hours simply contemplating the endless waves and their enormity. Once again, it is God who created the ocean and all its properties. Two of God’s attributes jump out at us as the waves come crashing in and recede out again: God’s omnipotence and God’s eternity. How you might ask? A powerful wave, like that of a Tsunami, can engulf an entire town and the people who inhabit it. God indeed is All-Powerful. Also, no matter how many hours, days, or years you spend walking along the seashore, the waves will continue to come in, break, then recede. Does this not point to the reality that God is Eternal? God has no beginning and He has no end. Our Lady of Fatima stated that if we would meditate on the reality of eternity, we would be converted in no time!

4. SOLID ROCK AND SAND.  At the very end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus leaves us with a poignant contrast: that of the house built on rock and the house built on sand. (Mt 7: 24-27) When the storm kicks up, the rains pour down and the winds become fierce, and the house built on sand collapses and is submerged beneath the waters, totally destroyed. Quite the opposite with the house built on solid rock. Despite inclement weather conditions that assault the house solidly constructed on rock, it remains stable and firm, even when the storms are most violent and the winds rage most fiercely! This image from nature can gently draw you into a serious examination of conscience of your own spiritual life. Is your life built on the Rock which is Jesus the Lord or on mere transitory and ephemeral feelings and emotions?

5. BLUE SKY: MANTLE OF MARY.  Have you ever lifted your gaze to the sky, to the heavens and found yourself almost mesmerized by the deep and penetrating BLUE!!! Possibly this blue sky that seems to be covering you, cloaking you, embracing you, is the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What a mystical grace: to identify the blue sky with the blue mantle of Mary and experience her maternal love and protection!

6. RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING FROM THE SKY.  As we point out these various aspects of nature, our purpose is to help you connect with the reality of God as Creator. All that God created is beautiful. Therefore, creation should lift our minds, hearts, and souls to the God of all beauty! Raindrops can be viewed as the tears of Jesus and Mary due to the indifference of many towards the love that Jesus and Mary have for them, as well as the immensity of sins committed daily throughout the world. This could move you with a desire to console the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and make prayers of reparation.

7. WHITE CLOUDS AND WHITE SNOW.  These can easily point to the absolute purity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the challenge to strive to embrace a life of purity in a world that has totally lost appreciation of this virtue. “Blessed are the pure of heart; for they will see God.” (Mt 5: 8)

8. THE RED ROSE.  Much can be said about the presence and the beauty of flowers, most especially the rose. The Poet Dante portrays the Blessed Virgin Mary in The Divine Comedy as the Mystical Rose. However, there are other symbolic interpretations of the rose and a very eloquent one is to see the rose as symbolic of the Paschal Mystery—the Passion, death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Before the blossoming of the beautiful and fragrant red rose comes the thorn. Ven. Fulton Sheen expresses the concept with this depth and eloquence: “Without Good Friday, there is no Easter Sunday.” So it is in nature with respect to the red rose: first comes the thorn and the sharpness of pain, then the beautiful, blossoming red and celestial fragrance of the rose, the spring flower!

9. THE FOLIAGE SEASON OF NEW ENGLAND AND THE BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW IN THE SKY.  God could have created the world in black and white, but He preferred to create colors. Consider the stunning and dramatic explosion of colors painting the leaves in the New England Fall! Or look up and contemplate the beauty of the rainbow spanning the sky as the sun breaks through after a violent storm! Saint Ignatius reminds us that the storms of desolation will pass if we are faithful to prayer, and then the sun will shine and the rainbow enlighten our path.

10. ALL THE BEAUTY OF CREATION.  All the beauty of creation, in its variety, immensity, and majesty points its finger to the Author of all creation and the Author of all beauty, and that is GOD. As the Psalmist reminds us: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims His handiwork.” (Ps 19: 1) May you become more and more aware of God’s all-abiding Presence in your life. In the words of the Greek poet quoted by Saint Paul: “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17: 28)            

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)                         

WEDNESDAY, December 1st   Mt 5: 29-37   Jesus said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.”

• Jesus has love and concern for us as well in our journey through life. Today we read Psalm 23: The Good Shepherd in the Liturgy of the Word in Holy Mass. Fr. Ed helps us pray with this most consoling and uplifting psalm!

