Why Should *I* Pray The Rosary?

Almost every Catholic in the world has prayed it, if not heard of it.

However, the great majority of us think that the Rosary is downright boring. We usually make the excuse that we don't have time to put away our iWhateverthenewestversionis, turn off Beyonce and sit in silence for 20 minutes of prayer.

Ugh. Lame. Stab me with a feather. How many times a day do we spend a half hour or more on buzzfeed learning about how our whole lives relate to a cleverly constructed set of GIFs (guilty as charged, sometimes...) 

But guys! Mary has been pleading with us for centuries to pray this incredibly simple prayer, sometimes with tears in her eyes! She has appeared more times in the last few hundred years than in any other time in history, and every single time she has begged for us to turn to her by praying the Rosary.

Why? Why is Mary asking you to pray it? For that matter, why should *I* pray the Rosary?

- Because we're in the middle of a war! The reason that Mary has encouraged the saying of the Rosary is because of the fact that our times, frankly, suck. As Fr. Michael Gaitley, champion of Marian consecration and author of 33 Days to Morning Glory beautifully puts it, "Satan doesn't want us to enter into the power of the mysteries of the life of Christ. He wants us to stay complacent, lukewarm, and lazy. He wants us to be satisfied with mediocrity...Why is it so hard sometimes to break away and pray? It's because prayer is a battle." Every Hail Mary we say in the Rosary can be described as a bullet to the very heart of the Devil. He simply can't take the complete perfectness of the prayer, and will do anything to make us do everything other than pray it. So basically, praying the Rosary is a big TAKE THAT in Satan's face. 

- Because the Rosary is the way peace will take hold in the hearts of everyone, everywhere. (Soon-to-be-Saint) John Paul II said in his incredible letter concerning the rosary, "The Rosary is by its nature a prayer for peace, since it consists in the contemplation of Christ, the Prince of Peace, the one who is 'our peace' (Eph. 2:14)" Once we have the peace of Christ in our hearts that comes from a loving devotion to Mary through the Rosary, we can spread that peace to our families, and from there to the whole world. John Paul goes on to say,

"The Holy Rosary, by age-old tradition, has shown itself particularly effective as a prayer which brings the family together. Individual family members, in turning their eyes towards Jesus, also regain the ability to look one another in the eye, to communicate, to show solidarity, to forgive one another and to see their covenant of love renewed in the Spirit of God.

Many of the problems facing contemporary families, especially in economically developed societies, result from their increasing difficulty in communicating. Families seldom manage to come together, and the rare occasions when they do are often taken up with watching television. To return to the recitation of the family Rosary means filling daily life with very different images, images of the mystery of salvation: the image of the Redeemer, the image of his most Blessed Mother. The family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the center, they share his joys and sorrows, they place their needs and their plans in his hands, they draw from him the hope and the strength to go on."

I don't think I need to elaborate any further...right?

- Because through it, we can time travel! But it's way cooler than having a TARDIS. Pope John Paul also wrote about this: "[Christ's] Paschal mystery (his passion, death and resurrection) is a real event that occurred in our history, but it is unique: all other historical events happen at once, and then they pass away, swallowed up in the past. The Paschal mystery of Christ, by contrast, cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he destroyed death, and all that Christ is --all that he did and suffered for all men-- participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times while being made present in them all. the event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and draws everything toward life." DUDE. So, in case you didn't understand that: Jesus, when he died, destroyed death forever. Forever. Something that occurs forever always has to be going on, so he destroyed death even up to this very day. When we pray and contemplate the Paschal mystery of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection, we are transported through faith and love to the very feet of Christ on the cross. Fr. Michael writes that through the Rosary, "we have real contact with him there (on the cross.) We can truly receive, here and now, the fountain of love and mercy that gushes forth from Jesus' pierced side."

- Because it will teach us how to pray. The actual praying of the Rosary does not mean that we must concentrate on the words that we say, and that we're saying it wrong if we wander into other realms of thought. Many people think this (even I did), and this discourages everyone. However, praying the Rosary much easier and more beautiful than that. "When we pray the Rosary, the goal is not so much to reflect on the words of the Hail Mary prayer itself." Fr. Michael writes. (I'm telling you, read his book, it will change your life) "Rather, the Hail Marys are meant to be a kind of 'background music' that helps us enter into contemplation of the mysteries. This background music is like the gentle hand of a mother on our shoulders, standing behind us, getting us to look at Jesus, contemplate his face, and love him through his mother's eyes, mind, and heart." When we pray the rosary, we can go beyond our own selfish lives, and learn to actually care for the needs of others. JPII says that, "our heart can embrace in the decades of the Rosary all the events that make up the lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind. Our personal concerns and those of our neighbor, especially those who are closest to us, who are dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life."

