Virgo Potens

Mary was assumed into heaven; the Angels rejoiced, and praising Him, they blessed God. Antiphon, Roman Breviary, Feast of the Assumption THE ASSUMPTION For the first time among the fifteen mysteries, we find one devoted exclusively to Mary! It is Mary, Mother of God, who is carried up by the Angels, and placed upon her heavenly throne, whence from henceforth throughout eternity she is to reign as "Queen of Angels," Queen of heaven and earth. Our Holy Mother the Church sets apart the 15th of August as a special holyday, and guarantees its observance with the same sanction that she imposes on the observance of Sunday thereby setting her seal of approval on this most Catholic belief, that Mary was taken bodily up into heaven! As we devoutly recite this decade let us keep the picture of Mary's triumphal entrance into heaven before our minds. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Rosary October 28th

The Month of the Holy Angels October 27th Are the Angels More Numerous than Men? The number of the Angels exceeds all our power of calculation or conception. If we think of the number of the stars in the heavens, of the number of leaves on the trees, of all the forests in the world, of the innumerable grains of sand on all the seashores, of the drops of water in the ocean, of all the men who ever lived, all material things put together would not give us the smallest idea of the number of the Angels. There are three great hierarchies of Angels and in each hierarchy there are three choirs, that is, nine choirs all. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

And there appeared to them cloven tongues as it were of fire; and it sat upon each of them. Acts 2:3 THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST Before the day of His ascension Our Blessed Lord had promised that He would ask the Father that “He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever." That Paraclete is a Comforter, an Advocate, because by inspiring prayer, He prays, as it were, in us, and pleads for us. That Paraclete is the Holy Ghost, and in this third decade of the Glorious Mysteries we are asked to picture to ourselves the fulfilment of Christ's promise as portrayed for us in the Acts of the Apostles. The Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in the form of fiery tongues; the flames representing ardor and power; and the tongues implying persuasion and wisdom. Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, is the "Seat of Wisdom." In this decade let us beg her to grant us the intelligence needed in our daily life, and the courage to use it always. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Rosary October 27th

The Month of the Holy Angels October 26th Another notable fact about these glorious spirits is that they can be in two or more places at the same time, even though these places be thousands of miles distant. They are in no way subject to the laws of space. Though ever with us and devoting all their care and attention to our welfare, they never lose sight of the presence of God. They are always gazing on His infinite beauty, basking in the sunshine of His Presence. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

And it came to pass whilst He blessed them, that He departed from them and was carried up into heaven. Luke 24:51 THE ASCENSION As we recite this second decade of the Glorious Mysteries let us strive to picture that scene on the hill of Bethania. Jesus instructs and commissions His Apostles and disciples to go into the whole world as witnesses of His words and works; and He promises them that He will be with them through all time even to the consummation of the world. He who by His passion and death redeemed the world and by His resurrection proved Himself to be God, now blesses His faithful followers, and while blessing them—ascends, before their very eyes,—to heaven. And is Mary to accompany Him? No! A new sacrifice is asked of her, the sacrifice of fifteen years of separation from Her Divine Son; that she may remain to guide and direct by her example and prayer the Infant Church. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Rosary October 26th

The Month of the Holy Angels October 25th How Do the Angels Move? The movement of the Angels is marvelous. In a single instant, an Angel comes from Heaven to Earth, or goes from one end of the universe to the other without passing through the intermediate space. To understand this angelic movement, we have only to compare it with our thought. In a moment our thought passes from Heaven to Earth, from England to China, from end to end of the Earth. Angels are, if we might say so, loving thought, and they move even as our thought. Light travels at the speed of 225,000 miles a second. Light comes from the sun to our Earth at the same rate and takes 8 minutes and 15 seconds to arrive, but the movement of the Angels is unspeakably more rapid—they come in one instant. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

And behold there was a great earthquake. For an Angel of the Lord descended from heaven; and coming rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.—And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men. Matt. 28:2, 4. THE RESURRECTION The ''sword of grief" has been plucked out; the balm of unutterable consolation has been poured in; the wound of Mary's heart is healed, and no scar or spot remains! Jesus her Son is risen and before the Angel has completed the rolling back of the stone, Jesus is with Mary consoling her as only such a Son can comfort such a mother! Truly "The Lord is with thee," Mary,—not now in the concealment of the Angel's message, but in the might and triumph of His glorious resurrection. The atonement is accomplished: and the Sacred Redeemer meets, embraces and glorifies the Co-Redemptrix of our fallen race. What raptures of love pass between them it is not given us to witness. Even the Holy Scriptures are silent on this! Let us cease striving to penetrate that sacred scene, and bow our heads in humblest prayer of gratitude and faith. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Rosary October 25th

