Posted on 03/11/2005 9:32:13 AM PST by sinkspur
How interesting! We were taught as children never to throw away sacramentals. Recently, I had a jeweler repair one of my rosaries. I inherited it from my great grandmother!
I also keep a rosary under my pillow. These are prayed every night for family, pastor & parishioners, friends & freepers, and especially forthose who have been forgotten. Here is a wonderful Rosary story. Hope you enjoy it!
It was Wednesday June 5, 2002, when I received a call on my pager. "Father Antonio, there is a woman who is dying here at the hospital in Ann Arbor. Her family is asking for a Catholic priest to come and give her the last sacrament. Can you please come?" "Sure." It would be the first experience to anoint someone after 10 months of priesthood. My ministry as a priest was more focused on giving Jesus Christ to His people through the Eucharist (saying Masses) and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (hearing confessions). I was also offering spiritual direction to a good number of people.
I drove 15 minutes from home. I arrived at the hospital and entered the room. There was a woman lying in her bed, dying. Her eyes were closed. Her family was gathered around her: the husband, the sons and their wives. They were comforting each other. I opened the book of prayers and prepared the oil.
We prayed. I anointed the woman. After the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, I asked the family to pray with me the rosary. I believe that the presence of Mary can give great comfort for the womans soul. The husband approached me as if he was embarrassed. He whispered saying: Father, my wife never believed in rosaries. She never prayed the rosary. She never liked it. She will like it now, I said it, with my Lebanese accent and a Maronite spirit. We started praying the rosary. When we reached the 4th sorrowful mystery, the woman opened her eyes. The sons approached their mother to see what was going on. They were crying, amazed. At the end of the Rosary, I asked the sons: What did you see? Her eyes were filled with peace, one of her sons answered. I knew that Mary was present. I knew that she comforted that woman. It didnt matter whether that woman prayed the rosary in her life or not, whether she liked it or not. It doesnt matter for Mary for she is a mother not a judge. Mary, who was present under the cross at the moment of Christs death, is also present at the moment of our death. This is why we pray: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
NCR knows what a Rosary is? Count me surprised. Don't tell me they know what a Novena is?
friends & freepers, and especially forthose who have been forgotten >>
Thank You.
Wow.
The one in the United States is in Oregon, along the Columbia river, between the Halles and Portland. Can't remember the name of the privately owned museum now. My eyes almost jumped out of my head when I saw these.
Dalles, not Halles.
Along the road they saw a small roadside shrine honoring the Blessed Mother (common to roadside areas in that part of Europe.)
Throughout Italy, even the smallest town, has a shrine to the Blessed Mother, as you enter and leave it. Sometimes, on long stretches of road, one also finds a small shrine. It is not unusual to see fresh flowers in small jars, before these shrines.
kEEP EM COMING LIKE THAT ---
yES THE ROSARY THE POWER IN SAYING IT KNOWS NO BOUNDS!
Are posts such as this what we Catholics have been reduced to discussing? Is all controversy banned, even if it is well-reasoned and scholarly and fair-minded?
What is not wanted are the flame wars - personal insults, denigration and demeaning of others and their faith traditions, name calling, and the like - which is what most of your "discussion" threads lately have degenerated into. If that is, to you, a "reduction" then you need to find another place to "vent".
I have given warnings publicly; I have given warnings privately. The Trad v. N.O. war will not be won or lost at Free Republic. At least not the way most of you have been fighting it. If you can remain civil and courteous with each other I don't care what topics you discuss. So far, however, I've seen no evidence that many of you are capable of that.
No more warnings. If you insist of having it your way, you can have it elsewhere.
I have never engaged in personal insults. I have deliberately and consistently kept cool when others have attacked me. Check those who have sparred with me and with other traditionalists. Review the posts of the thread you pulled previous to the Michael Davies piece. You will see the rudeness and insults are coming from one direction only. I kept my cool when called heretic or schismatic and worse.
In any case, I have just posted a Michael Davies article that was scholarly and fair-minded. I offered NO comments whatsoever, I just posted the article, a well-respected piece that could not possibly be considered offensive since it dealt with an important matter seriously and politely. Yet it was pulled.
It would seem the mere fact that such an article might attract intellectually stimulating discussion should be a reason to keep it posted, since that is the reason for the forum in the first place--as long as that discussion remains reasonable. What should be banned instead are those individuals who use such posts as the pretext to hurl insults.
BTW, for real personal insults one only needs to go to the Condi Rice FR thread at:
Condi Mildly Pro-Choice
This is just a nice story about an old man saying a decade of the rosary with his 96-year old mother, from a rather liberal newspaper.
I thought it was informative; I had no knowledge of the string rosaries used by the military.
The problem with FR is the problem with life: we just all need to lighten up and appreciate the very good things we have in common.
What is wrong with praying????
**The problem with FR is the problem with life: we just all need to lighten up and appreciate the very good things we have in common.**
Amen to that!
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