Digital Marian Helper Winter_2016-2017

C 7H?7D > ;BF;H ǙšǙM ?DJ;H (&',#'- šǙcWh_Wd$eh] 3 F ATHER J OSEPH W RITES With the cover story of this issue of Marian Helper , I am inviting you (urging you, actually) to join together with the Marian Fathers to heed Our Lady of Fatima’s call to pray the Rosary daily for peace. As my fellow Marian Fr. Dan Cambra likes to stress: “Our Lady of Fatima didn’t ask us to make pilgrimages. She didn’t ask us to read a lot of books. She asked us to do something that’s easy and acces- sible to everyone — to children, to the educated, to the uneducated, each of us in our own way. She asked us to pray the Rosary for peace in the world.” “Easy,” Fr. Dan called it. “Easy?” you may be thinking to yourself. “Yes, easy,” I say. But I’m obliged to admit I used to find praying the Rosary a little difficult , even tedious. I didn’t understand it — all those Hail Marys, bead after bead of Hail Marys. Even as I grew deeper in my faith and began to seriously consider a religious vocation, I tried diligently to hunker down and make the Rosary a part of my daily prayer life. But, despite my strong devotion to Mary, when it came time to pick up my rosary beads, all those Hail Marys that lay ahead seemed like such a formidable task. I would often find excuses to skip it all together. It was not until I first joined the Marian Fathers that everything suddenly clicked. I recall I had gathered with my future religious brothers to pray. As we began to recite the Rosary together, God gave me the grace to quiet my mind and simply listen. As I listened to one Hail Mary after the other, Our Lady spoke to my heart, telling me that those Hail Marys are not the main point of the Rosary. Rather, they serve as a “soundtrack,” per se. Ah-ha! This soundtrack, beautiful and mesmerizing, is designed to center our attention on the “plot” itself: the biblical salvific events of Christ’s life and their close connection with His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is as if the Hail Marys are the background music we hear while watching a gripping movie, and the mysteries are the plot we are to focus on. That day, the Mysteries of the Rosary became alive for me for the first time. That day, I came to understand the power of the Rosary. Not until you understand the power of the Rosary can you love to pray the Rosary. The intel- lect precedes the will, as they say. It’s that easy! I ask Our Lady to pray for us that we might be faithful to the Rosary. With great trust and love, let us pick up those beads daily. Let’s turn to Our Lady of Fatima who confirms for us our role, and hers, in bringing about a renewal of the world for the great- er glory of God and the salvation of all. “Father Joseph, MIC,” is the honorary title of the director of the Association of Marian Helpers. The current director is Fr. Chris Alar, MIC. M y dear Marian Helpers, we’re going to be talking and writing a lot in the coming year about one of the most astounding occurrences in modern times: Our Lady’s appearances a century ago in the tiny village of Fatima, Portugal. As the director of the Association of Marian Helpers, I consider it a responsibility — and an honor — to do so. THESE BEADS ARE NO SWEAT