- Because we gain a loving mother in Mary. Remember how we are transported through time to the foot of the cross when we pray? Well, we are also transported to Mary's side, and she takes us under her mantle and forms us to be more like her son. When we pray the Rosary, and meditate on the Mysteries of Christ's life, she is guiding us with the same care that she took with Christ. She loves us as her children, and that means she wants to hear our every need and worry. "To pray to Rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and his Mother," JPII writes. So basically, Mary wants to love us, and she wants us to take her as our mother; praying the Rosary is our way of taking her as our mother. 

- and finally, Because countless miracles have occurred to those who have prayed it and encouraged devotion to Mary, including:

• The time when a house where German Jesuits who prayed the rosary every day lived was spared from being destroyed by the Atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima
• When the Muslims greatly outnumbered the Christian army at the Battle of Lepanto, Pope Pius V asked the whole European continent to pray the rosary. As a result, the Christians defeated the Turks with a great victory
• When Father Patrick Peyton was suffering from tuberculosis, his sister prayed the rosary and he was healed. He went on to be a pioneer of the New Media as a means to spread the Faith [he is perhaps best known for coining the phrase, "The family that prays together, stays together."])

“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.” Blessed Pope Pius IX

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.” Saint Dominic

“When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.” Saint Louis de Montfort

“When you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary.” Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

By the way..."'All generations will call me blessed' The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. This very special devotion differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration." The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 971.

16 Facts You Never Knew About Our Lady of Guadalupe

SO I'M FINALLY DONE WITH FINALS LET THE CELEBRATION (aka the ability to blog again) BEGIN and I thought I write about someone very near and dear to my heart:

Our Beautiful Virgen de Guadalupe

I've completely fallen in love with her over the past month, and since it's her feast day today (YAY) I wanted to share some things that you might not have known about our beautiful mother, because she really is worth getting to know and love!

1. She appeared in Mexico right around the time the Martin Luther was stirring up trouble in Europe. So as he was drawing people away from the Church, She was drawing even more people in the New World into the Church through appearing on the tilma

2. The Aztecs had many gods, including the sun god Tonatiuh and the moon god Tecciztecatl. The fact that Mary appeared in front of the rays of the sun and standing on the moon signifies that she is greater than all their false gods. The brooch carrying the symbol of the cross at her throat showed that only one is greater than her, and that was her son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross

THE TILMA: 

3. The cactus fibrous-material that her image rests on would normally have disintegrated 10-15 years after it was made, but it has lasted over 450 years. The tilma once had acid spilled over it, but the only damage it sustained was a slight stain that is visible in the top right-hand corner 

4. Blue paint and dye usually starts to fade within the first few weeks of being applied. The turquoise color of Mary's mantle has never faded. Turquoise is also the Aztec shade that symbolizes both royalty and virginity. 

5. No matter the temperature of the surrounding area, the tilma is always 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is normal body temperature 

6. The material surrounding Mary has started to show signs of cracking, while her clothes and her skin show no signs of wear. This symbolizes that all things of this earth will pass away, but the things of Heaven will always remain unchanged. 

THE IMAGE:

7. You know how almost every picture begins with a sketch? Well, scans of the image have shown that there is no underlying sketch, outline, or visible guidelines to the image, which was unheard of in the 1500s

8.  Scientists scanned the image with infrared rays and found no trace of paint used in the image and that the fabric had not been treated with any kind of technique.

9. The stars on Mary's mantle were once thought to be random; only an afterthought. However, scientists have calculated that the stars on her mantle correspond exactly with where the stars of the winter night on which she appeared would have been, except in reverse. DO YOU GET WHAT THIS MEANS?! It means that whoever placed the stars on the tilma was viewing the stars not from Earth, but from outside the universe. So in essence, the stars show that Mary contains the whole universe in a great embrace of love! 

