Friends of the Rosary, Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” (LK 13:18-21) Out of littleness, the greatness of God, and our cooperation, an extended kingdom is built. The Christendom —and our own faith— is built upon what is small and insignificant initially. As members of the universal...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 28, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Apostles Saints Jude Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot. The two disciples of Christ have shared this feast since ancient times. They both expired as martyrs. St. Jude is the author of a short Epistle, which forms part of the New Testament. He is the patron saint of desperate situations, forgotten causes, hospital workers, hospitals, impossible causes, lost causes, and the diocese of Saint Petersburg,...

Friends of the Rosary, In today Sunday's Gospel (Mk 10:46-52), we read the marvelous story of the blind man Bartimaeus. Like him, we all are blind, beggars, and in need of God's mercy, as we say in Mass: "Lord have mercy on us." This passage shows Jesus’ mercy toward Bartimaeus as a hallmark of his ministry. He is the embodiment of hope. Every word of this reading is worth deep reflection on: "As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man,...

Friends of the Rosary, Today’s Gospel reading (Luke 13: 1-9) tells the parable of the fig tree that bears no fruit. This tree represents a moral person who bears no spiritual fruit. Everyone has the mission of bringing divine grace into the world. We are meant to bring forth the fruits of love, peace, compassion, justice, and hope. Christ Jesus is the vine, and every one of us is a branch. However, due to the mystery of sin, we reject God and prefer to go our own way. Then, we get lost,...

Friends of the Rosary, The faithful are invited to read the signs of the times, be attentive, and detect what’s genuinely happening. We should see everything with the eyes of the faith. Once we know, we are meant to speak. This call is grounded in Jesus’ exhortation in the Gospel for today LK 12:54-59. Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the...

Friends of the Rosary, The light of Christ was rejected when He came the first time and is rejected today. Darkness tries to impose its lies. As a result of this confrontation, tensions emerge. As we read today (LK 12:49-53), at that time, Jesus said to his disciples: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!" "From now on, a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son...

Friends of the Rosary, Our sinful nature brings us to abandon the Lord Jesus. As we read today, the Son of God said (Luke 9:57-62). “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” We tend to say, “I will follow you wherever you go,” as our Spirit is willing. But our nature is weak, and we find reasons not to follow. Our nature was comprised of original sin, and since then, we have examined what we are leaving behind before committing to...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 22, is the feast day of Saint John Paul II (1920-2005), the charismatic and beloved Polish who was an extraordinary testimony of holiness. He contributed to the fall of communism in Europe, established World Youth Days and the World Meeting of Families, promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and instituted the Luminous Mysteries. Born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometers from Krakow, on May 18, 1920, Karol Józef Wojtyla became Pope in...

Friends of the Rosary, Deep faith makes us rich on Earth. Our trust in Christ Jesus allows us to store up treasures in Heaven. Be rich in what matters to God. The Lord tells us in today’s reading of the Gospel (LK 12:13-21). He said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” In the first reading, Paul says today to Ephesians (2:1-10): “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from...

Friends of the Rosary, The way to heavenly glory is the way of the cross, with Christ helping us to bear our daily trials and struggles. We must accept the mystery of suffering offered for our redemption. That’s Christ's teaching, as we learn today in the Gospel (Mark, 10:35-45). Weak and sin-inclined individuals inhabit our world. The Good Lord allows hardships to come our way so we can prepare for our future, real life. He wants us all in heaven, in communion with Him. For that, he has...

Friends of the Rosary, The Holy Spirit is our helper when dealing with persecution. Christ Jesus tells us today (Luke 12:8-12): “When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.” The enemies of the Universal Church are the world, the flesh, and the Evil One. Persecution will end when the Lord returns, at the end...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 18, is the Feast of St. Luke Evangelist. He is the author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, which record the life of the early Christian communities. His name means "bringer of light" (= Luke). He was a native of Antioch in Syria and a practicing physician when St. Paul converted him. He accompanied him on most of his missionary journeys. He was still with St. Paul in Rome when he was in prison awaiting death. He was one of the early...

Friends of the Rosary, The divine light and his faithful bearers expose the sin around us — and the unfaithful become aggressive. Because in the light of Christ Jesus, there is nowhere to hide. As Bishop Barron writes, explaining today’s main reading in the Gospel (Luke 11:47-54), “When the light of God’s forgiving love appears, the shadows of sin become all the deeper and more obvious.” Jesus, the Word and the icon of the Invisible God, of the Father, says: "I tell you, this generation...

