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| David defeats Goliath |
Motivation is the key to carrying out
any worthy enterprise! Great men and great women have clear goals and strong
motivations. They know what they want and they have a clear plan before their
eyes.
CEO’s in successful companies know
what they want, have goals, deadlines, and concrete steps to attain those
goals. Professional athletes have a determined determination to win. They study their opponents weak points,
capitalize on their own strengths and play for victory. Therefore, to attain to any goal there must
be a clear plan and strong motivations.
SPIRITUAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. Even more important for the human person
created in the image and likeness of God should be the goal and the motivation
to attain that goal. Our goal is very
clear—to get to heaven. One of the most
efficacious means to attain eternal salvation with God in heaven is through
prayer. Prayer is the key to salvation. What oxygen is to our lungs so is
prayer to the life of our soul. For that reason Saint Augustine asserted: “He who prays well lives well; he who lives
well dies well; and he who dies well, all is well.”
Still there is a powerful means and
intercessor before the throne of God who can help us to get to heaven and to
help us in our prayer life and motivate us to focus our energies on God and God
alone—the Blessed Virgin Mary.
HER FAVORITE PRAYER. Our Lady has a
prayer that fills her heart with joy—the Hail Mary and the most Holy
Rosary. Every time the Hail Mary is
prayed with attention and sincere heart, Our Lady’s heart is filled with joy.
Therefore, let us offer ten points to motivate us to pray the most Holy Rosary.
1.
OUR LADY OF FATIMA. Our Lady of Fatima appeared in Fatima,
Portugal six times to three little shepherd children: Jacinta, Francisco, and
Lucia. In every one of these six apparitions Our Lady said: “Pray the Rosary.”
2.
HER TITLE. Finally at the end of her apparitions Our
Lady gave herself the title: “Our Lady
of the Rosary.” Therefore, if Our Lady insisted six times to pray the Rosary
and actually called herself “Our Lady of the Rosary”, common sense tells us
that she really wants us to pray the Rosary!
3.
POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II. This great modern saint, as well as
spiritual giant, strongly encouraged the world to pray the most Holy Rosary. In
his writing The Blessed Virgin Mary and
the Rosary the Vicar of Christ insisted that we pray the Rosary. He himself
said at the start of his pontificate that the Rosary was his favorite prayer.
4.
FOR THE SAKE OF THE FAMILY. In this
same document Saint Pope John Paul II insisted that we pray the Rosary for the
sake of the family which is under attack and in crisis. With the growing numbers of separations and
divorces, with the legalization of same-sex unions, with so many children
without the warmth of the family, now more than ever we must pray the most Holy
Rosary. The Holy Father quotes the
Rosary-priest, Father Patrick Peyton: “The
family that prays together stays together.”
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Saint Pope John Paul II praying the Rosary
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5.
FOR WORLD PEACE. The document of Saint Pope John Paul II came
in the wake of the terrorist attack in New York City with the Twin Towers.
Therefore, another reason to pray the Rosary now more than ever is for the sake
of world peace. With the threat of Isis, nuclear bombs arsenals, tensions growing
world-wide among nations, the Rosary can be our shield and safeguard. At the
end of the First World War Our Lady of Fatima stated clearly that wars come as
a result of sin; and if people did not stop sinning then a worse World War
would erupt! Within twenty years, the Second
World War broke out! Venerable
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen states that world wars are the net result of many
individual wars waging in the hearts of sinners, that spreads out to towns,
cities, countries and continents, and then boom—the huge war explodes! Sin
produces war; prayer produces peace of heart, mind and soul and harmony among
peoples!
6.
SAVE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHILDREN.
Never have we lived in a society with so many dangers, especially with respect
to our children and teens. Of great importance is the virtue of purity. The
mass media, the modern electronics media, the modern school and teaching
agenda, billboards and posters, modern movies and t.v. programs militate
fiercely against the virtue of purity. And to be honest, we live in a
pornographic society! Devotion to Our
Lady and the family Rosary can serve as a shield against this onslaught and
deluge of filth that is descending upon the world, especially our children and
young people. In a word, we must shield
our children in the most pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary; she is an oasis, a
refuge, and ark of safety and protection! If you like Noah and his family as
well as the animals sought refuge and protection from the deluge in the Ark. We
must find refuge in the ARK of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart—most certainly a
safe refuge!
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Our Lady of Fatima and the children
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7.
TO ORDER OUR DISORDERS. As a result of Original Sin that we all
inherit in the moment of our conception, our life is marked with disorder. Our
thought process, our will, our emotional state of being, our soul, our
intentions, our family and social life—all have a certain disorder! Saint
Ignatius of Loyola suggests that we do the Spiritual Exercises so as to order
the disordered in our lives. Sin causes disorder; prayer brings order. Prayer
to Our Lady communicates to our soul and lives the Holy Spirit and the Holy
Spirit is a God of order. Our Lady of
Guadalupe with her own hands ordered the roses in the tilma of Saint Juan Diego.
By praying the most holy Rosary Our Lady can help to order the disordered in
our lives.
8.
INTERIOR PEACE OF MIND AND SOUL.
Another wonderful effect of praying the most Holy Rosary is peace of mind,
heart and soul. We all desire peace and Our Lady of the Rosary also known with the
title “Queen of peace” can definitely attain for us this peace that our hearts
so ardently yearn! Saint Augustine defines
peace as the tranquility of order. As
the hymn reminds us: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
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The 20 Mysteries of the Rosary
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9. IT IS A BIBLICAL PRAYER. Saint Pope John XXIII stated that the Rosary
is a summary of the whole of the Gospel. The Mysteries are biblically based.
Even the prayers, the Our Father and the Hail Mary have their foundation in the
Gospels. Therefore, by praying the Rosary fervently, we get to know Jesus and
Mary better and better as presented from the Word of God, we fall in love with
them and then we become their fiery and ardent Apostles in a world marked with
so much coldness and indifference. As Pope Francis reminded us in his Lenten
message: There is a widespread globalization of indifference because there is a
lack of love of God in the world. This love can be planted and ignited through
love of Our Lady and the Holy Rosary—a summary of the Gospels and a true
Biblically centered prayer!
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| The Rosary-- our spiritual slingshot! |
10. TO CONQUER OUR
ENEMIES. David had to fight against the
ferocious and malicious giant Goliath. Strategically, there was no way that the
smaller, inexperienced, unprepared shepherd boy could conquer the giant
Goliath. It was like an ant against an elephant. However, the Bible teaches us
a very certain truth: Nothing is impossible with God. David went with a total trust in His God, the
Lord of heaven and earth. We all know the ending! David shot a stone from his
slingshot; the stone riveted itself in the brow of Goliath, who cascaded to the
ground unconscious. David quickly drew the sword of Goliath and cut off his
head! Victory, due to the intervention of God! Today we are surrounded by so
many “Goliaths”, almost too many to count!
However, our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
Let us turn to the Queen of Heaven and earth and pull out our spiritual
slingshot which is the most Holy Rosary and win the battle! Jesus is the King
of Heaven and earth and Our Lady is the Queen. Let us find sure refuge under
her heavenly mantle!
