KEEPING A ROSARY AND ITS BEAUTIFUL STORY

Keep a Rosary, even of the little ones, under the pillow. Knowing that a Rosary is within reach, is like having Mary beside you, just like our own mother, always ready to help us. it is a  comfort knowing we have our mother at our side.

Meaningful actions gain more strength when their origin is known.

Why do not you know the history of the Holy Rosary?
I always asked myself: Who would have thought of repeating the Beads of Mary so many times? What’s the point? Now it is understood and each time they pray it, each Hail Mary is a precious rose for the Virgin. I am sure we all know this beautiful prayer that is the Holy Rosary.

Here is a beautiful story about the Rosary …

A legend tells that a Brother (who was not a priest) of the Order of the Dominicans, could not read or write, so he could not read the Psalms, as was the custom in the convents of the time.

Then, when he finished his work at night (he was the doorman, the sweeper, the gardener, etc …) he went to the convent chapel and knelt in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, and recited 150 Hail Marys ( the number of the psalms), then he retired to his cell to sleep.

In the morning, at dawn, he got up before all his brothers and went to the chapel to repeat his habit of greeting the Virgin.

Brother Superior noticed that every day, when he arrived at the chapel to celebrate morning prayers with all the monks, there was an exquisite smell of freshly cut roses and he became curious, so he asked everyone who was in charge of adorn the altar of the Virgin so beautifully, to which the answer was that none did, and the rose bushes in the garden were not missing their flowers.

The lay brother became seriously ill; the other monks noticed that the altar of the Virgin did not have the usual roses, and they deduced that it was the Brother who put the roses. But how?

Nobody had ever seen him leave the convent, nor did they know that he bought the beautiful roses.

One morning he was surprised that he had risen, but they could not find him anywhere.

At last, they met in the chapel, and each monk who entered was amazed, for the lay brother was kneeling in front of the image of the Virgin, ecstatically reciting his Hail Marys, and each one that addressed the Lady, a rose appeared in the vases

Thus at the end of his 150 greetings, he fell dead at the feet of the Virgin.

Over the years, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, (it is said that by revelation of the Blessed Virgin); He divided the 150 Hail Marys into three groups of 50, and associated them with the meditation of the Bible: The Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries, to which Blessed Pope John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries.

The Benefits of the Rosary:

• When you carry your Rosary, it is a headache for Satan
• When you use your Rosary, Satan collapses
• When he sees you praying the Rosary, he vanishes
• We are going to pray the rosary every time, in order to keep Satan vanished.
• Did you know that when you try to share this message, Satan is going to try to discourage you?
  By sharing this message, you collaborate to accelerate the triumph of the Virgin Mary! 

Share it with your friends and prayer partners and then see how the Holy Spirit works !! 

THE PROMISES OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY TO THOSE WHO PRAY THE ROSARY EVERYDAY

The  Promises of Our Lady to Those Who Pray the Rosary 

Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.

I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

The Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.

Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenititude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.

I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.

All who recite the Rosary are my sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters of my only Son Jesus Christ.

Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Sharing these promises with family and friends will bring you great blessings. 

SAINT BENEDICT'S MEDAL

On the back is a cross, containing the letters C S S M L - N D S M D, initials of the words Crux sacra sit mihi lux! ... ("May the holy cross be my light! May the dragon never be my overlord!"). The large C S P B stand for Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti ("The Cross of [our] Holy Father Benedict").

In Scripture, St. Peter tells us to be sober and watchful because, “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is real, and he wants to destroy you and me through any means possible. That’s why it’s so important that we fight back with the spiritual weapons of prayer and faith.One of the powerful weapons in spiritual combat is the St. Benedict medal. Honored and employed for centuries, this medal has been associated with many miracles, as well as with powers of exorcism.

Use of the Medal

There is no special way prescribed for carrying or wearing the Medal of St. Benedict. It can be worn on a chain around the neck, attached to one’s rosary, kept in one’s pocket or purse, or placed in one’s car or home. Some of the faithful often put the medal into the foundations of houses and building, on the walls of barns and sheds, or in one’s place of business. The purpose of using the medal in any of the above ways is to call down God’s blessing and protection upon us, wherever we are, and upon our homes and possessions, especially through the intercession of St. Benedict. By the conscious and devout use of the medal, it becomes, as it were, a constant silent prayer and reminder to us of our dignity as followers of Christ. 

