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Excellence of the Rosary - Rev Math Josef Frings · Good Customer Service

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  Speaker 1: Chapter one of the Excellence of the Rosary. This is
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  Speaker 1: a Librivoch recording. All Librivoch recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: The Excellence of the Rosary by the Reverend matth Joseph Frings,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter one. The name of this devotion I was exalted
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  Speaker 1: as a rose plant in Jericho. Ecclesiastes twenty fourth, eighteen.
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  Speaker 1: My dear brethren, when Pope Pious the Ninth, on May
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  Speaker 1: twenty third, eighteen seventy seven, gave audience to a number
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  Speaker 1: of pious pilgrims, he said to them, have courage, my
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  Speaker 1: dear children. I exhort you to fight against the persecution
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  Speaker 1: of the Church and against anarchy, not with the sword,
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  Speaker 1: but with a Rosary, with prayer and good example. This Pope,
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  Speaker 1: who with great wisdom and strong hand had guide it
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  Speaker 1: for thirty two years, the bark of Peter, which in
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  Speaker 1: many violent storms had been rocked to and fro. He
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  Speaker 1: who knew well the great dangers of our times, regarded
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  Speaker 1: the Rosary as a conquering weapon. What great confidence is successor?
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  Speaker 1: Leo the twenty third placed in the Veneration and invocation
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  Speaker 1: of the Blessed Virgin Mary by means of the Rosary.
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  Speaker 1: He exhorted all Christianity to pray the Rosary daily during
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  Speaker 1: the month of October in order to obtain assistance in
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  Speaker 1: these distressing times. In his brief on this occasion, Leo
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  Speaker 1: the twenty third says, it has been a favorite and
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  Speaker 1: prevalent custom of Catholics in times of need and danger,
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  Speaker 1: to take refuge in marry and to seek consolation from
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  Speaker 1: her motherly concern. Thus, the firm reliance and confidence rightly
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  Speaker 1: placed by the Catholic Church and the Mother of God
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  Speaker 1: is staunchly avowed. As a matter of fact, Mary, the
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  Speaker 1: Immaculate Virgin, free from original sin, the chosen Mother of God,
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  Speaker 1: is endowed with such power by our Son as no
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  Speaker 1: other cree nature, man or angel has ever received or
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  Speaker 1: can receive. The efficacy of this great devotion to the
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  Speaker 1: Great Queen of Heaven has been demonstrated, especially when false teachings, depravity,
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  Speaker 1: or other great enemies threatened disaster to Christians. History early
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  Speaker 1: in recent relates how public and private devotion to the
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  Speaker 1: Mother of God was held in times of calamity and distress,
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  Speaker 1: and how these prayers were heard and help was granted.
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  Speaker 1: Thus originated the exalted titles which Catholics give to the
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  Speaker 1: Blessed Virgin, such as help of Christians, refuge of Sinners,
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  Speaker 1: et cetera. To these titles was added another when under
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  Speaker 1: date of December tenth, eighteen eighty three, Leo the thirteenth
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  Speaker 1: directed that the title Queen of the Rosary be added
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  Speaker 1: to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. In his brief,
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Father expresses the desire that all the faithful
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  Speaker 1: practice daily the devotion of the Rosary. If therefore the
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  Speaker 1: Rosary is considered of such great power and efficacy by
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  Speaker 1: the Head of the Church, the representative of Christ, it
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  Speaker 1: is befitting that we heed as words and pray often
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  Speaker 1: and devoutly by means of the Rosary. If this prayer
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  Speaker 1: were better understood, it would be prayed with more devotion,
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  Speaker 1: and greater benefit would come from it. In order then,
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  Speaker 1: to spread a better knowledge and to urge the devout
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  Speaker 1: recital of the Rosary, let us contemplate this devotion in
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  Speaker 1: a course of instructive addresses. The name Rosary may be
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  Speaker 1: the subject of today's discourse. The devotion of the Rosary
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  Speaker 1: consists in the recital of a fixed number of our
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  Speaker 1: fathers and Hail Mary's, combined with the meditation on certain
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  Speaker 1: mysteries from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The name
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  Speaker 1: Rosary is significant. It is a symbol of Mary, also
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  Speaker 1: of the devotion to her. We will endeavor to make
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  Speaker 1: this clear. The realm of nature is the symbol of
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  Speaker 1: the realm of grace. The realm of grace is a
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  Speaker 1: symbol of the realm of glory. It was God's intention
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  Speaker 1: to let his earthly creation be a reflection of the
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  Speaker 1: divine perfections of the supernatural of Divinity, so that man
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  Speaker 1: might perceive the supernatural through created things and thus more
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  Speaker 1: readily understand it. For the invisible things of Him from
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  Speaker 1: the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
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  Speaker 1: by the things that are made Romans one twenty. Our
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  Speaker 1: first parents obtained a clear conception of the supernatural through
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  Speaker 1: the natural things of this life. Nature was to them
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  Speaker 1: an open book in which they could read the divine perfections.
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  Speaker 1: Through sin, the understanding of man was dimmed, and he
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  Speaker 1: failed in the interpretation of nature. Instead of being led
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  Speaker 1: to God through it, he allowed himself to be estranged
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  Speaker 1: and from a master became the slave of nature. Then
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  Speaker 1: Christ came and redeemed the world from the slavery of sin,
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  Speaker 1: and again grant to man the clear conception of the
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  Speaker 1: True God, as also the right understanding of nature. This
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  Speaker 1: is verified in the saints, and we have a beautiful
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  Speaker 1: example in Saint Francis of ASSISI. About his interpretation and
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  Speaker 1: meditation of nature, Saint Bonaventure says he considered all things
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  Speaker 1: created as original from God, and so on, each creature
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  Speaker 1: the creator and preserver. Everything in nature was to him
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  Speaker 1: a symbol of spiritual life. He took delight, especially in flowers,
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  Speaker 1: because they reminded him of the flower from the root
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  Speaker 1: of Jesse, which refreshes and gladdens the whole world. See,
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  Speaker 1: my dear brethren, this is the correct, the Christian way
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  Speaker 1: of contemplating nature. The spiritual world is reflected in the
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  Speaker 1: visible and Jesus being the King and Marry the Queen
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  Speaker 1: in the realm of grace and glory. Nature contains symbols
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  Speaker 1: that refer to Jesus and Mary. All things of this creation,
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  Speaker 1: from the flowers of the valley to the brilliant stars
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  Speaker 1: that illumine the night. All things in nature are symbols
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  Speaker 1: of the glorious Mother of God. Among many such symbols
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  Speaker 1: used in Holy Scripture, we find Mary, called the mystical rose.
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  Speaker 1: The Church therefore regards the rose as a symbol of Mary.
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  Speaker 1: Let us see in what the likeness consists. If on
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  Speaker 1: a summer's day we enter a garden where various flowers,
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  Speaker 1: through their form, color and sweet odor, delight and refresh us.
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  Speaker 1: Our eye is chiefly attracted by the rose. We are
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  Speaker 1: especially well pleased with it. The rose is the queen
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  Speaker 1: of flowers in form, color, and fragrant odor, because of
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  Speaker 1: its beauty. Let us now turn our gaze to the
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  Speaker 1: spiritual garden, the Church of Christ. The various flowers are
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  Speaker 1: the faithful, adorned with piety and virtue, and spreading the
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  Speaker 1: fragrance of saintliness with which God is pleased, and the
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  Speaker 1: canticle of canticles, the Lamb of God is pictured as
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  Speaker 1: feeding among the lilies. A beautiful thought. It tells us
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  Speaker 1: how the Lamb of God, our divine Savior, is fond
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  Speaker 1: of the flowers of God, the God loving souls, as
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  Speaker 1: is the lamb of the lilies. And in this garden
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  Speaker 1: of God the Holy Church, Mary is the rose, the
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  Speaker 1: pride of the garden, the queen of the flowers. The
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  Speaker 1: rose is therefore the most beautiful symbol of Mary of
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  Speaker 1: all saints, the queen exalted above all saints in sublimity, beauty, gentleness,
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  Speaker 1: and sweetness. Therefore, because Mary is among the saints, what
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  Speaker 1: the rose is among the flowers, she is called the
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  Speaker 1: mystical rose, and the name Rosary is to remind us
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  Speaker 1: of this. The rose furthermore signifies the virtuous life of Mary.
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  Speaker 1: The virgin. The rosebud is a beautiful symbol of virginity.
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  Speaker 1: It is hidden as under a veil. Lovely is the
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  Speaker 1: Christian virgin, hidden in the garb of innocence. Like a rosebud.
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  Speaker 1: Mary is the virgin of virgins, and can above all
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  Speaker 1: be compared to the fair and undefiled rosebud. The opening,
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  Speaker 1: blooming rose is a symbol of pure motherhood. Like the open,
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  Speaker 1: radiant rose, the Christian mother is in the full vigor
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  Speaker 1: of life, her heart open with true love for her
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  Speaker 1: husband and children, and she unfolds her soul to heaven,
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  Speaker 1: so that through prayer she may receive the needed assistance
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  Speaker 1: for herself and hers Through her good example in Christian virtues,
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  Speaker 1: she spreads around her the fragrance of a god pleasing life,
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  Speaker 1: and encourages those who associate with her to imitate her virtues.
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  Speaker 1: Mary is the immaculate Virgin and Mother, mother of God
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  Speaker 1: and of all mankind. She is the most noble and
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  Speaker 1: perfect of all mothers. Like a magnificent rose, she shines
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  Speaker 1: in the splendor of her virtues and is the perfect
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  Speaker 1: example for all mothers. Because her heart is fired with
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  Speaker 1: love for God and man. She is, as Saint Jordanis says,
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  Speaker 1: likened to the flaming red rose. There is no rose,
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  Speaker 1: but has its thorns. The thorns are a figure of suffering,
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  Speaker 1: of sorrow, of the temptations in life under which only
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  Speaker 1: a truly virtuous life can thrive. Saint Bridget relates in
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  Speaker 1: her revelations how she at one time was downcast because
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  Speaker 1: the enemies of Christ were so powerful, and how she
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  Speaker 1: was consoled by the Mother of God herself, who told
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  Speaker 1: her to remember the rose among the thorns. The rose,
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  Speaker 1: so said Mary, gives a fragrant odor. It is beautiful
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  Speaker 1: to the sight and tender to the touch. And yet
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  Speaker 1: it rose among thorns, inimical to beauty and tenderness. So
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  Speaker 1: may also those who are mild patient, beautiful in virtue,
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  Speaker 1: be put to a test among adversaries. And as the thorn,
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  Speaker 1: on the other hand, guards, so do wicked surroundings protect
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  Speaker 1: the just against sin by demonstrating to them the destructiveness
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  Speaker 1: of sin. The life of Mary was interwoven with many sorrows,
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  Speaker 1: and she is justly called a rose among thorns. Saint
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  Speaker 1: bridget It says, the virgin may suitably be called a
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  Speaker 1: blooming rose, just as the gentle rose is placed among thorns.
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  Speaker 1: So this gentle Virgin was surrounded by sorrow. The rose
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  Speaker 1: obtains its life through the stem to which it is
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  Speaker 1: closely united. A rose broken from the stem will soon wither.
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  Speaker 1: So Mary received all her graces from Jesus, with whom
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  Speaker 1: she was united through the liveliest faith and ardent love.
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  Speaker 1: Mary is, in truth a spiritual a mystic rose. The
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  Speaker 1: rose therefore is a fitting symbol of the virtuous life
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  Speaker 1: of the Mother of God. As mystical rose, she deserves
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  Speaker 1: our admiration and veneration, and she must be our example
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  Speaker 1: and model in all Christian virtues, the model of a
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  Speaker 1: true spiritual life. The name Rosary therefore is well suited
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  Speaker 1: to this devotion, for it is a wreath of spiritual roses,
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  Speaker 1: as it were, which we place at the feet of
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  Speaker 1: Mary in order to show our love and veneration, has
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  Speaker 1: moreover been at all times regarded as a symbol of love.
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  Speaker 1: It was already the custom of the early Christians to
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  Speaker 1: adorn on feast days the pictures and statues of the
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  Speaker 1: saints with wreaths of roses, especially on feast days of
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  Speaker 1: the blessed Virgin Saint Dominic. Inspired and instructed by Mary,
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  Speaker 1: formed from the beautiful and efficacious prayers the Our Father
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  Speaker 1: and the Hail Mary, together with the principal mysteries from
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  Speaker 1: the lives of Jesus and Mary, a beautiful wreath, and
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  Speaker 1: called it the Rosary. The threefold mysteries represented in the
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  Speaker 1: devotion again give it a resemblance to the rose. The
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  Speaker 1: green of the roses, the color of hope and confidence.
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  Speaker 1: It is represented in the glorious Rosary. The thorns are
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  Speaker 1: represented in the sorrowful Rosary, the beautiful red petals of
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  Speaker 1: the rose finally are represented in the joyful Rosary, and
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  Speaker 1: the glories of Jesus and Mary. Thus is shown therefore
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  Speaker 1: the deep and secars magnificant meaning of the name Rosary,
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  Speaker 1: and as the Rosary reminds us of all the virtues,
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  Speaker 1: the spiritual, beauty and sublimity of Mary, and as it
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  Speaker 1: is a worthy manifestation of our love and veneration for
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  Speaker 1: the Mother of God. It is meet that we hold
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  Speaker 1: the Rosary in high esteem. And Mary finds delight in
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  Speaker 1: this devotion, for it reminds her of all the good
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  Speaker 1: God did for her, and for which all nations pronounce
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  Speaker 1: her blessed. Oh. Let us then resolve to wind this
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  Speaker 1: wreath frequently, to lay it often at the feet of
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  Speaker 1: the Noble, the Gracious Queen of the Rosary. End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter one.
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  Speaker 2: Chapter two of the Excellence of the Rosary. This is
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  Speaker 2: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 2: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 2: Recording by John Brandon, The Excellence of the Rosary by
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  Speaker 2: Reverend math Joseph Frings. Chapter two, The Origin of the Rosary,
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  Speaker 2: The Highest himself hath founded her p. Eighty six. My
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  Speaker 2: dear brethren, in our consideration of the Rosary, let us
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  Speaker 2: to day reflect upon its origin, its origin, and age.
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  Speaker 2: Be still on this devotion a great dignity from the
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  Speaker 2: earliest times of Christianity, it has been the custom of
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  Speaker 2: the Christians to observe in their prayers method and perseverance.
