Why is the Holy Rosary so powerful

The abridged article below was distributed by the active members of our local Legion of Mary to all auxilliary members:

Often Father Gabriel Amorth, chief Exorcist of the Vatican writes: "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.....

The Eternal Father described to a group of us, through a visionary friend of mine, what happens when we pray the Rosary, saying "When you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now ... the Blessed Mother comes instantly to your side to pray with you. And she does not come alone. She brings angels with her. And not just one or two for she is the Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with her. And she and Jesus are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus with her. And Jesus cannot be separated from the Trinity so He brings the Father and the Holy Spirit with Him. And where the Holy Trinity is, all of creation is, and you are surrounded by such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in this life. Your Mother comes as Our Lady of Grace with her hands outstretched. Rays of light emit from her hands piercing your body, healing you and filling you with graces... This is your inheritance which was poured out from the heart of Jesus on the Cross, when the centurion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the only pure vessel ready to receive such graces at that time, your Mother. Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite one Hail Mary, you receive your portion of these graces. He also said at this time, "Anyone who goes to Mary and prays the Rosary cannot be touched by Satan".

Is it any wonder that anyone who prays the Rosary from the heart is so blessed and protected and powerful in their prayers for others?

Thoughts for the feast of our Lady of Sorrows- Saint Gemma is taught how Mary suffered in union with Jesus.

"My Mother..crucified"
Saint Gemma is taught how Mary suffered in union with Jesus.


This article is taken from the Italian book "La Povera Gemma" written by Padre Enrico Zoffoli C.P. and published in 1957. The book is a 1014 page hagiography on the life of St Gemma. The webmaster would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Rita Dunn for translating it into English for this website. May God bless her for her efforts.

Art. 4-Page 611
The spiritual life of Gemma is inseparable from the meditation on the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin, even more so then in many other souls. It could not be otherwise... the contrary, in fact, would be surprising. This [devotion to the Motherhood] stems from the spontaneous, warm, child-like temperament of a very young girl who became an orphan, stricken by grief that would prompt her to run through the steep road that brings one to the summit of Calvary.
We hear again and again her voice more eloquent than any other soul in transmitting the tone of her relationship with her "Mom"; and the "reply" from Who destined Gemma to the same kind of martyrdom.
'Oh, if at least the Mom of Jesus would love me......if only I could become worthy of being called 'daughter'! I tell you, how many times this good Mom overlooked all my sins! How many times She was to me a loving Mother! Will She still be so when Jesus goes away? Is it true?....If Jesus leaves, I want my Mom. If Jesus does not want me and I have to live without Jesus, I want to be heard at least by Her;...I will not be able to be without my Mom. Oh, my Mother! I love you so..."169.

In this way she expressed her sentiments to Fr. Germano in times of trial. Gemma was right to use such familiarity of speech because of her long experience with the Virgin since her tender age:
"Here I am in the month of May! I think...of the many blessings that my Mom gave me in this first years of my life, and I am so ashamed...because I have not looked at that heart and that hand that would bring me so much kindness...yes, my dear dad ( Fr. Germano) -how many times in front of an image of my Mom I have confided in Her all the anxieties of my heart! And how many times my Mom comforted me! In all my afflictions I remember that I do not have my mom on earth but I do have a compassionate One in Heaven..." 170.

In fact the Madonna appears to her, caresses her, kisses her and reprimands her, She wants a saint at all costs.
She is also her only refuge: "You must make peace between Jesus and me " - exclaims Gemma during an ecstasy in which she was afraid to have lost the Divine Son - "Oh Mom, do not abandon me!.. Who will help me?...Do not go away.."

In another circumstance Gemma's spirit exults :"Oh dear dad (Fr. Germano) you should see how beautiful is that Mother!...Today there is a great feast for Her in Heaven. Jesus gives great glory to His and my Mom. See dear dad....She is so beautiful that words can not tell! The Eternal Father gave Her a crown made of His Holy Love..."
"How beautiful is Communion made with the Heavenly Mother! Dear dad, do you know what flight my heart feels in that precious moment? In only these words : ‘Oh my Mom, how happy I am in calling you so! My heart jumps as when I

remember Jesus’.
And She replied to me : ‘You are happy in calling me Mom and I exult in calling you daughter!’.