The medal is a prayer of exorcism against Satan, a prayer for strength in time of temptation, a prayer for peace among ourselves and among the nations of the world, a prayer that the Cross of Christ be our light and guide, a prayer of firm rejection of all that is evil, a prayer of petition that we may with Christian courage “walk in God’s ways, with the Gospel as our guide,” as St. Benedict urges us. 

A profitable spiritual experience can be ours if we but take the time to study the array of inscriptions and representations found on the two sides of the medal. The lessons found there can be pondered over and over to bring true peace of mind and heart into our lives as we struggle to overcome the weaknesses of our human nature and realize that our human condition is not perfect, but that with the help of God and the intercession of the saints our condition can become better. 

The Medal of St. Benedict can serve as a constant reminder of the need for us to take up our cross daily and “follow the true King, Christ our Lord,” and thus learn “to share in his heavenly kingdom,” as St. Benedict urges us in the Prolog of his Rule. 

By a re-script of the Sacred Congregation of Religious (4 May 1965) lay Oblates of St. Benedict are permitted to wear the Medal of St. Benedict instead of the small black cloth scapular formerly worn. By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites (6 March 1959), the Blessing of St. Maur over the sick is permitted to be given with a Medal of St. Benedict instead of with a relic of the True Cross, since the latter is difficult to obtain. 

Blessing of the Medal of Saint Benedict 

Medals of Saint Benedict are sacramentals that may be blessed legitimately by any priest or deacon — not necessarily a Benedictine (Instr., 26 Sept. 1964; Can. 1168). The following English form may be used. 

Our help is in the name of the Lord. 

Who made heaven and earth. 

In the name of God the Father + almighty, who made heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, I exorcise these medals against the power and attacks of the evil one. May all who use these medals devoutly be blessed with health of soul and body. In the name of the Father + almighty, of the Son + Jesus Christ our Lord, and of the Holy + Spirit the Paraclete, and in the love of the same Lord Jesus Christ who will come on the last day to judge the living and the dead, and the world by fire. 

Amen. 

Let us pray. 

Almighty God, the boundless source of all good things, we humbly ask that, through the intercession of Saint Benedict, you pour out your blessings + upon these medals. May those who use them devoutly and earnestly strive to perform good works be blessed by you with health of soul and body, the grace of a holy life, and remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. May they also with the help of your merciful love, resist the temptation of the evil one and strive to exercise true charity and justice toward all, so that one day they may appear sinless and holy in your sight. This we ask through Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

The cleric then sprinkles the medals with holy water.

PRAYER TO CONSECRATE YOUR CHILDREN UNDER THE PROTECTION OF SAINT JOSEPH

Worried about your children? Place them under the protection of St. Joseph with this prayer

St. Joseph, foster-father of Jesus, similarly knew the anxieties of parenthood. He did not always fully understand his son and the mission for which he came to earth. Joseph simply had to trust that all would be well.

For these reasons many parents have turned to St. Joseph over the centuries and ask for his special protection over their children. He is known to be a powerful intercessor and can ensure that God will hear the cry of any parent who calls out in faith. Below is one such prayer that will consecrate your children to St. Joseph and entrust them to his loving care.

O glorious St. Joseph, to you God committed the care of His only begotten Son amid the many dangers of this world. We come to you and ask you to take under your special protection the children God has given us. Through holy baptism they became children of God and members of His holy Church. We consecrate them to you today, that through this consecration they may become your foster children. Guard them, guide their steps in life, form their hearts after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

St. Joseph, who felt the tribulation and worry of a parent when the child Jesus was lost, protect our dear children for time and eternity. May you be their father and counsellor. Let them, like Jesus, grow in age as well as in wisdom and grace before God and men. Preserve them from the corruption of his world, and give us the grace one day to be united with them in Heaven forever. Amen.