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  Speaker 2: Thus it was the custom of the Hermits of the
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  Speaker 2: Orient as far back as the fourth century to devise
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  Speaker 2: a sequence of certain prayers which they counted on pebbles.
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  Speaker 2: We also know that long ago in England a so
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  Speaker 2: called poter noster cord was used for this purpose. Saint Gregory,
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  Speaker 2: at the end of the fourth century spoke of such
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  Speaker 2: a method of devotion in veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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  Speaker 2: This pious bishop thought a wreath of spiritual roses would
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  Speaker 2: be more pleasing to the Blessed Virgin than the natural
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  Speaker 2: roses with which the faithful adorned her altar. He selected, therefore,
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  Speaker 2: a number of prayers in praise of the Blessed Virgin
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  Speaker 2: and united them into a wreath. And this was the
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  Speaker 2: origin of the rosary woven by pious hands for the
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  Speaker 2: veneration of Mary, the Mystical Rose. In the fifth century,
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  Speaker 2: Saint Bridget urgently commended the devotion of the rosary, and
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  Speaker 2: she chose as its prayers the Our Father, the Hail
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  Speaker 2: Mary and the Creed, and united them into a wreath
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  Speaker 2: of prayers. In order to count their recital she strung
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  Speaker 2: little beads of stone or wood and made a wreath
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  Speaker 2: of them. This custom subsequently spread through all Christian lands,
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  Speaker 2: and through the centuries to our own days. That this
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  Speaker 2: devotion was always in great favor and esteem among pious
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  Speaker 2: Christians may be concluded from the fact that in the
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  Speaker 2: grave of Saint Norbert, who died in eleven thirty four,
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  Speaker 2: a rosary similar to ours was found. We have proof, then,
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  Speaker 2: that the devotion of the rosary, such as we have it,
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  Speaker 2: was practiced already in the early days of Christianity, and
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  Speaker 2: it was practiced not only by monks and nuns, but
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  Speaker 2: found adherents among all the faithful. The particular manner in
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  Speaker 2: which we now pray the rosary was brought into vogue
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  Speaker 2: by Saint Dominic. This is attested by the tradition of
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  Speaker 2: six centuries. Twelve popes bear witness to this fact. We
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  Speaker 2: will now speak of the introduction by Saint Dominic, and
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  Speaker 2: will also refer to the great efficacy of this devotion,
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  Speaker 2: since its inception, may our reflections contribute to the greater
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  Speaker 2: honor of God and of the glorious Queen of the
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  Speaker 2: Rosary one. The devotion of the Rosary in its present
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  Speaker 2: fame dates its origin from the thirteenth century, and Saint
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  Speaker 2: Dominic was selected by God as the instrument of its introduction.
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  Speaker 2: Spain was the home of this great saint. In one
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  Speaker 2: of the valleys of Castile. There is situated an humble
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  Speaker 2: little village named Klarunga, where his parents possessed a small estate.
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  Speaker 2: He was born there in the year eleven seventy. While
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  Speaker 2: being baptized, his sponsor saw, as if in a vision,
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  Speaker 2: a brilliant star over the forehead of the future saint,
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  Speaker 2: shedding its brilliant light through the church. As Dominic advanced
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  Speaker 2: in years, he increased in wisdom, virtue, and piety. In
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  Speaker 2: due time, he devoted himself to theology, believing that in
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  Speaker 2: this pursuit alone he could find the wisdom of God.
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  Speaker 2: Not in the pleasures of this world, but in the
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  Speaker 2: knowledge of God. He sought his pastime. His favorite place
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  Speaker 2: was the church and the solitude of the sanctuary. Two
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  Speaker 2: incidents from his school days throw a light upon his character.
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  Speaker 2: At the time of a famine, Dominic gave all he
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  Speaker 2: possessed to the poor, even all but the necessary clothes,
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  Speaker 2: and when he had nothing more to give, he sold
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  Speaker 2: even his beloved books and gave the proceeds to the poor.
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  Speaker 2: When berated by people for his excessive generosity, he said,
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  Speaker 2: how could I dare indulge in these lifeless books when
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  Speaker 2: human lives are in danger of starvation. At another time,
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  Speaker 2: Saint Dominic met a woman who was weeping bitterly because
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  Speaker 2: she had no money with which she could release her brother,
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  Speaker 2: who had been imprisoned by the Saracens. Dominic offered to
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  Speaker 2: sell himself into bondage to release this brother. But since
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  Speaker 2: God had destined him to release sinful mankind from the
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  Speaker 2: bondage of sin of error and unbelief, he did not
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  Speaker 2: permit Dominic to do as he offered. At the age
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  Speaker 2: of twenty five, he was appointed upon the chapter of
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  Speaker 2: the Cathedral of Ozma. Here he was conspicuous among his
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  Speaker 2: brethren on account of his humility, holiness, and zeal for prayer.
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  Speaker 2: He spent nine years in Osma, during which time divine
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  Speaker 2: providence prepared him for his important and great vocation. This
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  Speaker 2: vocation became plain to him when in the year twelve
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  Speaker 2: o four he went to France and saw the terrible
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  Speaker 2: devastation which the prevailing heresies had wrought against the Church
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  Speaker 2: of Christ. The sight of this disaster nearly broke his heart.
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  Speaker 2: The poison of heresy had spread among the faithful with
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  Speaker 2: great rapidity, and principally in southern France, from the city
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  Speaker 2: of Albi, the heretics had assumed the name Albigenses. These
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  Speaker 2: Albigensies discarded the doctrines of Christianity and constructed new doctrines
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  Speaker 2: that played havoc with morality and social order. They were
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  Speaker 2: violent enemies of church and state, and preached disobedience and
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  Speaker 2: rebellion against spiritual and temporal authority. An enemy of the
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  Speaker 2: church is invariably also an enemy of the state. History
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  Speaker 2: and experience proved this. In southern France, the Albigensis secured
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  Speaker 2: the support of Prince Raymond of Toulouse, a wealthy and
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  Speaker 2: mighty but at the same time a most godless and
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  Speaker 2: immoral prince of that time. He had several wives associated
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  Speaker 2: with heretics, and even gave his children to be educated
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  Speaker 2: by them. This prince undertook the leadership of the heretical Abigenzis,
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  Speaker 2: and with them and other rebel by which France at
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  Speaker 2: that time was overrun scoured the country, robbing and plundering
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  Speaker 2: wherever they went. This lawless band, under the direction of
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  Speaker 2: this godless prince, robbed the churches of their treasures, murdered priests,
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  Speaker 2: even tore open the tabernacles, and desecrated the most holy sacrament.
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  Speaker 2: A messenger of Pope Innocent the Third was murdered by
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  Speaker 2: one of these knaves, who then found the protection of
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  Speaker 2: this depraved prince. Under these conditions, the Pope finally saw
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  Speaker 2: the necessity of preaching a crusade against these heretics, who
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  Speaker 2: surpassed even the Saracens, and the outrages committed. A terrible
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  Speaker 2: war then ensued, in which these enemies of Church and
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  Speaker 2: state were subdued, but not converted. For this there was
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  Speaker 2: necessary an extraordinary spiritual effort, and Divine Providence had already
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  Speaker 2: prepared the instrument. Saint Dominic was the tool in the
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  Speaker 2: hand of God to introduce and apply an efficacious remedy,
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  Speaker 2: and this remedy was the Rosary. Dominic had for many
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  Speaker 2: years taught the doctrines of the Catholic Church to the heretics,
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  Speaker 2: and had converted a number of them, but not enough
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  Speaker 2: to satisfy his holy zeal. He often turned with humility
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  Speaker 2: to God and besought him with tears and deeds of penance,
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: that he might let him know how to accomplish better results.
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: Since childhood, he had been a faithful servant of Mary
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: and had often said that the devotion to her was
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: a powerful means of converting heretics and sinners. Finally, his
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: prayers were heard in a miraculous way. One day, while
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: on his way from Toulouse, Dominic threw himself down on
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: his knees and resolved not to cease praying until his
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: prayers were heard. Then, so the legend tells us, the
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: glorious Queen of Heaven appeared to him, spoke words of encouragement,
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: and taught him how to pray the rosary, assuring him
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: that this would be the right weapon to conquer error
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: and sin with joy. Dominic arose and returned to Toulouse
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: and began to spread the use of the rosary as
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: Mary had taught him. And in the way we now recited,
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: he preached this devotion, explained it, and taught the people
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: how to pray it. It proved, indeed a most efficacious
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: means for the conversion of apostates, heretics, and sinners. Since
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: the lack of knowledge and matters of faith had been
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: the real cause why heresy so quickly spread, The principal
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: truths of faith and morals were now communicated to the
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: people through the Rosary, and principles of a Christian life
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: were taught them in this most sublime prayer of the Church.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: This was bound to bring results, and we will give
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: now some thought to these results. Two. According to the
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: historians of those ages, the effects of the Rosary sermons
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: of Saint Dominic were truly wonderful. In all cities where
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: he preached, The people gathered in great numbers to hear
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: his heaven inspired words and to pray the Rosary with
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: Saint Dominic. Sinners were converted, the faithful were strengthened and fortified,
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: and many thousands of those who had been led into
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: heresy opened their hearts again to the true faith and
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: returned to the Holy Church. The inspired words of Saint
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: Dominic met with such splendid results that even in the
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: tradition did not tell us so the miraculous effects of
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: this devotion would prove its heavenly inspiration and pious. The
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: ninth Leo the thirteenth, as many popes before them, have
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: publicly avowed their belief that Saint Dominic received the Rosary
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: from our blessed Mother. The promise which Dominic received was
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: fulfilled where all other means had failed. The humble prayer
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: of the Rosary accomplished the victory over heresy. Thus divine wisdom,
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: an infinite power, made use of humble things to effect
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: great achievements. Of this, the great work of the Redemption
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: gives us an example. God made the Cross the instrument
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: of the redemption. The despised cross wants a shame and disgrace,
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: was raised on the height of cavalry, and became the
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: instrument of redemption for all the world, the fountain of grace,
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: a blessing for time and eternity, the symbol of victory
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: and glory. Saint Paul, in his first Letter to the Corinthians, writes,
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: and I, brethren, when I came to you, came not
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: in loftiness of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: the testimony of Christ. For I judge not myself to
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: know anything among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: And my speech and my preaching was not in the
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the showing of
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: the spirit and power, that your faith might not stand
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews indeed a
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: stumbling block, and upon the Gentiles foolishness. But upon them
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: that are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: of God is wiser than men. But the foolish things
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: of the world hath God chosen that he may confound
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: the strong, that no flesh may glory in this sight
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: First Corinthians, Verses one and two. And so did God
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: choose the Rosary, this humble prayer to work such great
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: things that human effort had not been able to accomplish.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: What an incentive to put all our trust in God
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: rather than in our own strength. The devotion of the
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: Rosary soon spread from southern France to other Catholic lands,
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: and all peoples welcomed it with joy and prayed it
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: with great zeal. Rosary societies were formed and approved by
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: the popes, and were ritually endowed with many indulgences. Ever since,
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: there has been no prayer practiced so diligently as the Rosary,
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: and often there have been recorded marine sraculous effects of
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: this devotion no less miraculous than the conversion of the
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: heretics in the south of France. The devotion has now practiced,
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: is therefore in use over seven hundred years. The wonderful origin,
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: its great age, and the remarkable miracles that were wrought
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: by its use at all times bestow a great dignity
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: on this devotion. When we consider the conditions that prevailed
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: at the time of the origin of the Rosary, and
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: for the betterment of which Divine Providence provided this devotion,
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: we cannot fail to realize a similarity of conditions in
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: our own times. Materialism and on belief connected with widespread
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: immorality are now prevalent as they were then. They are
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: causing great injury to church, state and homes, and will
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: become more destructive if not checked by the right weapon.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: Pulpious the ninth as also Polpelio the thirteenth, have declared
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: the Rosary to be that weapon, and have exhorted Christianity
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: to resort to the zealous use of it if all
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: Christians would follow the advice of the Supreme Pontiffs. We
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: should soon see the Catholic Church and great morals come
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: into their own. An ample blessing would through this devotion
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: be bestowed upon private and public life. All the insistent
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: endeavors of world wise scholars and reformers will be of
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: no avail if God's blessing does not rest upon their work.
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: Only then, when the true faith and a life of
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: faith are made the standard of public and private merit
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: and ethics, will the temporal no less than the eternal.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: While fair of nations and of individuals be assured. Let
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: us through the Rosary call to marry for her powerful
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: intercession in the battle of the Church against the enemies
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: of faith and morals, and with her intercession we shall
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: be sure a victory amen end of chapter two. Recording
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: by John Brandon. Chapter three of The Excellence of the Rosary.
• 28:15
  Speaker 2: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by John Brandon. The Excellence
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: of the Rosary by Reverend math Joseph Frings. Chapter three,
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: The Power of the rosary. Lo here is the sword
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: of Goliath. There is none like that. Give it to
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: me First Kings twenty one nine, synopsis. David, with God's assistance,
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: his only weapon of pebble, slew the giant. God gives
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: us as our weapon the rosary. This has proven efficacious
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: in the battles of the Church against heretics and heathen armies.
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: Examples Albigensies, turk Said, Lepanto and Belgrade. Many epidemics abated
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: or averted by the power of the rosary. This devotion
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: is just as powerful for the individual and for the family.
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: God has shown us that he wishes many to cooperate
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: with the Church and with the Christian in their fight
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: for faith and salvation at all. Use this weapon, my
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: dear brethren. In the first Book of Kings, we read
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: how the Philistines went forth to battle against the Israelites.
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: The Philistines arrayed their forces on a mountain, and the
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: Israelites occupied a mountain on the opposite side, so that
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: the valley was between them. The went out from the
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: hordes of the Philistines a man named Goliath, a giant
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: of enormous strength, who challenged the Israelites to let one
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: of their men fight him, and to hand the result
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: of this contest to decide the victory or defeat of
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: either army. A youth named David, inspired and urged by
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: the spirit of God, went forth with a few smooth
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: stones and a sling to meet this Philistine, And as
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: Goliath rushed toward him, David cast the stones with the
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: sling and struck the Philistine in the forehead, and he
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: fell upon his face to the earth. David then ran
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: slew him. Israel Bus gained the victory over the Philistines.
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: But when for this victory, exceeding praise was given to David,
• 30:54
  Speaker 2: King Saul became angry and sought the life of the
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: youthful hero. In his flight, David came to Nobe. Not
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: having any weapon, he said to the high priest, a kimelech,
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: hast thou here at hand a spear or a sword.
