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Everyday Rosary Newsletter -- Ready for Advent? November 01, 2009 |
Everyday Rosary Newsletter Vol.1, Issue #01 -- Ready For Advent?How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com website. In each issue you will find Rosary inspirations, new meditations, feature articles and ideas that support your prayer life, a calendar of upcoming Rosary Feast Days, and how to incorporate your faith in other holidays. Plus stories on how the Rosary has affected the lives of others and what people are doing to promote the Rosary. It will also keep you up-to-date on information added to the site. It is your monthly dose of Rosary inspiration! Table of Contents
Honoring Mary As Queen Of All Saints, Plus Great Advent ResourcesA Note From The Editor:As we rush into the hustle and bustle of the holidays, a sometimes dreaded feeling of "Here we go again" is an unwanted companion. You may feel this way because your closeness with God and therefore your inner peace is put on hold as you try to keep up with all the secular demands of Thanksgiving and preparing for Christmas. Don't let your holiday experience overwhelm and discourage you again. This year, balance the secular demands with your spiritual well being. Put God first. But how do you do this exactly when you have turkeys to baste, pies to make, Christmas cards to send, presents to buy, homes to decorate... Whew! I am getting overwhelmed just thinking of it all. But I have your answer. Pray the Rosary everyday! Making time to pray the Rosary everyday will give you much needed peace and tranquility. It will also remind you of the reason you are doing all these things, the turkey and the cards and the presents, in the first place. The daily Rosary will inspire you to incorporate the true meaning of these holidays and observances and keep the secular distractions to a minimum. Read on for some helpful tips and ideas on how to accomplish this goal of finding peace during "the hap-happiest season of all." ArticlesThe Benefits Of Incorporating The Rosary Into Your All Saints And All Souls Day ObservancesOn All Saints' Day the Church honors all the saints whom are both known and un-known. The reason for this great Feast Day is to make sure that no saint is overlooked and that all receive their due honor. Otherwise some would be missed during the Liturgical Year. This celebration can be taken one step further by taking the opportunity to honor Mary, the Queen of All Saints in a special way. Be sure to pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary as part of your festivities on All Saints' Day. Maybe you can pray them before or after Mass. That way you will be praying in front of Jesus present in the tabernacle. New Meditation on the Fifth Glorious Mystery: The Coronation Another way to celebrate All Saints' Day is to read up on saints who promoted the Rosary. Start with one of these:
All Souls Day- All Souls' Day is another appropriate feast day when you can make use of the Rosary as a central part of your observance. All Souls' Day is the commemoration of all those in the Faith of Jesus who have died. Usually when a person dies, his soul has not been perfectly purified from the effects of sin and he is not ready to enter Heaven. Your job and mine is to pray for these souls so that they will soon be purified, leave purgatory and enter Heaven. Besides attending Mass on this day, you should pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary paying special attention to the Second Glorious Mystery- The Ascension. The fruit of this mystery is hope for Heaven. Offer your Rosary for all the dead that they soon may enter Heaven. "It is...a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." -2 Machabees 12:46.
Get Advent Off To A Good Start This Year With The Help Of The Rosary
But it barely scratches the surface of the true meaning of the Advent season. If you spend your Advent immersing yourself only in these superficial observances, you have missed an enormous opportunity to grow spiritually and attain greater inner peace that will last long after the glitter and Santas have been packed away and placed back in storage. You are better off spending your Advent doing the things Holy Mother Church prescribes. Advent is a time of preparing for the coming of Jesus. This is a three-fold preparation. You prepare for...
