(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2016
J.M.J.
May 23, 2017
Dear Family of Mary!
June 12, 1986 “Dear children! Today I call you to begin to pray the Rosary with a living faith. That way I will be able to help you. You, dear children, wish to obtain graces, but you are not praying. I am not able to help you because you do not want to get started. Dear children, I am calling you to pray the Rosary and that your Rosary be an obligation which you shall fulfill with joy. That way you shall understand the reason I am with you this long. I desire to teach you to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
I was rereading St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise, “True Devotion to Mary” and came across this passage in which St. Louis describes the power and value of praying the Hail Mary. His words stirred me to a deeper reliance upon that little prayer. I believe that the Holy Spirit wanted me to again realize what a gift the Angelic Salutation is for us poor sinners. By praying the Hail Mary, we recall the moment that Salvation broke into our temporal reality. In recalling that moment, we honor and praise God and thank Our Lady, and we call down great blessing and protection upon ourselves. For this was the moment that Satan was vanquished.
Here is what I read:
250. …On the other hand, we know from experience that those who show positive signs of being among the elect, appreciate and love the Hail Mary and are always glad to say it. The closer they are to God, the more they love this prayer, as our Blessed Lady went on to tell Blessed Alan.
251. I do not know how this should be, but it is perfectly true; and I know no surer way of discovering whether a person belongs to God than by finding out if he loves the Hail Mary and the Rosary. I say, “if he loves”, for it can happen that a person for some reason may be unable to say the Rosary, but this does not prevent him from loving it and inspiring others to say it.
252. Chosen souls, slaves of Jesus in Mary, understand that after the Our Father, the Hail Mary is the most beautiful of all prayers. It is the perfect compliment the Most High God paid to Mary through his archangel in order to win her heart. So powerful was the effect of this greeting upon her, on account of its hidden delights, that despite her great humility, she gave her consent to the incarnation of the Word. If you say the Hail Mary properly, this compliment will infallibly earn you Mary’s good will.
253. When the Hail Mary is well said, that is, with attention, devotion and humility, it is, according to the saints, the enemy of Satan, putting him to flight; it is the hammer that crushes him, a source of holiness for souls, a joy to the angels and a sweet melody for the devout. It is the Canticle of the New Testament, a delight for Mary and glory for the most Blessed Trinity. The Hail Mary is dew falling from heaven to make the soul fruitful. It is a pure kiss of love we give to Mary. It is a crimson rose, a precious pearl that we offer to her. It is a cup of ambrosia, a divine nectar that we offer her. These are comparisons made by the saints.
254. I earnestly beg of you, then, by the love I bear you in Jesus and Mary, not to be content with saying the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, but say the Rosary too, and if time permits, all its fifteen decades, every day. Then when death draws near, you will bless the day and hour when you took to heart what I told you, for having sown the blessings of Jesus and Mary, you will reap the eternal blessings in heaven.
(St. Louis de Montfort. “True Devotion to Mary” n. 250-254)
I do believe that the Rosary, and especially the Hail Mary are gifts for our time. I find myself just saying Hail Mary’s as I go about my work or even when I rest. I feel the need to protect my intellect and will, to put up a barrier of protection for my thought life. These days are full of spiritual activity, spiritual battle if you will. For us little ground troops the Rosary is our helmet and shield. The Rosary keeps us balanced and focused on God and what He is doing for save us.
“Hail Mary!!!! Full of Grace!!! The Lord is with thee!!! Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus!!! Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death!!! Amen!!!!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017
