33rd Sunday - 10 Signs Before Second Coming of Jesus

 

Every year just before Advent and sometimes in the first weeks of Advent the Church focuses on the Second Coming of Jesus. The purpose of Advent is to prepare for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus and prepare for the Second Coming.

The Catholic Encyclopedia, not Catechism of the Catholic Church, gives us 9 Signs that will precede the 2^nd Coming of Jesus. I will add an additional sign that comes from the Catechism.

In the Gospel today, Jesus gives three of the 10 signs. He says there will be 1. wars, 2. earthquakes, plagues and famines and 3 a great persecution. The signs I will list are in no particular order.

1. Extraordinary Perturbations of Nature - Perturbations means nature is perturbed and acts violently. Jesus said, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be pestilences and famines and earthquakes in places. There will be awesome sights and mighty sings will come from the sky.”(Matt. 24:6-7)

2. General Preaching of the Christian Religion Throughout the Earth. "And this Gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come." (Matthew 24:14) Saint Pope John Paul II said the Gospel has been preached to all the world.

3. Great Apostasy – Apostasy is the abandonment of the faith. St. Paul speaks about apostasy in the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2:3), “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first. And that man of sin be revealed. The son of perdition.” The “falling away” means falling away from the faith (apostasy). Today many have fallen away from the faith, including leaders of the Church. Cardinal Burke said, ‘No matter what we are asked to suffer, we must remain with Him (Jesus), even if those in the highest positions of authority in the Church should abandon Him, should commit the grievous crime of apostasy from the Catholic faith..”

4. Great Persecution. The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover (pass from death to new life), when she will follow her Lord in His death and Resurrection. Before Christ's 2nd coming the Church must pass through a final trial. During the great persecution many will suffer and be martyred for the faith. The book of Revelation speaks about how Christians will not be able to buy or sell food, “And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.” I’m going to give you an idea that is popular today with regard what could happen. We could surmise due to a world wide economic collapse, there would be one world monetary system. No longer individual countries with their own money. Instead, through communism, a card or a microchip would given to every person to purchase food or obtain healthcare, but to obtain it, one must deny their faith joining one world religion, that denies Jesus.

5. Reign of the Antichrist – In (2 Thessalonians 2:3) “The man of sin" is the Antichrist. He will rise against Christ to seduce the nations. “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” (Daniel 12:11) The “daily sacrifice” means the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be abolished.

The Antichrist will work false miracles: physically heal, change the weather, raise a person from the dead. But they will be illusions and done by human or natural means, but will fool many.

The Antichrist will create a religious deception offering an apparent solution to their problems at the price of denying their faith (apostasy) and cause the great persecution against Christians.

6. Return of Enoch and Elijah. Fathers of the Church believed these two men, who never died, are reserved for the last times to be precursors of the Second Coming. Saint Mechtilda of Hackeborn (d. 1298) said, “Enoch and Elijah will expose the devilish trickery of the Antichrist to the people. As a consequence he will put them to death. For three and one-half days their bodies will be exposed to insults and the followers of Antichrist will presume that all danger is now past, but suddenly the bodies of the two prophets will move, rise and gaze on the crowd and begin to praise God. A great earthquake, similar to that at Christ's resurrection, will take place: Jerusalem will be partially destroyed and thousands killed. Then a voice from heaven will call out "Ascend," whereupon the prophets will ascend into heaven, resulting in the conversion of many. The Antichrist will reign thirty days after their ascension."

7. The Conversion of the Jews. Saint Paul said, "For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery, . . . that blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in. And so all Israel should be saved…” (Romans 11:25-26) Jews will follow the Antichrist thinking he is the messiah, but later discover Jesus in the true Messiah and so convert to Christianity.

8. Universal Conflagration. Saint Peter speaks about Conflagration (a catastrophic fire on the earth). “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.” (2 Peter 3:10) Conflagration is a fire that renews creation and does not destroy it.

9. Son of Man Appearing in the Heavens. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30) In the sky appears the Cross our Savior died or a wonderful cross of light. Saint Faustina Kowalska (d.1938) said, “All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the Cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time.”

10. Trumpet of Resurrection. St. Paul said, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”(Thessalonians 4:16) The living and dead will receive their resurrected bodies, including those in heaven and in hell. When all receive their resurrected body, then will come, the Last Judgment, when the sins of everyone in the world will be revealed for all to see.

Jesus said, “And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather (his) elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.” (Mark 13:26-27).