In order to really grasp these three monumental events, you must meditate on the mysteries in Jesus' life. To appreciate these mysteries, you must understand them. To understand them better, pray the Rosary. The main features you should be focusing on during Advent are a love for Jesus, prayer, personal holiness, and penance. The daily Rosary is the best way to reach these goals. The Rosary will increase your love for Jesus. Next to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Rosary is the most beneficial form of prayer. As you develop a devotion to the Rosary you will grow in personal holiness. The Rosary can even aid in the penances you perform. You can decide to pray the Rosary rather than watch a Christmas TV special. Or maybe pray the Rosary rather than have that second cup of eggnog. You get the idea. Top TenTop Ten Ways To Have A Peaceful And Serene Advent Season
Top How To GuideHow To Get In The Daily Rosary Habit (Or Stay In The Habit) Despite Your Busy And Hectic Holiday SchedulesTake a look at your daily routine. Find where you have free time and make that your Rosary time. Write it down and stick to it. Praying the daily Rosary is a lot like exercising, you can talk about getting started all you want but to really get going you must make a plan and stick to it. Soon you will be looking forward to your daily Rosary and will feel like your day is incomplete if you miss it. Sometimes even when you are in the habit of praying a daily Rosary, you can get busy and miss your Rosary time. Don't let this happen. If you notice you are missing your Rosary, take another look at your daily schedule and discern why you are missing it and consider moving it to a better time. Your schedule changes and you need to adjust your designated prayer time accordingly. You are never too busy to pray. Never believe you are. If you are thinking these types of thoughts there is a spiritual battle going on and you need to be proactive to overcome it. Make time for the Rosary everyday. If this sounds a little rigid to you, you don't have to say at "6:00pm - Daily Rosary". Just say something like "Daily Rosary after dinner". But if you do like a more structured schedule, by all means do what works best for you. How To Promote The Rosary During Advent Season Advent is a time of preparing. You have found the perfect tool to help you prepare your heart for Christmas-the Rosary. Why not share your discovery with your family and friend. Promote the Rosary. With all the parties, gift giving and Christmas cards, this is the perfect time of year to do so. Are you planning holiday dinner party? Invite your guests to pray the Rosary before dessert is served. Just announce that you are going to pray the Rosary in the other room and invite your guests to join you. That's it. You have promoted the Rosary. You didn't have to explain anything just invite them to pray. No preaching and no twisting of arms. They do have to wait for dessert to be served though. Another clever and dare I say lucrative way to promote the Rosary during this time of year is to make and sell your own rosary beads and rosary jewelry. Yes, this is for those of you who are crafty and have a little extra time on your hands. You will be earning extra cash and promoting the Rosary at the same time. Talk about a win, win situation. Or you could give these handiworks as Christmas gifts. Which is also a great way to promote the Rosary. Another way to promote devotion to the Rosary this Advent Season is by giving Christmas goodies baskets to your neighbors and friends. This year include a rosary and a "How to pray the Rosary Pamphlet" on top of the fudge and thumbprint cookies with a layer of plastic wrap between the two of course; see resources. Here's an idea. Wear rosary jewelry. Advent is the perfect season to dress up and wear nice clothing. Compliment your "Christmassy" wardrobe with rosary jewelry. A sparkling rosary bracelet will go well with your poinsettia sweater and it is sure to be noticed. When it is, you have the perfect opening to tell the admirer about the many benefits of praying the Rosary and the peace it has brought to your life by bringing you closer to Jesus and His mother Mary. If you don't own any rosary jewelry, check out the resource section of this newsletter. The final and easiest way to promote the Rosary during Advent is to tell your family and friends about How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and by all means forward them this newsletter. Top
Calendar Of Upcoming Feast DaysThe Month Of The Poor Souls In PurgatoryThe Rosary is very important during the month of November-The Month of the Poor Souls in Purgatory. This whole month is dedicated to praying for the souls suffering in Purgatory. It is the duty of every Catholic to pray for these Poor Souls. Fulfill this duty by offering your Rosaries for them during November. Remember, these souls are certain of entering Heaven, but first they must be purified in Purgatory. They cannot do anything for themselves, but you can do something for them. Their time there is shortened by your prayers and good works, and by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Below is the 129th Psalm. It is known as the psalm of the holy souls in purgatory. The words are applied to the longing and sighing of the soul awaiting entry into Heaven. De Profundis-Psalm 129 (130) Indulgences for the Poor Souls - On All Souls' Day you can gain a plenary indulgence to be applied only to the Poor Souls in purgatory by visiting any parish church or public oratory and reciting either an Our Father and an Apostles Creed. A plenary indulgence to be applied only to the Poor Souls can also be gained on all the days from November 1 through November 8 by visiting a cemetery and praying for the souls laid to rest there. To gain these indulgences for the Poor Souls, all the usual conditions must be met. To learn more about indulgences and what the "usual conditions" are, please see the resource section in this newsletter. The feast of All Saints and All Souls is discussed in detail in the above article:The Benefits Of Incorporating The Rosary Into Your All Saints And All Souls Day Observance. ThanksgivingMany families have the custom of saying what they are thankful for at their Thanksgiving's Day dinner. It is a wonderful tradition indeed to be mindful of all the blessing God has bestowed on you during the past year. And what better day to be thankful than on Thanksgiving. As a Catholic, why not take that one step further and after dinner, if you're not to sleepy from all that turkey, offer your family Rosary in thanksgiving. Every member of the family can mention the things they are thankful for when you normally list your intentions. This is the perfect ending to a Thanksgiving Day celebration. First Sunday Of Advent - November 29th Are you ready for Advent? Look over this check list. If you are needing something, you will find it in the resource section of this newsletter.