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, NOTHING SHALL I LACK. (PSALM 23) by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

INTRODUCTION: The 150 Psalms is the Prayer-book par excellence! Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Psalms express the basic feelings, emotions, affections of the human heart. In a word, one of the most efficacious tools to learn to pray, grow in prayer, and persevere in prayer would be to plunge into the infinite ocean of spirituality present in the Psalms.

Praise and adoration, thanksgiving and oblation, supplication and petition, wonder and awe, contrition and reparation—all of these and many more are the sentiments of prayer that the Book of Psalms offers us.

FAMOUS AND MOST LOVED OF ALL THE PSALMS.  Of all the 150 Psalms, for many the most famous and most loved is Psalm 23—known as the Psalm of the Good Shepherd, opening with the consoling words: “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall lack.”

TIMES OF DARKNESS AND DESOLATION.  In those dark moments when we experience desolation, when all seems to be dark, dreary, cold, useless, even hopeless, why not lift your mind, heart, and prayer to Psalm 23—The Good Shepherd.

TIME, PLACE, SILENCE.  Find some time, some place (your prayer-corner), and silence where you can be alone with the Lord, and allow the Good Shepherd to walk before you, to walk with you at your side, and even allow the Good Shepherd to walk behind you. In all these different spaces the Good Shepherd is with you, thinking about you, and loving you.

Being keenly aware of the person of the Good Shepherd—who is truly Jesus Himself—and His great love and concern for you, will be a sure means to leave desolation behind and experience the peace and joy of His consolation.

Therefore, we invite you at any time during the course of your day to seek out the loving and friendly presence of the Good Shepherd, but especially when the dark clouds of desolation are descending upon your soul.

In this short essay we will offer a few ideas to help us come to know and love the Good Shepherd of our soul—Jesus our Lord, Savior and God.

PSALM 23: THE GOOD SHEPHERD OF MY SOUL

“The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I lack. In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me; you restore my strength.

You guide me along the right path, for the sake of your name.

Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage.

You set a table before me as my enemies watch: you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.”

GETTING TO KNOW & LOVE THE GOOD SHEPHERD: POINTS FOR PRAYER AND MEDITATION…

1. JESUS IS TRULY THE GOOD SHEPHERD of my life in its totality.  Every dimension of my life, Jesus the Good Shepherd wants to guide, rule and protect.

2. I LACK NOTHING.  Even if I were to lose all on a human level—money, home, friends, support, health and esteem, if I have Jesus as my Good Shepherd, I lack nothing. Jesus indeed is the Way, the Truth, the Life; my alpha and omega; my beginning and end; my Principle and Foundation. Jesus is my sure and stable support. If I have Jesus as the center of my life, I really have all that I need.

3. GREEN PASTURES AND SAFE WATERS.  In green pastures the Good Shepherd will nourish and sustain me with sufficient food, clothing and shelter for my body. He will nourish me with His Word—the Bible, the Word of God. Blood and water gushed forth from His open side on the cross. The waters have cleansed my soul through Baptism. The waters also symbolize the cleansing power of the Sacrament of Confession so that my soul becomes clean again, as white as the snow. His Body and Blood in the Eucharist are nourishment for my soul.

4. STRENGTH.  The Lord restores my strength. We are weak; we languish and lose our strength and vitality, but the Lord can restore us. In another Psalm: “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 124:8)

5. THE RIGHT PATH. The Good Shepherd guides me along the right path for the sake of His Name. Jesus is THE WAY, TRUTH AND LIFE! He leads me on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life—that is to say: HEAVEN!!!

6. HIS NAME: JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The Name of Jesus is powerful. At HIS NAME every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth, and even below the earth. (Phil 2:10) At all times, I will repeat with love and confidence Jesus, Jesus, Jesus… the Good Shepherd of my soul!

7. DARK VALLEY.  We all have to pass through the Dark Valley in our lives. For St. Ignatius of Loyola this Dark Valley could be defined as desolation. All seems to be obscure, dark, cold, lonely, sad and depressing. We all experience the DARK VALLEY in our lives; desolation is part of being human. 

8. HOPE IN THE DARK VALLEY.  No fear because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is with me now more than ever. He will not abandon me. He Himself said: “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” (Mt. 28:20) Even now, He is at my side.

