The Silent Witness

I had passed her many times before, we always smile at one another, but I had never taken the opportunity to speak to her. A small lady with soft gray hair, she couldn’t be any taller than about 5’1”. She has such a peaceful presence about her that you can’t help but take notice.

Like me, she walks everyday. And everyday, in her right hand, she holds a beautiful golden crystal rosary that sparkles magnificently in the sun, silently drawing the attention of anyone that might pass by. As she walks, her fingers work the beads as she lifts her prayers to the Lord. The sight of her silent witness moves my heart.

On this particular day, as we passed one another, I was moved to speak to her. “I can’t help but notice that every time I see you, you are saying your rosary. It always gives me such pleasure.” Gently, she lifted the golden beads to her lips and in a most reverent fashion she kissed them. “This one is for you”, she said. I felt so humbled, “thank you”, was all I could say.

We both continued our separate ways, no longer strangers, but spiritual sister in Christ , bonded through the love of our Lady.

"Dear children! God is allowing me along with

Himself to bring about this oasis of peace. I wish to call on you

to protect it and that the oasis always be unspoiled. There are

those who by their carelessness are destroying the peace and the

prayer. I am inviting you to give witness and by your own life to

help to preserve the peace. Thank you for having responded to my

call." BVM, Medjugorje, June 26, 1986

Our Lady’s Armor

If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be…….Pope Pius XI


“Among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been so favored by so many miracles as the Rosary devotion.” Pope Pius IX

I can’t ever remember a time while growing up that our family went on car trip without reciting the Rosary. My dad, always the driver, would only be on the road for just a few minutes before mom would reach down for her purse. My younger sister Mary knew exactly what that meant and would immediately close her eyes pretending that she was asleep. So, as soon as I heard the beads rattle and mom say, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”, I would loudly protest, “Mary’s not sleeping. She has to say the Rosary too!”

This seen played out each and every time we went on a trip. Who would have known that years later I would be carrying on the same tradition with my family, and they in turn would be offering me similar forms of protest!

Many miracles throughout history have been attributed to devoutly praying the Holy Rosary. Wars have been won, the sick have been healed, marriages have been saved and family members have come back to the faith, all because people have believed in the power of the Rosary.

I read a article yesterday about a young British soldier in Afghanistan,  Glen Hockton, who believes that the Rosary saved his life, just like his great-grandfather in WWII.

While Glenn was on patrol with his unit, his rosary suddenly fell from his neck. Thinking it was broken, he bent down to pick it up and realized he was on a landmine.

After 45 terrifying minutes, his colleagues managed to rescue him.

His great-grandfather Joseph ‘Sunny’ Truman also credited a rosary with saving his life in World War II. He was walking across a field with half a dozen of his platoon. He bent down to pick something up and was the only one to survive a sudden bomb blast. He had picked up a rosary.

For these men and many others, the Rosary truly was Our Lady's armor.

"Pray the Rosary everyday in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war." Our Lady of Fatima May 13, 1917


"Dear children! Today I call you especially now to advance against Satan by means of prayer. Satan wants to work still more now that you know he is at work. Dear children, put on the armor for battle and with the Rosary in your hand defeat him! Thank you for having responded to my call." BVM, Medjugorje August 8, 1985

Seek the Lord While He May be Found

"Dear children! With joy, I call you all to live my messages with joy; only in this way, little children, will you be able to be closer to my Son. I desire to lead you all only to Him, and in Him you will find true peace and the joy of your heart. I bless you all and love you with immeasurable love. Thank you for having responded to my call." June 25 2010 Message to Marija

June 25, 2010 marked the 29th Anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions in Medjugorje. Her mission is one of peace and love. In Her own words she tells us, “I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God.”

Prayer is the center of Our Lady's plan and is the most frequent message in Medjugorje.

Our Lady asks us to pray 3 hours each day, and to pray with the heart. To pray with the heart is to pray with love, trust, abandonment, and concentration. She asks us to say the Rosary.

In Medjugorje Our Lady asks us to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays from midnight to midnight on bread and water. Our Lady tells us that this is the "best" fast. The amount of bread and water you consume or the frequency at which you consume it does not matter. What matters is we make this sacrifice and offer it to God.

Our Lady said: "You have forgotten the Bible." She asks us to read our bible everyday and to let it be in a visible place in our homes.

Our Lady asks us to go to monthly confession.

Our Lady asks us to attend Sunday Mass, and when possible, daily Mass. Our Lady wants us to see the Holy Mass as "the highest form of prayer" and "the center of our lives".

Today I was reading a blog post from "Road Beyond 50", titled, A plea. He quoted Isaiah 55:6

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call Him while he is near.

This scripture passage reminds me so much of Our Lady's desire to lead us all to her Son.

Embrace Me

As if shaken from my sleep

I woke with a start.

The darkness around me was all I could see.

The deafening silence called out my name,
As if it was playing with me.

My heart started pounding slowly at first,
Then faster and faster it ran.

Instinctively I felt all around me
Until the beads found their way to my hand.

Tightly I clutched on to them at first,
Like a child clings hold of her mother.


Then the comforting presence embraced me
Leaving no room for the fear of another.

Blessed Alan de la Roche, who restored the devotion of the Rosary, use to be horribly persecuted by devils and sometimes deep sadness and despair would fall upon him. But our Lady always comforted him by her presence, which banished the clouds of darkness from his soul. 1

1 St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion Consecration to Mary, by Fr. Helmuts Libietis


Oh Holy Mother, comfort us by your presence as we meditate on the mysteries of the most Holy Rosary, the life, death and resurrection of your son, Jesus.

Simple Stones

The Philistine army had gathered for war against Israel. For forty days they taunted King Saul and his army. They were all terrified. But the faith and courage of one young boy changed what could have been a dreadful outcome.

David, son of Jesse, you slew Goliath with nothing but a sling shot and a bag of stones. As the 9 foot Philistine approached you, jeering at you and ridiculing you with his enormous size and mighty strength, you feared not! You, a simple shepherd boy, filled with trust and faithfulness to the God of Israel, took a stone from your side pouch, loaded your sling shot, aimed and launched the stone that ended his life and destroyed your enemy.

Our Lady has given us weapon to use against the attacks of the wicked enemy, Satan. These weapons are like the stones used by David to slay Goliath. They are prayer (daily Rosary), fasting, the Bible, monthly confession, and Holy Communion.

Since 1214, when the Church first received the Rosary from St. Dominic, given to him by Our Blessed Mother, the Rosary has been a powerful weapon for the conversion of sinners and a form of protection against the enemy.

To recite the Rosary is to be with Jesus and Mary, meditating on the mysteries of their lives. When we are daily linked with them by such meetings, then the joy of victory over death and sin is guaranteed to us with them. The gifts of the Spirit and the final triumph in heaven are assured us. 1

Sometimes, it is easy to say the Rosary in a hasty manner, rushing to finish it and off to start something else. But, we should try to say the Rosary like we were talking to a friend, enjoying the time we spend together, nurturing the moment and the relationship.

“Dear children! Today I invite you in a particular way to enter the battle against Satan by means of prayer. Satan wants to battle more, now that you are aware of his activity. Dear children, put on therefore, your armor against Satan, and with the Rosary in your hands, you will defeat him. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (August 8, 1985)

1  Pray with the Heart! Medjugorje Manual of Prayer, F. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M.