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Feast Day: October 07
Meditation
The rosary is a favourite means of
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, recommended by the Popes over many centuries. It consists of various elements:
(a)
Contemplation,
in union with Mary, of a series of mysteries of salvation, distributed into three cycles. These mysteries express the joy of the Messianic
times, the suffering of Christ, and the glory of the Risen Lord which fills the Church. This contemplation by its very nature encourages
practical reflection and provides norms for living.
(b)
The Lord’s Prayer, or Our Father, which by reason
of its immense value is at the basis of Christian prayer and ennobles that prayer in its
various expressions.
(c)
The litany-like succession of the Hail Mary, which is
made up of the Angel’s greeting to the Virgin (Lk 1:28) and of Elizabeth’s
greeting (Lk 1:42), followed by the Church’s own prayer. The continued series of Hail Marys is the special
characteristic of the Rosary, and their number, one hundred and fifty, is divided into
decades attached to the individual mysteries.
(d)
The doxology Glory be to the Father concludes the prayer
with the glorifying of God Who is One and Three, from Whom, through Whom, and in Whom all
things have their being (Rom 11:36).
In her sixth and last apparition at Fatima, October 13, 1917,
the Blessed Virgin insisted on the recitation of the Rosary as a powerful means for the
conversion of Russia and for peace in the world. When
Lucy asked, “Who are you and what do you want?”
Our Lady replied: “I am the Lady of the Rosary, and I have come to warn
the faithful to amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. Thy must not continue to offend our Lord who is
already so deeply offended. They must say the
Rosary.”
Through the
prayer of the Rosary untold blessings have been showered down upon all humankind
throughout the ages. Through the Rosary today
as in past times of peril that have threatened civilization, Mary has again come to save all humankind from the evils that overwhelm
us.
But the
Rosary is especially most helpful in bringing back home life to its full splendour, by
raising the family to a higher family circle where God is Father and Mary is Mother and we
are all children of God. The Family Rosary
is a practical way to strengthen the unity of family life.
THE WORD OF GOD
“Who is this that comes forth like
the dawn, as beautiful as the moon, as resplendent as the sun, as awe-inspiring as
bannered troops”
(Song 6:10)
“You are beautiful as Tirzah (early
capital of Northern Israel), my beloved, as lovely as Jerusalem, as awe-inspiring as
bannered troops.” (Song 6:4)
“Listen,
my faithful children; open up your petals, like roses planted near running waters; send up
the sweet odour of incense, break forth in blossoms like the lily. Send up the sweet odour of your hymn of praise;
bless the Lord for all he has done.” (Sir 39:13-14)
NOVENA PRAYERS
My dearest
Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet.
Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests
at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart, and for this
special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena:
(Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your
Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot
be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you
want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request.
If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which
will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual
“Bouquet of Roses” because I love you. I
put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of
Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet
Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
HOW TO SAY THE HOLY
R0SARY
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