Friends of the Rosary, Today is the Memorial Day of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690). Our Lord chose this French Visitation nun and mystic to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart. This privilege took place at a time when Protestantism and the heresy of Jansenism were trying to separate Catholics from their faith and their God. Margaret had always intensely loved the Blessed Sacrament and preferred silence. In one of her visions, she was instructed to spend an hour every Thursday...

Friends of the Rosary, Today is the Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582), Virgin and Doctor of the Church. Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515 and died in Alba, Spain, in 1582. Her holy body rests upon the high altar of this Carmelite church in Alba. At eighteen, she joined the Carmelite Order and chose Christ as her heavenly Spouse. She suffered physical pain and spiritual dryness for eighteen years. Under divine inspiration, with the help of St. John of the Cross and Pope...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, we celebrate Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus was not a saint, but he was motivated by ambition and the Catholic faith when he discovered America in 1492 after a trip sponsored by Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain. Not only did Isabella the Catholic always show herself the protector of Columbus, but she was also the protector of the American aborigines against the colonists’ and adventurers’ ill-use of them. A vast continent previously unknown to...

Friends of the Rosary, On October 13, 1917, Our Lady of the Rosary appeared in Fatima, Portugal, and performed the Miracle of the Sun, witnessed by over 70,000 people. Even the atheists of that time believed. The Blessed Mother asked the three visionary children to continue saying the Rosary daily. She also said: "People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord anymore, for He is already too much offended!" Sor Lucia, one of the three shepherds...

Friends of the Rosary, We honor today Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), a Catholic Italian teenager who passed away on October 12, 2006, in Assisi, at the age of 15, due to an untreatable leukemia. Pope Francis called him a model of holiness in a digital age. The Holy Father has approved this year's plans to canonize Carlo. Carlo Acutis was a gamer and computer programmer who loved soccer and the Eucharist. Carlo’s life teaches today's young people how to properly use and enjoy technology,...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 11, is the Memorial Day of St. John XXIII, pope, for five years until his earthly death in 1963. He was called “the good Pope” and was known for convening the Second Vatican Council. Sustained by a profound spirit of prayer, John XXIII was seen as a reflection of God's goodness. Today is also the day of the Divine Maternity of Mary, or the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast instituted by Pius XI in 1931. The faithful emphasize Mary’s...

Friends of the Rosary, Prayer is our strength. Our conversation and communion with God keep us alive. And we must ask persistently. Christ Jesus is encouraging us to pray, as we read today in a passage of the Gospel of Luke (Lk 11:5-13): "I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father  among you would hand...

Friends of the Rosary, Recently, we read in the Gospel of Mark (9:38-43, 45, 47-48) about our obligation not to cause scandal by one’s sinful deeds, which others may imitate. Scandal can be caused by action and word—that is, by teaching or propagating wrong doctrine or by giving sinful advice. An example today is in parents — whose duty is to bring up their children in the faith — when they fail to live truly Christian lives. They might be held accountable not only for their sins but for...

Friends of the Rosary, In our society, anxiety is dominant. The antidote is our holy religion. And the Rosary is the spiritual remedy for those suffering from anxiety. At that time, as we read today in the Gospel (LK 10:38-42), Jesus said to Martha, who, along with Mary and Lazarus, were beloved friends: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Human concerns are...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 7, is the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. The feast was instituted to honor Immaculate Mary for the Christian victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7, 1571. This victory, due to the recitation of the Rosary, saved Europe from being overrun by the forces of Islam. Pope St. Pius V and all Christians had prayed the Rosary for victory. He was a very holy Dominican who walked around Rome barefoot. He ate just to sustain himself and fasted...

Friends of the Rosary, God’s plan for marriage points to a lifelong unity of a man and a woman. Marriage is a mystery, sacrament, and vocation for mutual love and fulfillment of the husband and wife, the procreation of children, and their education. Jesus explained this way, as we read today in the Gospel (St. Mark, 10:2-16) ”From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 5, is the Memorial Day of the contemporary saint St. Faustina Kowalska, Virgin, the apostle of the Divine Mercy. Jesus appeared to Faustina as the King of Divine Mercy, choosing her to deliver the message of his merciful heart of love for all people, especially sinners. Our Lord asked her to have a picture painted of him as she saw him — clothed in white, with red and white rays of light streaming from his heart. The rays represent the blood and water...