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: The high priest answered, lo, here is the sword of Goliath,
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: whom thou slewest in the valley of terebinth if thou
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: wilt take this, or there is no other but this,
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: And David said, there is none like that give it me.
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: These last words, which I have made the text for
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: my address today, we may fitly apply to the Holy Rosary.
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: For the Rosary has ever since its origin, proven itself
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: a conquering weapon for the Church, as also well as
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: for the individual Christian against the most powerful enemies of
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: God and his Church. Let us consider the fact for
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: the greater glory of God and of the Queen of
• 31:55
  Speaker 2: the Rosary, since the introduction of the Rosary by saying
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: dominic for more than six hundred years. Therefore, the great
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: victories of Christianity against the many and ferocious enemies of
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: the Church are ascribed to the devotion of the Rosary.
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: The Church has at all times had enemies who, with
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: all their power and in all their evil ways, have
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: opposed and persecuted her. Nor is this surprising. Ever since
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: Satan succeeded in beguiling our first parents into sin, he
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: has continued to sow dissension among mankind. Beginning with Cain
• 32:35
  Speaker 2: and Abel, there have been children of God who obeyed
• 32:38
  Speaker 2: God's commandments, and on the other hand, children of Satan,
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: as Holy Scripture calls them, who seek their salvation and
• 32:47
  Speaker 2: the pleasures of this life. Since the time of Cain
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: and Abel, mankind has been split into two divisions, one
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: seeking the Kingdom of God, the other the kingdom of
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: the world world the kingdom of Satan. When our Savior
• 33:05
  Speaker 2: conquered Satan, he left him power over those who made
• 33:08
  Speaker 2: themselves slaves to the sensual pleasures. And thus there exist
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: an evil force against the Church, and it will exist
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: to the end of time. This is a fact that
• 33:21
  Speaker 2: we must keep in view in order to fully understand
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: and judge the conditions. The realm of darkness, Satan's realm,
• 33:30
  Speaker 2: stands opposed to the realm of Christ. Satan and his
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: adherents carry on the warfare against the Church of Christ
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: as they assaulted Christ himself. As they have persecuted me,
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: they will also persecute you, so did Christ. Prophesy. The
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: Church of Christ demands the subjection of the flesh. She
• 33:56
  Speaker 2: preaches against luxury, pride, and selfishness. She preaches chastity and
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: submission to the commandments of God. She preaches penance alike
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: to those of high and low station in life. This
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: angers all those who would indulge in the evil things
• 34:14
  Speaker 2: of this world. They cry, let us break her bonds asunder,
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: and let us cast away her yoke from us. What
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: as Christ foretold the persecution of his church, so he
• 34:25
  Speaker 2: also foretold that the gates of hell would not prevail
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: against her. The Church of God will in due time
• 34:32
  Speaker 2: conquer all her enemies. Some will be converted, while others
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: who are obstinate will perish in the battle. In all
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: these battles and victories of the Church, Mary blessed mother
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: of her divine Founder, co operates with the Church through
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: her intercession. Mary was already spoken of in Paradise as
• 34:54
  Speaker 2: the one who would come to tread upon the head
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: of the serpent, the spirit of darkness. This she is
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: done by becoming the Mother of God, by bringing forth
• 35:03
  Speaker 2: the Redeemer. And as Jesus, through Mary's co operation, came
• 35:08
  Speaker 2: into this world, so he desires her co operation in
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: ruling the world. The history of the contests and victories
• 35:17
  Speaker 2: of the Church verify this. Throughout the centuries, the evil
• 35:22
  Speaker 2: spirit has a twofold weapon with which he assails and
• 35:25
  Speaker 2: combats God's Church, namely the godless rulers of the world
• 35:30
  Speaker 2: and heresy. Through the godless authorities of the world. Satan
• 35:35
  Speaker 2: has endeavored since the beginning to crush the Church through heresy,
• 35:40
  Speaker 2: he attempts to destroy the Church by internal dissension. Both
• 35:44
  Speaker 2: weapons are used together, for heresy and calumny cannot prevail
• 35:49
  Speaker 2: without substantial support, and heretics seek worldly power and assistance.
• 35:55
  Speaker 2: On every page of Church history we find recorded the
• 35:59
  Speaker 2: clashes planned by these evil forces, from which the Church
• 36:03
  Speaker 2: always came out not conquered but a conqueror. The history
• 36:08
  Speaker 2: of the Veneration of Mary tells us that the Blessed
• 36:11
  Speaker 2: Virgin Mary helped to win these victories. During the early times,
• 36:16
  Speaker 2: when fierce battles against the Church were raging, bishops and
• 36:20
  Speaker 2: priests knew of no more efficacious means to avert these
• 36:24
  Speaker 2: dangers than to exhort the faithful to pray to the
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: Blessed Virgin. Thus we read in history that the holy
• 36:32
  Speaker 2: bishops and martyrs, Ignacious and Errnius did this in the
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: second century, and in the third century it was Pope
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: Calixtus who advised the faithful to take refuge with the
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: Blessed Virgin in time of persecution of the Church, and
• 36:48
  Speaker 2: so on through all Christian times. Since the introduction of
• 36:53
  Speaker 2: the Rosary by Saint Dominic, all great victories have been
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: credited to the devotion of the Rosary. The first great
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: conquest of the Church affected by the Rosary was the
• 37:05
  Speaker 2: victory over the Albigenses, who had spread heresy in southern
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: France and had caused great havocan church and state. Saint
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: Bernard complained, in those times, the churches are empty, the
• 37:19
  Speaker 2: people without priests, the sacraments without reverence, people on their
• 37:23
  Speaker 2: deathbed refused the assistance of the church, ridicule penance. How
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: the weapon with which this heresy was conquered was the Rosary.
• 37:34
  Speaker 2: We have related in a previous sermon. This was the
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: first glorious victory through the devotion of the Rosary. It
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: was the sword with which the Church slew the proud
• 37:45
  Speaker 2: goliath of heresy. Another wonderful victory through this miraculous weapon
• 37:51
  Speaker 2: of Christianity was the defeat of the Turkish navy at
• 37:55
  Speaker 2: Lepanto on October seventh, fifteen seventy one. The so called
• 38:00
  Speaker 2: Reformation of which Martin Luther was the originator, had spread
• 38:05
  Speaker 2: over the whole of Europe, bringing in its trail destruction, dissension,
• 38:10
  Speaker 2: and war. The Turks, who had long thirsted for vengeance
• 38:14
  Speaker 2: upon the Christians, found situations favorable for their plans, they
• 38:19
  Speaker 2: gathered all their forces to assail the Christian lands. The
• 38:23
  Speaker 2: princes of Europe were either indifferent or were besieged with
• 38:28
  Speaker 2: difficulties in their own lands, and Luther even said he
• 38:31
  Speaker 2: preferred the Turks to the papacy. Though Pious the Fifth
• 38:36
  Speaker 2: alone realized the great danger that threatened Christianity, and he
• 38:40
  Speaker 2: called upon the Christian people to defend country and church
• 38:45
  Speaker 2: against the common enemy. The Christian forces which could be
• 38:50
  Speaker 2: assembled were very small compared with those of the Turks. Nevertheless,
• 38:56
  Speaker 2: Pious the Fifth knew of another power, which he realized
• 38:59
  Speaker 2: would be a mighty ally. With all his energy, he
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: exhorted his people to implore the Blessed Virgin and Glorious
• 39:08
  Speaker 2: Queen of Heaven, through the Rosary, to come to the
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: assistance of the Christian army. It was, as Leo the
• 39:15
  Speaker 2: thirteenth said in his commendation of the Rosary, and ennobling sight,
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: which drew the eyes of the whole world. On one side,
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: not far from the Corinthian Sea, the Christians prepared to
• 39:30
  Speaker 2: sacrifice life for religion and country, while gathered on the
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: other side, imploring through the Rosary, Mary's assistants for the
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: fighting Christians were many Christians unable to take up arms.
• 39:44
  Speaker 2: The small army of Christians attacking the great force of
• 39:47
  Speaker 2: the Turkish fleet was an undertaking similar to the assault
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: of David upon the giant Goliath. On October seventh, fifteen
• 39:56
  Speaker 2: seventy one, the deciding battle was fought in the Bay
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: of Lepanto. The battle raged from six o'clock in the
• 40:04
  Speaker 2: morning until six o'clock at night. It was one of
• 40:08
  Speaker 2: the most terrific battles ever fought, and lo in the
• 40:12
  Speaker 2: evening towards six o'clock. The battle ended in the victory
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: of the Christians over their powerful enemy. This wonderful victory
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: of the Christians was undoubtedly due to the assistance of
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: the Blessed Virgin. Pope Pius the Fifth so declared, and
• 40:29
  Speaker 2: in memory of this wonderful achievement, he added to the
• 40:32
  Speaker 2: Litany of the Blessed Virgin the supplication help of Christians
• 40:37
  Speaker 2: pray for us. He also ordained that the anniversary of
• 40:41
  Speaker 2: this victory be celebrated as the Feast of Our Lady
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: of Victory, which Gregory the thirteenth subsequently styled the Feast
• 40:50
  Speaker 2: of the Rosary. In the annals of the Church. There
• 40:53
  Speaker 2: was another great victory over the Turks recorded, which once
• 40:57
  Speaker 2: more demonstrated the power of the rosary. It was the
• 41:00
  Speaker 2: great victory in the campaign against the Turks at the
• 41:04
  Speaker 2: beginning of the eighteenth century. After the Turks had been
• 41:08
  Speaker 2: defeated at sea, they endeavored to conquer on land. They
• 41:12
  Speaker 2: forced their way to Hungary and had taken possession of
• 41:16
  Speaker 2: eight provinces when Emperor Charles the seventh sent an army
• 41:20
  Speaker 2: against them under the command of Prince Eugene. This army
• 41:25
  Speaker 2: was composed of only seventy thousand men. With this meager force,
• 41:29
  Speaker 2: Prince Eugene defeated two hundred thousand Turks and laid siege
• 41:34
  Speaker 2: to Belgrade, their stronghold. Prince Eugene, before engaging the enemy,
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: implored the help of the Blessed Virgin through the Rosary,
• 41:44
  Speaker 2: and then, with confidence in God's assistance, went to battle
• 41:48
  Speaker 2: and to glorious victory. Thirty thousand Turks was slain on
• 41:53
  Speaker 2: the battle field. The others fled. The rosary again had
• 41:57
  Speaker 2: won the victory, and on the feast day of the
• 42:00
  Speaker 2: Blessed Virgin. In the same manner as the rosary was
• 42:04
  Speaker 2: a successful weapon against heretics and other enemies of the Church.
• 42:09
  Speaker 2: It has demonstrated its wonderful efficacy in individual cases of stress,
• 42:15
  Speaker 2: and of which I will mention a few instances. In
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: the year fifteen seventy eight, a fearful epidemic devastated the
• 42:23
  Speaker 2: city of Pavia. The terrified people made a public vow
• 42:27
  Speaker 2: to build a chapel to our Blessed Lady of the
• 42:30
  Speaker 2: Rosary if the epidemic would cease, and the very day
• 42:34
  Speaker 2: the vow was made, the epidemic did abate. A similar
• 42:39
  Speaker 2: case happened in Cologne, where people were saved from an
• 42:42
  Speaker 2: epidemic after such a vow had been made. That cases
• 42:47
  Speaker 2: like these are innumerable is manifested by the many chapels
• 42:51
  Speaker 2: built as a result of such vows, and by the
• 42:55
  Speaker 2: vote of tablets in pilgrimage churches dedicated to Mary. Sight
• 43:00
  Speaker 2: is restored to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech
• 43:05
  Speaker 2: to the dom the use of their limbs to the crippled.
• 43:09
  Speaker 2: Diseases of all kind are cured by invoking the intercession
• 43:14
  Speaker 2: of the Blessed Virgin, by means of the devotion of
• 43:17
  Speaker 2: the Rosary. The conversion of a hardened sinner is, after
• 43:22
  Speaker 2: all a greater miracle than all cures of disease, and
• 43:27
  Speaker 2: such conversions to this day are as numerous as they
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: were at the time the Rosary was introduced. Entire nations, provinces,
• 43:36
  Speaker 2: and cities have been converted to God through his devotion.
• 43:41
  Speaker 2: Blessed John, a companion of Saint Dominic wrote a book
• 43:45
  Speaker 2: about the miraculous power of the Rosary. The Blessed Allanus
• 43:50
  Speaker 2: de la Roche tells of a bishop in whose diocese
• 43:54
  Speaker 2: morality was decatent, who finally took up the devotion to
• 43:58
  Speaker 2: the Rosary and explained it to his people, prayed it
• 44:02
  Speaker 2: with them, and had it introduced in all parishes. Soon
• 44:06
  Speaker 2: the people abandoned their evil ways. Saint Clement Hofbauer assures us,
• 44:13
  Speaker 2: when I am called to a sick man of whom
• 44:16
  Speaker 2: I know he is averse to making his peace with
• 44:19
  Speaker 2: God on the way I pray my Rosary, and when
• 44:22
  Speaker 2: I reach him, I am sure to find him desirous
• 44:26
  Speaker 2: to receive the sacraments. The Holy Doctor Alfonsis of Legori
• 44:32
  Speaker 2: relates from his experience the walls of Jericho did not
• 44:36
  Speaker 2: collapse more quickly at the trumpet call of Joshua than
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: false teachings disappear after the earnest praying of the Rosary.
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: The swimming pool of Jerusalem was not as healing for
• 44:49
  Speaker 2: the bodily sick as the Rosary is as remedy for
• 44:53
  Speaker 2: the spiritually diseased. These few examples, to which I could
• 44:58
  Speaker 2: add hundreds of others similar instances, prove the miraculous efficacy
• 45:03
  Speaker 2: of the Rosary, owe that all Christians would grasp this
• 45:07
  Speaker 2: weapon to attack and conquer all enemies of church and soul.