St. Nicholas Feast Day - December 6th Take the opportunity this year of promoting the Rosary on St. Nicholas' Feast Day. St. Nicholas is the Patron Saint of small children. If your family already has traditions for that day, wonderful. If not, here are some ideas... Have a family member dress up as St. Nicholas wearing a white beard and the vestments of a bishop. He can play St. Nicholas who has come down from Heaven to bring gifts. Make sure he tells the children to get their hearts ready for a holy Christmas. Have him give fruit and candy AND ROSARIES. Then reminding them to be little Marys and Marios, he departs. Don't allow this to replace the modern day "Santa". It is best that the two remain separate. Instead let the kids know this is a play and that St. Nicholas is their special saint up in Heaven who is praying for them. Have them pray for his help in learning to be good and obedient children. A good idea is to have the older children take turns each year dressing up like St. Nicholas. Another way of observing St. Nicholas' Day is to have the children leave out their shoes on December 5th to have them filled by "St. Nicholas". When they wake up on St. Nicholas' feast day they will see that he has left them presents. Include rosaries and maybe rosary jewelry along with the candy and fruit. This way the children will know that St. Nicholas wants them to be good and pray their Rosary. However you choose to celebrate St. Nicholas' feast day, be sure to incorporate the importance of the family Rosary in preparing your hearts for a holy Christmas. Some great Rosary gifts that children will love are listed below in the resources. ResourcesRosary Gift Resources
Spiritual ReadingImitation of Mary, Thomas A' Kempis
Miscellaneous
Important Links
TestimonialsWe love to hear from our visitors. Here is what a recent visitor had to say about How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com"I found your site very helpful and will continue to use it in the future." Meet This Month's Rosary Promoter Coming Soon!Be the first Rosary Promoter to be highlighted, use the "Contact Us" page on How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and write us asking for a Rosary Promoter application.Q&AShould rosary jewelry be worn, or is it sacrilegious?Rosary jewelry including rosary bracelets, necklaces and rings are sacramentals. Through sacramentals you will receive grace, your venial sins will be forgiven, and punishment owed for sin will be remitted. Through the use of rosary jewelry as a sacramental, God will bless you in both the spiritual and physical realm. These blessings are obtained through the devotion sacramentals inspire, in this case devotion to the Rosary, and through the prayers and blessings attached to the item and the prayers offered for you the wearer. You must have your rosary blessed by a priest after you have purchased it for it to function as a sacramental. So if it isn't blessed take it to Mass and ask the priest to bless it afterwards. Always remember to use sacramentals with great faith and devotion. Never make them objects of superstition. Another benefit of rosary jewelry is that you pray using it anytime and when you wear rosary jewelry, you spread devotion to the Rosary. There is absolutely nothing sacrilegious about that! Wear rosary jewelry proudly and with great devotion and keep praying it everyday! Does the Rosary really bring peace? The Rosary does bring peace. It is a wonderful prayer and it has many great effects on those who are devoted to it. How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com is focused on that very premise. I can be completely stressed or agitated and when I sit still and spend 15 or 20 minutes meditating on the life of Jesus by means of the Rosary, by the time I am done, I feel completely refreshed and ready to handle whatever God wills. The 15 Rosary Promises were revealed by Mary to Blessed Alan and St. Dominic. When reading through the promises you will see how this peace is gained through the graces Mary sends through her Son Jesus. The promises are:
Are the Rosary mysteries important? Can I pray the Rosary without meditating on them? Yes, the Rosary mysteries are very important. They are an intricate part of the Rosary. Rosary mysteries are events in Jesus' life and are the reason the Rosary is referred to as the prayer of the Gospel. The Rosary isn't simply reciting prayers from memory. No, it is much more than that and is one of the most beneficial ways of praying because it unites both vocal and mental prayer. The Rosary has a body and a soul. The body is the matter and the soul is the form. The matter or body of the rosary are the prayers, the Hail Mary, Our Father, etc. The soul or form of the Rosary are the mysteries- the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous. The mysteries cannot be separated from the prayers without affecting the spiritual benefits of the Rosary. Mary herself revealed this to Blessed Alan when she said, "These salutations while meditating on the life, death, and passion of Jesus Christ - for this meditation is the soul of this prayer." You are not saying the Rosary properly and are missing many of it's benefits if you are not saying the mysteries. What's NewA Glimpse Into December's Newsletter
Thank You!Thank you for reading! Keep visiting www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and remember we love hearing from you. Please use the "contact us" page to leave any and all suggestions or comments. I hope your Advent gets off to a peaceful and serene start.Queen of All Saints. Pray for us! To Jesus through Mary, Kathleen Bowen and The Rosary Team P.S. If you like this newsletter and are looking for an easy way to promote the Rosary, please "email it forward" to someone you know who might appreciate it. If a friend did forward this to you and you like what you read, please subscribe now! As our site and community grows, I hope that you drop me a line and tell me how the Rosary is working in your life! Did a personal transformation take place in your life that was inspired by something on our site? Share it with the rest of us! Often, having a support community really keeps you going. Feel free to send in tips or questions too! We love mail! |
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