Posted on 10/31/2015 1:34:43 PM PDT by NYer
I couldn’t help but groan. I found myself in yet another conversation with a well-intentioned woman from church who was telling me all the fruits of her very active prayer life. Thankfully, I had gotten pretty good at mastering the art of groaning internally so as to not embarrass myself. “Well, you should say a 54-day Rosary novena for that intention,†she said matter of factly. “The Mother of God never disappoints!â€
I looked down to see my three-year-old eating dirt and my toddler trying to kiss (or shall I say bite) an unsuspecting victim. My eight-year-old son was screeching as my six-year-old daughter dangled his prized possession of the day just out of his reach.
“Yes, yes. I’ll have to try that,†I muttered. “Thanks so much.†I gathered my little ones and corralled them into the car.
A 54-day Rosary novena, I thought, turning the ignition as a shoe whizzed past my head. Suuuuuuure. I’ll get right on that.
This was the fourth time in the past month that I had heard the Rosary novena mentioned. To say it, you pray the Rosary each day for 27 days in petition, followed by 27 days of thanksgiving. Often called the Miraculous 54-Day Novena, the devotion began when Our Lady appeared to Fortuna Agrelli in Pompeii, Italy, in 1884. Fortuna was the young daughter of a military officer, and she was gravely ill and not expected to survive. Out of total desperation her family began to say the Rosary. The Blessed Mother then appeared to Fortuna and said, “Whoever desires to obtain favors from me should make three novenas of the prayers of the Rosary, and three novenas in thanksgiving.†Miraculously, Fortuna was later restored to perfect health.
I was familiar with the novena, having said a few in college, but now, it seemed like an unrealistic and insurmountable task. Absurd, really. “Come on,†I mused, “I work full-time, I run a household, and on top of that, I need to keep my four children alive everyday. I just could never do it.â€
The truth was, I knew I needed it. In addition to my daily chaos, I was drowning in life’s worries. Earlier that week my husband was told that his division at work would be eliminated. A promised promotion at my job hadn’t gone through, and, much to my horror, even with scrimping, each month I was slowly watching our credit-card debt increase. My elderly grandmother was a shut-in and was so lonely that she repeatedly called my sister for time and temperature. My wayward brother hadn’t returned my calls for weeks, and my daughter was showing signs of extreme anxiety. I knew I needed to recommit to my prayer life. What’s more, I knew that everyone around me needed me to recommit to my prayer life.
As with every past challenge in my life, I knew peace and resolution could only come from divine intervention. And so I began to tackle the 54-day Rosary novena. Me, who hadn’t had a set prayer life since I had my first child.
Since it wasn’t realistic to find a solid 20 minutes every day, I squeezed pieces of the Rosary into whatever time slot I could find. I said a decade when I was making coffee and packing the lunches. I said another while waiting for colleagues to gather for a conference call at work. I fit one in while waiting in the pick-up line at school and said another while I was doing the dishes. For the tasks that required two hands—which, let’s face it, are most of what moms do—I would play the Rosary on YouTube, reciting each mystery with the Poor Clare Sisters or a sweet-voiced Irish priest. As the days went on, it became easier and easier. I wasn’t as much finding time for the Rosary as the Rosary was finding time for me. And slowly, without realizing it, I found myself finishing the Rosary earlier in my day and finding other prayers to accompany my mundane tasks.
As the days went on, I found that the benefits of saying the Rosary far outweighed the small sacrifice of my time. Not only did praying provide an outlet for the anxiety caused by my particular intentions, it also began to overflow into other aspects of my life. It centered me. It increased my patience with my children. It made me more productive at work and more charitable toward my neighbor.
The truth is, I am still praying for the same intentions. This novena didn’t remove any problems that I began with—yet. But it did give me blessings that I didn’t even request. So I guess for now I’ll withhold my groaning and concede that, this time, the church ladies got it right: Mary never disappoints.
Catholic ping!
Prayers here for you.
I’m so sorry about your difficulty, NYer.
Lord, please help our FRiend in all her needs and grant her abundant grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. St. John Paul II, pray for us!
Prayer for Peace of Mind
FORTIFY me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit and give Your peace to my soul that I may be free from all needless anxiety, solicitude and worry. Help me to desire always that which is pleasing and acceptable to You so that Your will may be my will.
Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini
You and your family are in my prayers.
My prayers are with you NYer. May God bless you with Faith, Hope and Love!
I need to start praying the Rosary again. Starting tomorrow, a 54-day Rosary Novena will end on Christmas Eve.
Prayers up. God bless you and your family. Jesus I trust in You!
Prayers for you and yours!
Thank you so much for posting this - I’ve been feeling pulled by Our Lady to the Rosary and this post tells me I GOTTA!
Prayers up for you, my FRiend.
Excellent!
Same here. Many blessings to you.
I will petition Our Lady for you.
In recent months, l have become very ill. Please pray for me as well.
(And thanks for all your posting here, even in the midst of all your family difficulties. God bless you.)
Praying for you too, sitetest.
Thank you.
Thank you for posting this thread.
I can only say that the 54-day rosary novena has strengthened my faith in many ways. The Blessed Mother has been with me all along the way.
I began praying this novena 28 years ago. I have been able to offer a 54-day rosary novena for everyone in my large family.
I have seen so many good things happen, because God is so good and in His great mercy totally loves us all.
I thank God for the person who first told me about this novena. I have been blessed because of it.
I’ll be praying for you, dear NYer.
Joining in prayer
prayers up
As I prayed the fourth Glorious Mystery today, I got to wondering about the teaching of our Eastern sister churches and came across the following from the Maronite Tradition:
The Feast of the Assumption: August 15, 2004
According to the Christian Tradition, in the 22nd year after our Lord’s ascension into heaven, an angel appeared to Mary and told her the good news that her body would be taken to heaven where Jesus Christ, her Son, was waiting for her with the angels. Mary desired to see the Apostles of our Lord before her Assumption. The Apostles came quickly from the places where they were evangelizing. They gathered around her, praying. On the third day, Jesus appeared to Mary and the Apostles.
Mary slept. Jesus asked his Apostles to take her body to the tomb. The Apostles went into a procession with the villagers. They laid Mary’s body in a tomb. St. Thomas arrived from India after three days. He asked to see her body to pay homage to the Virgin. The tomb was opened. It was empty. The Body was not found. A beautiful perfume came out of the tomb. St. Thomas fell down on his knees. All believed that Mary was taken to heaven in Body and Soul. At the year 425, the Church of Jerusalem celebrated the memorial of Mary. At the year 550, the feast was called the Feast of Dormition. At the year 588, the Byzantine Emperor moved the Feast from January 18 to August 15. At the end of the 7th century, Pope Sergius I introduced the Feast of Dormition into Rome. He called it the Feast of the Assumption. At the year 1638, the King of France declared Mary, the protector of the kingdom. The Feast of the Assumption became a national feast day. At the year 1672, the Orthodox Church adopted the Feast on August 15. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption as a theological Dogma in the Catholic Church.
(Retrieved from an article in Arabic written by Jean Sadaka on Annahar newspaper)
http://www.maronite-heritage.com/LNE.php?page=Feast%20Assumption
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