• 45:12
  Speaker 2: Great dangers threatened the spiritual weal of the individual, family
• 45:17
  Speaker 2: and community. Let us then arise and grasp the mighty
• 45:22
  Speaker 2: sword which is like to no one, the Holy Rosary,
• 45:26
  Speaker 2: and let us attack with it the goliath of our times,
• 45:30
  Speaker 2: corruption and godlessness. As David courageously met the enemy of
• 45:35
  Speaker 2: Israel with the humble sling in his hand and conquered
• 45:39
  Speaker 2: because God was with him, So let us face the
• 45:42
  Speaker 2: enemies of Christendom and on our salvation, with the humble
• 45:47
  Speaker 2: wreath of the Rosary in our hands, and the intercession
• 45:51
  Speaker 2: of the Blessed Virgin will secure for us God's grace
• 45:55
  Speaker 2: and assistance, and with God to fight our battles. Who
• 45:59
  Speaker 2: will do was harm Amen? End of Chapter three recording
• 46:05
  Speaker 2: by John Brandon.
• 46:17
  Speaker 3: Chapter four of the Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 46:20
  Speaker 3: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 46:25
  Speaker 3: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 46:30
  Speaker 3: Recording by Linda Pretorius. The Excellence of the Rosary by
• 46:34
  Speaker 3: Reverend math Joseph Frinks, Chapter four, The Sign of the Cross.
• 46:41
  Speaker 3: The foundations thereof are in the Holy Mountains Psalm eighty six.
• 46:45
  Speaker 4: One.
• 46:46
  Speaker 3: Dear brethren, we have seen in our previous discourses upon
• 46:50
  Speaker 3: the Rosary, how for more than six centuries the Rosary
• 46:54
  Speaker 3: has proved itself a great indeed, a marvelous power and
• 46:57
  Speaker 3: help in times of stress. Yes, of course, was apparent
• 47:01
  Speaker 3: for its very origin. It was a special instrument of
• 47:05
  Speaker 3: divine providence in troublous times of church and society. The
• 47:10
  Speaker 3: various parts of the Rosary are admirably adapted to exercise
• 47:15
  Speaker 3: such great power and efficacy that our Father, the Hail Mary,
• 47:19
  Speaker 3: the Creed, the Glory be to the Father, and the
• 47:23
  Speaker 3: Sign of the Cross, which are said in reciting the Rosary,
• 47:27
  Speaker 3: are the most beautiful, the holiest, and most excellent of prayer,
• 47:31
  Speaker 3: and for this reason also the most potent and efficacious
• 47:36
  Speaker 3: the mysteries of our holy faith, which are at the
• 47:39
  Speaker 3: same time meditated upon, embrace the entire work of our redemption,
• 47:44
  Speaker 3: in its work joyful mysteries, its accomplishments, sorrowful mysteries, and
• 47:50
  Speaker 3: its fruit glorious mysteries. Meditation combined with prayer, as it
• 47:55
  Speaker 3: is contained in the Rosary, renders it a perfect prayer.
• 48:00
  Speaker 3: Rosary furthermore, is the best means of honoring Mary, and
• 48:03
  Speaker 3: therefore it is the best means for obtaining Mary's powerful intercession,
• 48:08
  Speaker 3: that we may understand and perceive the whole beauty and
• 48:12
  Speaker 3: excellence of the Rosary. Let us closely view its component parts,
• 48:16
  Speaker 3: and we will begin to day by considering the opening
• 48:21
  Speaker 3: of the rosary, namely the sign of the Cross. This
• 48:24
  Speaker 3: has a most sublime meaning and has of itself great
• 48:28
  Speaker 3: power and efficacy. It is a sign of honor, of blessing,
• 48:33
  Speaker 3: and of power. In this threefold aspect, let us consider
• 48:37
  Speaker 3: it today one. The sign of the Cross is first
• 48:41
  Speaker 3: of all a mark of honor. It reminds us of
• 48:44
  Speaker 3: the Holy Trinity and of our relation to the Triune God.
• 48:49
  Speaker 3: The Father has created us, the Son redeemed us, and
• 48:53
  Speaker 3: the Holy Ghost has sanctified us. God the Father created
• 48:57
  Speaker 3: us after his own image, and there therefore we bear
• 49:01
  Speaker 3: a resemblance to God in our souls. Our soul is
• 49:04
  Speaker 3: a spirit, as God is a spirit. It has understanding
• 49:08
  Speaker 3: and free will. It can be holy, it can become perfect,
• 49:12
  Speaker 3: since our heavenly Father is perfect. Our soul is immortal
• 49:16
  Speaker 3: as God is immortal, and it is destined to partake
• 49:20
  Speaker 3: in Heaven of divine glory and happiness. Is there not
• 49:24
  Speaker 3: in this resemblance and likeness to God an unspeakably high
• 49:29
  Speaker 3: dignity and glory for man. We are reminded of this
• 49:34
  Speaker 3: by the sign of the Cross. The Son of God
• 49:36
  Speaker 3: redeemed us through the Cross. After sin had reduced the
• 49:41
  Speaker 3: human race to a state of ignominious bondage. The Son
• 49:44
  Speaker 3: of God, moved by infinite love, became incarnate for us
• 49:49
  Speaker 3: in order to make satisfaction of our sins and to
• 49:52
  Speaker 3: remove from us their awful consequences from slaves of sin
• 49:58
  Speaker 3: and of the devil. He he has made us just
• 50:01
  Speaker 3: and children of God. Having been redeemed, we now call
• 50:05
  Speaker 3: God our father, and Jesus, the son of the Eternal Father,
• 50:10
  Speaker 3: calls us his brethren. Of all this, we are reminded
• 50:13
  Speaker 3: by the cross, for we were redeemed through the Cross
• 50:17
  Speaker 3: and became children of God and heirge of Heaven. Thus
• 50:20
  Speaker 3: the cross is the glorious sign of our redemption. The
• 50:24
  Speaker 3: Holy Ghost sanctifies us by dwelling in us and making
• 50:28
  Speaker 3: of us his temples. What an honor for us. The
• 50:32
  Speaker 3: sign of the cross reminds us of this honor. In truth,
• 50:36
  Speaker 3: is therefore this sign a mark of the highest honor
• 50:40
  Speaker 3: and the Christian's greatest glory. In this sense, the apostle
• 50:44
  Speaker 3: wrote to the Galatians, but God forbid that I should
• 50:47
  Speaker 3: glory but in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
• 50:51
  Speaker 3: Galatians six fourteen. This means, according to Saint Chrysostom, I
• 50:56
  Speaker 3: glory only in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
• 51:00
  Speaker 3: namely in the faith in grateful remembrance and contemplation of
• 51:04
  Speaker 3: the benefications of the Cross through which we were redeemed
• 51:09
  Speaker 3: and have received the grace to lead a devout life
• 51:12
  Speaker 3: and to strive for eternal happiness. In the Cross, we
• 51:16
  Speaker 3: recognize thoroughly the enormity of our guilt and the boundless
• 51:21
  Speaker 3: love of God. With what love and devotion should we
• 51:25
  Speaker 3: then make the sign of the cross. As often as
• 51:29
  Speaker 3: we sign ourselves with the cross, we profess our belief
• 51:33
  Speaker 3: in the Holy Trinity and in the merciful and blessed
• 51:36
  Speaker 3: work of the Redemption, and express our gratitude to the
• 51:40
  Speaker 3: Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is hard
• 51:45
  Speaker 3: to believe that there are Christians who are ashamed to
• 51:48
  Speaker 3: make the sign of the Cross, and yet there are
• 51:50
  Speaker 3: many such nowadays. Some act so from motives of cowardly
• 51:55
  Speaker 3: human respect, others because their faith is dead. But to
• 51:59
  Speaker 3: be a shamed of the cross means a denial of
• 52:02
  Speaker 3: our faith. At all times, the sign of the Cross
• 52:04
  Speaker 3: has served as a public and solemn profession of the
• 52:08
  Speaker 3: Christian faith. Thus did in the days of persecution the
• 52:11
  Speaker 3: faithful profess their belief in Christ and seal their profession
• 52:16
  Speaker 3: with their blood. As the act of the Martyr's record.
• 52:20
  Speaker 3: When the Holy Bishop Polycarp was brought before the heathen judge,
• 52:24
  Speaker 3: who said to him, deny Christ and you will be free,
• 52:27
  Speaker 3: Polycarp's reply was worthy of a true Christian. It is
• 52:31
  Speaker 3: now over sixty years that I have served him, and
• 52:34
  Speaker 3: he never did me any harm. How then can I
• 52:37
  Speaker 3: deny my beloved Master, King and Savior. So speaks the
• 52:41
  Speaker 3: true Christian when an attempt is made to make him
• 52:44
  Speaker 3: deny his God and Redeemer. The sign of the cross
• 52:47
  Speaker 3: also serves a mark of distinction from those sects which
• 52:52
  Speaker 3: centuries ago separated themselves from the Mother Church and abandoned
• 52:56
  Speaker 3: the beautiful custom of making the sign of the cross.
• 53:00
  Speaker 3: It is a great crime, then, to be ashamed of
• 53:03
  Speaker 3: a sign which serves for our honor and distinction. And
• 53:06
  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ says, for whoever shall be ashamed of Me
• 53:10
  Speaker 3: and of my words of him, shall the son of
• 53:13
  Speaker 3: Man be ashamed when he shall come in his majesty
• 53:16
  Speaker 3: and his fathers and of the Holy Angels Look four
• 53:20
  Speaker 3: twenty six. But whosoever shall deny me before men, I
• 53:24
  Speaker 3: will also deny him before my Father, who is in
• 53:27
  Speaker 3: Heaven Matthew ten thirty three. Thus does Jesus Christ express
• 53:32
  Speaker 3: himself concerning those who are ashamed of the glorious signs
• 53:36
  Speaker 3: of the True Christian and those who reject this sign
• 53:40
  Speaker 3: with contempt. Two. The cross is furthermore a sign of blessing.
• 53:45
  Speaker 3: It reminds us in the first place, as we have
• 53:47
  Speaker 3: considered of the source of all blessing, of all gifts
• 53:52
  Speaker 3: and graces for the body and soul. This source is
• 53:56
  Speaker 3: a blessed trinity. As often as we make the sign
• 53:59
  Speaker 3: of the cs, we invoke the blessings of God upon us,
• 54:03
  Speaker 3: For we owe all blessings to the infinite merits of
• 54:06
  Speaker 3: our divine Savior, who died upon the cross for us,
• 54:10
  Speaker 3: the ignominious instrument of torture and death, the cross has
• 54:14
  Speaker 3: now become the instrument of life and the source of salvation. Hence,
• 54:18
  Speaker 3: the Church never dispenses blessing except in the sign of
• 54:22
  Speaker 3: the Cross. Saint Chrysostom says, therefore, every blessing in which
• 54:27
  Speaker 3: we participate is accomplished through the sign of the Cross.
• 54:31
  Speaker 3: When regeneration baptism takes place, the sign of the Cross
• 54:35
  Speaker 3: is employed. Whether we partake of that holy mysterious food,
• 54:39
  Speaker 3: or receive any other of the sacraments, it is always
• 54:44
  Speaker 3: under the sign of our victory, the sign of the Cross.
• 54:48
  Speaker 3: We should therefore earnestly endeavor to have this sign of
• 54:51
  Speaker 3: our homes, and often sign our foreheads with it, for
• 54:55
  Speaker 3: it is the commemoration of our salvation and of our redemption.
• 55:00
  Speaker 3: In making the sign of the Cross devoutly, we say
• 55:03
  Speaker 3: to God, Heavenly Father, behold not our sins, which render
• 55:07
  Speaker 3: us unworthy of Thy grace, but the cross of thy
• 55:10
  Speaker 3: beloved Son, with which we sign our foreheads, which we
• 55:14
  Speaker 3: profess with our lips and carry devoutly in our hearts.
• 55:19
  Speaker 3: For the sake of Jesus's bitter death upon the Cross.
• 55:22
  Speaker 3: Be merciful to us, and grant us the assistance of
• 55:26
  Speaker 3: Thy grace in all our words and actions. This is
• 55:30
  Speaker 3: the prayer which is contained in the sign of the Cross.
• 55:34
  Speaker 3: That such prayer will not remain unheard is attested by
• 55:37
  Speaker 3: numerous manifestations of grace which have been obtained through this sign,
• 55:42
  Speaker 3: and the countless miracles which at all times have been
• 55:45
  Speaker 3: performed through the same three. Finally, the cross is a
• 55:50
  Speaker 3: sign of power, because Jesus upon the Cross conquered the
• 55:54
  Speaker 3: arch enemy, redeemed mankind, and merited for us all blessings
• 55:59
  Speaker 3: and graces. There lies in the sign of the Cross
• 56:02
  Speaker 3: a miraculous strength and efficacy. Jesus himself has said everything
• 56:07
  Speaker 3: that you ask the Father in my name, he will
• 56:11
  Speaker 3: give you. The sign of the Cross calls for help
• 56:14
  Speaker 3: and grace through the blood of Christ shed upon the cross.
• 56:18
  Speaker 3: Would God deny such prayer? The sign of the cross
• 56:21
  Speaker 3: is a particularly powerful weapon against the malicious and cunning
• 56:25
  Speaker 3: assaults of the devil. Of this, Saint Chrysostom says, when
• 56:30
  Speaker 3: in the fullness of faith you make the sign of
• 56:33
  Speaker 3: the Cross upon your forehead, no impure spirit will be
• 56:36
  Speaker 3: able to tarry near you, for he beholds the sword
• 56:40
  Speaker 3: that has given him the death blow. Write the sign
• 56:43
  Speaker 3: of the Cross upon thy brow, says Saint Cyril, so
• 56:47
  Speaker 3: that the devils, when they see the sign of the King,
• 56:50
  Speaker 3: may tremble and take flight. Saint Augustine tells us that
• 56:53
  Speaker 3: our mere remembrance of the cross puts the devil to flight,
• 56:57
  Speaker 3: strengthens us against the ease assaults, and reserves us from
• 57:01
  Speaker 3: his snares. The sign of the Cross provides us with
• 57:04
  Speaker 3: a powerful weapon, wherewith we may conquer the unseen foe
• 57:09
  Speaker 3: in every attack. We know, too, from the testimony of
• 57:13
  Speaker 3: Holy Red, that the evil spirit can injure mankind not
• 57:18
  Speaker 3: only in body and soul, but also in earthly possessions. Thus,
• 57:23
  Speaker 3: the devil, by God's permission, slew Job's children, deprived him
• 57:28
  Speaker 3: of his possessions and afflicted him with painful and loathsome maladies.