Will the 2^nd Coming happen in our lifetime? Nobody knows the day nor the hour, but Signs help us to be ready. Jesus told St. Faustina the Divine Mercy devotion was to prepare for His Second Coming. He said, “You will prepare the world for My final coming”. (Diary 429) “Speak to the world about My mercy... It is a sign for the end times.”

In every age, we can believe Jesus is coming in our time. Saints have done so too, especially St. Vincent Ferrer, who is the apostle of the apocalypse. He preached on the 2^nd Coming of Jesus telling people Jesus is coming soon, which resulted in the conversion of thousands. Was he wrong? Yes, he was wrong in the fact Jesus’ Second Coming did not come, but he was right in the fact each would have their own personal judgment when they die.

To prepare for the Second Coming, the messages of Our Lady in Medjugorje will help us to be ready. We should daily repent of our sins, and go to Confession monthly, spend personal prayer time with Jesus, turn our life over to Him, live a life doing good for others, attend daily Mass, pray the Rosary everyday, fast on Wednesday and Friday, daily read a short paragraph from the bible, spend time every week in Eucharistic Adoration, and be ready to suffer for our faith, even to the point of dying for it.

If we have Jesus, we have nothing to fear. However, we should fear sins, because only sins can keep us from being with Jesus forever in heaven.

May the Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, Co-redemptrix and Queen of peace watch over all our families and keep us close to Jesus Her Son, so that we may be ready for whatever may happen in the future and live each day as though it was our last.

Dedication of St. John Lateran, Nov 9th

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, which is the cathedral of Rome. There is an inscription on the outside of the basilica, that says, “The holy church of the Lateran, mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world.”

The Lateran family donated the land to build the church. After the church was constructed by the emperor Constantine and given to pope Sylvester I, it was consecrated in 324. The pope lived at the Lateran palace for about 1000 yrs, before moving to St. Peter’s Basilica. The church also possesses the relics of the heads of Peter and Paul and the holy table our Lord used at the Last Supper.

Many think that St. Peter’s Basilica is the Cathedral of Rome, but it’s not. It’s St. John Lateran and has the bishop of Rome’s chair called the cathedra.

We celebrate the dedication of the physical structure of the Lateran Basilica, not only because because it is the first papal residence, not only because the pope resided there for 1000 yrs., not only because its the mother of all Christian churches, not only because its the Cathedral of Rome because but most importantly, because of who is in the Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist now resides in the Lateran Basilica and every Catholic church in the world.

In the second reading today, St. Paul said, “Do you not know you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.”

Today’s feast is a reminder that our body, like that of a church, is a temple, which belongs to God. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and because of that we should treat our body with respect. It does not belong to us, it belongs to the Lord. So when we purposely harm our body, we are harming God’s temple.

Surgeries such as face lifts, or if a man or woman gets sterilized, to not have children is harmful to the body. Hysterectomies, although they cause sterilization, are not sinful, because the purpose of getting a hysterectomy due to a medical problem.

Excessive piercing is not treating our body with respect. Overeating and eating excessive sweets can cause obesity and diabetes. If we don’t take care of our health, we are not treating the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. If we fail to take medicine, it can cause premature death. Due to vanity and a poor self-image one can exercise excessively to have a body that will draw attention to others. Some don’t exercise to remain healthy. Regular bathing keeps our body clean and healthy avoiding viruses, and bacteria.

Smoking harms our lungs (my father, my uncle George and my brother-in-law John, all died from lung cancer). Excessive drinking of alcohol can damage the liver, social problems, fractured families and the loss of one’s job.

Taking drugs like marijuana or meth are sinful because they impair judgment. Side effects of marijuana include: permanent brain difficulties such as the inability to control emotions, impaired memory and attention, reduced IQ, difficulty with problem-solving and decision-making, increased risk of psychosis, anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia, addiction, mood swings, paranoia and hallucinations and hormonal imbalances in women.

More important than physical care of the body is the care of the soul. Whereby we avoid sin, especially mortal sin.

What would your body be like if you bathed only twice a year or bathed only once a month? Pew! And so, what is your soul like, if you confess only once or twice a year.

Saints have a way of saying shocking yet honest things. Saint Padre Pio, known for his mystical experiences and stigmata, once encountered a man confessing lustful sins, describing the spiritual stench as “the smell of a rotting corpse.”

