Posted on 04/11/2010 6:09:57 PM PDT by stfassisi
The first “Hail Mary” was brought from Heaven by Gabriel the Archangel, the messenger of Holy Trinity
The following text of Father Gabriel Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican, is taken from the March-April, 2003 issue of “Echo of Mary, Queen of Peace”:
The recent Apostolic Letter of John Paul II, "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (released last October 16) encourages all Christians to turn back to the prayer strongly recommended both by the latest Pontiffs and recent Marian apparitions. Paul VI called the Rosary a compendium of the Gospel. To make it more complete, John Paul II added the 'mysteries of light' to cover Jesus' public life. Padre Pio called the Rosary beads a weapon of extraordinary power against Satan.
One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism: "Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful the Rosary was, it would be my end." The secret that makes this prayer so effective is that the Rosary is both prayer and meditation. It is addressed to the Father, to the Blessed Virgin, and to the Holy Trinity, and is a meditation centred on Christ.
Today more than ever, the world is in need of prayer and meditation. It is in need of prayer because people have forgotten God, and without God the world has put itself on the edge of a precipice. This is why in Her messages, Our Lady insists so much on prayer. Without God's help, Satan wins. The world is also in need of meditation because if the great Christian truths are forgotten, souls become void. This void is grabbed up by the enemy, and he fills it with his lies. And today we see the results with widespread belief in superstition and occultism.
The most obvious danger for our society today is the downfall of the family. The rhythm of today's world has broken the family unity. Little time is spent together, and even when the family is together, its members don't speak because the television speaks. Where are the families which recite the Rosary together in the evenings? Pope Pius XII insisted in his own time: “If you pray the Rosary together, you will experience peace in your families; you will get on together.” “The family that prays together, stays together,” would say Father Peyton, the untiring apostle of the family Rosary. “Satan wants war,” Mary said one day in Medjugorje. Well, the Rosary is the weapon which is able to guarantee peace for the world, because it is a prayer and a form of meditation able to transform hearts and defeat the enemy.
Protected by the Rosary
The following inspiring episode from World War II, written by Sr. Mary Sheila O'Neil and reported in the October-December, 1979 issue of Garabandal Magazine (P.O. Box 606 Lindenhurst, New York 11757 USA) also illustrates the power of the Rosary:
It was a busy day in March. As a teacher-principal in the 1950's, I had to make sure that each day provided the time for the two separate roles. On that March fourth, an incident between a teacher and a parent had kept me out of my class for almost an hour that morning, so for the rest of the day, I was desperately trying to make up class time. Hence, the knock on my door at 2:00 p.m. was not welcome.
With relief, I found it was only a salesman who needed my signature and even produced his pen. As he did so, his Rosary had caught onto the pen's clip and came out as well. I signed as I said indifferently, "So, you are a Catholic." "Oh no," he said, "but a lot of us owe our lives to Our Lady, and I promised Her I would always keep my Rosary with me and say it every day."
Twenty minutes later, I was still at the door listening, fascinated, to the account of one of the wonderful experiences a group of airmen had had with Our Lady. My visitor hesitated to start, for he had noticed my "non welcome" opening of the door. But eager now to hear his story, I assured him that the class was doing an exercise, and I begged him to proceed. He continued:
It was May, 1940, and we had joined the Air Force in late September. At Halifax, we were given an intensive training course, because they needed us overseas, and to us young lads, the whole program was exciting.
We were grouped into squadrons, each of which consisted of six to ten planes, and each was trained to maneuver as a unit. Therefore about thirty to fifty men made up a squadron, along with the squadron leader who gave all the orders and kept the group functioning in unity.
In May, our squadron was told we were going overseas and would be in action at once. We would work on nightly missions over enemy territory until the war was over. We were waiting for our new squadron leader, due to arrive in two days on a 9:00 p.m. air-force flight. Being an officer, he would, we thought, go at once to the officers' quarters.
We watched the plane, glimpsed him from the distance, and resigned ourselves to waiting until the next day to "size him up." A couple of hours later, this squadron leader, Stan Fulton, in full uniform, entered our bunk house.
“Well men, we're going to spend some dangerous hours together, but let's hope we all meet back here when it's over. Ah, there's a free bunk and I am tired! I'll meet each of you tomorrow.”
With that, he threw his bag on an upper bunk. Our squadron leader, an officer, sleeping here with us! We liked him at once and our liking and our admiration grew each day.
That first night he knelt on the floor and prayed his Rosary in silence. Astounded, we were struck dumb. When he finished, he looked at us with his friendly smile and said, “I hope you guys don't mind a fellow saying some prayers because where we're going, we're going to need them.”
The next day our maneuver practice, under his command, assured us that Fulton was not just our military leader, but our friend. He was one of us; he never tried to intimidate us with his rank.
That night, he repeated his prayer session. Although our group had trained together for six months at least, I had never seen anyone kneel in prayer, and had no idea that any of our group was Catholic; but the third night three of our companions joined Fulton in saying the Rosary. The rest of us did not understand but we kept a respectful silence.
A few nights later — we were quick learners — we all answered the Hail Marys and Our Fathers. Fulton looked pleased, and thus we ended each day in prayer.
On June 1, 1940, we were to leave Halifax to begin a series of night raids from England over Germany. The evening before, Fulton gave each of us a Rosary.
“We shall be in some tight situations, but then, if you agree, we'll say the Rosary. If you will promise to keep the Rosary with you always throughout your life and to say it, I can promise you that Our Lady will bring you all back safe to Canada.”
We answered, “Sure thing.” Little did we dream we would be in action for four years, many times in dreadful danger with fire all around us. At such times, Fulton's voice would ring through each plane, “Hail Mary...” How reverently and sincerely did we respond! How many hundreds of Rosaries we must have said.
After two years, it was noted that ours was the only squadron that had not lost a plane nor a single life. We said nothing, but we knew.
Finally, the terrible war was over. During those years, we lost all sense of excitement and adventure. All that concerned us was survival! We did survive, too. All returned to Canada in 1945, fully convinced that Our Lady had taken care of us.
So I never forget to keep my Rosary with me and say it every day although I am not a Catholic. When I change my trousers, the first thing I transfer, even before my wallet, is my rosary.
Too many of the “Reformed” are fearful of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Crucifix. Hmm, I wonder who that sounds like?
LOL! Thank you for proving my point.
But it was only Jesus' death on the cross and His active obedience to God's law that saved us.
Next we'll see Roman Catholics praying to the infant Jesus.
Oh, wait. We have seen those pictures.
"O miraculous Infant Jesus, I beseech Thee to cast a merciful look on my troubled heart. Let Thy tender Heart, so inclined to pity, be softened by my prayers and grant me the grace which I ardently implore (mention your need). For the sake of Thine Infancy, hear my prayer, and send me consolation and aid, that I may praise Thee with the Father and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen.
"For the sake of your infancy???"
I guess we should look at this particular infantisizing of Jesus Christ as a step up from elevating Mary to super-humanity.
That's some sort of progress, I suppose.
Better. Keep it up.
Jesus Christ, as God, exists outside of time. He is eternal. Who is to say that we cannot address Him as an Infant? He certainly, as God, could hear our prayers when He was a baby, as He hears them “now.” It’s a way of recognizing His humanity.
Three out of four (I’m not sure about the second) are Catholic depictions (the last was painted by the famous Fra Angelico). And you say we “keep” Him on the Cross!
May God protect us from all Reformers. Do you have any idea of the number of first millennium heresies you have just preached?
Flee from the idolatry Rome practices.
We worship God alone. Flee from Reformed heresies. I had no idea that you guys are that far removed from Christianity. No wonder you guys preach the gospel that you do. Say hi to Joseph Smith or Mary Baker Eddy or Ellen White for me when you guys join Calvin in the City of Dis. My eyes are opening a lot further since in my naivete, I thought that Calvinists preached Christianity.
lol. You think there was a chance Jesus wouldn't be circumcised? That somehow the Jewish household of Mary and Joseph wouldn't follow the Law?
And you think this occurred because it was according to the wishes of the eight-day-old infant Jesus?
Wackier and wackier. Read your Bible. These RC superstitions aren't in it.
The "blood of Jesus' circumcision" did not save anyone. God forbid such idiotic perversions of the Christian faith.
Nope. I’ve got a Bible and much of what Rome preaches ain’t in it.
God gave us His word to instruct our worship of Him. Show me in Scripture where we are to address the infant Jesus with our prayers.
Christians do not “fear Mary.” We fear and thus rebuke idolatry and the hold it has on some Roman Catholics. Flee from it.
Show us in Scripture where Jesus Christ calls Mary anything other than “woman.”
Don’t you believe that Jesus was once a baby?
It says it in the Bible.
In most parts of the world, “Woman” is a title given to someone of great respect. More than just mother.
Just as the women of our Polish Dance group call their mothers, Baba. (woman)
To call a Latino mother “Vieja” (old woman) is also a sign of respect. Just because we don’t do this in English, doesn’t mean it isn’t so. Jesus didn’t speak in English.
And you think this occurred because it was according to the wishes of the eight-day-old infant Jesus?
He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave. He knew what was going to happen to Him.
The "blood of Jesus' circumcision" did not save anyone.
I never claimed that. I said His whole life was a passion that lead up to THE Passion at Calvary. I can talk about "idiotic perversion of the Christian faith," but they are not contained inside the Catholic Church.
He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave. He knew what was going to happen to Him.
You believe "Christ emptied Himself and took the form of a slave" when He was eight days old, and at eight days old He "knew what was going to happen to Him?"
You believe that?
lol. Wow. That truly is the weakest argument I've read from a Roman Catholic apologist yet to justify praying to Mary and elevating her above and beyond all recognition.
My mother wouldn't be too happy if I called her "woman." I doubt Mary preferred "woman" to hearing her Son call her "Mother," but Jesus was obviously making a point -- all believers are the equal of His mother.
Several comments. "Infantisizes" is not a word.
Which church in Rome? Not the Catholic Church. The Presbys?
Jesus Christ is not suffering on the cross. No one can keep Him there. He overcame the cross for the salvation of the world. Every Catholic knows full well that the crucifix is NOT really Jesus. Do you? We remind ourselves what Christ endured for our sins, that He told us that we would have to take up our own crosses to be His followers, and that "greater love hath no man than this: that a man give up his life for another."
Is it a sin to remind ourselves of Christ's suffering? Is it a sin to think of the Son of God as our Savior, who paid the price for all by His ignominious death? Is it a sin to see the crucifix, be reminded, and then love Him above everything and everyone else?
It is hard to imagine anyone so confused as to think that Catholics keep Christ suffering on the cross. It's an image. AN IMAGE. No one worships an IMAGE. We use it to remind ourselves of His sacrifice, His love, and His salvation. CHRIST is real. An image is an image. Christ is no longer on the cross, but He WAS there, and died there, for us. Even for you.
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