• 57:33
  Speaker 3: Now though Christ, by his death, has broken Satan's power,
• 57:38
  Speaker 3: yet he not completely removed it. For this reason, the
• 57:41
  Speaker 3: Church makes the sign of the Cross over people, blessed
• 57:45
  Speaker 3: food and drink, dwellings, water, soil, in brief, everything that
• 57:50
  Speaker 3: Christians come in contact with. This she does in order
• 57:53
  Speaker 3: to withdraw all these things from the injurious influence of
• 57:58
  Speaker 3: the evil spirit, to unite them with the divine blessing,
• 58:01
  Speaker 3: and thus make them solitary. The grace before meals of
• 58:05
  Speaker 3: Christians has the same purpose. It is indeed a sad
• 58:09
  Speaker 3: token of ignorance, of indifference, or lack of faith. When
• 58:13
  Speaker 3: a Christian homes, grace before meals is disregarded, as not
• 58:17
  Speaker 3: infrequently happens in our days. We know from the testimony
• 58:21
  Speaker 3: of history that the sign of the Cross was also
• 58:24
  Speaker 3: employed successfully against bodily evils. When Saint Benedict how was
• 58:29
  Speaker 3: handed a glass of poisoned wine, the saint made the
• 58:33
  Speaker 3: sign of the Cross over it, and behold, the glass
• 58:36
  Speaker 3: broke in his hand, and he was saved from death.
• 58:39
  Speaker 3: Saint Gregory of Nissa testifies that his sister, during an illness,
• 58:44
  Speaker 3: desired her mother to make the sign of the Cross
• 58:47
  Speaker 3: over her, and when it was done, the illness left
• 58:50
  Speaker 3: her through the sign of the cross. Bishop fortune Artis
• 58:53
  Speaker 3: restored the sight of a blind man, Saint Lawrence cured
• 58:57
  Speaker 3: several others similarly affected. Saint Roch cured the plague stricken,
• 59:01
  Speaker 3: and the legend says that Saint Corbinian brought the dead
• 59:05
  Speaker 3: back to life by the same sign. The lives of
• 59:08
  Speaker 3: the saints are replete with examples that testify to the
• 59:12
  Speaker 3: miraculous power of the Sign of the Cross. Because the
• 59:16
  Speaker 3: Cross is then a sign of honor, of blessing and power,
• 59:20
  Speaker 3: because it is an effective remedy against evils of body
• 59:23
  Speaker 3: and soul, the Church has always exhorted the faithful by
• 59:27
  Speaker 3: word and example to make zealous use of the same
• 59:31
  Speaker 3: at all times. Since the time of the Apostles, the
• 59:34
  Speaker 3: sign of the Cross has been made by the faithful
• 59:37
  Speaker 3: in all their undertakings. Through the sign, they dedicated their
• 59:41
  Speaker 3: work to God and invoke the divine blessing upon it.
• 59:45
  Speaker 3: The Fathers teach that this custom originated with the Apostles.
• 59:50
  Speaker 3: It is related even by a pious legend that Christ himself,
• 59:54
  Speaker 3: at his ascension into Heaven blessed the Apostles with this sign.
• 59:58
  Speaker 3: How universal this custom was among Christians of the early
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 3: centuries may be learned from the words of Saint Christostom.
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 3: We find everywhere the sign of the Cross. It is
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 3: used by princes and subjects, by women and men, by
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 3: the slaves and the free. They all signed themselves with
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 3: it by making it over their foreheads. Let us then
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 3: imitate the pious Christians of those days when faith was
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 3: more lively and robust, And let us never be ashamed
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 3: to do the sign of honor. What would you think
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 3: of a soldier ashamed of his colors. Let us not
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 3: be ashamed of this sign, lest Jesus be ashamed of
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 3: us when he comes in power and majesty, with the
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 3: Cross shining before him like the sun. Let us not
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 3: deprive ourselves of the manifold blessings of this sign, either
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 3: through fear or our fellow men, or indifference. Let us
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 3: make abundant use of this sign of power, so that
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 3: we may participate in the blessings and protection that it
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 3: comes from the Cross, most especially when assailed by the
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 3: enemies of our salvation. This sign of the Cross should
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 3: be placed upon the forehead, lips, and breast before our prayers.
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 3: For by this our thoughts, our words, and the emotions
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 3: of our heart are consecrated and become more pleasing to God.
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 3: This is the purpose of beginning the prayer of the
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 3: Rosary with the sign of the Cross. But remember it
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 3: is not enough to make the sign merely with the fingers.
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 3: Our spirit must take part in making it, and it
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 3: should be with reverence, devotion, and a lively faith and
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 3: firm confidence in the merits of Jesus Christ. Christians who
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 3: make this sign thoughtlessly and without devotion deprive themselves of
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 3: the great blessings of this holy sign. We, however, who
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 3: have just contemplated this glorious token of salvation, will use
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 3: it with the greatest zeal and piety, and confess with
• 1:01:57
  Speaker 3: it our faith in the Blessed Trinity and in our
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 3: Holy Mother Church. I mean end of chapter four. Recording
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 3: by Linda Bretturius.
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 4: Chapter five of The Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 4: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 4: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 4: Recording by Colin McMahon. The Excellence of the Rosary by
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 4: Reverend math Joseph Frings. Chapter five, The Apostles creed for
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 4: with the heart, we believe unto justice, but with the
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 4: mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans, Chapter ten, verse ten.
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 4: Dear brethren, at the beginning of the Rosary, the Apostles
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 4: Creed is recited. Everything that we must believe in order
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 4: to attain to eturnal life is contained in this Creed.
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 4: It puts in explicit words all that of which the
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 4: sign of the Cross is the symbol. Tradition tells us
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 4: that this profession of faith originated with the Apostles, and
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 4: for this reason it is called the Apostles Creed. To
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 4: be sure, not all the dogmas of the Catholic Church
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 4: are declared in the twelve articles of the Creed, but
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 4: any dogmas not expressly mentioned are included in the ninth article,
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 4: which says, I believe in the Holy Catholic Church. In
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 4: these words, the Catholic declares that he believes everything which
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 4: the Holy infallible Catholic Church teaches and requires of us
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 4: to believe. The Creed is, therefore, by its origin as
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 4: well as its contents, a truly holy and excellent prayer.
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 4: If we duly appreciate this beautiful prayer, we shall say
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 4: it with more devotion to the greater glory of God
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 4: and our own good one. I believe in God. With
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 4: these words, I express my firm conviction that there is
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 4: a God and that everything that God has revealed is
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 4: infallible truth, because God is truth itself and can neither
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 4: deceive nor be deceived. With these words, I submit my mind,
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 4: my reason, and my will to the infallible authority of God.
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 4: I believe in God the Father. This means that I
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 4: believe that in God there are three persons, of whom
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 4: the first person is called the Father because He is
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 4: the origin of all existence, because from all eternity he
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 4: begot the Son, who is equal to him in essence
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 4: but different in person. Further, he is our Father because
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 4: he created us his children. I believe in God the
• 1:04:38
  Speaker 4: Father Almighty. It is befitting that at the beginning of
• 1:04:42
  Speaker 4: the creed the omnipotence of God should be emphasized. Our
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 4: faith contains many mysteries which no created understanding can comprehend.
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 4: Because I firmly believe in the omnipotence of God, I
• 1:04:54
  Speaker 4: profess that to God nothing is impossible. In his omnipotence,
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 4: God the f Other created the world, calling it into
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 4: existence from nothing. Hence we say I believe in God,
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 4: the Father Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth. But
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 4: God not only created the world, he also preserves and
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 4: rules it through his omnipotence. As by virtue of his
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 4: will he created the world, so does God cause it
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 4: to continue in existence. A building erected by a master
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 4: hand remain standing even though the master of scent himself.
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 4: Yet the world, according to Saint Augustine, could not continue
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 4: to exist for one moment did not God preserve it?
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 4: This world, which God called forth from nothing, would, at
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 4: the very moment that God should withdraw his almighty hand,
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 4: fall back into nothing? And how could anything endure if
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 4: thou wouldst not? Thus we read of God in the
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 4: Book of Wisdom, Chapter two, verse twenty six. Since we
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 4: are then so utterly dependent upon God that at any
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 4: moment he could cut the thread of our lives, how
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 4: greatly should we fear to offend him. God not only
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 4: preserves but also rules the world. He is solicitous for
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 4: all things. He orders and governs all things with wisdom
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 4: and mercy, to the end for which He created them.
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 4: The eyes of all hope in the Old Lord, And
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 4: Thou givest them meat in due season, Thou openest thy
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 4: hand and fillest with blessing every living creature Psalm one
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 4: hundred forty four, Verses fifteen and sixteen. Of what little
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 4: value is a flower which so soon withers? And yet
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 4: the divine solicitude extends to this humble flower. Indeed, is
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 4: not the flower of the field clothed more beautifully by
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 4: the hand of God than with Solomon in all his glory.
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 4: What is there about a man of less account than
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 4: a single hair of his head? And yet each of
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 4: these hairs is counted, and not one falls from the
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 4: head without the knowledge and will of God. We see
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 4: how the care and providence of God extends to all things,
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 4: even the most insignificant. God furthermore, orders and governs all
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 4: things according to their appointed end. He created the world
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 4: and all that is in it for His glorification and
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 4: for the welfare of mankind, and provides in all things
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 4: that this end may be attained. Nothing can withdraw itself
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 4: from the rule of God. There is no blind chance,
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 4: no blind fortune. The prophet jeremiahs asks, who is he
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 4: that hath commanded a thing to be done? When the
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 4: Lord commandeth it not Lamentations, Chapter three, Verse thirty seven,
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 4: Thy Providence, O Father ruleth all things, so we read
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 4: in the Book of Wisdom, and so God orders and
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 4: disposes everything in our lives that we may attain the
• 1:07:43
  Speaker 4: eternal goal we have but to commit ourselves to divine
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 4: providence and place our trust in God. For this reason
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 4: we should exclaim with David, the Lord ruleth may and
• 1:07:54
  Speaker 4: I shall want nothing, For though I should walk in
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 4: the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 4: no evil, for thou art with me Psalm twenty three.
• 1:08:03
  Speaker 4: In the first article we profess our faith therefore in
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 4: the omnipotence of God, divine providence, and all the divine attributes.
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 4: God has created us and preserves us. But He has
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 4: done still greater things for us. Is this possible? Yes?
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 4: For God so loved the world that he sacrificed his
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 4: only begotten son for it. And this brings us to
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 4: the second article, which comprises the truths we must believe
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 4: of God the Son. Two. When the sin of our
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 4: first parents had deprived us of the friendship of God
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 4: as well as of our heirship to Heaven, there came
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 4: to our rescue the second person of the Godhead, the
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 4: only begotten of the Father. The succeeding articles tell us
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 4: of the love and sacrifice of the Son for our race.
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 4: The second article is and in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 4: our Lord. What does this mean. It means I believe
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 4: that he is the Son of God, God of God,
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 4: True God of True God. It means I believe that
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 4: he became incarnate for the sake of our salvation. It
• 1:09:03
  Speaker 4: means I believe in the doctrines that he proclaimed, in
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 4: the miracles that he performed. It means I believe in
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 4: his presence in the Holy Eucharist, in the effects of
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 4: the Holy sacraments which he instituted. It means I believe
• 1:09:17
  Speaker 4: in his Holy Church, to which he transmitted his authority.
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 4: To believe in Jesus Christ means furthermore, to believe in
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 4: his passion and death by which he redeemed the world
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 4: in his glorious resurrection and ascension. He is the divine
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 4: Master and as such the supreme lawgiver whom all creatures
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 4: must obey. He is also the judge of the universe,
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 4: and as such will come again one day to preside
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 4: at the general judgment, when he will judge all men
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 4: according to their belief, according to the manner in which
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 4: each one has observed or transgressed his commandments, used or
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 4: neglected the means of salvation, then will be the end
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 4: of time, and mankind will go to its reward or
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 4: to its punishment, once and for all. All this is
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 4: proclaimed in the Articles of Faith, the treat of Jesus Christ.
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 4: To believe in Jesus Christ means to believe everything that
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 4: the Gospel teaches and everything which the Holy infallible Church
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 4: requires us to believe. The third chief part of the
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 4: creed declares what we must believe of the Holy Ghost,
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 4: the third person of the Godhead. Three. The Holy Ghost,
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 4: the third person of the Godhead, proceeds equally from the
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 4: Father and the Son from all eternity, and is of
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 4: equal essence with the Father and the Son from eternity.
• 1:10:34
  Speaker 4: The Holy Ghost, sent by the Father and the Son,
• 1:10:37
  Speaker 4: came down upon Earth and took charge of the Church
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 4: founded by Christ in order to apply through it the
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 4: fruits of redemption to mankind. Only in the True Church
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 4: of Christ can be found the fruits of the redemption.
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 4: Only in her is the true priesthood of the Lord,
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 4: the fruits of the Redemption. Here on earth are truth
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 4: and grace, and in the hereafter eternal salvation. The divine
• 1:11:00
  Speaker 4: Truth as proclaimed by Christ is alone contained in the
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 4: Holy Catholic Church, and through the cooperation of the Holy Spirit,
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 4: it is preserved uncorrupted. In this Church. The Church is
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 4: the pillar and the beacon of the Truth. She cannot
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 4: deviate unto the end of the world one tittle from
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 4: the doctrine received from Christ, because the Holy Ghost guides
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 4: the teaching Church in all truth and sees to it
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 4: that every truth is understood rightly by her and properly
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 4: interpreted and explained. Hence, to submit ourselves to the Church's
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 4: definition of the faith means to submit ourselves to the
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 4: Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost operates in the Church through
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 4: the priesthood, and thus applies to the faithful the fruits
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 4: of the Redemption, so as to sanctify them and prepare
• 1:11:45
  Speaker 4: them for eternal happiness. Thus it is the Holy Ghost
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 4: who sanctifies us, who makes us holy, as our father
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 4: in heaven is holy, who leads us to perfection, as
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 4: our Father in Heaven is perfect. I believe in the
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 4: Holy Catholic Church is the next article of our creed.
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 4: The Holy Ghost lives and operates in the Church. This
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 4: church is a communion of saints, a communion of faithful,
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 4: part of whom have already entered eternal life of bliss,
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 4: and is called the Church Triumphant. Another part is being
• 1:12:15
  Speaker 4: cleansed from the remnants of sin in the place of
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 4: purification and is called the suffering Church. A third part
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 4: is still struggling on the battle field of the world
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 4: for the crown of eternal life, and is called the
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 4: Church Militant. All are true members of this great community
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 4: of saints and children of God, allied through the bond
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 4: of love. This doctrine is very consoling to us. It
• 1:12:37
  Speaker 4: opens to us, as it were, even during our earthly life,
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 4: the portals of eternity. We may enter these in spirit
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 4: and seek and find help and consolation amongst our glorified brethren,
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 4: and also carry help and consolation to our suffering brethren.
