Why pray the Rosary every day for a year?


Each time the Blessed Virgin has appeared-- whether it be to Saint Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes; to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco at Fatima; or to Mariette Beco at Banneux-- she has asserted the importance, saving grace, and power of praying the Holy Rosary on a daily basis. Based upon her words, the Rosary is penance and conversion for sinners, a pathway to peace, an end to war, and a powerful act of faith in Jesus Christ. Pope Paul VI presented the Rosary as a powerful means to reach Christ "not merely with Mary but indeed, insofar as this is possible to us, in the same way as Mary, who is certainly the one who thought about Him more than anyone else has ever done."

To show us how this is done, perhaps no one has been more eloquent than the great Cardinal Newman, who wrote: "The great power of the Rosary consists in the fact that it translates the Creed into Prayer. Of course, the Creed is already in a certain sense a prayer and a great act of homage towards God, but the Rosary brings us to meditate again on the great truth of His life and death, and brings this truth close to our hearts. Even Christians, although they know God, usually fear rather than love Him. The strength of the Rosary lies in the particular manner in which it considers these mysteries, since all our thinking about Christ is intertwined with the thought of His Mother, in the relations between Mother and Son; the Holy Family is presented to us, the home in which God lived His infinite love."


As Mary said at Fatima, "Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to My Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne."



April 5: Saint Vincent Ferrer

Posted by Jacob

Today, April 5, as we glory in the Risen Lord, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419), a tireless healer and builder of the Church. Born during the time of the great schism, when there was no clear pope, Saint Vincent first worked to heal the divide, and later, after a vision of Christ, traveled throughout the world converting thousands to the faith.


Born in Valencia, Spain to a noble English father and Spanish mother, his birth was heralded with excitement. His mother, prior to her birth had been told by a blind beggar woman that within her grew “an angel” who would restore her sight (which Vincent did years later). During childbirth, Vincent’s mother was overcome with astounding joy, and experienced no pain. Vincent’s father, doubtful of these predictions, had his own prophetic dream in which a Dominican preacher told him that his son would experience great fame.

Vincent grew up a devout boy, eager to enter the religious life despite the many other opportunities that were presented to him. From a young age, his heart and mind were centered in the Lord, and he considered all of his actions, whether they be studies, work, or play, to be heartfelt prayers of gratitude to God. In his book, A Treatise on the Spiritual Life, he would later write: "Do you desire to study to your advantage? Let devotion accompany all your studies, and study less to make yourself learned than to become a saint. Consult God more than your books, and ask him, with humility, to make you understand what you read. Study fatigues and drains the mind and heart. Go from time to time to refresh them at the feet of Jesus Christ under his cross. Some moments of repose in his sacred wounds give fresh vigor and new lights. Interrupt your application by short but fervent and ejaculatory prayers; never begin or end your study but by prayer. Science is a gift of the Father of lights; do not therefore consider it as barely the work of your own mind or industry."

At age eighteen, he entered the Dominican Order, and there studied philosophy and theology. His life became one of prayer and penance, reading the Holy Scriptures, eventually committing them to memory. He wrote several scholarly works during this time, drawing upon his great faith, discipline, and knowledge of the Bible. Eventually, he achieved his doctorate in theology. Saint Vincent delivered lectures and homilies, always preaching gratitude and praise of the Lord. These public addresses were composed at the foot of a crucifix, both to” beg light from Christ crucified and to draw from that object sentiments wherewith to animate his auditors to penance and the love of God.”

The political and spiritual uncertainty of the great schism affected Vincent’s health and he fell seriously ill. During his illness, while he had a dangerous fever, Vincent was visited by Saints Dominic and Francis of Assisi. As they comforted him, Jesus himself appeared, surrounded by a host of angels. Our Lord touched Vincent on the cheek, leaving a mark he would bear the remainder of his life, and told him to rise and preach to the people a warning about the end of time and the last judgment. Vincent awoke, completely cured of his fever, his life having been changed. He refused various promotions, including that of the position of cardinal. Rather, from that time on, he was content with “going through the world preaching Christ.” He was referred to as the “Angel of the Apocalypse,” so convincing were his sermons on penance and preparation for the Last Judgment.