One day, Gemma repeated at least 3 times these words- “....Those are moments in which I feel like I am in Heaven.”
“Let us reflect well dear dad on the Feast of the Heavenly Mother. Is it not the most beautiful day of the year? The soul on that day is consoled with serene peace and forgets the storms of this world.. Yes , Yes I have felt many times that the Feast of the Heavenly Mother is always for me a highest day of peace; a day of greater love and santification for all.."
So moving is the ecstasy of May 24th 1900 in which Gemma calls her "Mom" 23 times. On August 25th of the same year she repeats this beautiful name wholeheartedly 30 times....

During the long and happy ecstasy of May 27th she recommends herself and all the sinners to the Virgin and she prays with singular gratitude for all her benefactors...
In the ecstasy of July 4th 1902, we have a sublime prayer that springs from her sensible soul: "...Adored Jesus Incarnate Word! ....oh Mom... oh Mom! Oh, if you are my merciful Mother, then do not abandon this daughter that loves You so! Without you, who will listen to my prayers? Who will hear my vows? Without You I am like a sinner...like a beggar without help. My Mom, why would You leave me? Bring me to Heaven. Oh my Mom, you are a pure flower, a bloom from a white lily; Queen of Heaven, You who steal the most noble part of every creature like you did to me.... You have taken my heart! Return it to me now that under your embrace nothing is earthly, but all becomes heavenly. Return my heart to me….Oh Mom, you do not want to because you are jealous if I should give it to my Love. Then give it Yourself to my Jesus. Jesus loves me so much because my every breath is His, my every desire is His, and my every affection is His. Before you leave Mom bring me to Heaven!." 177

However the heart of Gemma is at the foot of the Cross as she contemplates her Sorrowful Mother. Her Mother appears to her sorrowful and in tears, so the saint becomes conscious of her defects, and proclaims all her love. She learns this from Saint Gabriele who teaches her to compassionate the Blessed Mother [Saint Gabriel Possenti C.P. of our Lady of Sorrows –editor]: "She was the most afflicted of all women and She is comforted if a soul shows Her compassion. She has so many graces and She does not know to who She can give them. She finds no soul that asks Her, not a heart that begs Her".

Between the months of June and July of the same year 1900, the Virgin exhorts Gemma to go to Fr. Germano and tell him: "You are so afraid that it may not be the will of God that you become a Passionist... tell him in my name to appease the will of my Son; to put you immediately in the convent. Tell him also that in the month consecrated to Me, which is the month of September, I want to make a victim of you for my Son, and offer you to Jesus; but I want you in the convent". 180

P. 614
For the Feast of the Holy Rosary of the same year, Gemma asks the Madonna another gift:

"a big cross", "very thick" to follow with the one of "her crucified Jesus". The following splendid meditation was suggested by the Mystery of the Incarnation.
"This morning, after Holy Communion, I thought: ‘Oh, what a great sorrow must have been for the Madonna after the birth of Jesus when She thought that they were to crucify Him! What a heart ache! How many sighs, how many times She must have cried! However, She never complained. Poor Mother! Then when She saw Him really crucified, that poor Mom was pierced by many arrows. I well know that when a person hurts the son in the presence of a mom or dad, the pain hurts the son and the parents. Therefore my Mom was crucified together with Jesus. And, She never complained..."

In her talks during some ecstasies she participates even more deeply in the sadness of the Virgin:
"Tell me Mom, what did you do when you saw Jesus crowned? What did You do, what did Your heart feel?....Ah! I understand it is a sorrow so great... what a difference between Your heart and mine!...It was a great sorrow...What will I do today here?..Jesus died, and You, my Mom, are crying. What will I do? To whom will I talk, who is with me?...I am not worthy, my Mom, that You remain with me...Why are you crying? What causes Your cry? If You cry because they offend Jesus, oh, my Mom, be consoled!.. I will do all I can so that He will not be anymore offended. I will do all I can so that they will leave Him be…..do not worry my Mother, I will sacrifice everything: words, thoughts, sacrifices, so that He will be less offended...Oh, wicked sinners stop crucifying Jesus, because at the same time you pierce His Mother."

On April 7th 1900 she is again with Our Lady of Sorrows-
"Oh, my Mom, where are you? Again at the foot of the Cross of Jesus? ... What a sight You saw Mom when Jesus died!...When You placed Him in the tomb! And you could not be with Him anymore? How is it possible that You suffered so much because of me? How did You do it? Poor Jesus!.. Tell me how did You stand seeing Jesus being crucified to the Cross? My Mom… let me know the cross…. Who will understand You, oh Mother? I see that You continue to look at those wounds. How could I not have compassion on You? If I could.... Oh how great was Your pain!....You can not recognize Jesus. What did You do?.. .Oh God... Jesus is dead and Mom You are crying. Am I the only one that is so insensitive?.....I do not see anymore one sacrifice: I see two: one for Jesus and one for Mary! Oh Mother, if one could see You with Jesus, one would not be able to say who will be the first one to die: You or Jesus!"