St. Catherine complained to the Pope that “in the Vatican (a place which should have been a paradise of heavenly virtues)-there was instead a stench of all the vices of Hell." The Pontiff was bewildered about the statement and how the Saint knew of such a condition, when she had been in Rome only a few days. St. Catherine responded, “to the honor of Almighty God I dare to say that I could smell the sins being committed in the Roman Court better when I was in Siena, where I was born, than the people who committed them and are still committing them today.”

Saint John Vianney, said “Confession is the soul's bath. Just, as even a clean glass needs to be washed occasionally.”

By coming to Mass today, we recognize our need to drive those things in our heart, which prevent the temple of our soul from truly being the Father’s house. We need to be like Jesus, and have holy zeal, to drive out the sheep, oxen, and money changers within our heart (which are our sins). Our soul must always be in the state of grace when we receive Holy Communion (meaning there can’t be a mortal sin on our soul) and if there is we should first go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion.

St. Padre Pio asked all his penitents to confess weekly. The Virgin Mary at Medjugorje said to confess monthly, attend daily Mass to receive Holy Communion, pray the Rosary daily, and read a short paragraph from the bible daily.

My friends, when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, we become living tabernacles. And we need to be conscience of the indwelling of God in our soul, for by doing this, we will treat our body and our soul with respect.

Today, let us honor St. John Lateran Church, the mother church of all Christians, and with zeal strive to make our soul immaculate in imitation of Mary, the image and model of the Church. By confessing regularly and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion often, Our Lord will find within us a palace, a little tabernacle, and a home He can dwell.

St. Caesarius of Arles said, “My fellow Christians, let us celebrate with joy the Dedication of St. John Lateran church and also God’s temple in our heart. May we not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil. Whenever we come to church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this church to be. Do you wish to find this basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this basilica to be full of light? God too wishes that your soul be not in darkness, but that the light of good works shine in us, so that he who dwells in the heavens will be glorified. Just as you enter this church building, so God wishes to enter into your soul, for he promised: I shall live in them, and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.”

Nov 2nd - Poor Souls in Purgatory

 

Nov. 2^nd is All Souls Day, the day we remember and pray for the poor souls in purgatory. Can poor souls communicate with us and ask for prayers and Masses?

A number of years ago, when I was living in the house on Kansas street here in Little River. One day I heard knocking. At first, I thought is was the back door, but discovered it was coming the spare bedroom. I opened the closet door and still heard the knocking. I thought it was coming from outside. But when I went outside, nothing was there. The knocking continued in the closet. It was coming from behind my uncle’s chalice.

My mother’s brother was a priest, Fr. Fred Tuzicka. We used to write each other when I was a seminarian. He died in 2002, two years before I was ordained a priest. When I picked up the chalice, the knocking stopped. I decided to look on the computer to see the obituary for my uncle, and discovered the day, the knocking occurred on the anniversary of his ordination. I thought maybe, he was knocking from purgatory asking for Masses. I began to offer Masses for him and daily prayed for his soul.

The word purgatory is not in the bible, nor is the word Trinity, but the doctrines of the Trinity and purgatory are in the bible. The book of Maccabees also states, “Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out.” "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." “Thus (Judas Maccabees) made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.” (2 Maccabees 12:42-46) St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians states, “He himself will be saved, but as one fleeing from fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15) Jesus mentions purgatory in the Gospel of Matthew, “Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise, your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” (Matthew 5:25-26)

The book of Revelation describes why there is purgatory. It states, “But nothing unclean will enter [heaven], nor any[one] who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Rev 21:27).

St. Augustine said this about purgatory. He said, “The pain and suffering in purgatory is greater than any pain one can suffer on earth.”

Just imagine for a moment, what would be the greatest pain and sufferings in this life. Such as being tortured, or slowly burned to death in a fire, and yet, the pain and suffering of purgatory is greater than these.

We shouldn’t say, “I will be happy if I just make it to purgatory.” St. Teresa of Avila corrected others who had this attitude. She said, “How sweet will death be, for the person, who has fully repented of all personal sins and can leap over purgatory.”

Fr. Paul O’ Sullivan is his book “How to Avoid Purgatory”, said, “The reason why we have to pass through Purgatory after death is that we have committed sins and have not made satisfaction for them. Every individual sin must be expiated—in this life or the next! Not even the slightest shadow of sin or evil can enter the all-holy presence of God. The graver, the more frequent the sins, the longer will be the period of expiation and the more intense pain. Even after sin, God, in His infinite goodness places at our disposal many easy and efficacious means by which we may considerably lessen our term of expiation, or even entirely cancel it.” Here are ways Fr Sullivan said, we can avoid Purgatory:

1. We should avoid deliberate venial sin, break off bad habits and make a strong resolution to not sin. And most importantly avoid Mortal Sin.

2. Penance — Make satisfaction for our sins. We do this by offering little mortifications and practice self-denial. “Daily acts of self-restraint, of patience with others, of kindness to others and the exact fulfillment of duty are splendid penances and a great aid to happiness.”

3. Suffering– by bearing patiently what we cannot avoid. “every pain and sorrow and disappointment in this life lessons our suffering in Purgatory and also brings us happiness and glory in heaven.”

4. Frequent Confession, Holy Communion and daily attendance at Mass. Confession wipes away our sins, fills us with horror of sin and strength to overcome sin, we should to confession monthly or even weekly. “In Holy Communion, we receive the God of infinite mercy and love, the God of all sanctity, who comes expressly to pardon our sin and help us to sin no more.” “The Mass is identical with the Sacrifice of Calvary in its essence, in its value in the graces it bestows.” By attending and participating at Mass, we can apply all these oceans of graces to our souls every day.

5. Ask God everyday to help us avoid Purgatory. (1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory be)

6. Resignation of Death. “They say that when a sick person becomes aware that he is dying and offers to God his death with perfect resignation, it is very likely that he will go straight to heaven.”

7. Last Rites (Last Anointing, the Apostolic Pardon and Last Communion)- “Extreme Unction, if devoutly received, prepares the dying Christian for immediate entrance into heaven.”

8. Always want to do God’s Will.

9. Pray for Souls in Purgatory everyday.

10. Daily Visit Jesus Blessed Sacrament by stopping by the church. “Kneeling in the presence of Jesus with eyes fixed on the Tabernacle, sure that He is looking at us, let us for a few minutes repeat some little prayer like these, “My Jesus, give me a happy death.”

11. Wear the Brown Scapular. (Three conditions: practice chastity, wear the scapular, daily recite the Rosary) The scapular has two promises. First, “Whoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire”. “and the Sabbatine privilege, “I, the Mother of Grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death, and whomsoever, I shall find in Purgatory, I shall free.”

12. Indulgence– There are two kinds of indulgences, partial and plenary. They can be either offered for our self or a soul in purgatory. During the Jubilee Year of Hope, we can gain a plenary indulgence for our self and also for a soul in purgatory. (Requirements: Confession 8 days before or after. Receive Holy Communion. Pray for Our Father, Hail Mary for the Pope. One must be free from all attachment to sin) To Gain a Plenary Indulgence, you can do any of these, visit Blessed Sacrament for at least 30 min. Read Scripture for 30 min. Make the Way of the Cross. Recite the Rosary in Church or in a group or as a family.

What can we do to help the poor souls of purgatory to gain heaven?

Offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for them. When you attend any Mass, you can offer the graces from your Mass for a particular intention or a specific person, living or deceased. The Mass is the greatest prayer and most efficacious way to free souls from purgatory. The primary purpose of the Mass is to atone for sins.

We can also offer up our Holy Communions for particular souls. We can pray personal prayers for them, especially the rosary. We can also offer up our works, sacrifices and sufferings for particular souls. We can also obtain indulgences for them as well. The ancient practice of sprinkling holy water on their graves or wherever we are to relieve their suffering.

With the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, today and throughout the month of November dedicated to the poor souls of purgatory, May perpetual light shine upon them-- and may the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace!

30th Sunday Tax Collector & Pharisee Pride & Humility

 

The Gospel reveals Our Blessed Lord’s desire for us to pray with a humble heart. The Lord never despises a poor, contrite and humble heart. Rather He resists the proud and gives grace and mercy to the humble. The parable represents two opposite types. The Pharisee, who is meticulous, about the external fulfillment of the law. And the tax collector, who in fact, is a public sinner.

The Pharisee’s prayer is not pleasing to God. Although he begins by thanking God, he lacks true gratitude. His pride causes him to be self-centered and to despise others. He boasts about all the good he has done and fails to recognize his sins. He regards himself as self-righteous, and doesn’t see his need of pardon. He remains in his sinful state, and so, he is blind. His guilt remains, and walks away unjustified.

The tax collector, however, recognizes his unworthiness, and is sincerely sorry for his sins. He has the necessary dispositions for God to truly pardon him. His prayer, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” wins God’s forgiveness.