• 1:12:53
  Speaker 4: One thing alone bars us from this glorious communion and
• 1:12:57
  Speaker 4: shuts Heaven against us, and that is sin. But in
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 4: the Church there is provided for repentant sinners, the absolution
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 4: from sins, the remission of sin and its penalty. When
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 4: we finally die in the grace of God, our soul
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 4: shall enjoy eternal life, and our glorified body shall be
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 4: joined to it on the great day of resurrection. This, then,
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 4: is what we are taught to believe in the Apostles Creed.
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 4: When we say this Creed, with devotion and perfect faith,
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 4: we honor and glorify first of all the blessed Trinity.
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 4: But we refresh also the teaching of the Gospel in
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 4: our minds, and thus strengthen our faith. It is an
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 4: excellent means of awakening exalted sentiments of faith within us,
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 4: and of inspiring us to a courageous profession of our
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 4: holy religion. The Creed is possessed of great power against
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 4: the temptations of the evil one. The Apostle exhorts us
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 4: to resist the devil strong in faith First Peter Chapter five,
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 4: verse eight, and Holy Scripture calls the faith a shield
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 4: against which the darts of Sons Satan are broken. Thus
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 4: is the Creed, according to its origin and its contents
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 4: and efficacy, a holy and excellent prayer. In conclusion, let
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 4: me quote an exhortation from sin Augustine. Forget not. He says,
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 4: to recite the profession of your faith when you rise
• 1:14:16
  Speaker 4: in the morning, nor when retiring at night, repeat it frequently,
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 4: for its repetition is salutary for you, that no forgetfulness
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 4: may arise. Your Creed should be your mirror. Examine yourself
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 4: therein as to whether you firmly believe everything you profess
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 4: to believe, and rejoice daily in the possession of faith. Well,
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 4: then let us bear in mind to this beautiful advice.
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 4: Let us say the Creed daily in order to strengthen
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 4: ourselves in the faith, but especially let us say it
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 4: with great devotion as part of the Holy Rosary. If
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 4: here below we are true to the faith, we shall
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 4: one day behold in reality what we now see only
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 4: with the eyes of faith, And in this vision enjoy
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 4: eternal glory and bliss without end amen. End of chapter five.
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 4: Recording by Colleen McMahon.
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 5: Chapter six of The Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 5: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:15:22
  Speaker 5: Recording by Tatiana Chichilla, Columbus, Ohio. The Excellence of the
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 5: Rosary by Reverend math Joseph Frings. Chapter six, Glory be
• 1:15:31
  Speaker 5: to the Father. Thou art worthy, o Lord, our God,
• 1:15:34
  Speaker 5: to receive glory and honor and power, because thou hast
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 5: created all things Apocalypse chapter four, verse two. Dear brethren,
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 5: we know that the glory be to the Father occurs
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 5: very frequently in the prayers of the Church and in
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 5: our private devotions. In the Rosary. It is repeated with
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 5: every decade. This prayer of praise is of great significance
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 5: for the Christian life. In order to understand its meeting better,
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 5: we must join the spirit the choirs of the blessed
• 1:15:58
  Speaker 5: before the throne of God. Asas the great Prophet of
• 1:16:01
  Speaker 5: the Old Testament, to whom was vouchsafed a profound insight
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 5: into the mysteries of God, had a vision of heaven.
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 5: And he says, I saw the Lord sitting upon a
• 1:16:09
  Speaker 5: throne high and elevated, and his train filled the temple.
• 1:16:12
  Speaker 5: Upon it stood the seraphims, and they cried one to
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 5: another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God of hosts,
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 5: all the earth is full of his glory Isaiahs Chapter six,
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 5: verse one. So also did John, the beloved disciple of Jesus,
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 5: have the grace to see heaven, and he saw the
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 5: angels of Heaven, and with them the whole army of
• 1:16:30
  Speaker 5: the saints, and all the nations, tribes and peoples. Standing
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 5: before the throne in sight of the Lamb, and with
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 5: a loud voice, they praised God who sat upon the throne,
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 5: and the Lamb, who is the Lamb of God. Apocalypse,
• 1:16:41
  Speaker 5: chapter seven, verse eleven. Thus God has made known to
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 5: us through both of these prophets in what the unceasing
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 5: occupation of the blessed in heaven consists. They behold the
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 5: magnificent beauty of God and praise Him on account of
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 5: his majesty, power, and love. And this occupation of the
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 5: dwellers in heaven should also be the task of the
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 5: dwellers upon earth. It is indeed the duty of mankind
• 1:17:01
  Speaker 5: and an indispensable obligation. King David acknowledged this when he said,
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 5: I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 5: shall always be in my mouth Psalms, chapter thirty three. Therefore,
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 5: our whole life and endeavor should be one uninterrupted glory
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 5: be to the Father and to the Son, and to
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 5: the Holy Ghost. We will make this obligation the subject
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 5: of our consideration. One the happy inhabitants of heaven, as
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 5: they behold God and his indescribable splendor, extol him with
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 5: hymns of praise. To know God and to serve him,
• 1:17:29
  Speaker 5: to glorify him. This is the supreme end of man,
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 5: not only when he is admitted to heaven, but even
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 5: here on earth. God himself tells us through the prophet
• 1:17:37
  Speaker 5: Isaias in order. Thus he speaks that man should glorify Me.
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 5: Therefore have I created him and brought him forth from nothing?
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 5: We mortals as yet cannot behold God as the blessed
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 5: do in heaven. But we do behold Him and his works,
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 5: and know Him from his revelation given us through the prophets,
• 1:17:52
  Speaker 5: and through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The works through which
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 5: God has revealed himself to us are creation, redemption, and sanctification.
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 5: Create is a vast book which speaks to us unceasingly
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 5: of God, and it is intelligible to all. If we
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 5: contemplate the magnificence of the Starlit sky, we must exclaim
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 5: with David. The heavens show forth the glory of God,
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 5: and the firmament declareth the work of his hands Psalms
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 5: chapter thirty seven. Yet not only the heavens, but also
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 5: the earth shows us at every step the omnipotence of God,
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 5: his wisdom and love. Mountain and valley, forest and field,
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 5: river and ocean, they all remind us of God, their creator.
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 5: Every flower of field and meadow is a great masterpiece
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 5: which no mortal man could create. The animal world presents
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 5: still greater marvels for our consideration, the waters teeming with
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 5: millions of animals of all kinds, from the smallest jellyfish
• 1:18:38
  Speaker 5: to the ship destroying monsters, the beasts of the forest,
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 5: the birds of the air. They are all called into
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 5: existence by God. And God has not really called all
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 5: these creatures into existence, but his providence preserved them, and
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 5: not even a sparrow falls from the roof without his knowledge.
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 5: But we have not yet considered the master piece of creation, Man,
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 5: the creature with immortal soul, created according to God's own
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 5: image and likeness. And man body and soul are joined
• 1:19:01
  Speaker 5: together in a wonderful unity, so that man presents in
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 5: himself a combination of the spiritual and material. Man is
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 5: the masterpiece of creation, and all creation is for his service.
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 5: Thou hast made him a little less than the angels.
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 5: Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou hast
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 5: set him over the work of thy hands Psalms, Chapter eight,
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 5: verse six. In very truth, we may say, therefore, the
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 5: universe speaks to our mind and heart in powerful and
• 1:19:24
  Speaker 5: impressive language. This language is its beauty, its appropriateness, its greatness.
• 1:19:29
  Speaker 5: But yet, more plainly than creation, does the redemption proclaim
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 5: the glory of God. It is not the immensity of
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 5: the heavenly bodies, says Saint Gregory, Not the brilliancy of
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 5: the stars, not the adornment of the universe, not the
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 5: preservation of the world that points so much to the
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 5: glory of the divine power and omnipotence, as does that
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 5: divine condescension to the feebleness of nature. Jesus Christ, the
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 5: Son of God, descended from Heaven and brought into the
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 5: world the truer and fuller knowledge of God. The ancient
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 5: people knew there was a God, but they knew him not.
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 5: The knowledge of the true God was drowned in paganism.
• 1:19:59
  Speaker 5: Even among the Jews, small had become the number of
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 5: those who still possessed an undefiled knowledge of God. In
• 1:20:04
  Speaker 5: the Old Testament, there was only an intimation of the
• 1:20:07
  Speaker 5: blessed Trinity, not a clear knowledge. Then Jesus Christ brought
• 1:20:10
  Speaker 5: to us the knowledge of the trinune God.
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 1: In him.
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 5: The divine attributes of love, sanctity, justice, wisdom, omnipotence, and
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 5: mercy were presented to our minds so that we can
• 1:20:19
  Speaker 5: comprehend them. He made known to us the merciful decrees
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 5: which God had ordained for our temporal eternal welfare. Through
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 5: his bitter passion and death, he reconciled us to the
• 1:20:28
  Speaker 5: Father and acquired for us the heirship of Heaven. He
• 1:20:31
  Speaker 5: founded the Church, the Kingdom of God upon earth, and
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 5: He rules it through the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from
• 1:20:35
  Speaker 5: Him and the Father. Through this Church are applied the
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 5: glorious fruits of the Redemption. Through this church, God would
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 5: sanctify all mankind and leave them to eternal salvation. The
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 5: Church and the communion of the saints revealed to us
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 5: God's glory and love far more than all the wonders
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 5: of the world. A single saint is a greater miracle
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 5: of the divine grace than the whole universe. The Redemption
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 5: made of earth a preparatory school for Heaven and it
• 1:20:56
  Speaker 5: behooves us, as Saint Augustine says, in this life, to
• 1:20:59
  Speaker 5: give praise to God, because in heaven our work will
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 5: be an eternal proclamation of the divine praises. Our whole
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 5: earthly life, as a befitting preparation for heaven, should be
• 1:21:07
  Speaker 5: an imitation of the life of the blessed. In heaven.
• 1:21:10
  Speaker 5: It ought to be a perpetual praise of God until
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 5: after a happy death we are admitted to the ranks
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 5: of the celestial choirs.
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 1: Two.
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 5: Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who has brought
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 5: to us the true knowledge of God, taught us also
• 1:21:22
  Speaker 5: the true worship of God. After he had accomplished the
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 5: work of the redemption and found of the Church, he
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 5: returned to Heaven. Before this, however, he provided that he
• 1:21:30
  Speaker 5: should also remain here upon earth. He instituted the most
• 1:21:33
  Speaker 5: Holy Eucharist, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and thus
• 1:21:36
  Speaker 5: remains in his church until the end of time. Jesus,
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 5: the head of the Church, offers himself to the Father
• 1:21:41
  Speaker 5: unceasingly in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Thus the
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 5: glorification of God takes place here upon earth as unceasingly
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 5: as it does in heaven, the praise of God takes
• 1:21:49
  Speaker 5: place here on earth. Furthermore, through the Ecclesiastical hourly Prayer,
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 5: in which all the priests and religious of the Church
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 5: unite throughout the world. The Church dedicates the Sunday exclusively
• 1:21:59
  Speaker 5: to the praise and service of God. This day is
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 5: to remind us of the creation accomplished by the Father,
• 1:22:04
  Speaker 5: of the redemption accomplished by the Sun, and of the
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 5: sanctification accomplished by the Holy Ghost. On this day especially,
• 1:22:09
  Speaker 5: are the members of the Church invited to contemplate the
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 5: great works of God and praise and thank Him for
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 5: the same. The entire year has been divided by the
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 5: Church into three great festival cycles Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost,
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 5: and thus is consecrated to the Triune God. We are
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 5: exhorted to receive the holy sacraments and thus participate in
• 1:22:26
  Speaker 5: the fruits of the Redemption, sanctifying ourselves by a Christian life.
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 5: A truly Christian life is the best and highest worship
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 5: of God here below, as it makes us worthy to
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 5: be associated with the heavenly choirs there to continue eternally
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 5: our praises in the blissful vision of God. We see, then,
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 5: how the Church admonishes us to make our whole lives
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 5: and all our works in unending gloried be to God.
• 1:22:46
  Speaker 5: In order that this may be accomplished, we must, above
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 5: all things be faithful children and living members of the Church,
• 1:22:52
  Speaker 5: brethren of Jesus Christ. We must diligently and devoutly obey
• 1:22:55
  Speaker 5: the commandments and receive the sacraments. The light of faith
• 1:22:58
  Speaker 5: should lead us in hope, should draw us heaven.
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 1: Word.
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 5: The love of God and of our neighbors must fill
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 5: our hearts. He who possesses these virtues is indeed in
• 1:23:05
  Speaker 5: possession of all other virtues. Love is the bond of perfection.
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 5: For who so loves God and his neighbor has fulfilled
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 5: the law. We should make a good intention the first
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 5: thing in the morning, and renew it frequently throughout the day.
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 5: This certainly is not difficult. Saint Paul exhorts us urgently
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 5: to make this good intention in the words therefore, whether
• 1:23:22
  Speaker 5: you eat, or drink, or whatsoever else, you do, do
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 5: all things for the glory of God. First Corinthians, Chapter ten,
• 1:23:27
  Speaker 5: verse thirty one. To make this good intention, the glory
• 1:23:30
  Speaker 5: be to the fathers. Especially appropriate if we utter the
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 5: same frequently and devoutly. We shall make our lives a
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 5: continual praising and glorifying of God, a perpetual prayer. Glory
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 5: be to the Father who has created us, the Son
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 5: who has redeemed us, and to the Holy Ghost who
• 1:23:44
  Speaker 5: sanctifies us. Glory be to the Holy Trinity through all
• 1:23:47
  Speaker 5: our thoughts, words, and works, as glory was to God
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 5: in the beginning when He created heaven and earth as now,
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 5: and so too through all eternity in Heaven. Yes, we
• 1:23:55
  Speaker 5: will glorify God here below with the militant Church, so
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 5: that we may be worthy to be hold Him one
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 5: day with the triumphant Church, and to praise Him in
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 5: blissful rapture for all eternity.
• 1:24:05
  Speaker 1: Amen.
• 1:24:07
  Speaker 5: End of chapter six. Recording by Tatiana Chichilla, Columbus, Ohio.