Fifteen days later the saint is again enraptured in another sorrowful ecstasy in front of the Virgin:

"I am full of compassion for You, oh my Mom, on seeing You every Saturday standing by the Cross! But the greatest pain is that I can not give You any comfort.. How sorrowful You are, oh my Mother! If I could comfort You with my little sacrifices, then please accept them Mom, and tell Jesus to hide them in His heart... When You are suffering oh Mom, who is the main cause of your pain? Is it I? Did I build the sword? Then with that same sword wound me also... remove, remove Jesus!... Remove Jesus (from the cross) otherwise my Mom will die!...
I do not know which one will be the first one to die. It is such a great sorrow , it is a spasm. Oh I do not see only one Victim any more but two. Why am I the only one so insensible? My Mom! Oh, how are you so able to embrace the Cross for all those souls that want to live without the cross? Oh my Mom! Oh my Jesus! Jesus, He pushes me to love the Cross; oh my Mom, but this cross... No, I will not refuse it, because if I refuse the Cross I refuse Jesus. Yes, I want to love it always. Is it

Gem of Christ, most holy virgin, fill our hearts with the love of God which is most perfectly manifested in the heart of our Lady of Sorrows.

God bless all

Spiritual communion with Jesus

Today I am having spiritual communion with Jesus Christ. I couldn't make it to church today, because my Mother wanted me to stay home to study some. I decided I could make this time usual to write on my blog about my trials of heart this past week with my vocation. I have been struggling with doubt about my vocation to become a catholic nun. I held my friend's baby on Friday and it stirred these emotions in me for longing for a baby in my arms. I prayed to Jesus " Please Lord guide me to where you want me to be at with you, where is my home and purpose meant to be" amen.

I have been praying on this for several days. I still do think my calling is to the church as a sister. Nothing has felt more right than being with Jesus Christ and the holy Eucharist. The feeling of dedicating my whole life to the church and having meaning for my life. Time will tell where my vocation takes me and where I will be at in 10years.

I'm planning on spending the day with Jesus and understanding my vocation :) I am counting down the days until I can become a Catholic woman.

Pray for me and I will pray for you all :)

Doubt

Some days when i'm sitting around thinking I start to doubt myself and my calling. I tell myself " I can't be a nun" or " I'm not a nun material". I'm just a simple country girl who has a calling from the Lord. I'm not special enough to be a nun.

When you start doubting yourself and the Lord. Pray and pray ever more! Doubt has been running through my heart and mind all this week. I can't seem to let myself trust Jesus and his love for me. I'm so worried about being rejected or disowned by my family. They are very judgemental of my vocation to the church. I wish they understood it. I just learn to trust Jesus and let God take care of all my needs and wants :)

Remember God calls each one of us and gives us the gifts, abilities and talents to do whatever it is he needs us to do. And I’ve really come to believe that anyone in the religious life has to have an enormous love for family, because most of what we do is about being a family. There is a reason why the church has always used terms like “Father,” “Brother,” “Sister,” and “Mother,” when it comes to those who are called to religious life, because we are all one family. The Church is one family. That’s why when Jesus was talking to his disciples and they were wondering the same thing, “How can we serve you and give up so much like our families that seemed perfectly normal?” Jesus answered them by saying, “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.” (Gospel of Matthew 19:29and can also be found in the Gospel of Mark 10:30).

Trust

Trusting somebody is the hardest thing you can do with your life. You are afraid that person may break your heart or hurt you. Most people don't trust very well at all. I don't trust well, I don't trust that somebody will hurt me, dump me, use me, or worse. The fear of letting somebody see you for who you are and your inner heart. If you can't trust Jesus then you really don't believe in him. I learned to trust Jesus a long time ago and it was very hard to do, but when I finally did it was amazing. I felt better and more at peace. I knew I didn't have control of this situation and only Jesus did. He is the one who can save us, rescue us and hold us.

Remember the bible verse about Peter seeing Jesus walking on water and Jesus asking him to join him and Peter couldn't trust Jesus.

Here is a short story about Peter and Jesus walking on water..