There are 17 evidences of a lack of humility, they are: 1. To think that one says or does is better than what others say or do. 2. To always want to get your way. 3. To argue with stubbornness and bad manners whether you are right or wrong. 4. To give your opinion when it is not requested or when charity does not demand it. 5. To look down on another’s point of view. 6. Not to look on your own gifts and abilities as coming from God and to not be thankful for our gifts and talents and attribute them to our self. 7. To use yourself as an example in conversations. 8. To speak badly of yourself so that others will think well of you. 9. To excuse yourself when you are corrected. 10. To hide humiliating faults so that others will have a good impression of you. 11. To take pleasure in praise and compliments and desire to receive them. 12. To desire to be served, rather than to serve. 13. To be saddened because others are held in higher esteem than you. 14. To refuse to perform lowly tasks. 15. To seek to stand out. 16. To refer in conversation about your own honesty, intelligence, abilities, or professional prestige. 17. To be ashamed because you lack certain goods.

The Virgin Mary gives us an example of humility. Mary always had such a humble opinion of herself that, as was revealed to Saint Matilda, although she saw herself enriched with more graces than all other people, she never put herself ahead of anyone.

Humility is truth, as Saint Teresa of Avila remarks, and Mary knew that she had never offended God. She also knew that she had received more graces from God than all other creatures. A humble heart always acknowledges the special favors of the Lord in order to humble itself all the more. But the Blessed Mother, because of greater light made her aware of the infinite greatness and goodness of God, was also aware of her own nothingness. That is why she humbled herself more than everybody else.

The Blessed Virgin was always vividly conscious of the majesty of God and her own nothingness. She told Saint Elizabeth of Hungary that she looked upon herself as a worthless creature and unworthy of the grace of God. And that is why Saint Bernadine says that "after the Son of God, no one in the whole world was ever so exalted as Mary, because no one ever humbled himself to the extent that She did."

It is characteristic of humility to conceal heavenly gifts. Mary wished to conceal from Saint Joseph the favor which made her the Mother of God. And so She did not tell Joseph, that She had become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Instead, She waited until the angel told Joseph in a dream.

A soul that is truly humble does not allow her-self to be praised. And if praises are showered on her, she refers them all to God. Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord...He who is mighty has done great things for me.”

It is also characteristic of humility to serve others. Mary did not hesitate to go to help Her cousin, Elizabeth, for three months during her pregnancy with John the Baptist.

Humble persons choose the least honorable places for themselves. Therefore, as Saint Bernard remarks, "when Jesus was preaching in a house (as we learn in Saint Matthew), Mary, wishing to speak to him, would not enter on her own accord but remained outside, and did not avail herself of her maternal right to interrupt him."

The sincerely humble do not look for favor. In fact, love to be despised. That is why Mary did not show herself in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday when the people received Jesus with so much honor. On the other hand, at His death, She did not hesitate to appear on Calvary.

O Most Blessed Lady, help me to have a low opinion of myself and to realize that humility is truth. Grant, O most gracious Virgin, that I may be conscious of the majesty of God and of my own nothingness. Inspire me to conceal any heavenly gifts, which God in His goodness may bestow upon me. Do not, O Sweet Mother, allow me to desire to be praised! May I serve others with a humble heart like yours. I choose to take the least of all places. May I not desire to be favored, but rather love to be despised and please assist me in meditating and imitating your humility, you who are the most incomprehensible of all creatures. Amen.

Rosary Talk (Family Rosary Rally)

 

Welcome to the Family Rosary Rally! You just heard our bishop’s amazing Rosary talk, followed by five powerful and inspiring testimonies. The purpose of this rally is to encourage families to pray the Rosary together every day.

First, I will give you some tips on praying the Rosary, then I will speak about some fruits and miracles of the Rosary. And finally, I will give you an exhortation to daily pray the family Rosary.

The first tip on praying the Rosary is slow down. Before I was a priest, when I lived in Hays, there was a German woman lead the Rosary. She sounded like an auctioneer. I don’t mean to pick on the Irish, but when I was in seminary, if we wanted a quick Rosary, we’d ask an Irish seminarian to lead it. We are praying to a person, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Before praying the Rosary, we should mention our intentions and pray for the intentions of the Virgin Mary.

How many rosaries can you pray in 20 minutes? I suspect the woman at Hays could pray 2 Rosaries in 20 minutes, which is way too fast. St. Padre Pio prayed 35 Rosaries a day.