SAY THIS PRAYER AS YOU BLESS YOUR CHILDREN

Children are blessings to us, they need our blessings.Whether they are going to school or simply walking out of the house, pray this prayer over them.

When our children walk out the front door and leave a parent’s watchful gaze, it can be difficult to trust that they will be in good hands. The world is a dangerous place and any number of things could happen that are out of our control.

Yet, our heart can be at peace when we entrust their life to God, putting him in charge of protecting our children from any harm. If we can’t protect them, surely he can cover them with his powerful arm.

Below is a prayer from the book of Numbers, said by the priest over the people of Israel. It is a prayer that is well-known and is sometimes used by Catholic priests today during the liturgy. As a parent, you have the authority to bless your children using similar words, and your blessing can have a profound effect upon them. Don’t be afraid to use it and let your heart be at ease, knowing that whatever might happen, God is in control.

May the Lord bless you and keep you!
May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26)

You can end this prayer with a blessing upon the forehead, making the sign of the cross and saying, “May God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

God bless us together with our children...

Prayers by Chief Vatican Exorcist Fr. Amorth

Prayers by Chief Vatican Exorcist Fr. Amorth

Dear Lord Jesus, please surround me (my family/friends/home) with a perimeter of Your Love and Protection throughout the day today and every day a hundred yards in all directions.

Lord Jesus, render any demons that are here, or should try to come, deaf, dumb, and blind. Strop them of all weapons, illusions, armor, power, and authority. Disable them from communicating or interacting in any way. Bind, sever, and separate them, sending them directly to the foot of Your Cross, without manifestation or harm, to us or to anyone, to be dealt with by you Jesus as you see fit.

May Your Precious Blood cover us, the Holy Spirit fill us, Mary’s mantle of love and protection surround us, St. Joseph guide us, the Holy Angels and Saints guard and protect us from all unfortunate events. Protect us from fire, theft, vandalism, flood, storms, ailments and accidents of every sort, distress, hardship, curse, and all untoward things. I ask this all in your Name Jesus, through Mary’s intercession, now. Amen!

St. Michael, St. Joseph, St. Padre Pio, St. John Paul II, and Mother Mary, pray for us!

Prayer for Home Protection Against Demons – Fr. Amorth

Spirit of our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Most Holy Trinity, Immaculate Virgin Mary, angels, archangels, and saints of heaven, descend upon me. Please purify me, Lord, mold me, fill me with yourself, use me.

Banish all the forces of evil from me, destroy them, vanish them, so that I can be healthy and do good deeds.

Banish from me all spells, witchcraft, black magic, malefice, ties, maledictions, and the evil eye; diabolic infestations, oppressions, possessions; all that is evil and sinful, jealously, perfidy, envy; physical, psychological, moral, spiritual, diabolical aliments.

Burn all these evils in hell, that they may never again touch me or any other creature in the entire world.

I command and bid all the power who molest me – by the power of God all powerful, in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary – to leave me forever, and to be consigned into the everlasting hell, where they will be bound by Saint Michael the archangel, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael, our guardian angels, and where they will be crushed under the heel of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen.

Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary

Daily Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary For The Month Of May

Daily Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary For The Month Of May

O most August and Blessed Virgin Mary! Holy Mother of God! Glorious Queen of Heaven and earth! Powerful Protectress of those who love Thee, and unfailing Advocate of all who invoke Thee! Look down, we beseech Thee, from Thy throne of glory on Thy devoted children; accept the solemn offering we present Thee in this month of May, specially dedicated to Thee, and receive our ardent, humble desires, that by our love and fervor we might worthily honor Thee, who, next to God, art deserving of all honor.




Receive us, O Mother of Mercy, among Thy best beloved children; extend to us Thy maternal tenderness and solicitude; obtain for us a place in the Heart of Jesus, and a special share in the gifts of His grace. O deign, we beseech Thee, to recognize our claims on Thy protection, to watch over our spiritual and temporal interests, as well as those of all who are dear to us. O Immaculate Queen of the Universe, do Thou infuse into our souls the spirit of Christ, and teach us like Thyself to become meek, humble, obedient, charitable, patient, and submissive to the Will of God.