The Month of the Holy Angels October 24th “Whenever we look abroad, we are reminded of those most gracious and holy Beings, the servants of the Holiest, who deign to minister to the heirs of salvation. Every breath of air, and ray of light and heat, every beautiful prospect, are, as it were, the skirts of their garments, the waving of the robes of those whose faces see God in Heaven.” (Cardinal Newman) It is indeed sad that so many people ignore these glorious Angels. Let us, Dear Readers, for the future recognize these gracious spirits, our elder brothers, our dearest friends. Let us speak to them, enjoy their company, ask them lovingly for all we need. No mother Earth gives as readily to her children what the Angels are eager to give to us. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

And returning they prepared spices and ointments; and on the Sabbath day they rested, according to the commandment. Luke 23/56 THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES In all the fifteen mysteries of the Holy Rosary, there are only two, and they the last two, that belong wholly to Mary alone. All the others centre around Jesus, her Divine Son, telling of His coming into the world, His sufferings while here, His glorious return and triumphant departure. What a lesson of unselfishness this teaches us! Here is a method of prayer specifically designed to honor Mary, and she in her humility turns the gaze of her faithful clients from herself to the One whom she loves most, intentionally diverting our attention from herself to Jesus! "He that is Mighty hath done great things to me''—what greater return could Mary make than that which she has made? Transferring even her own Holy Rosary to His glory! ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Rosary October 24th

The Month of the Holy Angels October 23rd “Thus, as far as the Scripture communications go, we learn that the course of Nature, which is so wonderful, so beautiful, and at times, so fearful, is effected by the ministry of these unseen beings. Nature is not inanimate, its daily toil is intelligent; its works are duties. As our souls move our bodies, be our bodies what they may, so there are Spiritual intelligences which move those wonderful and vast portions of the natural world which seem to be inanimate; and as the gestures, speech, and expressive countenances of our friends around help us to hold intercourse with them, so in the motions of universal Nature, in the interchange of day and night, Summer and Winter, wind and storm, fulfilling His word, we are reminded of the blessed and dutiful Angels.” (Cardinal Newman) ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

And Joseph taking the body wrapped it up in a clean linen cloth; and laid it in his own new monument which he had hewed out of a rock. Matt. 27:59-60 A REVIEW From the death of St. Joseph until the death of Her Divine Son, the sorrows of Mary accumulated and intensified until beneath—not the shadow—but beneath the cross itself the climax of human endurance in suffering was experienced by Mary. ''The sword of grief" had pierced her soul: and only the gentle but all-powerful hand of her Divine Son possessed the strength to dislodge it! He and He alone could withdraw that jagged blade from her transfixed heart. But if Mary's sorrows were unfathomable, the glories that awaited her were likewise beyond compute. And it is to the mysteries of these glories that we now progress in our study of the Holy Rosary. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Rosary October 23rd

“Those events which we ascribe to chance, as the weather, or to nature, as the seasons, are duties done to the God who maketh His Angels to be winds, and His Ministers a flame of fire. For example, it was an Angel which gave to the pool at Bathsaida its medicinal quality, and there is no reason why we should doubt that other health-springs in this and other countries are made such by a like, though unseen ministry. The fires on Mount Sinai, the thunders and lightenings, were the work of Angels; and in the Apocalypse we read of the Angels restraining the winds. Works of vengeance are likewise attributed to them. The fiery law of the volcanoes which (as it appears) was the cause of Sodom and Gomorrah’s ruin, was brought about by the two Angels who rescued Lot. The pestilence in Israel, when David numbered the people, was the work of an Angel. The earthquake at the Resurrection was the work of an Angel.” “And in other parts of the Apocalypse we read how the earth was smitten in various ways by Angels of vengeance. (Cardinal Newman) ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha, and the whole land of that country: and he saw the ashes rise up from the earth as the smoke of a furnace. Genesis 19:28 The Month of the Holy Angels October 22nd

And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, they crucified Him there; and the robbers, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Luke 23:33 THE CRUCIFIXION During this decade let us picture to our minds Christ, dead upon the cross! As if the indignities and brutalities to which He had been subjected were not enough to satisfy the brutish instincts of His savage foes the added obloquy of execution between two public malefactors was accorded Him! "The sword of grief" has at last been driven in, up to the very hilt, in Mary's soul. Has its penetration opened the way to resentment? No, but to gratitude, because finally the mercy of death has been accorded! His sufferings have ended—and from Mary's lips there comes only petitions pleading for pardon for His executioners! Let us gaze earnestly and long at that picture of Mary at the foot of the cross, and learn to ''forgive those who trespass against us." ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)