The Rosary, which developed out of Christian piety over the centuries, has shown itself to be a very powerful prayer. In this meditation we consider how:
The Rosary gradually developed over the centuries
St Dominic used the Rosary to win over the heretics of his day
The Rosary has been credited with winning military battles, including that of Lepanto
Following Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, the Rosaries said for the conversion of Russia helped bring down the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe
The Rosary is powerful in uniting families
The Rosary helps those who say it to grow in holiness
Angels are real. They appear throughout the Bible, from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation. Because we can’t see them, we can easily forget them. In this meditation we pray about how to increase our devotion to the angels, using texts of Scripture, St Josemaria Escriva and St John Vianney, to consider:
As we go through life we often find ourselves tossed on the stormy seas and we can become discouraged, sad, and even depressed. The Covid pandemic adds to those troubles. In a situation like this, we need an attitude not of pessimism and sadness but of optimism and happiness. In this meditation we consider how:
Christ is always with us, no matter how bad the situation is, and he can calm every storm
Nothing is impossible for God
There is a bright side to every dark situation
God has a plan for our life, including our suffering, which we will see only at the end
We should give thanks for what we have instead of lamenting what we have not
Our Lord invited us, if we would be his disciples, to take up our cross and follow him. A few days later he manifested his divinity to three of his apostles in the Transfiguration, as we will see him in his glory in heaven. In this meditation, using texts from Scripture, St Josemaria and St John Vianney, we consider how:
Our pathway to heaven passes by way of the cross
The cross is truly a blessing, in that it purifies us and it can be offered up for others
The cross is a manifestation of God’s love for us
When we have a cross to bear, we can think that Christ suffered more than we ever will, and that many others are suffering more than we are
If we love the crosses life brings, we will find joy in them and they will unite us with Christ
We should seek the cross too through mortification and penance
Christ gives us the parable of the sower, who sows seed on different types of soil, yielding different results. In this meditation we consider how we can all be, at times, each of the different types of soil:
The path, when we turn a deaf ear to Christ’s promptings
The rocky ground, when we begin something with enthusiasm but then give up because it was too hard
The thorns, when we are drawn away from God by the attraction of the world
The good soil, when we respond to God with generosity and yield a rich harvest
The Second Vatican Council called Our Lady “model of the virtues” and we can learn so much from her. In this meditation we go to her as “teacher of prayer” to learn how to pray better. Using texts from Scripture and St Josemaria Escriva we consider how:
In the Annunciation Mary listens to what God is asking of her through the angel, asks about what she does not understand, and then immediately accepts God’s will for her
In her Magnificat, Mary praises God for his loving-kindness to her
On two occasions Our Lady ponders in her heart God’s providence in the events of her life
At Cana Mary asks Jesus with great faith to do a miracle
In all her activities, Mary lived in the presence of God
The Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday fills us with faith and joy. In this meditation we consider:
The sadness and sorrow of Christ’s disciples after his death on the Cross
The various accounts in the Gospels of Christ’s appearances after his Resurrection
The faith and joy of the holy women and the apostles when they see Christ risen from the dead
We too go through crosses in life and can draw strength from them, knowing that God allows them for our greater good and that we will have a resurrection to eternal life
Jesus Christ loved us so much that he suffered and died on the Cross to redeem us, to reconcile us with the Father after the original sin of Adam and Eve. In this meditation we follow the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary to see how Christ has loved us “to the end” and how we can correspond to this love:
St Josemaria Escriva calls St Joseph “our father and lord”. We can learn much from this great saint and entrust all our needs to him. In this meditation we consider how:
St Joseph was chosen by God from all eternity to be the spiritual father of Jesus and the guardian of the Holy Family
God gave St Joseph special graces and virtues for his mission
Like Our Lady, St Joseph is a model of all the virtues and we have much to learn from him
St Joseph was the greatest saint after Our Lady
St Joseph is a most powerful intercessor, as attested by St Teresa of Avila, Pope Pius XI and Pope Francis, and we can entrust all our needs to him, assured of being heard
The Rosary, which developed out of Christian piety over the centuries, has shown itself to be a very powerful prayer. In this meditation we consider how:
fatherfladerblog 