9. HIS ROD AND STAFF.  Every Good Shepherd is equipped with both ROD AND STAFF. The staff supports the Shepherd and his sheep when traveling. The rod serves to ward off enemies—especially the prowling and ravenous wolves, the malicious packs of wolves. Indeed, the Good Shepherd will be with me in my spiritual battle against my wolves, my three enemies: the devil, the flesh, and the world. He will never leave me, and will help me get up again when I fall.

10. TABLE SET BEFORE ME.  Once again, the Good Shepherd is intent upon feeding me. The nourishment and sustenance that the Good Shepherd provides is for both my mind and my soul: the Word of God and the Holy Eucharist. The Good Shepherd has at heart, my spiritual nourishment and the salvation of my immortal soul.

11. ANOINTS MY HEAD WITH OIL. The Good Shepherd has anointed me with the healing balm of oil. My anointing with oil took place at my Baptism. First, the oil of the catechumens, and then the chrism oil with which I was anointed priest, prophet, and king. This is true for all the faithful at Baptism. Whereas an ordained priest’s hands are also anointed so as the celebrate Holy Mass.

12. MY CUP OVERFLOWS.  The cup/chalice symbolizes the Precious Blood of Jesus poured forth on Calvary on Good Friday for my purification, sanctification and salvation. Jesus, the Good Shepherd does not give sparingly but in abundance! In truth, He gave all that He had!

13. ONLY GOODNESS AND KINDNESS PURSUE ME.  Indeed, how true that goodness and kindness, with love, joy, mercy, compassion and all the most sublime virtues will adorn my soul as long as I walk side by side with the Good Shepherd.

14. DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.  My dwelling place will be the house of the Lord. The Good Shepherd will live in me as long as I maintain grace in my soul. I may visit the Lord’s House where He lives in the Tabernacle as often as I want. Finally, my ultimate and final dwelling place will be with the Lord in Heaven for all eternity. How consoling these truths!

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)                           

TUESDAY, November 30th   Mt 4: 18-22   FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW   “He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”

• As baptized Christians, we are all called to become “Fishers of Men”! How does that work? What might that look like? Fr. Ed has much to say on this topic! May today’s saint and one of the chosen twelve Apostles – Saint Andrew inspire us!

GOD’S DESIRE: THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

One of the greatest desires of Almighty God is the conversion of sinners. That poor sinners will leave their sinful lifestyles and turn back to the love of God.

Furthermore, Our Lady, who is the one closest to God Almighty, shares this same desire: that poor sinners will renounce their sinful lifestyles and return to God. Our Lady of Lourdes, who appeared 18 times in the year 1858 to the little peasant child, Bernadette Soubirous, asked the little girl to pray and to offer up sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.

Very similar to the message of Lourdes was that of Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared 6 times in the year 1917 to three simple shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. Our Lady said with great sorrow in her heart that many souls were lost because there were not sufficient prayers and sacrifices offered for these poor sinners.

On July 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared to the three children of Fatima and revealed to them a graphic vision of Hell! From then on the children, but most especially Jacinta, offered many sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. This vision of hell left such a profound and indelible impression upon Jacinta that she offered all she possibly could in her short life for the conversion of poor sinners and so win souls for God.

Jacinta’s Sacrifices

The sacrifices of this little girl, canonized by Pope Francis together with her brother Francisco, were constant and heroic:

• She sacrificed her favorite food: the sweet and delicious grapes that grew on the hillsides of Portugal.
• She wore around her waist a rope which caused her discomfort all day.
• She sacrificed her lunch for the poor whom she met on the roadside.
• On a hot summer day, dying of thirst, she sacrificed drinking water.
• With the reminder of her brother Francisco, she offered up her headache.
• She prayed the prayers the angel taught her, prostrate on the ground.
• She prayed many, many Rosaries to Our Lady for the conversion of sinners.
• Interrogated and threatened by the local authorities, she was willing to suffer being boiled to death in oil rather than deny that she saw Our Lady.
• Finally, Jacinta, after much suffering which she willingly offered for the salvation of souls, died almost alone in a hospital far from her home. She was nine years old.