May our hearts burn with the love of Thy Divine Son, and of Thee, His blessed Mother, not for this month alone, but for time and eternity. May we thirst for the promotion of His honor and Thine, and contribute, as far as we can, to its extension. Receive us, O Mary, the refuge of sinners! Grant us a Mother's blessing and a Mother's care, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GUARDIAN ANGELS AND THEIR ROLE IN OUR LIVES

While the role of Guardian Angels is to guard men, institutions, cities and nations, we often have a distorted image of the functions of these angels. Many see them as beings that are good just to obtain advantages for us. However, this is not their only role. They exist above all to help us in spiritual difficulties. God accompanies us through the action of the angels and they participate in our struggles to help us fulfill our vocation.

Indeed, Guardian Angels run contrary to the Hollywood vision of life. According to that mentality, there is a great propensity to think there are no struggles, difficulties or dangers and everything will have a happy ending. The Church teaches us the contrary. Life is full of struggles and dangers, both material and spiritual. Because of this, Divine Providence has placed an angel to watch over each and every one of us.

God has done this with such magnificence, that in addition to one angel for every person, there is also an angel for every city and every nation. There is an angel to watch over the Holy Catholic Church: St. Michael the Archangel. There are angels to watch over groups, families of souls, societies and other institutions, so that everything that exists is guarded by angels. This, incidentally, is part of the role of the angels, for they maintain the whole material universe executing all of the decrees of God.

Therefore, since life is an intense struggle with dangers and difficulties, each of us has an angel to guide him because we would otherwise not be able to make it on our own.

The first lesson to draw from the fact we have Guardian Angels is one must have a supernatural spirit or outlook. The Cistercian abbot Dom Chautard condemned the erroneous attitude of one who thinks: I am very capable, very intelligent, resourceful, and, above all, very proud. I can fend for myself with my great qualities, as long as God keeps away from me those very large obstacles. I do not need God’s help in my spiritual or material life. I can take care of myself and accomplish what I need to do by myself.

There is something fundamentally wrong in this attitude. God Himself delegated an angel to accompany and protect each of us precisely because we are not capable of taking care of ourselves. The fact that we are given an angel is a proof that we need God’s help at every moment, in everything, even those small things, that we do.

On the other hand, the Guardian Angel is usually presented as the protector of little children. Sentimentality has distorted all devotions, holy cards and pictures showing the angel watching over a small child. What is implicitly conveyed is that, first, only toddlers need angels; and second, only little children believe in angels.

Those with a more developed, freethinking or liberated mindset neither need nor believe in angels.Such characterizations of the holy angels convey another message. These sentimental holy cards often show a very beautiful little brook with a fat, rosy-cheeked little toddler walking over a bridge. The child is crossing the bridge with a broken board, and about to step in the hole with his little foot. We see the Guardian Angel is watching over him.

One has the impression that this is a child’s imaginary world, and with this mentality, the little child crosses the bridge. At best, we could imagine that the Guardian Angel does the same with adults. Thus, comes the idea that we need to pray to our Guardian Angels to avoid car crashes, illnesses, and small accidents since they specialize in preventing us from such sufferings.

No doubt, Guardian Angels do help us with such material needs, but that is not their only task. No one speaks of Guardian Angels helping with spiritual needs.

Sentimentality has distorted all
depictions of Guardian Angels.

This attitude is consistent with a certain festive piety that many people exhibit when going on pilgrimage to special sanctuaries. What do they ask for? The healing of a sore throat or some wound. The testimonials and petitions compiled in these places of pilgrimage show requests for help for all kinds of strange symptoms, wounds and material requests. Naturally, the pilgrims also ask for money, reconciliation in families, avoiding bad luck and many other things of the same nature yet with little to no reference to spiritual needs.

It’s evident that many have little notion that Guardian Angels are given to us to help with the most important matters: the needs of our soul. The greatest function of our Guardian Angel is to watch over our soul and to obtain graces for us so we can overcome our spiritual difficulties.

