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The Secret of the Rosary (Part 1)

12/30/2014

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I would like to, in this Marian season of Christmas, give honor to and promote the great devotion of the most Holy Rosary (a favorite devotion of our patron Bl. Pier Giorgio). To do this I’m not going to be using my own words but the words of this guy…

St. Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort. He lived in the late 1600’s and was one of the greatest advocates of the Rosary. You may have heard of him: he wrote, among others, the spiritual classic titled True Devotion to Mary. But I haven’t read that one (yet!) so the quotes I’ll be using come from his book The Secret of the Rosary (which I have read). 

I’d actually like to start with the words of Our Lady herself to Bl. Alan de la Roche, which will probably make you want to drop everything and say your Rosary right now…

“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.”

I’ll be perfectly honest here, the first time I read that my heart just melted…    


When St. Mechtilde was trying to think of a way to express her love of Our Blessed Mother better than she had before, Our Lady came to her in a vision saying…

 “My daughter, I want you to know that no one can please me more than by saying the salutation which the Most Adorable Trinity sent to me and by which He raised me to the dignity of Mother of God. By the word Ave, I learned that in His infinite power God had preserved me from all sin and its attendant misery which the first woman had been subject to. The name Mary which means ‘lady of light’ shows that God has filled me with wisdom and light, like a shining star, to light up heaven and earth. The words full of grace remind me that the Holy Spirit has showered so many graces upon me that I am able to give these graces in abundance to those who ask for them through me as Mediatrix. When people say The Lord is with thee they renew the indescribable joy that was mine when the Eternal Word became incarnate in my womb. When you say to me blessed art thou among women I praise Almighty God’s divine mercy which lifted me to this exalted plane of happiness. And at the words blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, the whole of heaven rejoices with me to see my Son Jesus Christ adored and glorified for having saved mankind.”


            Can you imagine that? The “whole of heaven” rejoicing – simply as a result of us saying one Hail Mary. Just take a moment to reflect on that…



“With this in mind put yourself in the presence of God and imagine that Almighty God and His Blessed Mother are watching you and that your guardian Angel is standing at your right hand, taking your Hail Mary’s, if they are well said, and using them like roses to make crowns for Jesus and Mary. But remember that at your left hand lurks the devil ready to pounce upon every Hail Mary that comes his way and to write it down in his deadly note-book. And be sure that he will snatch every single one of your Hail Mary’s that you have not said attentively, devoutly and with reverence.”

But don’t let that frighten you because it is only the willful distractions that can make a prayer badly said. As St. Louis puts it, “To be guilty of willful distractions during prayer would show a great lack of respect and reverence; it would make our Rosaries fruitless and would make us guilty of sin.….. How can we expect God to listen to us if we ourselves do not pay attention to what we are saying? How can we expect Him to be pleased if, while in the presence of His tremendous Majesty, we give in to distractions just as children run after butterflies?”

So when it comes to saying your Rosary, just avoid being this guy…

So keep in mind, “One single Hail Mary that is said properly is worth more than one hundred and fifty that are badly said.” And remember, “[Mary] would never let us honor her with love and respect without repaying us one hundred fold.” Not even Billy Mays (R.I.P.) could offer you that!

So take up your Rosary this Advent and allow Our Holy Mother to prepare you to receive Our King, (baby) Jesus Christ!
But for real though, I love this painting…

PS – I could not fit all the quotes I wanted to share with you in just one blog, so look for part II soon with more from St. Louis-Marie de Montfort on the Rosary, how to recite it properly, and exhortations of perseverance in this great devotion.

PPS – As Pier Giorgio asked of his friends, so I to you: “I beg you to pray for me a little, so that God may give me an iron will that does not bend and does not fail in His projects.”



Written by:
Jesse Badinghaus



For more help in praying the Rosary, visit our Rosary page by following this link!
http://www.ucssp.com/the-rosary.html
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Advocating Advent

12/9/2014

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 Ah, Christmas. That magical time of year when one takes down his/her Halloween decorations to the tune of Deck the Halls and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The feel-good time of year about good will, generosity, and holiday Starbucks drinks.

Except… You are doing it wrong.
By this point, it’s no secret to most religious and non-religious folk alike that Christmas (as most other holidays with religious origins) has become highly secularized.

Christmas is celebrated without recognizing the Christ part, Easter without Jesus, and Groundhog day without 99% of people realizing it’s a secularized Candlemas.


Now, this isn’t a blog on “KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS” – if you aren't Christian and decide to engage in gift giving and a spirit of generosity, cool. Christians should realize that’s a Christ-like thing anyway. But I digress - my point for this blog is aimed at Christians – people who should be staying true to their name.

Parents, people who one day may be parents, and people with imaginations – I present to you a scenario: Your kid wants to open their birthday presents weeks before their birthday, or their Christmas presents weeks before Christmas. Do you let them? Most people would rightly say no. And why not? Because of patience! There is a time and place for everything, and sometimes we have a hard time dealing with that.

That’s where Advent comes in. Advent is the neglected middle-child of Church Seasons by most Catholics. Ordinary time is fittingly ordinary, Christmas time is Merry and Bright, for Lent we all give something up and head to McDonalds for our Filet-o’-Fish, and we break out the Easter Eggs for Easter. What do we do for Advent? Sing Christmas Carols? Put out the 3 purple candles and 1 pink candle, and then sing Christmas Carols? Catholics seem to understand that Lent is a time of fasting, reflection, and uniting ourselves to the passion of Christ – advent, in the same way, should be a time of preparation for the season to come.

The importance of Advent that is lost by so many today is the joy of anticipation. We celebrate Christmas as if it’s already here without taking the time to reflect on Jesus, his coming, and what it means for us. Replacing songs with lines such as “People look east, the time is near!” with “Joy to the World! The Lord is come!” denies any chance of an eager anticipation and welcoming for our Lord. 
When a hospitable host is anticipating a guest, they prepare for their arrival. They tidy their homes, make themselves presentable, and take all necessary steps to make sure their guest is welcomed, comfortable, and appreciated. When a military spouse awaits the return of their beloved, they do so with joy and eager anticipation. A mother awaits the birth of her child with a knowledge of the change it will bring to her life. When we wait for the birth of Christ, why would we not do the same? Advent is about Jesus in the sense that our joy is focused towards Him and His arrival, but it is also about us in the sense that it is a time to make ourselves ready! At the risk of sounding like a motivational poster, we must tidy the home that is our heart, make ourselves presentable, and prepare ourselves to welcome the Lord with joy on Christmas morn.

Let this Advent season be a time of prayer, penance, and preparation. Ready the way of the Lord!

1. People, look east. The time is near 
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the guest, is on the way.

2. Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the rose, is on the way.

3. Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the bird, is on the way.

4. Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the star, is on the way.

5. Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
With the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way.

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  • Home
    • About us >
      • Our Patron Saints
      • The Rule of SSP
  • Our Spirituality
  • The Liturgy of the Hours
  • Blog
  • Photo Gallery
    • 2019 - 2020
    • 2018 - 2019
    • 2015: Pope in Philly
    • 2015: 2nd SSP initiation
    • 2014: Advent
    • 1st SSP initiation
    • 2014: Retreats
    • Early SSP