10. Also, since scientists could calculate the position of the stars, they could tell which constellations would be shown. The Corona Borealis constellation would have been resting on Mary's head, signifying that she is the Queen of the Universe. The Virgo constellation would be over her heart, signifying her everlasting virginity. Leo, the symbol for a king, would be over her womb, showing that she was carrying the King of the Universe within her!    

11. The flowers on her dress correspond with the location of the various volcanoes in Mexico. SO: The dress and the tilma together signify that Mary is Queen of Earth and Heaven!

12. There is a Jasmine flower in the shape of a cross, an Aztec symbol of the center of the universe, over Mary's womb. This indicated that the baby that Mary was carrying within her the Center of the Universe

13. Viewed from far away, her skin color is the dark, Indian shade of the Aztec people, but up close it grow lighter, signifying the unity of all the peoples of the world. 

14. The image has an audible heartbeat 

THE EYES:

15. When a strong light source is shined into her eyes, they reflect that light the way a human eye does. The pupils have also been known to dilate when light is shined at them. 

Over 13 people have been found within her eyes!

16. Under strong magnification, images of people are visible in Mary's eye! These people include (on the left) Juan Diego, just as he appeared when Mary visited him and (right) the crowd gathered in the room when Juan revealed the tilma to the Bishop. These people are reflected in her eye in perfect correspondence to how the human eye reflects the image of what it sees. 

Gee whiz. That's a lot of info...and I've just barely scratched the surface of how awesome she is! 

Since it is her feast day today (or whenever you happen to read this), try to learn a little bit more about her, because she is absolutely fascinating. 

I just love her...a lot <3

The World Needs More Reverence

...since I'm currently buried in the midst of finals preparations and don't have time to write just for my own pleasure, I give you my Philosophical musings on Reverence. (Originally a paper written for my Philosophy of the Human Person class, taught by Dr. Jim Harold (Don't worry, I got an A))

      The Importance of Reverence in Personal and Modern Societal Life

The loss of reverence is so complete in the society today that many people do not even know what the word means. This loss has led to a rapid decline of respect, charity, and the sense of value. In order for man to be in a right relation to the moral world, he must: know what reverence is; how he can apply it to his life; how society has lost a sense of it; what are its opposites and counterfeits; and what we can do to get back to a state of reverence. When a person learns how to relate to the world through reverent eyes, they can truly love, they can be truly charitable, generous, respectful, humble, and appreciative; they can enter the world of moral values, which is to be valued over any earthly pleasure. Reverence leads men to moral goodness, which is something everyone should desire. A study of reverence will help to smooth the hard path to right relation to the world, and ultimately a sharing in the wonders of heaven on earth.

In order to fully grasp the wonder and power of every realm in the world, be they physical, personal, or spiritual, there needs to be a certain appreciation for them. We can admire the beauty of a tree in the fall season, with all of its glorious red, orange, or yellow hues; we can appreciate the face of a pretty woman; we can smile at the pure innocence of a young child; but there needs to be something more. There needs to be value that a person attaches to the realms. We can appreciate the beauty of Niagara Falls, the magnificence of the Sistine chapel, and the wonder of an opera, but when each of these holds value to a person, each of these object demands a certain individual reverence. Reverence is the way by which we can grasp not only the values of the physical world, but, more importantly, the values of the moral world. Von Hildebrand, in his work, Fundamental Moral Attitudes, states that ‘Moral values are the highest among all natural values. Goodness, purity, truthfulness, humility of man rank higher than genius, brilliancy, exuberant vitality, higher than the beauty of nature or of art, higher than the stability and power of a state.’¹ Through reverence, one goes beyond his individual sphere and enters the world of moral values. Through reverence, we can enter the world of the spiritual. Reverence can bestow on mankind a sense of mystery and right respect toward the world, which is the right relation that man should have.

