Virgo Potens

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 24th 24th DAY 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)

1 of 2 24th DAY And returning they prepared spices and ointments; and on the Sabbath day they rested, according to the commandment. Luke 23:56

HYMN What a sea of tears and sorrows Did the soul of Mary toss To and fro upon the billows While she wept her bitter loss; In her arms her Jesus holding, Torn so newly from the cross. O that mournful Virgin Mother! See her tears, how fast they flow Down upon His mangled body, Wounded side, and thorny brow! While His hands and feet she kisses— Picture of immortal woe. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 23rd 23rd DAY 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)

1 of 2 23rd DAY 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

HYMN Stabat Mater dolorosa, Juxta crucem lacrymosa, Dum pendebat Filius. Cujus animam gementem, Constristatem et dolentem, Pertransivit gladius. O quam tristis et afflicta, Fuit ilia benedicta Mater Unigeniti. [AT the Cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last : Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, All His bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword had pass’d. Oh, how sad and sore distress’d Was that Mother highly blest Of the sole-begotten One !] ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 22nd 22nd DAY 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)

1 of 2 22nd DAY 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

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 21st 21st DAY And bearing His own cross, He went forth to that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew Golgotha. John 19:17 THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS To compel one condemned to death to bear the instrument of his execution upon his own shoulders was a most cruel and unusual punishment. And yet such was the fiendish hatred of the enemies of Christ that this irregular method of punishment was inflicted upon Him. Let us try to bring before our mind's eye the picture of Christ struggling under the weight of the cross, as he totters, stumbles, falls in the road, along that first and real “way of the cross.” How the dull thud of the dragging beam beats upon and bruises the ears of Mary as she hears and sees that progress! How she longs to be allowed to lend her strength to aid Him! But no! Hers is the duty to witness, to sympathize, to pray and to endure; to be the “Mother most Sorrowful.” ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 21st DAY And bearing His own cross, He went forth to that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew Golgotha. John 19:17

HYMN Behold how Jews and soldiers weave For Christ a thorny crow’n, And bending on one knee in jest, Before His face bow down! My Jesus, for each piercing thorn, For every jest and smart, We still will make fresh acts of love To soothe Thy Sacred Heart. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 20th 20th DAY And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand, and bowing the knee before Him, they mocked Him saying: Hail, King of the Jews. Matt. 27:29 THE CROWNING WITH THORNS What a picture this scene related by St. Matthew places before us as we recite this third decade of the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary! He Who is really our King, is thrust upon a jagged pedestal, crowned with a wreath of thorns, furnished with a reed as a sceptre, and subjected to the scorn and mockery and ribaldry of a group of soldiers who were crude and rough and pitiless! Keeping that picture before our minds, let us reflect for a moment on the sorrow and affliction that settled upon the heart of Mary as she realized the tortures to which her Divine Son was being abased! With a supreme act of self-surrender to the holy will of God she steels herself to acquiescence with the sublime submission of Her Divine Son in His obedience to the will of His heavenly Father. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 20th DAY And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand, and bowing the knee before Him, they mocked Him saying: Hail, King of the Jews. Matt. 27:29

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HYMN Now watch with tearful eyes the stripes, The cruel blows which fall On Jesus, as He stands fast bound In Pilate's judgment hall. Those stripes that shame my sins deserve, Why fall they, Lord, on Thee? Thy love, my God, thy too great love Would bear them all for me. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

HYMN O come unto the Olive Grove And see where Jesus kneels: The anguish of His Sacred Heart, A sweat of blood reveals. To comfort Christ an angel came, And brought his God relief; We, too, by love and pray'r may try To soothe His bitter grief. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

HYMN Now watch with tearful eyes the stripes, The cruel blows which fall On Jesus, as He stands fast bound In Pilate's judgment hall. Those stripes that shame my sins deserve, Why fall they, Lord, on Thee? Thy love, my God, thy too great love Would bear them all for me. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 19th 19th DAY I find no cause of death in Him; I will chastise Him, therefore, and let Him go. Luke 23:22 THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR In this second of the sorrowful mysteries we see our Blessed Lord fettered to the pillar, His sacred body stripped of its clothing, and the rude soldiers with cruel thongs, lashing His tender flesh and bruising it until the blood flows. The raucous ribaldry of the reckless and unfeeling soldiers falls upon the sacred ears of Christ as a hideous accompaniment to the stinging blows that fall upon His gentle body. With our attention riveted upon this scene, and with the knowledge that our Blessed Lady was keenly aware of all that was transpiring let us recite this decade in unison with her, striving as best we may to alleviate her pain, and solace her affliction, so far as in our power lies. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 19th DAY I find no cause of death in Him; I will chastise Him, therefore, and let Him go. Luke 23:22

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 18th 18th DAY And kneeling down He prayed.—And being in an agony, He prayed the longer. Luke 22:41,43 THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN As we devoutly recite the first decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary, let us strive to conjure up in our minds the picture of Jesus praying! Try to see Him kneeling on the cold ground, His elbows resting on the hard dew-damped rock, His sacred hands folded in supplication, His upturned eyes gazing piteously towards heaven, His fevered lips moving in fervent prayer. It is night. He is praying alone. The pale beams of the moon pierce the foliage and fall upon His wan face, and disclose to us the agony He is enduring. His disciples are asleep; His friends have deserted Him; one, and only one true and loyal heart is beating in love and sympathy and suffering with His—the heart of His blessed Mother! Will not that picture aid us in our effort to recite with more than ordinary devotion this first decade of the sorrowful mysteries? ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)