Our Lady of the Rosary and My Mom’s Birthday
Tomorrow is a beautiful and difficult day for me, dear Friends. It is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and it is my Mom’s birthday. For those of you just joining now, my angel Mom passed away six weeks ago. You can read about her inspiring and holy life in the post, “Running to the Phone,” along with the next two posts.
On this day in 1571 in Lepanto Greece, The Holy League defeated the Ottoman Turks in a spectacular victory! The reason this is so miraculous is that The Holy League was just a makeshift group of men Pope Pius V pulled together in a last attempt to protect Europe from the Turks invading and enlarging their empire through Europe. If the Turks were successful, it would be devastating for Christianity. Even though, The Holy League was smaller and inexperienced, they had Our Lady with them.
It just so happened that the day of the battle was the same day that the Rosary Confraternity of Rome was meeting in Lepanto Greece. The Pope asked them to recite the Rosary for the welfare and victory of the Holy League. He also asked all the people in Christendom to pray the Rosary. By the grace of God and Mother Mary’s intercession, the Turks were defeated and they retreated. That is what we celebrate today!
Dearest Friends, now more than ever we are in a spiritual battle and we need Our Lady’s protection and intercessory power. Reading the quotes of the Saints and Pope Pius XI, it feels as if they were written today.
“The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…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.” – Pope Pius XI
“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. It is the key to personal and world peace.” -Saint Lucia dos Santos of Fatima
“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.” ~St. Padre Pio
Archbishop Jose Gomez, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will lead the nation in a virtual Rosary for America tomorrow, beginning at 12 noon Pacific time, 1pm Mountain, 2pm Central, and 3pm Eastern. He recently said: “As believers, we need to see beyond the chaos of current events and seek to find the will of God in the present moment. For this Mary holds the key because it is through her that Jesus Christ entered into humanity. And He is still at work, shaping the world’s course and direction. We need to keep getting closer to Mary, we need to enter more deeply into her way of seeing and her way of living. This is the secret of the Saints. Everything that Mary does points us to her Son.”
As I mentioned in a previous post, it is fitting that my sweet Mom Maria was born on the Feast of the Holy Rosary. She had a special devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary. When we talked in the afternoon, she was often sitting outside on her balcony saying a Rosary for our family and for the world. She trusted in the Blessed Mother’s intercession. The picture you see above is new to me. I never saw it before and just stumbled upon it. It may have been years before I found it since it was tucked away. This is her First Holy Communion picture and I love how she is looking up to Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding me to it. Happy Birthday, my dearest, sweet, angel Mom! God blessed me abundantly with you! I love you and miss you so much! Heaven is a more beautiful place because you are there.
Thank you kindly for your ongoing prayers for her and for me and my family. We can feel them lift us up and we are so grateful to God for you. I want you to know that I will be saying a Rosary for all the God is my Glue Community, for your intentions, and in thanksgiving for all your love, support, and prayers!
Dear Friends in Christ, Let us join together as they did on October 7, 1571 and pray the Rosary together. United we are strong and Mother Mary is our powerful intercessor. May she ask Jesus to heal us, our families, our nation, and the world physically, spiritually, and emotionally. May we all be protected under her Mantle of Mercy, transformed by her example of purity, humility, and devotion to the Lord and her neighbor, and brought closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. Amen “Jesus, I trust in you.”
Mary, Mother of Jesus, I trust in your intercession.
Please see the links below for information on how to join the Virtual Rosary tomorrow, see you there! Please spread the word!
For event details (beginning 12 noon Pacific Time) see LACatholics.org/Rosary-for-America and also USCCB.org/Rosary-America.
It will also be on the USCCB’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
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