Did you know you can pray 30 rosaries in 20 minutes. What! St. Louis de Montfort said, “Somebody who says his Rosary alone only gains the merit of one Rosary, but if he says it together with thirty other people, he gains the merit of thirty Rosaries. This is the law of public prayer. How profitable, how advantageous this is!” 

To pray the Rosary with a group, you receive the same graces as the number of rosaries prayed with the group.

The Rosary is a double prayer. We pray with our mind and we pray with our voice. We need to meditate when we pray the Rosary. Before Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1205, when the Rosary was prayed, there were no meditations to it. But, when Our Lady gave St. Dominic the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, and people began to meditate on them, thousands of heretics came back to the Church. The Albigensians believed the body was evil and marriage was bad. When Our Lady gave Dominic the mysteries of the Rosary and told him to preach the Rosary, it helped Catholics return to the true teachings of the Church.

The meditations are really the Gospel in miniature because it covers important events often called mysteries in the lives of Jesus and Mary. When we meditate on the sacred mysteries Mary pours many graces and gifts into our soul, through Her prayers and intercession. The mystery becomes present to us. It increases our faith. We become more like Christ. We grow in virtue by meditating on and attempting to imitate the virtue associated with the mystery. God gives us insights into the mystery, which is what Alex Flood said happens when he prays the Rosary. We receive grace into our souls. Our mind is reminded of the truth associated with the mystery. We avoid falling into error because we experience the divine truth. Because the events involve God, they have eternal effects on our soul. St. Louis de Montfort said to pray the Rosary without meditating is like a body without a soul.

Mary treasured all the mysteries in Her Heart. She helps us to meditate on them, so we too can treasure them in our heart. When we gaze upon the mysteries, we are gazing upon them with the eyes of Mary. We begin to love Jesus as Mary loves Jesus. We feel what Jesus feels. We see what Jesus sees. When we are meditating on a mystery of the Rosary, allow the mystery to come alive in your mind. And be there at the mystery and participate in it. For example, when meditating on the Birth of Jesus, allow Mary to hand the baby Jesus to you and you hold Him in your arms. You see His smile and reach out your finger to touch His nose.

Here are some of the many fruits of the Rosary. The Rosary will bring back fallen away Catholics. The Rosary brought me to Confession from being away from it for 20 years (from 3^rd grade until I was 27). I had never seen my parents go to Confession, nor did they ever encourage me to go to Confession. When my grandmother was dying, I promised her I would pray a Rosary for her. Because I hadn’t prayed the Rosary since I was a child, this motivated me to learn how to pray the Rosary. EWTN was very helpful! The sorrowful mysteries convicted me of my sins and how I hurt Jesus, moved me to go to Confession. Then, after hearing about Our Lady’s messages from Medjugorje, I began to pray the Rosary daily, go to Confession monthly, read the Bible everyday, and attend daily Mass.

When we pray the Rosary, Mary will pray for us, now and at the hour of our death, as April Owens testified on behalf of her brother, who received the Last Rites before he died. The Rosary brought her family members back to the Church and her father became Catholic. The Rosary helped a protestant pastor, Alex Flood and his family become Catholic. Little Molly Leonard woke up and began to eat after her parents prayed the Rosary for her. Angie Marlett testifies the Rosary helps her to stay sober from her battle with alcohol addiction.

Jared and Katie testify that due to their daughter, Julian praying for a new baby girl everyday when the family prayed the Rosary together, they conceived, Kaci, a baby girl.

Jared said men are the spiritual leaders of the family and are responsible for daily family prayer. St. Paul said, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and was handed over for her, so that she may be a spotless bride.” Jesus laid down his life for His bride the Church and this is what all husbands and fathers are to do. Today, we have a crisis of men, who don’t live up to their Christian role has husband and father. Men are called to guardians, defenders and protectors of their wife and family, like St. Joseph was for the Holy Family. It is the duty of the father, the spiritual leader of the house to lead and encourage his family to pray the Rosary.

Men, take up the sword and fight to spiritually protect your wife and family. What is this sword? Do you remember when Boko Ha-ram kidnapped all those girls in Africa? The bishop of that diocese didn’t know what to do, so he went before Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration and begged the Lord to help him. Jesus came out of the Eucharistic Host, and Our Lord handed the bishop a sword. The bishop was astonished and reached out to take the sword and when he grabbed it, it suddenly turned into a large Rosary. Jesus then said to the Bishop, “Boko Haram is gone. Boko Haram is gone. Boko Haram is gone.” After this experience, the bishop told the people his diocese to pray the Rosary as a weapon against Boko Haram and Boko Haram slowly returned the girls on their own. The Rosary overcame this terrible evil.