The reverent man has a sense of the mystery of everything in the world, such as birth and death, and everything in the spiritual realm, such as God. Man is only able to enter the world of moral values by abandoning himself to and getting to know such genuine values that can be found only through reverence. Reverence leads man to moral goodness. ‘In proportion to man’s capacity to grasp values, in so far as he sees the fullness of the world of values with a clear and fresh vision, in so far as his abandonment to this world is pure and unconditional, he will be rich in moral values. As long as a man blindly disregards the moral values of other persons, as long as he does not distinguish the positive values which inheres in truth, and the negative value which is proper to error, as long as he does not understand the value which inheres in the life of man, and the negative value attached to an injustice, he will be incapable of moral goodness. As long as he is only interested in the question of whether something is subjectively satisfying or not, whether it is agreeable to him or not, he cannot be morally good.’ ² The reverent man does not consider himself to be the most important being in the world; he recognizes that there is so much value in every other being in the world that he lets them speak to him. His appreciation and admiration for people will only grow, and thus reverence is the basis for respect and love. Without reverence, there can be no respect, and without respect there can be no love. The reverent man understands the dignity and beauty of his partner, and therefore can value her infinitely more, which leads to a deeper love than can ever be experienced in the absence of reverence. Courtship, chastity, and purity can all be accomplished within dating and even within marriage when a man has reverence for his partner. A man who does not possess reverence cannot partake of the spiritual dimensions of the world, such as love and faith, since he cannot access the dimension of depth within the world. Unfortunately, modern society has lost all sense of reverence, and all the benefits that come with it.

The loss of reverence in the world today has led to a shocking change unimaginable only one-hundred years ago. It has led to complete superficiality with respect to what the world values, especially with regard to persons. Modern men have become totally and completely irreverent of each other, and there is no better example of this than in music today. A completely revolting song called “Move, B****, by Ludacris, illustrates this point beautifully. Filled with immature, expletive-laced  lyrics that should never be repeated, the singer enters into a tirade: he is the best; everyone wants to be him; anyone standing in his way will get hurt; everything in this man’s life is filled with violence, sex, a need to act for his own pleasure, and a through-the-roof ego. This song clearly goes against the very nature of a reverent person: he is incapable of respect –of himself, as well as of other people-, any kind of love, kindness, selflessness, patience, etc. Another clear example is Katy Perry’s hit “Peacock.” With lyrics such as:

“Are you brave enough to let me see your peacock?

Don't be a chicken, boy, stop acting like a beeotch

I'ma peace out if you don't give me the payoff

Come on, baby, let me see what you're hiding underneath”,

the meaning behind the lyrics is sadly obvious. She is completely, utterly, and totally incapable of love, since she has no respect and reverence for the nature of the human body and the wonderful gift of sex.

The lack of reverence leads to lives of lust, with actions like the song quite clearly describes. The lustful man limits his interest to one thing and one thing only: whether or not some experience will give him pleasure, and if it is of use to him. The irreverent man also becomes impertinent: he thinks that he knows everything, that there is nothing new to be discovered in the world. He cannot see the simple beauty that true value and reverence brings, since he is so wrapped up in his own selfish being. Like the Rolling Stones, they “can’t get no satisfaction.” So, since this culture has lost all of the reverence it once had, is there a way we get it back?

To re-introduce reverence into the world is extremely hard to do, yet it is incredibly necessary. There are many ways to build personal reverence, which eventually leads to the buildup of a reverent society. One of the most important ways to do this is to recognize once more the great wonder and mystery of sex, as an expression of committed love. As previously stated, our society is sadly lacking in reverence of this wonderful gift, and this has led to a rapid decline in the value of people, objects, and the individual self. Once a person can recognize how beautiful sex and the human body are, they will treat themselves and others around them with due respect and reverence. The practices of chastity, self-control, and prayer can help immensely to regain purity. Another aspect of life that society has lost all reverence for are the mysteries of the faith. God, the sacraments, and the Church are all bygone fads that grandparents used to believe in. There needs to be a huge upsurge of interest in the faith, because, contrary to what people believe, it is quite relevant. However, without reverence we will never be able to enter the realm of the spiritual.

The pressing need to reverence is obvious. As was shown, reverence is the way that a person truly learns to value. Reverence leads to a value of the physical wonders of the world and a true value of persons. Man cannot be morally good without reverence. The reverent man has a deep respect and correct distance towards things in the physical and moral realms. Through a growing personal reverence by means of chastity, faith, and respect, we can heal the gaping hole in our society and bring it back into a world that can truly be called good. 

1.  Dietrich von Hildebrand, Fundamental Moral Attitudes Essay 1. Reverence,     pg 1. 
2. Essay: Reverence, Pg. 2.