SAINT DOMINIC
1 Corinthians, chapter 2,
Verse 3-15
3I
came to you in weakness and fear
and much trembling, 4and
my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human
wisdom but on the power of God.
It is God’s desire that we be wise not in the way of
the world but in the ways of eternity.
Human wisdom[1]
Greek
tradition of wisdom was based in argumentations. The Greeks lived to argue.
Arguments (discussions) & logics were entertainments. Interests in
philosophies and rhetoric was based not only what is said, but how it is said.
Always looking for something profound (deep meaning)
Jews
have their wisdom tradition which includes the wisdom Literatures.
1. Job – story of
a man who did right & suffers
2. Psalms –
classic wisdom, praise, laments, etc
3. Proverbs –
classic wisdom: do right & no suffering
4. Ecclesiastes –
meaning of life
5. Song of Songs –
intimate relationship with God
Gnostics
tradition of wisdom and knowledge was a heresy in the early church, a bad
theology based on “Secret knowledge” that is needed for salvation. All matters
are evil, spirit is good. Gnostics denied the humanity of Christ “For Christ
did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel –not with words of (human)
wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (made void)” “For the
message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who
are being saved, it is the power of God.” The Cross – is the Message. “For the
foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is
stronger than man’s strength.”
St. Dominic had for many years
preached against the errors of the Albigenses and other heretics, with such
zeal and profound ability that they were often convinced. But nevertheless the
results were unimportant; but few returned to the bosom of the Catholic Church.
In this discouraging state of things St. Dominic redoubled his prayers and
works of penance, and in particular besought Mary for support and assistance.
One day Mary appeared to him and taught him the Rosary. He zealously labored to
introduce everywhere this manner of prayer, and from that time preached with
such success that in a short period more than one hundred thousand heretics and
sinners were converted. The divine origin of the Rosary is testified to by the
bull of Gregory XIII. of the year 1577.
In his life Christ prayed the shema Israel
everyday that he worships the Father with his whole heart mind soul and
strength. Now through prayer we can mediate on the mysteries of the rosary and
see how Christ and Mary lived the shema and follow their lead.
Mind=Joyful mysteries
Heart=the Luminous mysteries
Soul=the Glorious mysteries
Strength=the Sorrowful mysteries
Ten
Reasons to Pray the Rosary[3]
Motivation is the key to carrying
out any worthy enterprise. Great men and great women have clear goals and
strong motivations. They know what they want, and they have a clear plan before
their eyes.
CEO’s in successful companies know
what they want, have goals, deadlines, and concrete steps to attain those
goals. Professional athletes have a determined determination to
win. They study their opponents’ weak points, capitalize on their
own strengths and play for victory. Therefore, to attain to any goal
there must be a clear plan and strong motivations.
Spiritual Goals and Objectives
Even more important for the human
person created in the image and likeness of God should be the goal and the
motivation to attain that goal. Our goal is very clear—to get to
heaven. One of the most efficacious means to attain eternal
salvation with God in heaven is through prayer. Prayer is the key to salvation.
What oxygen is to our lungs so is prayer to the life of our soul. For that
reason Saint Augustine asserted: “He who prays well lives well; he who
lives well dies well; and he who dies well, all is well.”
Still there is a powerful means and
intercessor before the throne of God who can help us to get to heaven and to
help us in our prayer life and motivate us to focus our energies on God and God
alone—the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mary’s Favorite Prayer
Our Lady has a prayer that fills
her heart with joy—the Hail Mary and the most Holy Rosary. Every
time the Hail Mary is prayed with attention and sincere heart, Our Lady’s heart
is filled with joy. Therefore, let us offer ten points to motivate us to pray
the most Holy Rosary.
1. Our
Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of
Fatima appeared in Fatima, Portugal six times to three little shepherd
children: Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia. In every one of these six apparitions
Our Lady said: “Pray the Rosary.”
2. Her
Title. Finally
at the end of her apparitions Our Lady gave herself the title: “Our
Lady of the Rosary.” Therefore, if Our Lady insisted six times to pray the
Rosary and actually called herself “Our Lady of the Rosary,” common sense tells
us that she really wants us to pray the Rosary!
3. Pope
St. John Paul II.
This great modern saint, as well as spiritual giant, strongly encouraged the
world to pray the most Holy Rosary. In his writing The Blessed Virgin Mary and the
Rosary, the Vicar of
Christ insisted that we pray the Rosary. He himself said at the start of his
pontificate that the Rosary was his favorite prayer.
4. For
the Sake of the Family. In this same document Saint Pope John Paul II insisted
that we pray the Rosary for the sake of the family which is under attack and in
crisis. With the growing numbers of separations and divorces, with
the legalization of same-sex unions, with so many children without the warmth
of the family, now more than ever we must pray the most Holy
Rosary. The Holy Father quotes the Rosary-priest, Father Patrick
Peyton: “The family that prays together stays together.”
5.