St. Padre Pio said, “The Rosary is the weapon for these times. Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”

The Rosary has helped win wars. In 1213, the Battle of Muret was won by the Rosary. 800 crusaders were outnumbered by 20,000. Catholics spent the night praying the rosary. In the morning all went to confession and received Holy Communion. During the battle St. Dominic prayed before a statue of Mary in a nearby church. The opposing army indulged in a night of drunkenness and debauchery. The following day, the Catholics won the war.

On October 7 of 1571 was the Battle of Lepanto off the Italian coast. Before the battle, all 81,000 sailors confessed & received Holy Communion. From the Ottoman Empire 274 Muslim ships outnumbered 208 Christian ships. Pope Saint Pius V asked all Catholics to pray the Holy Rosary. On the day of the battle the wind shifted causing the Catholics to handily beat the Muslims saving Europe from an invasion.

Our Lady of Fatima said if people do not cease offending God, a worse war (World War II) will break out. She said Russia will spread her errors causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. Sister Lucia said Russia’s errors involve atheistic communism. At every apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, She asked the three children to pray the Rosary.

On August 6, 1945 the first nuclear bomb was detonated over Hiroshima, Japan, killing 140,000 people. Everything within a mile of the blast was annihilated with nothing left standing, no survivors. Yet, just eight blocks from ground zero, there was a two-story house with no damage to it. The community of eight Jesuit priests, who lived there, never suffered any health issues. They prayed the Rosary.

At St. Mark’s parish, they have an ongoing miracle. When WWII started, Msgr. Hackenbroich, the pastor had the parish pray the Rosary, so that all the soldiers would come home after the war. He promised Our Lady that he would build a grotto, if they did. All came home and so the grotto was built. No soldier from St. Mark’s has ever died in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam war or any war since then.

The Rosary helped convert a satanist, Bartolo Longo. He was raised Catholic, but fell away from the Church and became a satanic priest. He eventually went to Confession, but fell into despair. One day, he heard Friar Alberto say, ‘One who propagates my rosary shall be saved.’ From that moment, Bartolo Longo’s life was consumed with devotion to Our Lady and promoting Her Rosary. He built the world’s largest basilica dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy. St. Pope John Paul II added the Luminous mysteries to the Rosary due to St. Bartolo. Today in Rome, Bartolo Longo was canonized by Pope Leo.

Religious orders who pray the Rosary daily have many vocations, and they all wear their habits, including our own Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters of Wichita, the Dominican Sisters of Nashville, the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration, the Sisters of Life, the Benedictine Sisters of Gower, Missouri, etc…

Fr. Don Calloway, a priest of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, said if you pray 3 or 4 Rosaries a day, you will break free of impurity & pornography.

The Rosary has even put our fires. On October 9 of 1871, was the great Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin and Michigan, the greatest fire tragedy in US history killing between 1,200-2,400 people. Near Champion, Wisconsin, Sister Adele Briese and her companions processed a statue of Mary, around the grounds, praying the Rosary and singing hymns to Jesus and the Blessed Mother. A rain came and the fire halted at the fence of the land consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, containing the chapel, school and convent.

When I went to Medjugorje for the first time in 1991, there happened to be popular priest from another country in Medjugorje. Two young ladies and I wanted to go to Confession to him. One of the ladies suggested we pray a Rosary, so that the priest will come to hear our confessions. There were about 20 outdoor confessionals. I told them I thought that foolish to pray the Rosary to get a priest to come to us, especially since he was nowhere around. But I relented and we prayed the Rosary. Just as we finished the Hail Holy Queen, the priest goes directly into the Confessional in front of us and we each confessed to him.

In 2005, in our diocese of Wichita, many parishes put in their bulletin a Seven Sorrows Rosary Novena from May 16^th to May 24th to close the abortion clinic on Central. On the last day of the Rosary Novena, May 24^th, the former feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, the abortion clinic was closed.

A few years after I was ordained, a priest, I went to the March for Life in Washington, DC. While vesting for Mass in the crypt church, since I didn’t know any of the priests there, I decided to pray the Rosary with the intention of priests coming to me to go to Confession. After about a decade, a priest came up to me and said, “Father, will you hear my confession?” I said, “Sure!” After he left, I continued saying the Rosary. By the time I finished praying the Rosary, I heard the Confession of three priests, who I had never met before.

