Pope Benedict XVI: Rediscover the Rosary

UPDATE:   See also,

Will you give 1% of 1440 minutes each day to God?

If so, pray the daily Rosary. It only takes 15 minutes – 1% of 24 hours…

Willing? Then do read more over at Canterbury Tales.

Woolworths and Rosaries

I was at Woolies yesterday looking for a new pair of jean (the only pair I had was just too faded) and I saw what I thought to be rosaries! Woolworths selling sacramentals?! Not quite.

On closer inspection, they seemed to be nothing more than fashion accessories. They had plain crosses and the division of decades wasn’t right either.

Some of the crosses fell off and were lying around.

They must be selling I suppose. Commercialism.

Until someone complains about the crosses…

 

How to Pray the Rosary

Writes Joel over at Unsettled Christianity:

Figured that this could serve two purposes. First, for those who are mystified by it, you could see what is being said. Second, for those who need it, well, here is a quick cheat sheet, if you will. You can find it here where it is now in my media library for safe keeping, but thanks to New Advent for it.

Someone I know, a few months ago, began to pray the rosary. This man expressed that one time, during the praying for this rosary, something happened. It was as if the world stopped spinning, time slowed, and for a brief moment, he experienced clarity and a connection with something higher. It last but a moment or three, but it was enough to be noticed and retained by him. It was different than his former pentecostal experiences and radically so. Indeed, his expression was one of peace rather than one of excitableness.

 

Behold! The Lego Rosary

And don’t forget that Lego does Advent calenders in both Regular and Star Wars flavors, with a small self-contained thing for each day. (I have seen these Advent calendars sell out, so if you really want one don’t wait until December.)

Source

HT

 

Mugger Spared Jail after Clutching a Rosary

… and telling judge he had ‘found God.’ The Daily Mail reports:

A teenage mugger has been spared a possible seven-year-jail term after telling a crown court judge he found God in prison.

John Murray, 19, tried to mug two students of their mobile phones and wallets after a night drinking and taking drugs.

Coventry Crown Court heard Murray hit one of the students so hard in the face he was knocked off his feet.

Murray had downed two bottles of vodka and smoked £50 worth of cannabis before he and a group of friends ambushed the students outside Coventry University’s Student Union Bar.

Rhydian James, prosecuting, said: ‘The defendant told the first student to give him his phone.

‘The student put his phone in his pocket but the defendant became aggressive.

‘He asked again and that scared the student who walked away.

‘The defendant then approached the second student and said ‘give me your wallet and your mobile phone.’

‘He then clenched his right fist and punched the second student in the face.

‘He punched him so hard he was knocked off his feet.’

A PCSO witnessed the attack and radioed for back-up who rushed to the scene and arrested Murray.

The court heard Murray told officers he could not remember the assault because he was drunk and high on drugs at the time.

And despite the crime having a maximum seven year sentence, Murray walked free after the judge heard how he had ‘found God’ while on remand.

Recorder Edward Hess heard Murray had visited the chaplain in Glen Parva Young Offenders Institution in Leicestershire every day since the attack in November last year.

Murray, who admitted assault with intent to rob, clutched a rosary during the 20-minute hearing last Friday.

He was given a two year community order and ordered to be electronically tagged for three months. Recorder Hess also ordered to attend a thinking skills course.

Shabeen Ahktar, defending, told the court: ‘This is something that was completely out of character.

‘Having spoken to him it is clear that this is a young man who is genuinely remorseful. He broke down in tears when he was reminded of how his victim suffered.’

Murray, from Exhall, Coventry, refused to comment outside court.

Well, I really do hope he uses he second chance well…  and is genuine in his repentance.

 

The Pondering Heart

View this document on Scribd

HT

Taking Back the UK

With a Rosary Crusade. This is great!

There is a slideshow of photographs of the Rosary Crusade of Reparation, this year it was led by Mgr Keith Newton of Ordinariate. I can see many friends and even a few parishioners.

This years procession seems bigger than ever.

I am impressed: this week the Ordinariate was on the streets walking between Westminster Cathedral and the Oratory, last week it was a Blessed Sacrament procession between he Cathedrals of Westminster and Southwark. I am not sure processions are part of Anglican Patrimony per se but daring to bring Christ onto the streets and into the public forum definitely is.

Remember the Ordinariate needs help with shoe leather.

Mgr Keith Newton led the Rosary Crusade from Westminster Cathedral to the London Oratory. Some two thousand people took part, led by Mgr Newton, the Knights of Malta and the Little Brothers of the Oratory. As well as hymns to
Our Lady, three decades of the Rosary were prayed and on arrival at the Oratory, the Pilgrims consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mgr Newton preached to a packed Oratory mentioning that it would be Blessed John Henry Newman’s feast day on Sunday (if it were not Sunday) and of his and Father Faber’s devotion to Our Lady, not because of what she had done, but because of what God had done in and through her. After Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Mgr Newton led everyone in the Salve Regina.

thanks

Source:  Fr Ray Blake’s Blog

Islamic Maldives Jails Catholic Man for Possessing Bible and Rosary

Mumbai (AsiaNews) — Shijo Kokkattu, an Indian Catholic from Kerala, has been languishing in a Maldives prison for more than a week because he had a Bible and a rosary at his home. Both items are banned on the archipelago.

“The lack of justice and the degree of religious intolerance” on the islands “are reflected by the actions of the Maldives government,” said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). “This is the worst form of religious persecution. The Indian government should demand an apology for the shabby treatment inflicted on one of its citizens.”

Islam is state religion in the Maldives. There is no freedom of worship. In 2008, a constitutional amendment denied non-Muslims the right to obtain Maldivian citizenship.

Shijo, 30, has taught at Raafainu School on Raa Atoll for the past two years. Recently, whilst transferring some data from his pen drive to the school laptop, he accidentally copied Marian songs and a picture of Mother Mary into the system. Some teachers reported the matter to the police who raided his home and found a Bible and a rosary in his possession.

Shijo Kokkattu’s case shows the paradox of the Maldives, a nation that “claims to be a major tourist destination, yet arrests innocent people,” George said. “This shows its intolerance and discrimination towards non-Muslims as well as its restrictions on freedom of conscience and religion.”

“Religious freedom remains a taboo on the archipelago,” the GCIC president explained. “Muslims refuse all other forms of worship other than the one approved by the state. Doing the opposite means arrest. Kneeling, folding one’s hands or using religious symbols like crosses, candles, pictures or statues can lead to government action.”

Source

 

Holy Rosary Slide Show

The visuals may prove to be helpful:

If you have trouble concentrating on the Holy Rosary, like I do, then this slide show can really help you out. For each of the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary there are ten slides, each with a picture and a meditation for that particular bead of the Holy Rosary.

View this document on Scribd

Nicely done.

How to Recite the Holy Rosary

HT and more here. Click above to open a printable pdf. doc.