THE HOLY ROSARY, A SIGN FROM HEAVEN - 10/07/22 (Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary)

Luke 11:20-23

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100722.cfm

Blessed Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary! The crowd already saw the numerous miracles and works of Jesus Christ, including an exorcism. But, they still did not believe, and some still asked for a sign from heaven. God has given us many signs from heaven because He loves us, and He wants us to be with Him in His Kingdom forever. At the same time, we need to open our eyes and hearts to see the gifts from God. One of the signs that comes from heaven is devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, particularly through the Holy Rosary. The saints that we honor are all different from one another. But, one of the things that they have in common is their love for the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the devotion of the Holy Rosary. We can see below this reflection some of their quotes on this prayer. Let's consider how helpful this prayer is for us and for other people. 

If we truly desire to enter heaven, let's persevere in praying the rosary with devotion. As mentioned by Jesus in the gospel reading, the Kingdom of God already came. This is what we ask for when we pray the "Our Father" prayer in the rosary. We desire for His Kingdom to come. In many apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother usually speaks of the importance of the rosary in our spiritual life. The "Hail Mary" prayer that we pray comes from the Angelic Salutation when St. Gabriel greeted our Mother Mary. This greeting is the beginning of salvation because of the submission of Mary to the will of God. When we pray this with attention, we can have more hope of obtaining this gift of salvation from God. As we continue in our prayer, we also say, "pray for us, now and at the hour of our death." God knows that when we entertain small sins, we will end up falling to more grave sins in the future. Some of us may start by saying lies until we become used to it and justify the worse sins. Despite our weaknesses, God will transform us to be conformed to the image of Jesus through the rosary. The YouTube link below is one of many wonderful testimonies of how the rosary changes a worldly person to be a devoted one. This is not just possible for one person, but it's possible for everyone of us because our Mother Mary cares for us. 

This prayer is not just meant for ourselves. On the contrary, this is a wonderful devotion that can help for the conversion of sinners. We do not just pray for our own forgiveness but also for the forgiveness of sins of other sinners. This is why we say, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners." In the Fatima prayer that we pray after the "Glory Be", we beg for Jesus to save us from the fires of hell and bring us to heaven. The demons do not just possess people. They also tempt all of us to fall to sins and to fall to despair. Let's find inspiration in the event when Jesus freed the man from the evil spirit because this shows us how our Lord desires for us to be delivered from the evil and all of the works of Satan. Let's not lose hope either for ourselves or for the people whom we love. Do we feel sadness when we see our loved ones, friends and others who are not faithful to God? If this is the case, may we offer the rosary to God for our intentions and for their conversion. The Holy Rosary is a sign from heaven because it's one of the greatest means for us to be carried by our Mother Mary for her to bring us to the merciful love of Jesus. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Quotes by the Saints on the Rosary:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/the-most-holy-rosary/saint-quotes-regarding-the-most-holy-rosary-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth