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.
You have said enough. Of course there is a lot more. Actually, now that Kolo is not participating, I couldn't think of a better expert on iconography than Alex. Not only is he an iconographer, but he also happens to be a Latin Catholic who has an exclusive knowledge of the Orthodox faith as well.
Generally speaking, an iconographer will wake up, say his morning prayers, take a bath, put on clean clothes and only then in a prayerful mind begin to work on an icon.
Icons can't just be a figment of one's imagination. They must be theologically and scripturally correct. Of course things slip through the cracks; we are human after all.
Everything in an icon is symbolic, the orientation, the perspective, even the way the rocks point (grace changes reality around us), etc.
Icons must never be confused with religious art. However icons are also never to be confused for the person they represent. An icon of Jesus is not Jesus, but an image of his humanity. Those who worship his icon do not worship the canvas or the image on it, but Jesus in person in their mind and soul. Only Jesus' icon is worshiped; the others are only venerated.
Hope that helps. Maybe Alex can add something too.
Amen to that...
Thank you Kosta.
Hopefully this helps those who are truly seeking what is.
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It is simply not their office.
Jesus said to pray to the Father in His name.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Pardon me for believing my bible over a guy in a funny hat.
Thank you for sharing your insights, dear brother in Christ!
thanks.
I DO have a relationship with God...finally. It’s not that God wasn’t in my life, I wasn’t in HIS.
When I was at the end of my rope and had tried every thing else, the only thing left was God. I now realize God was the only thing I ever needed in the first place.
This kind of nonsense is what fills the papacy - the baby Jesus' blood shed during His circumcision and the "pain" the infant felt are not what constitute our salvation.
Rome belches superstitions. Read the Bible. Learn what has saved you.
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." -- 1 Corinthians 1:18
I could never fit my experience as a born-again Christian into the Catholic scheme of things. I heard a couple of good sermons in all my years going to Catholic services (thank you Fr. Galen and Msgr. Fleming). Now I can hear them as many as five or six times a week, sermons so powerful and incisive that many people have testified, "How does he know all about me like that?"
I disagree with many practices that are considered Catholic, but I also understand them a bit more than the average Protestant, so I prefer to just call myself Christian.
In any case, Jesus did not say "Be a theolgian," or "Learn all about icons," or "Study Latin." He just gave us the two great commandments and elucidated what they might mean to us individually and together. It's all there.
I love the story about the boy who was supposed to read an entire chapter but only finished the first sentence. The next day his teacher was furious with him, jumping up and down and screaming, "You lazy boy! I hope you at least know the first sentence by heart! Recite it to me!" The boy replied, " 'Don't get angry.' "
lol.
Well, they set my feet a'fleein'.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." -- 1 John 5:20-21"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
You don't worship the picture itself (canvas, colors, etc.) but the person of Christ the picture represents.
Calvin was married and loved his wife which is a lot more than can be said of any "alter Christus."
Trinket religion.
So would you alter that statement? Did you misspeak? It seems to me there is too much confusion in language between the icon and what it represents. No wonder people wanted to destroy them if this was how people talked about them.
We are human, with all the frailties of mind that that word connotes. It is always tempting to cling to an object that we can see, rabbit’s foot, teddy bear, golden calf, religious jewelry, etc. It’s a danger. Just as tempting as the desire to be selfish. Thank God we have our instruction book. Now let’s obey it.
Not really. The person pictured in the icon is the object of worship (for Christ) and veneration (for saints).
It seems to me there is too much confusion in language between the icon and what it represents
Some do take it where is wasn't meant to be taken, but not too many. Every group has a few nuts.
No wonder people wanted to destroy them if this was how people talked about them
I am not sure what you mean.
Talk about a rabbit's foot...
I DO have a relationship with God...finally. It’s not that God wasn’t in my life, I wasn’t in HIS.
When I was at the end of my rope and had tried every thing else, the only thing left was God. I now realize God was the only thing I ever needed in the first place.
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THANKS FOR YOUR EXCELLENT BIBLICAL TRUTHS AND WISDOM!
CONGRATULATIONS that the REFINER’S FIRES DID THEIR PURE GOLD PRODUCING WORK IN YOUR LIFE! PRAISE HIS NAME!
Thanks for sharing.
Very well and Biblically put.
Thanks.
And for the belly laugh.
Laughter in our church can still be a bit disconcerting at times. However, I recognize that it is my problem that God is poking at. I greatly appreciate that God loves laughter.
And, that HE always has the last laugh.
imho, most SADLY,
this is yet another example of the layers of hoopla and hogwash with which the magicsterical and the king of hell works to entwine the faithful [who can be overly given to kowtowing to human authority] . . . to entwine the faithful ever more tightly
Such seductive nonsense serves as stinking pile after stinking pile of Vatican distinctives which scream that Roman Catholics et al are EXCLUSIVELY righteous by the [UN]'virtue' of being Roman Catholic et al. WHAT A SNIVELING, WHITE-WASHED LIE FROM THE PIT!
Such idiosyncratic chaff layered on the Bible serve as FLESH COMFORTING DISTINCTIVES EMBELLISHING
mentalities, soothing deceptions and dynamics that the RELIGIOUS SPIRITS of Roman Catholicism love to fluff up and EMBELLISH SOOOOO EXHAUSTIVELY with such prissy haughtiness.
GOD HAVE MERCY.
What a hideous set of flesh and demonically driven dynamics.
As St Paul said . . . PREACH CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED. If an angel from Heaven preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL, let him be eternally accursed.
I pray that not a single soul called Christian in the Vatican system or any Protty system misses Heaven. May all land on 'Jordan's shore.' However, I'm greatly concerned that many are led astray by such NONBiblical seductions.
--Leaders are not God.
--Graduated saints are not Salvivic mediators.
--INSTITUTIONS ARE CERTAINLY NOT GOD.
--INSTITUTUIONS are certainly NOT THE CROSS, THE BLOOD, THE LORD JESUS!
At some point, in the lives and rituals of millions, euphemisms for WORSHIP DUE GOD ALONE cross the line most horrifically. God is NOT fooled NOR amused.
I praise God that in virtually all our different authentically Christian groups and congregations can be found authentic Believers who put God first and do their more or less best to focus on GOD'S PRIORITIES regardless of their congregation's or institution's prissy distinctives.
It does all Christians of any label or flavor MUCH GOOD to remember that God has made abundantly clear IN HIS WORD--that Heaven and Earth shall pass away but HIS WORD SHALL REMAIN FULLY OPERANT, FULLY PURE, FULLY SUPREME IN ALL CREATION.
THE LIVING WORD, JESUS THE CHRIST HAS BEEN PUT OVER ALL. GOD HAS REPEATEDLY EMPHASIZED HIS STATUS GRANTED BY THE FATHER.
Detractions from that status, that priority, that supremacy do NOT incur the Father's favor--regardless of the label on the church door or yard sign. Nor the authentic non-caricatured Mary's favor, for that matter.
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