Rosary Roadmap of Salvation

Friday, November 18, 2016

Acts, Chapter 27, Verse 20 #hope
Neither the sun nor the stars were visible for many days, and no small storm raged. Finally, all hope of our surviving was taken away.

We Catholic’s are blessed for we are still in the boat (church) with Paul and no matter what the storms and we are totally lost and there is no hope of surviving; we still have the Lord with us. Paul during this voyage encourages the others to eat. Paul breaks bread and emboldens these lost men. When Christians flounder in the storm of life we should recall Jesus’ assurance of protection. The Eucharist gives us courage in our trials.[1]



Hopeful in Prison #WWII

Father Paul Wolff was 15 years old when he first joined the Belgium resistance during the years of the Nazi occupation of World War II. He was the youngest member of the Belgium resistance. Unfortunately he and other members of his group were captured and at 17 he was tortured, condemned to death and imprison in the Nazi Prison in Liege, Belgium. There he languished yet his faith would not allow him to lose all hope and the resistance still worked to get him and the others (256) out.

Part of the plan was to get a radio to the prisoners. To do this the resistance secreted small parts of the crystal radio inside bars of soap. Interestingly these were lever brother bars of soap large about brick sized. Father Paul related that during the Nazi occupation not all Jews were in German prisons if they were of use to the Nazi’s. In this case the soap bars were made by the Lever Jews and the radio parts were easily hidden inside the soap bars. Father Paul stated that when they received the soap they then washed their hands raw in wearing away the soap to get to the radio part. Then after several bars they constructed the radio which was the Morse code type. Father Paul typed in code in English which he spoke along with German and French the words over and over “SOS SOS 256 prisoners in Liege prison condemned to death SOS SOS.” They hoped someone would get the message and somehow they would be rescued. All they had was hope.

Father also related that it drove the Nazi’s crazy because they intercepted the message but never suspected it was coming from the prison. Father Paul said that in the cell they were in there was only one barred window but it was so high that to look out it required a person to stand on the shoulders of a fellow prisoner. He further relayed that they when they would see women that were friendly with the guards coming and going they would call them the nastiest things they could think of calling them. Yet one day during an air raid while the guards were hiding as deep as they could go; one of these young women (secret agent) came and taking the heel of her shoe wrote on the pavement that during the air raid they are going to be rescued by commandos and they were. Father Paul stated neither he nor the others ever lost hope. After his escape he went underground. He was a friend of King Leopold III. He served as General Patton's Belgian guide during the battle of the bulge.

Leopold III was King of the Belgians from 1934 to 1951. He served as a front-line soldier in World War I and came to the throne after the tragic death of his father in a rock climbing accident. During World War II he led the Belgian army, resisting the Germans for 18 days (longer than any other of the low countries) before surrendering; for which he was criticized by the Allies. Leopold III was also castigated #ouch for remaining in Belgium with his people during the German occupation. He went to Switzerland after the Axis defeat and finally, because of deep political divisions at home, he decided to abdicate in 1951 in favor of his son King Baudouin. He died in 1983.



COURAGE FOR THE MODERN WORLD 2017


Authored by Mr. Richard H. Havermale Jr.This book is the continuation of my first book based on more than 365 references in the Bible to fear, dread, and that in fact our God encourages us to "BE NOT AFRAID". To do this we must be in the presence of our Lord and talk to Him. I recommend you develop the habit of spending 10-15 minutes a day with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel or if that is not available some other quiet place where you can be in the presence of our Lord. Read the daily entry and reflect on it asking our Lord and His mother to talk to your heart and reveal to you the will of the Father and then Do it. The layout of this book is to list and reflect on the books of the bible Sirach through Revelations. In the early part of September my search of the verses dealing with fear and being afraid was completed; so I asked the Lord what do I, do now. After some reflection I realize that the fruit of fear in the Lord is the Theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love  which ultimately results in Peace of the Lord. As a consequence the month of September will deal with Peace, October with Love and the month of November will be reflections on Faith and Hope. After Thanksgiving for the season of Advent and Christmas this work uses a multitude of references that reflect the Christmas season. There are many theologians who state that the eighth deadly sin is fear itself. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. Saint John Paul II in his writings and talks also tells us to BE NOT AFRAID. In fear or anger we walk away from God. Our Lord, Jesus Christ taught us how to walk back toward God in His sermon on the mount through the Beatitudes. Each of the beatitudes is the antidote for the opposite deadly sins.



[1]The Collegeville Bible Commentary 

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