All this she did out of love for Almighty God and for the conversion and salvation of sinners. How much love this little girl had for God and God’s crown of creation in this world—the human person!

The saints are different in many ways, coming from different historical periods, diverse family backgrounds, widely diverse cultural environments, endowed with different temperaments as well as intellectual gifts. However, all the saints have this in common: a great love for God and a great love for what God really loves most in all of His creation, the salvation of souls, the salvation of all the human persons that He has created. This is what He desires first and foremost: their eternal salvation.

On one occasion, a child entered into the office of a priest. The young boy, looking up on the wall, saw a few words written in Latin. Inquisitive, the boy asked the priest the meaning of those few words. These words were the motto and motor-force of the life of this great priest. The interpretation would be: “Give me souls and take all the rest away.” The name of this priest was the great Saint John Bosco; the name of the boy was Saint Dominic Savio. This boy turned to Bosco and said: “I am the cloth and you are the tailor; make me a saint.” Before the boy turned 15 he was already dead. However, he had reached his ardent desire: he died a saint! Both Bosco and Savio had this point in common: a great love for God and an inflamed love for the salvation of souls.

One of the most pervasive maladies in the modern world, even within the Catholic Church, is the cancer of mediocrity. This is an all-pervasive, poisonous and contagious spiritual disease in which many Catholics, millions upon millions, have no fire, no zeal, no burning desire to work with God for the salvation of immortal souls!

The Word of God speaks powerfully against this spiritual condition with these words from the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation: “The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:14-15)

Mediocre Catholics are lukewarm; they are tepid; they are lifeless. They are languid, slovenly and lazy. They have no fire, no zeal, no life, no strong desires. They have lost their first love, if indeed they had love in the first place! They suffer from an appalling spiritual anemia. They are living but not really alive spiritually! As the Word of God says so forcefully, God vomits or spits them out of His mouth. Living in this spiritual environment, all of us must fight forcefully so as not to slowly descend into this dangerous pit of mediocrity. The lives of the saints can spur us on as in the following…

CONVERSION TO GOD AND A ZEAL FOR SOULS

Both Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Francis Xavier underwent powerful conversions which transformed both of them into fiery warriors of God, with an ardent desire to save many souls. Ignatius was converted by receiving a near-fatal wound in the battle of Pamplona and by reading the lives of saints. Upon reading about the saints, a fire and ardent zeal were ignited in Ignatius’ heart to work with God for the salvation of souls. In his classic, the Spiritual Exercises, he presents a meditation/contemplation The Call of the Temporal King so as to follow the call of the Eternal King. One of the primary purposes of this meditation is for us to listen attentively to the Call of the Eternal King, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to work side by side with Jesus in striving for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of immortal souls.

Saint Francis Xavier went through his conversion by means of the doing the Spiritual Exercises under the direction of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Paris. After completing the Exercises, Xavier was also radically transformed and converted into a fiery warrior and disciple of the Lord of Lord’s, the King of King’s, Jesus Christ. After Xavier was ordained a priest, he became the secretary of Ignatius. The Pope wanted to send priests to India and other countries in the Far-East, following the missionary mandate of Jesus to go out to the whole world to preach and baptize. So Ignatius sent Francis Xavier. The last words that Ignatius said to Xavier, who would become one of the greatest missionaries in world history, were: Go set the world on fire! Thousands upon thousands of souls were saved in India, Malaysia, and even Japan by Xavier, who desired ardently the conversion of sinners and the salvation of immortal souls. Many nights he could no longer lift up his arm because he had baptized so many individuals during the course of the day—that is truly love for the conversion and salvation of souls!

Now it is your turn! Enter into silence which will lead you into prayer. The Lord of Lord’s and King of Kings is calling you right now. He wants you to work with Him for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of immortal souls. What can you do right now to bring at least one soul to conversion? Be creative! At the same time, place them in the hands of Mary and offer your prayers and sufferings for them, like little Jacinta did, with great trust in Mary’s intercession! Listen to these encouraging words in the Letter of Saint James: “My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his ways will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”  (James 5:19-20)

In imitation of the saints, let us work hard now and we can rest for all eternity with the angels and saints, with Our Lady who is Queen of the angels and saints, and with our Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! May we all be motivated by the virtue of apostolic zeal and an ardent desire to work with God in the salvation of countless sinners! Saint Thomas Aquinas reminds us that one soul is worth more than the whole created universe! Why? Saint Peter teaches us: “You were ransomed from your futile conduct handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless and unblemished lamb.” (I Peter 1:18-19). May the reality of the Precious Blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross on Good Friday for the conversion of sinners, with all of the pain and anguish He suffered for the salvation of their immortal souls, ignite within us zeal for the conversion and salvation of sinners. Right now God is speaking to your heart with these words: GO NOW AND SET ALL ON FIRE!!!

