Marian Helper Fall 2015

promote the Rosary as a means to overcome evil. One of the most dramatic examples was the appeal of Pope St. Pius V, who asked all of Christian Europe to pray the Rosary for victory over an invading Islamic armada. On Oct. 7, 1571, standing at the window of the papal apartment in Rome, he had a vision of the Christian victory won that day during the Battle of Lepanto. That’s why the Church cele- brates the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on Oct. 7 each year. The recent Holy Fathers have also given a great exam- ple of devotion to the Holy Rosary as well. One of the first public statements that St. John Paul II made after he was elected pope in 1978 was that the Rosary was his favor- ite prayer. He prayed it often, alone or in public. Unbeknownst to St. John Paul II, his witness would touch a future pope. Then-Fr. Jorge Bergoglio was deeply inspired by St. John Paul II at a public recita- tion of the Rosary in 1985 in Rome. “He was in front of everybody, on his knees,” then- Cardinal Bergoglio recalled in an interview with 30 Giorni in 2005 in the wake of the death of St. John Paul II. “I saw the Holy Father from the back and, lit- tle by little, I got lost in prayer. I was not alone: I was praying in the middle of the people of God to which I and all those there belonged, led by our Pastor. “In the middle of the prayer I became distracted, looking at the figure of the Pope: his [piety], his devo- tion was a witness,” Cardinal Bergoglio continued. “And the time drifted away, and I began to imagine the young priest, the seminar- ian, the poet, the worker, the child from Wadowice ... in the same position in which [he] knelt at that moment, reciting Ave Maria after Ave Maria . His witness struck me. I felt that this man, chosen to lead the Church, was following a path up to his Mother in the sky, a path set out on from his childhood. And I became aware of the density of the words of the Mother of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego: ‘Don’t be afraid, am I not [...] your mother?’ I understood the presence of Mary in the life of the Pope. … From that time on I recite the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary every day.” If Pope Francis can take the time in his busy daily schedule to pray at least three Rosaries a day, I think we can find the time to pray at least one set of mysteries a day. And we can pray the Rosary almost anywhere! We need the Rosary today more than ever as a weapon of truth and an instrument of mercy. Add to that, the Divine Mercy Chaplet i s prayed on ordinary rosary beads, rendering this simple string of beads not only a weapon to overcome evil, but also a way to plead for God’s mercy upon ourselves and on the whole world. So let us take up the Rosary and pray it every day for peace in the world, for my Congregation, for the Association of Marian Helpers, and for every intention for which our Lord and Our Lady want us to pray. Take up the spiritual sword of the Rosary, and renew the face of the earth! To order: Visit ShopMercy.org/b27 or call 1-800-462-7426. B27-RGEM • $12.95 Rediscover the power and widsom of the Holy Rosary Inspired by his own love for the Rosary, Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, has gathered the largest collection of quotes on the Rosary to ever appear in print. Pick up a copy of Rosary Gems and become inspired! R osary tip : Even if you have to fight distractions all through your whole Rosary, be sure to fight well, arms in hand: that is to say, do not stop saying your Rosary even if it is difficult to say and you have no sensible devotion. It is a terrible battle, but one that is profitable to the faithful soul. — St. Louis de Montfort MH C lick to enlarge