Hey everybody! It's another Monday, and so it's time for another update.
Today's post, I thought, should take into account some spiritual thoughts, especially since Pope Benedict XVI leaves tomorrow morning for his historic trip to the United States.
Before Easter, I went to confession. It is a requirement of the Church that Catholics go to confession once a year during Lent. I was fortunate to go to a confessor who exuded that sense of holiness you long for when you go to confession--a man passionate about souls, someone who seriously takes into account your journey and others,' the quest to get to Heaven.
It is honestly a huge boon to go to a confessor who you know cares about you and understands, if only intuitively, your troubles and the burdens of both daily and spiritual life. At just the right moment, a holy confessor can turn the tables for you with the right words and directives. Your soul has to be willing, of course, too, to do what it must, which can be painful if you are trying to grasp and hold onto undue pride.
Anyway, I hit a turning point for myself when, on following my confessor's urging, I right then and there decided to really make every effort to say a daily rosary again in earnest. That is to say, a daily rosary approached with the mindset that I am actually going to pray because I need to to be holy, not because it's a routine I do.
Since then, I have noticed a major difference in myself and the world. Just by being really sincere in saying the rosary every day, my family and I have benefitted tremendously. For example, I am less of a jerk and way more happy. Moreover, I have been brought back to the truth that we really do come to Jesus through Mary. This isn't just a Catholic saying, but a physical and spiritual reality. In fact, my whole conversion began through the Discalced Carmelites, an austere order devoted to the due honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Anyway, I just wanted to sound off about that. Do not under estimate the power of the rosary. And do not under estimate your need to say it. St. Padre Pio, a holy and stigmatic priest, called it 'the weapon.' You can read more about the benefits of the rosary here.
I used to have a bumper sticker that said "A rosary a day keeps the devil away." If you pray it faithfully, it will. Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!
Over and Out,
--Nick-Dog
Today's post, I thought, should take into account some spiritual thoughts, especially since Pope Benedict XVI leaves tomorrow morning for his historic trip to the United States.
Before Easter, I went to confession. It is a requirement of the Church that Catholics go to confession once a year during Lent. I was fortunate to go to a confessor who exuded that sense of holiness you long for when you go to confession--a man passionate about souls, someone who seriously takes into account your journey and others,' the quest to get to Heaven.
It is honestly a huge boon to go to a confessor who you know cares about you and understands, if only intuitively, your troubles and the burdens of both daily and spiritual life. At just the right moment, a holy confessor can turn the tables for you with the right words and directives. Your soul has to be willing, of course, too, to do what it must, which can be painful if you are trying to grasp and hold onto undue pride.
Anyway, I hit a turning point for myself when, on following my confessor's urging, I right then and there decided to really make every effort to say a daily rosary again in earnest. That is to say, a daily rosary approached with the mindset that I am actually going to pray because I need to to be holy, not because it's a routine I do.
Since then, I have noticed a major difference in myself and the world. Just by being really sincere in saying the rosary every day, my family and I have benefitted tremendously. For example, I am less of a jerk and way more happy. Moreover, I have been brought back to the truth that we really do come to Jesus through Mary. This isn't just a Catholic saying, but a physical and spiritual reality. In fact, my whole conversion began through the Discalced Carmelites, an austere order devoted to the due honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Anyway, I just wanted to sound off about that. Do not under estimate the power of the rosary. And do not under estimate your need to say it. St. Padre Pio, a holy and stigmatic priest, called it 'the weapon.' You can read more about the benefits of the rosary here.
I used to have a bumper sticker that said "A rosary a day keeps the devil away." If you pray it faithfully, it will. Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!
Over and Out,
--Nick-Dog
4 comments:
Well, I am glad someone's commenting, even if it is grogal.
Pray your rosary, grogal!
--Nick-Dog
First of all, grogal sounds like an orc name.
Secondly, I've also very recently made a resolution to pray the rosary regularly again. Things have been rough lately: crabby 3 year old, sick 1 year old, sleeping no more than an hour or two at a time--and the hubby is working two jobs to make ends meet. I've been overwhelmed and angry--and taking it out on everyone around me. The last two nights I've said the rosary (well, started to--couldn't actually stay awake past the first decade) and I've had so much more peace and patience! Of course, saying the rosary would be good even if it didn't have that effect on me. But I think spiritual health is like bodily health--if you exercise and eat right, you feel better. Well, I must get back to exercising and properly feeding my soul.
Thanks anon for dropping by!
My confessor also said, that even when we fail, to take encouragement from the fact that God takes tremendous joy at the sincere efforts we make to draw nearer to Him.
That gave me great consolation. It is actually kind of a relief to hear that God is so very appreciative of our every efforts to achieve holiness and has such great compassion and sympathy for our fragile human nature.
I will pray for you and your efforts to pray the rosary.
Dominus tecum!
--Nick-Dog
Dang, Grogal, you're tops.
I went to confession just recently at a Cappucin monastery in Pontremoli and I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes you just gotta ring the bell.
I went into the church with the girl who had given me a ride down and she rang the bell to call one of the monks down for confession. But nobody came. I was timid and said maybe we'd better go. But this girl, Sara, kept ringing the bell. Enough that I got embarrassed and told her that she probably was making them angry and we should just go while we still could.
Then she kept ringing it and finally this tough old monk came down. And I was thinking, oh boy we're in for it now... But the monk was just so cool. 100% franciscan. It ended up being one of my best experiences.
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