Monday of the First Week of Advent

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)                           

MONDAY, November 29th   Mt. 8: 5-1   “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

• Jesus is amazed at the faith of this centurion! Do we have faith? Perhaps our faith is not as strong as we would like it to be?
• Perhaps the Christmas Gift we can prepare for the Infant Jesus is to pray the Rosary daily, and even more than one Rosary whenever possible! Why? The four mysteries of the Rosary are the short version of the Life of Christ.
• Through the Rosary we come to know Jesus better, walk with Him in the key moments of His life and His death—all done for love of us, as well as His Resurrection—the promise of our own if we have Faith!
• In truth, countless other blessings flow from praying the Rosary as well. Read and pray over Fr. Ed’s meditation below and be amazed at what Our Lady does for us through praying the Rosary!  

GROWING IN FAITH THROUGH THE HOLY ROSARY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Jesus sent His Loving Mother, Mary most holy, from heaven to the small town of Fatima, in Portugal in the year 1917. The Queen of heaven and earth appeared to three little shepherd children, Lucia de los Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

Our Lady appeared six times and every time that she appeared she repeated the message: PRAY THE ROSARY! She revealed her name and identity as OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY. In Lourdes, Our Lady appeared 18 times to Saint Bernadette, and revealed her name and identity as THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

Therefore, we would like to present ten reasons why we should form the most important habit of praying the Rosary, not sporadically or sometimes or simply upon an impulse. Rather, we should form the habit of praying the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary every day; if possible, we could even pray the Rosary more than once a day, as was often the habit in the lives of many of the saints! Therefore, let us launch into reasons to convince us of the dire importance of loving Our Lady, by loving what she loves, and obeying her command—pray the holy Rosary!

1. OUR LADY TOLD US TO! 

If a mother repeats to her child an order many times it is because the mother believes in the depths of her heart that the order she is commanding is of great importance. Likewise, the Mother of God and our Mother, Mary most holy, at Fatima commanded the children, as well as the world at large, six times to pray the Rosary! If it is a command to obey our earthly mothers (Fourth Commandment), how much more should we obey our Heavenly Mother, Mary most holy!

2. THE ROSARY IS A BIBLICAL PRAYER. 

Many non-Catholics condemn the recitation of the Holy Rosary. However, very few of those who condemn this most beautiful prayer realize or recognize the fact that the Rosary is a prayer that almost totally has its origins in the Word of God itself! For example, the first series of Mysteries that we call the Joyful Mysteries are all of them found in the Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapters One and Two! This being said, we can get to know and love the Word of God by meditating upon the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary!

3. GETTING TO KNOW, LOVE AND IMITATE JESUS BETTER. 

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, and the instrument God used to give us the Spiritual Exercises, offers us a fruit that we should beg for when we meditate or contemplate the life of Jesus; that fruit, or we might call it virtue, is to arrive at intimate knowledge of Jesus, so that we love Him more ardently, and follow Him more closely. In a parallel sense, when we form the habit of praying the Rosary well, giving our whole self to entering into the scenes or mysteries of the Rosary, one of the most sublime fruits is the same that Ignatius presents. In praying the Rosary, we get to know Jesus, love Jesus, and desire to follow Jesus through the prayers and intercession of the first disciple of Jesus, His Mother Mary!

4. SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL. 

Recent Popes, Saint Paul VI and Saint John XXIII called the Rosary a summary of the Gospel. This was said even before the insertion of the relatively new mysteries of the Rosary, The Luminous Mysteries. In a clear, methodical and systematic form, we have the Infancy of Jesus in the Joyful Mysteries. Followed by the Luminous Mysteries, which are a good summary of the Public Life of Jesus (30-33 years of age). Then we have the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus in the Sorrowful Mysteries. Finally, as the summit of the whole prayer, we have the Glorious Mysteries, which of course present Our Lord’s Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, the Coming of the Holy Spirit, and Our Lady’s Assumption into heaven and Coronation as Queen of heaven and earth. As the Popes have alluded to, contemplation of the mysteries of the most Holy Rosary gives a clear and concise summary of the Gospels—the conception, life, death and Resurrection of Jesus seen through the eyes and heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

5. MARVELOUS PRAYER THAT CAN LIFT US TO THE HEIGHTS. 

The Rosary is indeed a marvelous prayer that can lift us to the heights of holiness if prayed well and with perseverance. This prayer is vocal in that we vocalize the beautiful prayers, the Our Father and Hail Mary. It is a meditative prayer in that we reflect upon the meaning of the mysteries and how they can be applied to our own lives right now. Furthermore, it is a contemplative prayer, meaning that we are summoned to enter into the scenes or mysteries. We are not called to be passive spectators, like going to a movie; rather we are called to enter into these contemplative scenes and become part of the lives of Jesus and Mary! The saying is true: tell me with whom you associate and I will tell you who you are. How true if we apply this to frequent association, contact and conversation with Jesus and Mary and Saint Joseph! We will be transformed, becoming more like them. Our desire and goal are the words of the great Apostle Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

6. PRAYER OF PEACE OF MIND, HEART AND SOUL, AND WORLD PEACE.             

In a world in which there is so much tension, fighting, selfishness, and egotism we need a peace-program. Of course, the key element is to expel the negative with the positive, and the most positive is to place Jesus and Mary as King and Queen of our world, country, state, city, home, family, and even our individual lives and hearts! At Fatima, Our Lady insisted that the Rosary be prayed to end World War I and also to prevent another war. Our Lady made the warning that if the world did not pray enough, another and worse world war would erupt. And so it happened! Sad to say, not many years after the cessation of World War I, the more bloody and gruesome World War II broke out. Sin is due to a lack of God’s presence in our minds and hearts. The recitation of the most Holy Rosary is the opposite. We are inviting Jesus into our hearts, our families and society through the prayerful, peaceful, but powerful presence of Our Lady, Queen of Peace!

7. CONQUERING VICES. 

Sin can get a hold of us and we become slaves to sin. Jesus Himself says that sin is slavery. A well-known convert once said that before becoming Catholic, he liked going to book stores to look over the books and buy some of them. However, while there, no matter how hard he tried, he could not resist, almost as if he were drawn by a magnet, checking out and browsing through the bad magazines. Though he was still a Protestant, he started to pray the most Holy Rosary, and immediately, his desire to look at the indecent magazines left him totally. He attributed this miracle to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary. Among the many virtues that Our Lady desires to attain for us is the virtue of purity. One of Our Lady’s messages in Fatima was that most souls are lost for all eternity due to the sins of the flesh, that is to say, sins against the virtue of purity. Jesus expressed this most clearly in one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure of heart; they will see God.” (Mt 5:8)

8. FAMILY UNITY. 

One of the most sorrowful realities in the modern world is the breakup of the family unit. Vatican II calls the family the domestic church. Saint Pope John Paul II says, “the family is the basic cell of society, and as the family goes, so goes the rest of society.” After the attack on the World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001, Pope Saint John Paul II published a spiritual masterpiece with the title Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. We encourage all of our readers to read and meditate upon this spiritual masterpiece so as to get to know and love the most Holy Rosary even more! In this papal document the saintly pontiff encouraged the world at large to pray the Rosary, but especially for two intentions. First, he exhorted us to pray the Rosary for world peace. Second, he warmly encouraged us to pray the Rosary for the sake and salvation of the family.

The Rosary priest, Father Patrick Peyton, expresses this truth in these timely maxims: “The family that prays together stays together” and, “A world at prayer is a world at peace!” This being said, every family should make a concerted effort to pray the Rosary together for the sake of their own family, as well as for all of the families of the world, and that peace would reign in the world starting first and foremost with our own individual hearts! The movie that is a “must see” is Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton. An amazing testimony to the man and the power of the Rosary! Watch it!