In Africa, in 2014, over 10,000 people in western Africa died from the Ebola outbreak. The Bishop of the Diocese of Gbarnga told the people to daily pray the Rosary. One village gathered faithfully everyday to pray the Rosary and not one person died who lived in that village, while hundreds of people died in the surrounding villages.

A sorority girl went to bed praying the Rosary, and when serial killer, Ted Bundy, came to her room, an invisible force caused him to drop the knife and pushed him out of the room. A priest later determined the Rosary saved her life.

Medjugorje apparitions have not been fully approved, but messages now have ecclesiastical approval. In some messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje, She asks families to daily pray the Rosary together. She asked everyone to pray 3 rosaries a day (joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries). Here are some quotes, that Our Lady said, “Even the rosary alone can work miracles in the world and in your lives.” “I request the families of the parish to pray the family Rosary.” “Dear children! Little children, pray the Rosary and meditate the mysteries of the Rosary because, in your life, you are also passing through joys and sorrows.”

When I was a child, my mother taught my siblings and I to pray the Rosary kneeling before a statue of the Virgin Mary. I also didn’t know how to read and write, yet I learned to pray the Rosary. I wish we would have continued to pray the Rosary as a family, but we didn’t. It would have helped us through the terrible and sad years that were to follow.

Harrison Butker, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker, states that he and his wife and their small children daily pray the Rosary together, even before the children could read and write. He said they learn quickly and even can pray the Rosary in English and Latin.

Several families today testified how they daily pray the Rosary together, even with small children. It’s never perfect, but if you consistently do it daily, it becomes easier and all begin to expect it as their normal routine.

Children complain and fuss when they are told to do their chores, or their homework or to go bed? So don’t be afraid and don’t expect things to be perfect. It’s part of family life. Don’t give in to something so important as praying the family Rosary everyday.

When a family prays the Rosary together, wonderful things will happen. It helps fathers and sons to reconcile. It removes strife from mothers and daughters. It helps husbands and wives to forgive each other. Removes jealousy from siblings. Takes away competitive aspirations between brothers. It causes conversion away from sin. Daily praying the Rosary as a family, fosters love, peace & unity between family members. The Rosary can help the family to grow by bringing a new child into the world. The daily family Rosary can be the cause of physical, spiritual and emotional healing. Praying the Rosary as a family will prevent divorce and maintain marital faithfulness. Two couples independently told me the same thing. They both said, “When we began to pray the Rosary as a couple, we fell in love with each other.”

Today, many distance themselves from God. Prayer has disappeared in families because parents have no time for their children. Many external influences, TV, social media, sports are oppressing families today and making families distant from God. Our Lady of Medjugorje said social media is like cancer destroying the healthy body of the world.

We work a lot, we are busy. Don’t say you don’t have time to pray the Rosary as a family. Time is not the problem. The problem is love. When someone likes something, they find time for it. When there is love, one always finds time for what one wants to do. With love we are capable of anything.

There is so much pain, suffering, hurt feelings and unforgiveness in families and individuals. Our Lady gives us the Rosary to soothe us, console us, and heal our emotional and spiritual wounds. Through the Rosary, we are safe under Mary’s mantle. We fly to our Mother for refuge. What Mary said to Juan Diego, She says to us today, “Am I not your Mother? Do you need anything more?” “Are you not under the shadow of my protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing worry you or disturb you.”

When we pray the Rosary as a family, Our heavenly Mother comes to us. She intercedes for us to help us in our family relationships. Our Lady will help you to forgive and to love. Our Lady will help you to be strong in your faith.

When the family is strong, when the family has faith, when the family loves, it builds up society and the world around us, and so there is peace in our hearts, in our families and in the world.

Pope Pius XI said, “If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors."

Soon we will pray a Family Rosary during the family Holy Hour and at that time you have the opportunity to consecrate your family to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The word “consecrate” means to set aside for a sacred purpose or to make holy. By consecrating your family the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, your family will be protected and set aside to be made holy. Through the consecration, you will allow Jesus, Mary and Joseph to reign over your family and they will help you as a family in all your difficulties. You may wish to consecrate your family regularly, once a month or at least once a year or whenever you have any difficulty.

There are Pledge Forms so you can pledge to daily pray the Rosary as a family. The pledge is a resolution, and is not binding to sin. But, out of love of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you will resolve to imitate the Holy Family.

Sister Lucia of Fatima once said, “There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary."

May Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady Queen of Peace inspire families to daily pray the Rosary together, and peace will reign peace in your hearts, in your families and peace in the world.