• 1:24:17
  Speaker 5: Chapter seven of the Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 1:24:19
  Speaker 5: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:24:23
  Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 5: Recording by Tatiana Chichilla, Columbus, Ohio. The Excellence of the
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 5: Rosary by Reverend math Joseph Frings. Chapter seven, The Our Father,
• 1:24:37
  Speaker 5: Lord teach us to pray. Luke, chapter eleven, Verse one,
• 1:24:41
  Speaker 5: Dear brethren, the holiest to the most beautiful, and most perfect,
• 1:24:44
  Speaker 5: and for this reason, the most efficient prayer is the
• 1:24:46
  Speaker 5: Our Father. This prayer comes from our Lord himself, who
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 5: gave it to his disciples when they urged that he
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 5: should teach them how to pray. The Our Father therefore
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 5: had its origin with God himself, and is therefore the
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 5: holiest of prayers. It is a petition to his heavenly Father,
• 1:25:00
  Speaker 5: composed by the God Man bequeathed to us, his brethren,
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 5: And this petition is contained everything we may ask for.
• 1:25:06
  Speaker 5: Chertulian says in his writings that the Our Father contains
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 5: not merely the things for which man ought to ask God,
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 5: but also everything the Lord has taught and ordained, so
• 1:25:14
  Speaker 5: that the whole Christian doctrine is briefly contained Therein. The
• 1:25:17
  Speaker 5: separate petitions are arranged according to their importance and follow
• 1:25:20
  Speaker 5: one another in a most appropriate way. Therefore, the Our
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 5: Father is, according to its origin, as also according to
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 5: its contents and form, the perfect prayer. The Divine Savior
• 1:25:30
  Speaker 5: promised that everything we ask of our Father in heaven
• 1:25:32
  Speaker 5: he will give us when we recite the Our Father,
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 5: we not merely pray in the name of Jesus, but
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 5: in his own words. Hence, the Lord's Prayer is to
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 5: God the most pleasing prayer, and for that reason, the
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 5: most efficient and powerful of prayers. It is evident from
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 5: the history of the Church that the Lord's Prayer has
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 5: at all times been held by the faithful in the
• 1:25:48
  Speaker 5: highest esteem. It was used, as the fathers tell us,
• 1:25:51
  Speaker 5: not only in public but also in private devotions. This holy, excellent,
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 5: and most efficacious prayer forms a part of the Rosary,
• 1:25:58
  Speaker 5: and we will give it our consideration in order the
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 5: better to understand it, to appreciate it more fully, and
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 5: to say it more devoutly. One The Our Father consists
• 1:26:06
  Speaker 5: of a preface in seven petitions. The preface is intended
• 1:26:09
  Speaker 5: to lift our thoughts up to God. Holy Scripture admonishes
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 5: us to such preparation before prayer. Prepare thy soul and
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 5: be not as a man that tempteth God. Ecclesiastes, Chapter eighteen,
• 1:26:21
  Speaker 5: verse twenty three. When beginning to pray, we should present
• 1:26:23
  Speaker 5: to our mind God as he is enthroned in heaven.
• 1:26:26
  Speaker 5: We should approach God in humility and reverence, with childlike
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 5: confidence and love. Thus prepared for prayer, we will be
• 1:26:31
  Speaker 5: pleasing to God to give our mind. This disposition is
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 5: the purpose of the preface Our Father, who are in heaven.
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 5: Hence this preface should be said with devotion and piety.
• 1:26:40
  Speaker 5: The seven petitions of the Our Father contain everything a
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 5: Christian ought and may ask for, but what may and
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 5: should a Christian ask for? For all things necessary and
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 5: serviceable for the proper fulfillment of his life work. This
• 1:26:51
  Speaker 5: prayer contains petitions for everything necessary for the attainment of
• 1:26:54
  Speaker 5: the last end for which we were created, and that is,
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 5: in the first place, the glorification of God and in
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 5: the second place, our eternal salvation. In the first four petitions,
• 1:27:04
  Speaker 5: Christ teaches us and commands us to beseech for the
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 5: things that pertain to this last end, and in the
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 5: last three petitions for protection against the things which hinder
• 1:27:11
  Speaker 5: the attainment of this end. One the glory of God
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 5: is the first and chief purpose of all creation, as
• 1:27:17
  Speaker 5: also of redemption and sanctification. It should be the occupation
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 5: of all mankind, as it is the occupation of the
• 1:27:22
  Speaker 5: blessed in heaven. We glorify God when we recognize him
• 1:27:26
  Speaker 5: as the highest good, when we love Him above all
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 5: things with a childlike love, serve him faithfully, worship Him
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 5: in all our thoughts, words, and actions. As we are
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 5: unable to do this by our own strength, we must
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 5: seek the assistance of grace, which we do in the
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 5: words of the first petition, Hallowed be thy Name. By
• 1:27:41
  Speaker 5: the words Thy name must be understood Here God himself,
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 5: as he has revealed himself to us, And this petition
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 5: is equivalent to saying, Thou, O, God, shalt be glorified
• 1:27:50
  Speaker 5: by us and by all mankind. We ask in the
• 1:27:53
  Speaker 5: first petition that God may not be blasphemed, but rightly known,
• 1:27:56
  Speaker 5: truly loved, and duly revered. We implore God in this
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 5: petition to enlighten the heathen that yet stand in the
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 5: shadow of death, and all unbelievers and heretics, that they
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 5: may learn to know and adore Him, and to grant
• 1:28:06
  Speaker 5: sincere conversion to all sinners. We also ask for ourselves
• 1:28:10
  Speaker 5: and our fellow Christians the grace to grow in the
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 5: knowledge of God, in his love and service, and in
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 5: Christian perfection, so that thereby God may ever be glorified
• 1:28:18
  Speaker 5: more and more. A truly Christian life is our highest
• 1:28:20
  Speaker 5: glorification of God. Hence, to obtain this grace we mist
• 1:28:23
  Speaker 5: diligently pray. This petition is placed first because it is
• 1:28:26
  Speaker 5: the most necessary to the glorification of God into our salvation.
• 1:28:30
  Speaker 5: It is also the foundation of the other petitions two.
• 1:28:33
  Speaker 5: In the second petition, thy Kingdom Come, a threefold kingdom
• 1:28:36
  Speaker 5: of God is meant for the coming of which we pray.
• 1:28:38
  Speaker 5: It is the Kingdom of God about us, in us
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 5: and above us. The Kingdom of God about us is
• 1:28:43
  Speaker 5: the Church of Christ. Christ founded it as his divine
• 1:28:46
  Speaker 5: kingdom on earth to glorify God and lead mankind to salvation.
• 1:28:49
  Speaker 5: We ask that God may grant to all men grace
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 5: to recognize our Holy Church as thee divine institution, to
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 5: submit themselves to her authority, and to become members of
• 1:28:57
  Speaker 5: this Church find order to properly worship the True God God,
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 5: to glorify Him and thus work their salvation. The Kingdom
• 1:29:04
  Speaker 5: of God is within us when we allow ourselves to
• 1:29:06
  Speaker 5: be ruled and guided not by the spirit of the world,
• 1:29:08
  Speaker 5: but by the Spirit of God. Those who are moved
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 5: by the Spirit of God are God's children and His
• 1:29:13
  Speaker 5: soul is the Kingdom of God established whose faith agrees
• 1:29:16
  Speaker 5: with the teaching of the Church, who hopes, loves, and
• 1:29:18
  Speaker 5: lives in the true faith. The Kingdom of God above
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 5: us is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Church on earth
• 1:29:23
  Speaker 5: is the Kingdom of Truth, of grace, of virtue. It
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 5: will become in heaven the Kingdom of Glory. Through this
• 1:29:28
  Speaker 5: triple kingdom, God is glorified on earth and in Heaven.
• 1:29:30
  Speaker 5: And this is the first and chief aim of every
• 1:29:32
  Speaker 5: created thing. Through this threefold Kingdom we gain salvation, happiness,
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 5: and eternal life. That this threefold dominion of God may
• 1:29:39
  Speaker 5: come to us and to all mankind, we ask the
• 1:29:41
  Speaker 5: Father in Heaven in the second petition. In order that
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 5: what we ask for in the second petition may be attained,
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 5: we must comply with a third petition that I will
• 1:29:48
  Speaker 5: be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Almighty
• 1:29:51
  Speaker 5: God is the supreme ruler of heaven and earth. All
• 1:29:53
  Speaker 5: creatures in heaven and Earth must submit themselves unconditionally to
• 1:29:56
  Speaker 5: His Holy will. God makes his will known to us
• 1:29:59
  Speaker 5: through his commandment and through his Holy Church. We must
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 5: be ready and willing at all times to do the
• 1:30:03
  Speaker 5: will of God and to submit to it in all things.
• 1:30:06
  Speaker 5: We must obey his commandments. We must gladly and humbly
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 5: submit ourselves to His dispensations, no matter what they may be.
• 1:30:12
  Speaker 5: That God's will may at all times be done by
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 5: us and in us, and in all things. This should
• 1:30:16
  Speaker 5: be our ardent desire, not with a servile fear, but
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 5: with filial love, as Jesus has taught us by his
• 1:30:21
  Speaker 5: word and example. But this far surpasses our own strength.
• 1:30:24
  Speaker 5: And for this reason Jesus teaches and enjoins us to
• 1:30:27
  Speaker 5: beg the Father, that He may grant to us and
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 5: to all mankind, the grace to do at all times
• 1:30:31
  Speaker 5: his holy will. By this faithful submission of our wills
• 1:30:34
  Speaker 5: to the will of God, we glorify God in the
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 5: most perfect way. Three. In our earthly pilgrimage to Heaven,
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 5: we require divine assistance in order to live our corporal
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 5: and spiritual life according to the Divine will. For this reason,
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 5: Christ instructs us to pray in the fourth petition, give
• 1:30:49
  Speaker 5: us this day our daily bread. That means, give us, o, God,
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 5: what we stand in need of for body and soul,
• 1:30:54
  Speaker 5: that we may live according to Thy holy will. We
• 1:30:57
  Speaker 5: depend upon God in all things. He is our creator
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 5: and also our preserver. We could not live a single
• 1:31:01
  Speaker 5: moment without his aid. As we are composed of body
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 5: and soul, our ones are twofold. We have requirements for
• 1:31:07
  Speaker 5: the body, and others for the soul. We stand in
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 5: need of food, shelter, and clothing for body. All rich
• 1:31:12
  Speaker 5: and poor alike must petition God for these. For each
• 1:31:14
  Speaker 5: one stands in God's hand. God can cast the rich
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 5: man down like job and free the poor man from
• 1:31:20
  Speaker 5: all want. The word bread includes all necessities of life.
• 1:31:23
  Speaker 5: Give me neither beggary nor riches. Give me only the
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 5: necessaries of life. Proverbs chapter thirty, verse eight. That we
• 1:31:29
  Speaker 5: are told to pray for our daily bread should remind
• 1:31:31
  Speaker 5: us that we must not be too solicitous for the morrow.
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 5: He who gives unto us today will also provide for
• 1:31:36
  Speaker 5: us tomorrow if we humbly ask him. We say our
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 5: bread because it is our duty to earn it in
• 1:31:41
  Speaker 5: an honorable manner by industry and labor. He who toils
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 5: not shall not eat. We say also our bread, and
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 5: not my bread, because we wish the poor, who cannot
• 1:31:49
  Speaker 5: help themselves to have it as well as we ourselves,
• 1:31:52
  Speaker 5: and we must share it with them as much as
• 1:31:53
  Speaker 5: our means allow. As our body requires nourishment, so does
• 1:31:56
  Speaker 5: our soul. The food of the soul is the Word
• 1:31:58
  Speaker 5: of God and the bread of life that came down
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 5: from Heaven. We must partake of this bread of the
• 1:32:02
  Speaker 5: soul by hearing the word of God, by reading in meditation,
• 1:32:05
  Speaker 5: and by receiving the sacraments. Thus has Jesus, in the
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 5: four first petitions taught and commanded us to ask for
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 5: everything that is necessary for the attainment of our last end.
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 5: In the three remaining petitions, he instructs us to pray
• 1:32:16
  Speaker 5: for protection against all things which are obstacles the attainment
• 1:32:19
  Speaker 5: of that end. Two. In these three petitions we ask
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 5: that everything may be averted that would hinder us from
• 1:32:25
  Speaker 5: attaining our true goal, our salvation and the glorification of God.
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 5: One this obstacle, however, is sin and its evil consequences,
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 5: And these three petitions have reference to sin in its
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 5: evil consequences. We, like all men, are sinners, and in
• 1:32:38
  Speaker 5: our sins we cannot worship God properly, nor can we
• 1:32:40
  Speaker 5: attain our salvation if God does not show mercy to us.
• 1:32:43
  Speaker 5: For this reason, we humbly implore God in the fifth
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 5: petition forgive us our trespasses. In these words, we implore
• 1:32:49
  Speaker 5: God to grant unto us and our fellow men a
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 5: sincerely contrite heart, and to graciously forgive us our sins
• 1:32:54
  Speaker 5: and the punishment do for them. As a condition of forgiveness, However,
• 1:32:57
  Speaker 5: God exacts from us that we forgive those who have
• 1:33:00
  Speaker 5: offended us as fully as we desire that God forgive us. Therefore,
• 1:33:03
  Speaker 5: we add, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
• 1:33:06
  Speaker 5: In the sixth petition, we implore God that he would
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 5: graciously preserve us from falling into sin, lead us not
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 5: into temptation. With these words, we urge God that he
• 1:33:14
  Speaker 5: should keep from us temptation to sin, or if through
• 1:33:17
  Speaker 5: temptation he desires to try us, that he grant us
• 1:33:20
  Speaker 5: abundant graces to conquer it. Temptations do not come from God,
• 1:33:23
  Speaker 5: but from our own nature, from Satan, and from the world.
• 1:33:26
  Speaker 5: God permits them in his wisdom to try our love
• 1:33:28
  Speaker 5: for Him, to preserve us in humility, and to strengthen us,
• 1:33:31
  Speaker 5: to animate our zeal for virtue and increase our merits.
• 1:33:34
  Speaker 5: God will assist us in temptation if we are exposed
• 1:33:36
  Speaker 5: to it, without any fault of ours. Those However, who
• 1:33:39
  Speaker 5: court the danger will perish in it. They cannot expect
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 5: divine assistants who willfully seek temptation and sin. Three. The
• 1:33:46
  Speaker 5: seventh and last petition is but deliver us from evil.
• 1:33:48
  Speaker 5: After asking God not to lead us into temptation, we
• 1:33:51
  Speaker 5: urge him to preserve us from evil of soul and body.