9. THE ROSARY AS SPIRITUAL SLINGSHOT TO CONQUER THE DEVIL. 

In one of the most important meditations in the Spiritual Exercises, with the title The Two Standards, Saint Ignatius presents our spiritual life in the light of a fierce combat between Satan and his disciples fighting against Jesus and His disciples for dominion in our souls! Given today’s materialism, consumerism, hedonism, agnosticism, moral relativism, and militant atheism, the devil can hide behind each of these erroneous philosophical systems to trap us and finally enslave us! It almost appears as if we are David against Goliath (I Sam. 17)!

David was much younger and smaller, with no military preparation, no sword, no shield, nor even any armor. On the other hand, Goliath was a giant, with much experience in battle, wearing armor and wielding a huge crescent sword that he had used to kill many, with a shield bearer preceding him. Goliath curses little David, but David proceeds with confidence in the name of Yahweh, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The little shepherd boy approaches the line of battle quickly and resolutely reaches for a stone, places it in his slingshot and launches it at Goliath. The stone takes off like a rocket and rivets itself in the forehead of Goliath, who quickly cascades to the ground. As the giant lays unconscious on the ground, David wields the sword of Goliath and cuts off his head! Victory!!!

Today we are surrounded by many Modern Goliaths, as mentioned and named above. Therefore, for us to win the fierce battle, we must place ourselves under the military leadership of the Blessed Virgin Mary, carry proudly our spiritual weapon—the most Holy Rosary, and use it frequently and confidently. We have sure hope with such a weapon and so great a leader that the battle will be won and the victory will be ours!

10. SPIRITUAL TREASURES STORED UP IN HEAVEN.

One of the greatest saint-mystics in the Catholic Church is Saint Gertrude, the Great. Not only is she the author of the classic Herald of Divine Love (read it!!!), but also she was a great mystic and visionary. Jesus often would appear to her and talk to her with great familiarity and love, as He desires to do with us. On one occasion, the saint saw Jesus in heaven. The scene was beautiful! Bathed in light and beauty, Jesus had a huge pile of coins, shiny and glimmering golden coins. As Saint Gertrude contemplated this scene, Jesus placed another golden coin on the top of the huge pile. Curious as to the meaning of the scene, this great lover of Jesus and Mary, Saint Gertrude, begged the Lord to explain its meaning. Without any hesitation Jesus said that those golden coins were the many fervent Hail Marys that Gertrude had prayed, and that she had just finished another, upon which Jesus was depositing another golden coin for all eternity. Therefore, if you want to be a multi-billionaire in heaven, start right now and pray the Rosary, pray the 50 Hail Marys that compose the Rosary every day! Indeed, through the intercession Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Church, and your loving Mother, Jesus will store up for you abundant treasures in heaven!

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)                          

SUNDAY, November 28th   Lk. 21: 25-28, 34-36   Jesus says: “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

This will be our third meditation on Advent by Fr. Ed—you might call it a trilogy—to help us make this the most fruitful Advent of our lives! We began with meditating on the value and necessity of Silence and Prayer for a fruitful Advent. Next we learned to prepare to receive Jesus through the virtues, heart and intercession of good St. Joseph. Today we meditate on the Three Comings of the Lord Jesus.

ADVENT: GET READY TO WELCOME EMMANUEL by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Every year we have the extraordinary opportunity to welcome the Lord Jesus into our hearts with the Season of Advent which culminates on Christmas Day—the Birthday of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Actually, the Church invites us to meditate upon the three comings of the Lord Jesus. Indeed, this could be a most fruitful meditation. What then are the three comings of the Lord Jesus?

HIS FIRST ARRIVAL

The Lord Jesus came, born in the Flesh about 2000 years ago of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the stable of Bethlehem. Saint John, in the Prologue, reminds us in these words: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14)

HIS SECOND COMING

Jesus will come again and it will be at the end of time. The day, the hour, the moment, the circumstances are unknown to us. The Will of God the Father will determine those times. Jesus constantly reminds us: “Stay awake and be vigilant because you know neither the day nor the hour. He will come like a thief in the night.” (Mt 25:13)

HIS ONGOING PRESENCE

The third coming of the Lord Jesus is actually now, tomorrow, and constantly, in a very different but very real way. Jesus comes through grace. He is so loving and generous that He comes through grace in many ways and with different intensity. The following are Jesus’ comings through grace: in prayer, through works of charity and almsgiving (Read Mt 25:31-46), through penances and sacrifices offered to God for the conversion of sinners. Furthermore, and in a much more powerful way, grace is communicated through the worthy reception of the Sacraments. A Sacrament is an exterior sign instituted by Christ to confer grace. Most especially, grace pours forth in abundance through the frequent and fervent reception of the Sacrament of Confession and the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist—His Real Presence among us in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity!

