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The Importance of The Rosary
Sister Lucia of Fatima told Fr. Fuentes in 1957 that we are in the last times
One of the three visionaries of Fatima, Sr. Lucia, told Fr. Fuentes in 1957:
"Father, the Most Holy Virgin did not tell me that we are in the last times of the world but she made me understand this for three reasons. The first reason is because she told me that the Devil is in the mood for engaging in a decisive battle against the Virgin. And a decisive battle is the final battle where one side will be victorious and the other side will suffer defeat. Hence from now on we must choose sides. Either we are for God or we are for the Devil. There is no other possibility.
“The second reason is because she said to my cousins as well as to myself that God is giving two last remedies to the world. These are the Holy Rosary and Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These are the last two remedies which signify that there will be no others.
“The third reason is because in the plans of Divine Providence, God always, before He is about to chastise the world, exhausts all other remedies. Now, when He sees that the world pays no attention whatsoever then, as we say in our imperfect manner of speaking, He offers us with a certain trepidation the last means of salvation, His Most Holy Mother. It is with a certain trepidation because if you despise and repulse this ultimate means we will not have any more forgiveness from Heaven because we will have committed a sin which the Gospel calls the sin against the Holy Spirit. This sin consists of openly rejecting with full knowledge and consent, the salvation which He offers. Let us remember that Jesus Christ is a very good Son and that He does not permit that we offend and despise His Most Holy Mother. We have recorded through many centuries of Church history the obvious testimony which demonstrates, by the terrible chastisements which have befallen those who have attacked the honor of His Most Holy Mother, how Our Lord Jesus Christ has always defended the honor of His Mother."
Source : http://www.catholic-saints.net/prophecies/fatima.php
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How To Pray The Rosary
For this prayer, you need a Rosary, which is a string of beads with a crucifix. A short string of five beads is attached to the crucifix, which is joined to a circular string of beads consisting of five sets of one large bead and ten smaller beads, known as "decades." Each decade is recited in honor of a mystery of the life of our Lord and His Blessed Mother, beginning with the Annunciation of the Incarnation and ending with Mary's triumphal Coronation in heaven. There are four sets of mysteries: the five Joyful Mysteries, the five Sorrowful Mysteries, the five Glorious Mysteries, and the five Mysteries of Light. Although the entire Rosary consists of twenty decades, it is customary to recite five decades at a time, while meditating on one set of mysteries.
To say the rosary, make the Sign of The Cross.
Take the crucifix of the Rosary and pray the Apostles' Creed.
Move to the first large bead and pray the Our Father.
For the three small beads, say one Hail Mary per bead, followed by the Glory Be To The Father.
For the next large bead, announce and meditate on the first mystery, then say the Our Father.
Move to the circular section of the Rosary and say a Hail Mary for each of the ten small beads, followed by the Glory Be To The Father and the Fatima Decade prayer (the prayer that Our Lady asked the Fatima children to add after each decade). This completes one decade of the Rosary.
Proceed to the next mystery (the next large bead) and repeat the process until five decades of the rosary have been said. Conclude with the Hail, Holy Queen prayer.
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Proposed Schedule (after the addition of the Luminous Mysteries)
The Glorious Mysteries (Wednesdays, Sundays) audio MP3
The Joyful Mysteries (Mondays, Saturdays) audio MP3
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays, Fridays) audio MP3
The Luminous Mysteries (Thursdays) audio MP3
Old Schedule (before the Luminous Mysteries)
The Glorious Mysteries (Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays)
The Joyful Mysteries (Mondays, Thursday, Sundays in Advent)
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays in Lent)
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Strategies In Praying The Rosary
1. Find a quiet time and a quiet place.
2. Pray with a friend.
3. Use technology.
I use a PDA to pray the Rosary when I am on the go. Software can be downloaded here.
2. Pray with a friend.
3. Use technology.
I use a PDA to pray the Rosary when I am on the go. Software can be downloaded here.
I also use Virtual Rosary on my PC for two reasons : One, the scriptural quotes, beautiful images and soothing music help me concentrate better on the Mysteries. Two, there is a prayer request feature that connects people from all over the world. Windows, Palm and Mac versions available.
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How I Respond To Friends Who Tell Me It Is Wrong To Pray The Rosary
Over the years, I have had one or two friends who try to tell me that it is wrong to pray the Rosary. But the most persistent crusader :) was a university friend who believed he was trying to save me from a terrible error of judgement. I viewed his attempts as annoying at first and then later on, I was actually quite grateful because he made me think about why I prayed the Rosary. Obviously, in the end, I made the decision to continue reciting this prayer, based on a few considerations.
Consideration One : There have been too many witnesses (saints!) with messages from Lord Jesus and Blessed Virgin Mary to recite the Rosary. Do your own research. If you doubt, you need to go through the journey of discovery yourself to truly be sure.
Consideration Two : When I study the text of the prayers in the Rosary, Blessed Virgin Mary's role as intercessor is very clear. Therefore, I feel very comfortable in praying to Her to please intercede for me with Her Son.
Consideration Three : If I am truly in error, then people who care about me should be praying to God to reveal this error to me, right? I believe that university mate of mine wore out his knees begging God to please 'save' me. I also believe that God would have revealed such a gross error to me. If it were a gross error.
Consideration Four : I have always experienced such incomparable feelings of calm and joy when I recite the Rosary. Surely sacrilegious prayers would not make me feel that.
Consideration One : There have been too many witnesses (saints!) with messages from Lord Jesus and Blessed Virgin Mary to recite the Rosary. Do your own research. If you doubt, you need to go through the journey of discovery yourself to truly be sure.
Consideration Two : When I study the text of the prayers in the Rosary, Blessed Virgin Mary's role as intercessor is very clear. Therefore, I feel very comfortable in praying to Her to please intercede for me with Her Son.
Consideration Three : If I am truly in error, then people who care about me should be praying to God to reveal this error to me, right? I believe that university mate of mine wore out his knees begging God to please 'save' me. I also believe that God would have revealed such a gross error to me. If it were a gross error.
Consideration Four : I have always experienced such incomparable feelings of calm and joy when I recite the Rosary. Surely sacrilegious prayers would not make me feel that.
