In the year of the COVID 19 Pandemic May 2, 2020 Pray the Rosary every day! The following exert is from an article called ‘Where is the Hail Mary in the Bible’, from the Diocese of Brooklyn web site. 1. Hail Mary, full of Grace – Luke 1:28 (Hail, full of Grace) The Angel Gabriel greets Mary with very respectful greeting used for royalty. The text doesn’t say “Mary” after Hail but it is implied. Gabriel then proclaims Mary full of Grace (full of God’s own life and love) 2. The Lord is with you – Luke 1:28 (The Lord is with you) This is word for word. The Angel Gabriel said that the Lord is with Mary; she is full of his Grace, his own life. 3. Blessed are you among women – Luke 1:41(Blessed are you among women) Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit; she is inspired by the 3rd person of the Blessed Trinity to proclaim that Mary is the most blessed among all women. 4. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus – Luke 1:42 (and blessed is the fruit of your womb) Elizabeth still inspired by the Holy Spirit proclaims that the fruit of Mary’s womb, the developing Jesus, is blessed. The text doesn’t say “Jesus” after womb, but it is implied, the fruit of her womb is Jesus. 5. Holy Mary, mother of God – Luke 1:43 (and why is granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?) Mary is full of God’s grace; this would make her holy. Mary is the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity. Since Jesus is God this makes her the mother of God. She is the mother of the God-Man Jesus, not the mother of the Trinity. 6. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. – James 5-16 (Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects) St. James tells Christians to pray for one another. All the baptized are members of the body of Christ (1Cor 12:12-14), therefore it is right to pray for other members of the body. James goes on to say that the prayers of the righteous have great power. What human (other than Jesus) is more righteous then the Blessed Mother. Though she is in heaven she still hears the prayers of her children on Earth and intercedes for them. Dear reader, remember that the title of this essay is Our Spiritual Weapon and at the end of part 1 a conversation took place between Our Lady and St. Dominic. Let’s look closer for those words of warfare in that interaction. Our Lady says, Dear Dominic, do you know what weapon the Most Holy Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" Our Blessed Mother actually uses the word ‘weapon’ in her opening sentence to St. Dominic. Remember he had been fasting and praying for an answer and Our Lady answers with a question. Don’t you find that interesting that Our Lady does not assume that St. Dominic doesn’t know the answer. How many times in our own prayer life have we asked for help, for and answer? How can I stop this …I have failed again? What am I to do? When we pray, are we open to a question first and do we admit that we do not know the answer? There is something else about this question as it relates to St. Dominic then and to us now. It is four words that appear at the end of the sentence that refer what this weapon is to be used for; ‘to reform the world’. Oh! Not just reform Albigensianism plaguing Southern France. Our Lady was giving a much more expansive answer which was a weapon to reform the entire world. That is a powerful weapon! St. Dominic was a very intelligent and a man of prayer. He did not have the answer. How much less do you think you and I have the answer? I would not be worthy, for one moment to carry the sandals of that holy man. In our current situation why would we think that there would or could be any other answer? Just stop whatever you are doing in this moment, become silent and listen to the answer given to St. Dominic as to which weapon is powerful enough to reform the world! Listen … the ‘battering ram’ has always been the Angelic Psalter … preach my Psalter! The blessed mother uses another weapon name ‘battering ram’. A battering ram is used to break down walls. What walls do you think this weapon is breaking down? I believe, and it has been for me, the walls in our hearts. The walls we build over time that keep us from hearing and that keep us from praying. The walls of sin that consume us and the whole world. Do you remember who wants this weapon used? God wants this weapon used; ‘the Most Holy Trinity’. Blessed Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus, Our Mother wants us to pick up the Rosary and pray! Yes, the Blessed Mother is speaking to St. Dominic, but through the ages and right up to today, we are given the answer. Listen … pray the Rosary. Fr. Daniel Couture in Asia District’s newsletter, Apostle (article #37), writes about the words ‘reform the world’ used in the answer given to St. Dominic by Our Lady. Our Lady gave a means “to reform the world”. Indeed, the heretics at the time of St. Dominic were not only denying the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but were attacking the family and the civil institutions of the state, thus undermining the spiritual and temporal orders of Christendom—this was in 1214 A.D. in France. This expression, “reform the world,” is not different from that of St. Paul “to restore all things in Christ”. It is not, therefore, surprising to find that popes and kings have requested crusades of rosaries against all kinds of plagues threatening both Church and State—threatening ultimately the salvation of innumerable souls. St. Dominic did indeed listen to his Queen, and thousands of heretics were converted. The answer ‘preach my Psalter!’ worked. It will work for you and I today. Whatever your issue is, however far you have fallen, when you have failed time and time again. Listen … pray the Rosary. This is the answer to your prayer. This is the answer to ‘reform the world’ …to reform you and I.
I wrote this two years ago. It is still very powerful. Those saying the rosary daily can attest to this. Sometimes I fail to say the rosary daily. It's like dropping your weapon. The real battle is with the unseen. We are all at war: Eph. 6. [12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
I’ve picked up this weapon last November and have been committed to the challenge to say it daily and it’s been life changing to say the least. With God’s grace I’ve been able to go from 5 to 10, to 15 decades daily. I’m shooting for adding the Luminous Mysteries in to make it 20. I’ve found it also incredibly helpful to say verses of scriptures that pertain to each decade between the Hail Mary’s to help my mind stay grounded and focused in each mystery. if you accompany it with Mass, adoration, Scripture, confession, and mental prayer?!!! I have no doubt we would all receive deep and lasting transformative healing through Christ.