The disciples had a long tiring day and Jesus sent them out in the boat to go over to another town. It was a dark stormy night and the wind was tossing the waves around. In the middle of the night, they thought they were seeing a ghost when Jesus came to them walking on the sea! Jesus saw they were scared and told them not to be afraid. When they were the most afraid, he told them to cheer up, he was with them! God has to take the storm out of us before He can take us out of the storms of life. Peter must have wondered if it really was Jesus or just their imagination. He asked Jesus to tell him to come out on the water with him if this was really happening. Jesus didn't say, "I'm sorry, Peter, but water-walking is for Messiahs only." No, he said one simple word: Come. God calls us to do impossible things by faith. It must have taken a lot of trust by Peter to take that first step out of the boat in the middle of the wind and waves. When he did, Peter walked on water! The Bible says,

And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. - Matthew 14:29,30

Peter was doing fine until he took his eyes off Jesus. As long as he had faith, he did impossible things to do without God's help. He kept his eyes on Jesus and walked on water. When he looked around at the world, he started believing that the storm was going to defeat him. He lost faith. He took his eyes off Jesus, and he began to sink. If we forget that Jesus is right there to help us, we can let the storms of life cause us to sink. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can do mighty things for God by faith.

Then Peter uttered what is probably the shortest prayer in the Bible: Lord, save me. Everyone needs to say that prayer. We ALL need Jesus to save us. He is our only hope. Jesus told Peter he should not have doubted. When they got back in the ship, everyone on board came and worshipped Jesus, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. Whenever we do something with God's help we need to remember to give Him the glory for it.

Life gets really scary sometimes. And we can get ourselves into all kinds of strange circumstances. Our faith can become all mixed up, and can even be taken away, if we flirt too much with sin and unbelief.

Even when we commit to obeying God, to following the Lord, we sometimes try to do so on our own terms, in our own strength, and according to our own rules and ideas. But we soon learn that God will not jump through our hoops. He is God. He is in control. We are not.

Fortunately, the Lord marks the path for us, in ways that even fools can eventually recognize the signs and get the message. I'm as big a fool as has ever lived, but even I was finally able to read the writing on the walls along the pathway of my life.

The greatest message that God has ever given to human beings is this one: TRUST JESUS. It's good for the saving of a soul, and for the mending of a life gone wrong. And it's good for everything else that any of us will ever truly need, both now and for always.

My struggles

Yesterday I had a struggle of my vocation to Catholic life and Catholic Nun. My depression started kicking back in and I started getting worried and questioning why am I changing beliefs, churches and leaving my family. Why do I want to seperate myself and be different??

I really sat and pondered on this last night with God. I was asking him why this? why did I have to have so much trials and headache in my life? why must it be so hard for me and so easy for other people??

I was getting really depressed and upset over it. I finally told myself " I find actual peace in becoming catholic and discerning to become a sister" God has given me my calling to this lifestyle and he knows whats best for me and where i'm suppose to be. I shouldn't question it or ask for answers. I should be a willing servant of the lord and serve him with all my heart no matter how hard it is.

God has given me another trial to fight and deal with it. I know that I can overcome it with his help, my guardian angel and Mother Mary guiding me.

I want to overcome this and be able to wear all white when receiving my first communion and be able to take my vows as a bride of christ...

Please pray for me and I will pray for you all :) God bless!

You know when you are called to be a Nun.