For World Peace.
The document of Saint Pope John Paul II came in the wake of the terrorist attack
in New York City with the Twin Towers. Therefore, another reason to pray the
Rosary now, more than ever, is for the sake of world peace. With the threat of
ISIS, nuclear arsenals, and general tensions growing among nations, the Rosary
can be our shield and safeguard. At the end of the First World War Our Lady of
Fatima stated clearly that wars come as a result of sin; and if people did not
stop sinning then a worse World War would erupt. Within twenty years, the
Second World War broke out. Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen states
that world wars are the net result of many individual wars waging in the hearts
of sinners, that spreads out to towns, cities, countries and continents, and
then boom—the huge war explodes. Sin produces war; prayer produces peace of
heart, mind and soul and harmony among peoples!
6.
To Save our our Children. Never have we lived in a society with so many
dangers, especially with respect to our children and teens. Of great importance
is the virtue of purity. The mass media, the modern electronics media, the
modern school and teaching agenda, billboards and posters, modern movies and TV
programs militate fiercely against the virtue of purity. And to be honest, we
live in a pornographic society! Devotion to Our Lady and the family
Rosary can serve as a shield against this onslaught and deluge of filth that is
descending upon the world, especially our children and young
people. In a word, we must shield our children in the most pure and
Immaculate Heart of Mary; she is an oasis, a refuge, and ark of safety and
protection! If you like Noah and his family as well as the animals sought
refuge and protection from the deluge in the Ark. We must find refuge in the
ark of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart—most certainly a safe refuge!
7. To
Order our Disorders.
As a result of the Original Sin that we all inherit in the moment of our
conception, our life is marked with disorder. Our thought process, our will,
our emotional state of being, our soul, our intentions, our family and social
life—all have a certain disorder. Saint Ignatius of Loyola suggests that we do
the Spiritual Exercises so as to order the disordered in our lives. Sin causes
disorder; prayer brings order. Prayer to Our Lady communicates to our soul and
lives the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is a God of order. Our
Lady of Guadalupe with her own hands ordered the roses in the tilma of Saint
Juan Diego. By praying the most holy Rosary Our Lady can help to order the
disordered in our lives.
8.
For Interior Peace of Mind And Soul. Another wonderful effect of
praying the most Holy Rosary is peace of mind, heart and soul. We all desire
peace and Our Lady of the Rosary also known with the title “Queen of peace” can
definitely attain for us this peace that our hearts so ardently yearn. Saint
Augustine defines peace as the tranquility of order. As the hymn reminds us:
“Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
9.
It’s a Biblical Prayer. Pope St. John
XXIII stated that the Rosary is a summary of the whole of the Gospel. They are
truly based on the Bible, even the prayers of the Our Father and the Hail
Mary have their foundation in the Gospels. Therefore, by praying the
Rosary fervently, we get to know Jesus and Mary better and better as presented
from the Word of God, we fall in love with them and then we become their fiery
and ardent Apostles in a world marked with so much coldness and indifference.
As Pope Francis reminded us in his Lenten message: There is a widespread
globalization of indifference because there is a lack of love of God in the
world. This love can be planted and ignited through love of Our Lady and the
Holy Rosary—a summary of the Gospels and a true Biblically centered prayer.
10.
To Conquer our Adversities. David had to fight against the ferocious and
malicious giant Goliath. Strategically, there was no way that the smaller,
inexperienced, unprepared shepherd boy could conquer the giant Goliath. It was
like an ant against an elephant. However, the Bible teaches us a very certain
truth: Nothing is impossible with God. David went with a total trust
in His God, the Lord of heaven and earth. We all know the ending! David shot a
stone from his slingshot; the stone riveted itself in the brow of Goliath, who
cascaded to the ground unconscious. David quickly drew the sword of Goliath and
cut off his head! Victory, due to the intervention of God! Today we are
surrounded by so many “Goliaths”, almost too many to count! However,
our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. Let us turn to the
Queen of Heaven and earth and pull out our spiritual slingshot which is the
most Holy Rosary and win the battle. Jesus is the King of Heaven and earth and
Our Lady is the Queen. Let us find sure refuge under her heavenly mantle!
National Bowling
Day[4]
Roll
up to join the celebrations for Bowling
Day! This fun occasion aims to get more people involved in the sport.
Since the event was founded in the USA in 2011, it has proved to be a striking
success. Bowling is one of the world’s most popular participation sports, with
around 100 million enthusiasts. It appeals to all ages and both sexes, and many
people with disabilities are keen bowlers. The sport may date back to ancient
Egyptian times, as primitive bowls have been found in graves from around 5,000
BC. Much later, Henry VIII was a keen bowler, but banned working men from
taking part in case they neglected their duties. Thousands of centres are
offering free taster sessions for Bowling Day, so the ideal way to celebrate is
to take to the lanes. You could well be bowled over by how much fun it is.
Daily Devotions
No comments:
Post a Comment