The Holy Rosary:The Ultimate Weapon of

Mary’s ArmyCommunion of Reparation VigilOctober 4-5, 2013

Our Lady of the Rosary: A title given us by Mary

The title “Our Lady of the Rosary” is one that has been endorsed by

Mary herself.

When the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette in

1858 in Lourdes, She taught the unlettered teenager how to pray

the rosary.

Later, when she appeared to the three young children at Fatima in 1917, Mary endorsed the rosary, which the children were saying.

When the children asked who she was, Mary replied,

“I am the Lady of the Rosary”

This confirmed the Church’s instruction on the rosary as Our Lady’s prayer, which had been highlighted by Pope Leo XIII in

1883.

He decreed that the invocation “Queen of the Most Holy

Rosary” should be added to the Litany of Loreto.

The Rosary and the Bible

“When you pray, Do not babble like pagans with their many words, for

they believe that the more they say, the more chance they have of

being heard.” Matthew 6:7

Repeated Prayers in the Bible?

We need to understand the context of Matthew 6:7.

Our Lord condemns the NONSENSE repetition of words of

prayer. Pagans believe that by repeating their words of prayer, their Gods will hear them. They

believed that the efficaciousness of prayer lie on how many times

you uttered the words. This is what Our Lord forbids and

despise.

It means that the repitition of meaningful prayers is not wrong

because Jesus himself prayed repeatedly in the Garden of Getsemane (Mt. 26:39-44)

The Jews who wanted to be noticed and praised by people

were told by Jesus because of their hypocrisy and pride while praying. This is what Our Lord really means

when He says “empty phrases or babbling”.

Passages in the Bible where repeated prayers are mentioned:

“He left them again, and went to pray the third time, saying the

same words” 1 Thess. 5:17

“Pray without ceasing and give thanks to God at every moment.”

1 Thess. 5:17

“…day and night they sing without ceasing: ‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God…’” Rev. 4:8

The History of The Rosary

The traditional story of the rosary was that the Virgin Mary herself

appeared to St. Dominic de Guzman in the twelfth century. At that time, tradition says she gave

him the rosary and promised Dominic that if he spread the

devotion to the rosary, heresies would be defeated and his

religious order would flourish.

Originally the rosary had 150 beads, the same number of

psalms in the Bible. In the twelfth century, Religious orders recited together the 150 psalms as away to mark the hours of the day and

the days of the week. Those people who don’t know how to

read wanted to share in this practice, so praying on a string of 150 beads began as a parallel to

praying the psalms.

On October 16, 2002, Pope John Paul II, declared that the

following year will be the “Year of the Rosary”. For the first time in centuries, a change was made

in the rosary. The Pope added and defined 5 new mysteries

that concerned the events in the public life of Jesus. These new mysteries were called the or

“Luminous Mysteries” “Mysteries of Light”.

Despite all the additions and changes, the important core of the rosary has always remained the same. It is a way for God’s

people to make holy the day, and to remember the life of Jesus and

His Mother. May these humble origins always be with us each

time we pray the rosary.

The Power of the Rosary

St. John Bosco maintained that the rosary is wonderful means

for acquiring the virtue of purity and a sure protection against the

snares of the devil.

Praying the rosary offers our Heavenly Mother the force of

intervening for the salvation of many poor souls in purgatory.

By praying the rosary, we are able to lay bare the plots of the evil

one. Through this prayer we are able to escape many of Satan’s

deceptions. This prayer also defends us from many dangers

the devils sets for us.

As in the past, so it shall be today. The Church will be

defended and saved by it’s victorious Mother, by means of the frequent recitation of the

Rosary.

(Ex.: The miracle in Hiroshima, Japan

Battle between Chrisians and Moslems in Lepanto)

Today Satan is conquering everything with the pride and

rebellion against God. But He is however terrified by those who

follow the Heavenly Mother along the road of littleness and

humility. The Red Dragon will find himself humiliated and defeated when He finds himself bound by

Our Lady not by a great chain but by the very frail cord: the Holy

Rosary

Challenge!It is clear that we should be devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary should be part of our prayer life. In addition, we must say it by combining two elements:

PRAYER and MEDITATION.

RememberingOurScripturesAndRenewingYourself

May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary be

praised every where!

Ave Maria!