Vincent traveled throughout Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and Ireland, converting thousands. He was invited to speak in Muslim Granada, which he did, converting 8,000 in one day. He would enter synagogues holding a crucifix, preaching to those present, and entire congregations would convert, also converting their synagogues into churches. Given that Saint Vincent only spoke Catalan, it is assumed that he had the gift of tongues, as wherever he went, the local peoples could understand his message. He also worked numerous miracles, including bringing a dead murderer back to life as evidence of the awesome power of the Lord. He healed many through prayer alone.

Above all, Saint Vincent Ferrer was a man filled with humility, which he wrote is the precursor and prerequisite for all virtue: "For whosoever will proudly dispute or contradict, will always stand: without the door. Christ, the master of humility, manifests his truth only to the humble, and hides himself from the proud."
Saint Vincent practiced what he preached regarding humility. He slept on the floor, traveled only by foot, lived in constant fast, and glorified God through the Eucharist daily. Each day he served the poorest of the poor, and the sickest around, especially children. He remained acutely aware of his humanity, humbly writing, “My whole life is nothing but stench: I am all infection both in soul and body; every thing in me exhales a smell of corruption, caused by the abominations of my sins and injustices: and what is worse, I feel this stench increasing dally in me, and renewed always more insupportably." He also said, "Regard yourself as more vile and miserable in the sight of God because of your faults than any sinner whatever, no matter what his sins... and consider closely that any grace or inclination to good or desire of virtue you may have, is not of yourself but of the sole mercy of Christ."

Stricken again with fever at 69 years of age, Saint Vincent died peacefully, and met his Lord in heaven. He is interred at the Cathedral in Vannes. At his canonization, 800 approved miracles were read aloud. Given his tireless work to build the church, Saint Vincent Ferrer is recognized as the patron saint of builders and laborers. He is often pictured in art with the flame of the Holy Spirit resting in his hand.

Saint Vincent wrote prodigiously on the virtues of the Church. Regarding charity, he wrote: “If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire,” and "Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life  a burning flame devouring the corruption of vice and filling the heart so full that there is no place for vanity."

At the end of the day, what Saint Vincent Ferrer preached was repentance, acceptance of God’s love, humility, and thankfulness for what we have been given. He said, "What is meritorious is not that a man should be poor, but that, being poor, he should love poverty." At the start of this Easter season, when we are celebrating our rebirth in the Resurrection, Saint Vincent Ferrer inspires us to give thanks for all that we have—and to be thankful and bear with Christian patience those things that we many have difficulty with or not understand-- for by humbly recognizing that all we have comes from the Lord, our humility creates the necessary space for our hearts to blossom with the love and charity of Christ.



Prayer for Proper Affections Toward God (written by Saint Vincent Ferrer)

Good Jesus, let me be penetrated with love to the very marrow of my bones, with fear and respect toward Thee; let me burn with zeal for Thy honor, so that I may resent terribly all the outrages committed against Thee, especially those of which I myself have been guilty or the occasion. Grant further, O my God, that I may adore and acknowledge Thee humbly as my Creator, and that, penetrated with gratitude for all Thy benefits, I may never cease to render Thee thanks. Grant that I may bless Thee in all things, praise and glorify Thee with a heart full of joy and gladness, and that, obeying Thee with docility in every respect, I may one day, despite my ingratitude and unworthiness, be seated at Thy table together with Thy holy angels and apostles to enjoy ineffable delights. Amen.



Day 95 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Humility.
Requested Intentions: For Healing (A); The blessing of children (S); Safety of travelers (J); Improved family relationship with the Lord, using gifts for His glory (L); For a restorative, faith-deepening Lent for all those who are struggling (L).

1 comments:

  1. phil said...

    what a great and wonderous GOD HE is praise praise praise HIS HOLY HOLY HOLY name.Thank you Jesus for brother Vincent.Thank you brother vincent and all those in the body of Christ who have placed this lighted bushel in a place to be seen . phil.

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