What a great comfort we would have in the hours of tribulation and temptation, those times when we feel all alone weighed down with the problems of our spiritual life, if we would have the certainty that our Guardian Angel is right next to us. Though we cannot see or hear him, he does not leave us even for a second. He is waiting for our prayers to go into action for us. He often acts without our asking, but will act much more if we ask. He is well within our reach.

What a joy it would be to have this in mind when we are involved in the apostolate with others. When we suffer with spiritual problems, annoyances, struggles, abandonment, and difficulties of all kinds, we would know that this solitude is an illusion. Our Guardian Angel is right beside us. Even if we have the impression that the distance between our Guardian Angels and us is greater than between Heaven and Earth, the truth is that they are extremely close to us. As we pray to them and ask for their help, they will watch over and protect us.

Having this present in our thoughts at every moment should encourage us in our spiritual life. We should feel a great satisfaction and sense God’s hand accompanying us at each step in our spiritual and material life. This illustrates the affirmation of Our Lord in the Gospel that not a hair falls from our head, not a bird dies, or a leaf falls without God willing it.

Such a perspective about the angels corresponds to Church teaching on Divine Providence. Because our Guardian Angel is providing and asking for everything we need, we can practice better the virtue of confidence.

The assistance the angel provides for us in the hours of danger and trial is not the only assistance he renders. He also prays for us. There is, for example, the famous vision of Daniel in which he sees angels from the ancient empires as if fighting for their respective people before God’s throne.

Our angel is our intercessor, advocate and our mediator. He is continuously praying for us. Therefore, the most appropriate thing for us to do is to ask continuously that our Guardian Angel fulfill this function of intercessor to obtain graces for us and drive away temptations and chastisements. This is something we should be doing constantly.

Thus, we have made some considerations that should help us to increase our love for our Guardian Angels, and thus invoke their patronage with greater devotion.

WHAT GOD’S ‘VOICE’ SOUND LIKE

Discernment – Listen closely, God May be trying to speak to you.

St. Ignatius Loyola, in his writings on the topic of the discernment of spirits, provides specific instructions on how to identify the voices you hear in your soul, whether in prayer or while going about your daily duties. In particular, Loyola details the attributes of God’s voice.

Loyola explains, “it is proper to God and to His Angels in their movements to give true spiritual gladness and joy, taking away all sadness and disturbance which the enemy brings on.” Furthermore, “It belongs to God our Lord to give consolation to the soul without preceding cause, for it is the property of the Creator to enter, go out and cause movements in the soul, bringing it all into love of His Divine Majesty.”

Additionally, “We ought to note well the course of the thoughts, and if the beginning, middle and end is all good, inclined to all good, it is a sign of the good Angel.”

However, before we can properly discern these voices in our soul it is necessary to discern the state of our soul. Loyola writes that if the soul is moving from “good to better” the good Angel touches “sweetly,” but if the soul is moving from “bad to worse” than the opposite is true and the good spirit can seem sharp and try to kick us back in the right direction.

In general, if we are striving to draw closer to God, he will speak to us in the silence of our hearts with peace and joy. It will likely not be in the form of an earthquake, lightning bolt, or flames of fire, but as Elijah heard, in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).

The next time you are trying to discern who is speaking to your soul, stop and go over St. Ignatius’ steps of discernment. It might be God who is knocking at the door of your heart, desiring to give you the peace, joy and gladness that will satisfy your spiritual thirst.

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary Prayer

Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, I Consecrate my entire self to the Most Holy Love of Your Two Hearts. I Wish to make reparation for all the sins of the world, including my own. I offer these things for the love of the Hearts of JESUS and MARY. I will keep my mind on beauty and turn my thoughts from evil things.I will not show off, but remain humble. I will offer up all my sufferings, sickness and hurts. I will seek God's Will, not my own. I will show appreciation for the kindness, the blessings that I receive, and God for all things. I will do everything in my life for love of God. And I will love others, as God has loved me. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the Intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, receive the offering and consecration I now make of myself to You. Keep me faithful unto death. Bring me one day to the Happy Home in Heaven. I desire to live forever with God the Father and the Most Holy Spirit and You my Jesus, together with Your Most Immaculate Mother. AMEN+