FIVE WAYS TO PREPARE YOUR HEART

Aware now of the three different manners in which Jesus has come and will come until the end of the ages, let us strive to prepare our hearts for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem on Christmas Day. However, may it be our most ardent desire that Jesus be born in the very depths of our own soul this Christmas. The word Bethlehem means House of Bread. May our soul be a true Bethlehem—House of Bread—where Jesus can be born.

We will offer five simple but efficacious practices to dispose our hearts to welcome Emmanuel—God with us!

1. CONFESSION

Let us all have recourse to the Sacrament of Confession in the Holy Season of Advent. Let us clean our own interior Cave of the dirt, the cobwebs, the foul smell—not of animals—but of sin. In the words of Saint Paul, may we be the fragrance of Christ!

2. GOD’S WORD 

Saint Jerome stated poignantly: “Ignorance of Sacred Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Daily find some quiet place and good time of the day, with a ton of good will, to encounter the Lord in His Word. Live out the Our Father: “Give us this day our Daily Bread!” This Daily Bread is the Word of God. Jesus stated this very clearly by rebuffing the temptation of the devil: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4)

3. PRAY MORE

Here is the Advent question for you: what do these letters mean? A.S.A.P.? Why not baptize the more secular interpretation surfacing in your mind—as soon as possible, and say instead always say a prayer! This indeed is a Season in which we must make a concerted effort to pray more and sin less! 

Actually, a life of sin and a life of deep prayer are diametrically opposed, like trying to mix oil with vinegar, or mix fire with a fire hose, or combine light with darkness. The more frequently and fervently we pray, the more we distance ourselves from the reality of sin.

4. FASTING, ESPECIALLY FROM THE TONGUE

There are many ways that we can practice fasting, and variety is the spice of life. Eating less or even depriving ourselves of food can be very beneficial. Jesus said: “Some devils can be cast out only by prayer and fasting or penance.” (Mt 17:21) However, we must add to the physical form of abstaining from food, the verbal abstaining from sinning with our tongue. 

How often do we sin with our tongue and offend God and offend our neighbor, most frequently our family members? Vulgar words, off-the-cuff expressions, bitter sarcasm and irony, white lies, vociferous explosions, and it must be said: gossip, gossip, and again gossip! 

Why not enter into Advent by reading James Chapter 3—the famous chapter on the Sins of the Tongue! Better yet, read it individually and pray over it, but also, read it as a family! Make this commitment, following the advice of Saint Bernard, we should open our mouth on three occasions: 

1) To Praise God, 

2) To accuse ourselves of our own faults, 

3) To edify our neighbor. 

If this is lived out in our family, how many blessings will abound!!!

5. MARIA COGITA, MARIA INVOCA 

One of the most salient characteristics of the physiognomy of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary (the author of this article belongs to this Congregation) is a tender and confident love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. The next essential in the charism of the Oblates is the saying: Nunc Coepi—Begin Again! Meaning, I will begin again after I fall into sin, even if it be a thousand times a day! 

However, the Oblate lives in the spiritual atmosphere or milieu of Mary—inhaling and exhaling Maria cogita, Maria invoca—meaning: Think about Mary, Invoke Mary. Being faithful to the spirit of the Season of Advent, we accompany Mary, who with great joy and expectation longs for the birth of Jesus her Son, Jesus our Elder Brother, Jesus the Savior of the world!

The success of the Feast Day is in direct proportion to the preparation prior to the Feast. Equally true is this concept related to the celebration of Easter or Christmas! The more generous our souls are in giving ourselves to Jesus and Mary before the Feast of Christmas, the more joyful and exultant will be the very Feast Day! May God’s great love and generosity towards us spur us on to great generosity starting right now!