1. You wake up praying any part of the Divine Office...
2. You dream more than three times a week about being in the convent...
3. Your friends all share their wedding details with you, and all you can think about is that if you were to get married, you would want Exposition and Holy Hour of Adoration right after the ceremony (complete with Benediction and plenty of incense...) no rush to go to the honeymoon....
4. you have all these religious community websites bookmarked in your "favorites" on your web browser...
5. you have more friends in the convent than you have out in the world...
6. when every thought you have of being married leads you to think of you being clothed in the habit and veil
7. when all your friends are candidates, aspirants, or Sisters in religious orders.
8. when the idea won't leave you alone, and you know deep down that you have to at least try or you'll regret it the rest of your life.
9. when some of your best inside jokes are shared only by you and two of your favorite Dominican sisters...
10. when you would rather go to the Catholic store to buy saint medals than go to the mall to buy new clothes
11. when you don't write your crush's name in you notebook, but instead, write your future religious sister name....
12. when you try constantly to picture yourself with a veil...
13. when Jesus is the only one who will ever understand the horrible day you've had....
14. when you hear a love song, you think about Jesus....
15. when your idea of a dinner date is Mass.....
16. You find yourself (sometime without realizing it) spending a quiet hour at work in contemplative prayer/meditating on scripture.
17. when you just long for HIM in Holy Communion - all day long!!!!!!!
18. when you don´t want to close your LOTH.
19. when the only websites you go to besides your e-mail and phatmass are religious sisters' websites.
20. Have many books about the life of the Saints
21. Have many photos of the sisters on your notebook/computer
22. Can't stop dreaming about the convent life
23. Heartbouncing when you saw photos from sisters (I want it too!!)
24. Talk with Him a lot
25. Love Him more than other
26. Have DVDs about religious life, these are your favoriete movies ever! (Example: Into great silence, A man who becames a pope: Pope John II, Saint Thèrése, Mission, Father Damian, Brother Sun and Sister Moon, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and more...)
27. See all big houses and you will thinking: this house will maybe for the sisters and their/our work (especially the carmeldcj)
28. When the sisters ask when you will entered, especially the older sisters
29. When the sisters will ask for your help
30. When some friends says: you don't say it, but you want to enter to an convent. We can see in your eyes.
31. When one day you wake up and have a sudden urge to kiss the crucifix on your wall and say "I will take up my cross and follow you". Then you continue to act on that urge every single morning.
32. When you're upset saying a Hail Mary cheers you up more than your family or friends.
33. Mass during the petitions when they say "For an increase for vocations to the priesthood and religious life," and you feel guilty and/or cannot stop smiling.
34. When you see a religious, you turn the other direction.
35. When you see a religious, you stalk them
36. You cannot get the idea of being a religious out of your head.
37. You are constantly thinking about what your religious name might be.
38. You have visited religious orders without your parents' knowledge.
39. You are always looking at different orders on the internet.
40. People tell you you would make a good nun.
41. People tell you they will go to your final profession.
42. You've been told that you would look good in a veil.
43. You hide brochures about different communities under your bed.
44. You play dress-up nun and use a pillow case/skirt for your veil.
45. You randomly wake up early in the morning and cannot explain it.
46. You daydream about Jesus (He is so distracting sometimes! lol)
47. You get excited about fasting, etc. (well, this isn't just for those discerning religious life).
48. You schedule things around praying the Divine Office.
49. You are intensely attracted to certain colors that strangely correspond to the exact color a certain order wears...
50. You stalk the saint founders of certain orders
51. The saint-founders of certain orders stalk you.
52. You know the schedule of your favorite community by heart and correspond the time you say the Office with when they do.
53. You get excited about the thought of SPIRITUAL children.
54. You're excited about getting to give everything away--yay religious poverty!
55. You're excit
56. ed about even wearing a dorky postulant outfit!
57. When random strangers walk up and ask you "Are you going to be a Sister?" for reasons you just can't seem to figure out.
58. When you try to justify chores by attributing them to a certain "vow of obedience"
59. When you spend your free time drawing pictures/writing icons of the saints
    
60. When you find more comfort in sharing things with Jesus, Mary, and the saints instead of with friends
61. When Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the only thing that makes you happy or gives you peace. When you just want to spend your life at the feet of Jesus in the tabernacle...
62. You start registering at Catholic forums with your preferred religious name. Just incase...
63. Whenever you pray the Rosary with a group, and close your eyes, you imagine that you're a nun.
64. ...someone asks you if you are in a relationship OR if you are dating someone???
65. and you immediately think, "Yes, with Jesus.." but you are not quite sure how to put it into words...
66. . you cry at the idea of wearing a wedding gown at your future wedding with Christ :-)
67. you keep getting called "sister" even in lay clothes
68. you are constantly asked "are you a sister?"
69. at school or at home or at work you keep thinking about consecrated life
70. ...being curious about nuns, you're watching a video on YouTube and a nun talks about asking Mary, so you do that before Mass. During mass, you visualize yourself in a habit, and after Mass, an elderly parishioner (who's part of a parish ministry - altar society) tells you "You look like a nun! You should be a nun!"! And you feel all giddy inside!
71. You long for intimate moments with HIM, and nothing anybody else says or does gets to you. All you can think about is HIM. Your true Bridegroom!
72. ..at random places you think about a scenario where you could be martyred like your saint heroes.
73. at random places you think about what a saint would be doing right there and then.
74. .at random places you wish you could be somewhere else praying.
75. ..you're reading threads on this forum about convents, realize it's 7:30am, and you really have to get ready for work.
76. ...You jot down any sins you just committed in a notebook (or on the computer when you get a chance).
77. You wish the confessional was open 24/7.

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