• 1:33:54
  Speaker 5: We confidently trust God to guide us according to his
• 1:33:56
  Speaker 5: wisdom and mercy, and to deliver us from everything which
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 5: is an obstacle to ourselves, even if in our own
• 1:34:01
  Speaker 5: short sightedness we may think it good and desirable. We
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 5: conclude the Lord's prayer with the little word amen, which
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 5: is equivalent to so be it. With this single word
• 1:34:09
  Speaker 5: we confirm all our petitions. It means, O, God, grant
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 5: us these things for which we have just prayed. Truly,
• 1:34:15
  Speaker 5: this prayer taught by our Lord is of high dignity
• 1:34:17
  Speaker 5: and importance. It is not alone of prayer, but a
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 5: sermon as well. It is a prayer which comprises in
• 1:34:22
  Speaker 5: itself all other prayers. Is a prayer of praise, thanksgiving,
• 1:34:25
  Speaker 5: and supplication. It is therefore appropriate for all occasions. Are
• 1:34:29
  Speaker 5: you discouraged and faint hearted, Go and save thee our Father.
• 1:34:31
  Speaker 5: The thought that you have an all merciful Father in
• 1:34:33
  Speaker 5: heaven will lift you up, inspire you with confidence and comfort.
• 1:34:36
  Speaker 5: You do self, love and pride, strive for the mastery
• 1:34:39
  Speaker 5: within you. Go say hallowed be Thy name is anger
• 1:34:41
  Speaker 5: and malice in your heart. Say forgive us our trespasses,
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 5: as we forgive those who trespass against us. If impatience
• 1:34:47
  Speaker 5: is your fault, Say thy will be done on earth
• 1:34:49
  Speaker 5: as it is in Heaven. When be said by temptation,
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 5: invoke God, lead us not into temptation, and in trial
• 1:34:55
  Speaker 5: and adversity, beseech God deliver us from evil. Oh, that
• 1:34:59
  Speaker 5: this holy and sublime time prayer would be properly understood
• 1:35:01
  Speaker 5: and appreciated. What blessings it would produce everywhere. May then
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 5: our contemplation contribute with the blessing of God toward our
• 1:35:07
  Speaker 5: own love of this wonderful prayer and greater devotion. In
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 5: its recital end of chapter seven recording by Tatiana Chichilla, Columbus, Ohio.
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 5: Chapter eight of The Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 1:35:25
  Speaker 5: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:35:29
  Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot
• 1:35:32
  Speaker 5: org recording by Tatiana Chichila, Columbus, Ohio. The Excellence of
• 1:35:37
  Speaker 5: the Rosary by Reverend math Joseph Frings, Chapter eight. The
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 5: Hail Mary, and the Angel said to her, Hail full
• 1:35:44
  Speaker 5: of grace. The Lord is with thee blessed art thou
• 1:35:46
  Speaker 5: among women Luke, Chapter one, verse twenty eight. Dear brethren,
• 1:35:51
  Speaker 5: today there is offered for our consideration one of the
• 1:35:53
  Speaker 5: sweetest prayers of our holy religion. It is the Hail Mary,
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 5: or angelical salutation, which we say so often, particularly in
• 1:35:59
  Speaker 5: the Rose. Considered in its origin, its contents, and in
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 5: its efficacy, it is beautiful and sublime, and with the
• 1:36:05
  Speaker 5: exception of the Lord's Prayer the most excellent. Its origin
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 5: is to be had in the words which the archangel
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 5: Gabriel addressed to Blessed Mary, ever virgin. To these have
• 1:36:13
  Speaker 5: been added the words of Saint Elizabeth on the occasion
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 5: of Mary's visit, and the Holy Church has completed the
• 1:36:17
  Speaker 5: prayer with a consoling supplication. Its very origin therefore makes
• 1:36:21
  Speaker 5: this prayer a wholly and venerable one. The words of
• 1:36:23
  Speaker 5: salutation are brief, but they contain everything that one could
• 1:36:25
  Speaker 5: ever say in praise of the Virgin Mother of God.
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 5: The petition includes briefly everything for which we may ask Mary.
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 5: Let us then give our attention to this beautiful prayer
• 1:36:33
  Speaker 5: in the name of Jesus and Mary, his blessed Mother. One.
• 1:36:37
  Speaker 5: It is said that in the first part of the
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 5: Hail Mary, all the privileges and glories which made the
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 5: blessed version so worthy of praise are contained. A closer
• 1:36:44
  Speaker 5: examination will show us how true this is. Let us
• 1:36:47
  Speaker 5: transport ourselves in spirit to Nazareth, to the quiet little
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 5: room where Mary is praying in deepest devotion. Suddenly there
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 5: enters this room one of the most exalted spirits that
• 1:36:55
  Speaker 5: stand at the throne of the Creator. What does this
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 5: messenger from heaven desire of this humble virgin unknown to
• 1:37:00
  Speaker 5: the world. He desired to know less than her participation
• 1:37:02
  Speaker 5: in our redemption. The only begotten Son of God, in
• 1:37:05
  Speaker 5: his infinite love for mankind, has offered to take upon
• 1:37:08
  Speaker 5: himself human nature, to atone for our sins and to
• 1:37:10
  Speaker 5: redeem us. The time appointed by God's providence when this
• 1:37:13
  Speaker 5: great work was to be consummated, had now come. Mary,
• 1:37:16
  Speaker 5: in the Divine counsels, is destined to be the mother
• 1:37:18
  Speaker 5: of the Savior, the celestial messenger appears to bring this
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 5: message to her, and to obtain her consent, God desired
• 1:37:24
  Speaker 5: that Mary should voluntarily co operate in the redemption. Mary
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 5: cooperated our redemption by proving herself worthy to be called
• 1:37:31
  Speaker 5: to the Divine Motherhood, as far as this is possible
• 1:37:33
  Speaker 5: for a human being. This she did by cooperating faithfully
• 1:37:36
  Speaker 5: with the abundance of grace granted her by God, and
• 1:37:39
  Speaker 5: thus proving herself worthy to become the Mother of the Savior.
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 5: Through her virginity, she rendered herself worthy according to the body,
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 5: and through her most profound piety and humility according to
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 5: the spirit. Both virtues stand forth most brilliantly in the
• 1:37:50
  Speaker 5: enunciation of the Angel. But she wished rather to forego
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 5: the exalted dignity of divine motherhood than relinquish the virginity
• 1:37:56
  Speaker 5: which she had dedicated to God.
• 1:37:58
  Speaker 1: And when the.
• 1:37:58
  Speaker 5: Highest dignity which can be besure stowed upon a creature
• 1:38:01
  Speaker 5: was announced to her, she called herself the handmaid of
• 1:38:03
  Speaker 5: the Lord. Mary, when convinced of the will of God,
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 5: humbly consented, saying, behold, the Handmaid of the Lord, be
• 1:38:08
  Speaker 5: it done unto me according to Thy word Through this consent,
• 1:38:11
  Speaker 5: Mary conferred upon the world an unspeakable, great blessing for
• 1:38:14
  Speaker 5: which we should be eternally grateful to her. By this consent,
• 1:38:17
  Speaker 5: she became the second Eve, the spiritual first parent of
• 1:38:20
  Speaker 5: the redeemed Grace. The Angel, recognizing in Mary his future queen,
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  Speaker 5: now reverently set forth in belief words that all the
• 1:38:26
  Speaker 5: prerogatives which God had granted her and was about to
• 1:38:29
  Speaker 5: bestow upon her. These prerogatives are one the fullness of grace,
• 1:38:32
  Speaker 5: which God had already granted unto her, two the dignity
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 5: of Mother of God, which He now granted her, and
• 1:38:38
  Speaker 5: finally three the veneration and glorification, which, on account of
• 1:38:41
  Speaker 5: this fullness of grace and dignity she would partake of
• 1:38:43
  Speaker 5: in heaven and earth. The first privileged fullness of grace
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 5: which she had received from God, the Angel expressed with
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 5: the words full of grace. These words mean thou art
• 1:38:51
  Speaker 5: filled with all the divine graces in a measure possible
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  Speaker 5: to no other creature. Thou hast received to the full
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 5: all graces, as God will exalt thee to a dignity
• 1:38:59
  Speaker 5: beyond that of the most exalted spirits of Heaven. So
• 1:39:02
  Speaker 5: he has granted you more and greater graces than even
• 1:39:04
  Speaker 5: to the Seraphim and Cherubim. Now, since thou hast cooperated
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  Speaker 5: in a perfect manner with all these graces, thou hast
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  Speaker 5: become the most virtuous, the holiest, the most perfect of
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  Speaker 5: all creatures. Therefore, art thou worthy to become the mother
• 1:39:16
  Speaker 5: of the most high. Mary's second privilege, which the Angel mentioned,
• 1:39:19
  Speaker 5: was her elevation to the dignity of mother of God.
• 1:39:22
  Speaker 5: The Lord is with THEE, that is, God has bestowed
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 5: upon THEE every grace, and finding THEE worthy, thou art
• 1:39:27
  Speaker 5: to be the mother of His son to cooperate in
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 5: the redemption and salvation of the world. In the words
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 5: the Lord is with Thee is expressed the intimate relationship
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 5: of Mary to God accomplished by the incarnation. Not merely
• 1:39:38
  Speaker 5: through the fullness of His grace and love is God
• 1:39:40
  Speaker 5: with her, but even according to the flesh, God is
• 1:39:42
  Speaker 5: intimately united to her. Mary's third privilege, announced by the
• 1:39:46
  Speaker 5: Angel is the exalted veneration, which she merits for her
• 1:39:48
  Speaker 5: dignity and sanctity. The Angel expresses this in the words
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 5: blessed art Thou among women. The Angel had reference to
• 1:39:54
  Speaker 5: the promise given by God in Paradise that there would
• 1:39:56
  Speaker 5: come a woman who should crush the serpent's head. He
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 5: had in mind also the renowned women of the Old
• 1:40:01
  Speaker 5: Law who had rescued the people of God from peril
• 1:40:03
  Speaker 5: and depression, and who were for this reason blessed by
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 5: the people, such as Judith and Esther. These heroic women
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 5: were glorious prototypes pointing to Mary, who was to crush
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 5: the serpent's head, to destroy the designs of Lucifer, and
• 1:40:15
  Speaker 5: to save the human race from destruction. Yes, truly, Mary
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 5: is blessed by God among all women, and is herself
• 1:40:20
  Speaker 5: an infinite blessing for the entire world. The Lord hath
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 5: done great things in her. She realizes herself in those
• 1:40:25
  Speaker 5: prophetic words. Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 5: for He that is mighty hath done great things to me.
• 1:40:32
  Speaker 5: And holy is his name. And so it has been
• 1:40:34
  Speaker 5: and ever will be, as long as the sun illumines
• 1:40:36
  Speaker 5: the earth. For more than nineteenth centuries, the people and
• 1:40:39
  Speaker 5: nations have joyfully repeated the Angel's words, Blessed art thou
• 1:40:42
  Speaker 5: among women. By precept of the Church, we add the
• 1:40:44
  Speaker 5: words and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 5: in order to join to our praise of Mary, that
• 1:40:49
  Speaker 5: of Jesus, from whom and on whose account she received
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 5: all her privileges, and for whose sake she receives all
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 5: this praise. Two after the prayer of Praise and the
• 1:40:58
  Speaker 5: Hail Mary, there follows the prayer of supperation, which the
• 1:41:00
  Speaker 5: Church has added. This supplication is Holy Mary, Mother of God,
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 5: pray for us sinners now and at the hour of
• 1:41:06
  Speaker 5: our death. Amen. A short petition, but a significant one
• 1:41:09
  Speaker 5: by which we invoke Mary's intercession in all our needs.
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 5: The words Holy Mary, Mother of God, form the opening
• 1:41:14
  Speaker 5: of this petition. They repeat the truth contained in the
• 1:41:17
  Speaker 5: prayer of Praise, and are at the same time calculated
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 5: to arouse our confidence in Mary. The name Mary alone
• 1:41:22
  Speaker 5: should awaken our confidence in the blessed Virgin. Because the
• 1:41:25
  Speaker 5: name Mary means sovereign. Mary is indeed a sovereign, a ruler.
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 5: As mother of the King of Heaven and Earth. She
• 1:41:30
  Speaker 5: is the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and our lady,
• 1:41:32
  Speaker 5: our queen as well. Mary also means star of the sea.
• 1:41:36
  Speaker 5: As star of the sea, Mary is to mankind what
• 1:41:38
  Speaker 5: a kindly star is to the sailor who finds himself
• 1:41:40
  Speaker 5: on stormy waters. This world resembles an ocean, where storms
• 1:41:44
  Speaker 5: and perils abound to the menace of body and soul.
• 1:41:46
  Speaker 5: The winds and storms of temptations rise, The dangerous rocks
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 5: of oppression threaten, the stormy waves of passion, of pride,
• 1:41:53
  Speaker 5: of ambition, of avarice, of anger, envy, revenge, avidity beat
• 1:41:57
  Speaker 5: upon us. All these dangers trouble the heart and fill
• 1:41:59
  Speaker 5: it with sorrow and fear. And as the star leads
• 1:42:02
  Speaker 5: the sailor to a safe haven, so Mary is to
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 5: us the kindly star that inspires us with consolation and
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 5: confidence and brings us rescue. Holy Mary, Mother of God.
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 5: As Mother of God, Mary possesses the power of mediation
• 1:42:14
  Speaker 5: with her divine son. The angels and saints altogether cannot
• 1:42:17
  Speaker 5: have the influence that Mary exercises. The Holy Fathers and
• 1:42:20
  Speaker 5: teachers refer to this power when they say Mary is
• 1:42:22
  Speaker 5: omnipotent through her intercession, as God is omnipotent in himself.
• 1:42:26
  Speaker 5: Thus the opening of the supplication inspires veneration and confidence
• 1:42:30
  Speaker 5: in Mary. With this veneration and confidence, then we ask
• 1:42:33
  Speaker 5: pray for us sinners, Thou, the Holy One, the Powerful
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 5: and Good, Pray for us, miserable sinners, not worthy to
• 1:42:38
  Speaker 5: approach God and be heard. Pray for us in all
• 1:42:41
  Speaker 5: our temporal and spiritual necessities, in every danger of body
• 1:42:44
  Speaker 5: and soul. Pray above all to obtain for us the
• 1:42:46
  Speaker 5: grace of a perfect conversion and repentance, and the grace
• 1:42:49
  Speaker 5: of perseverance until the end of life. Pray for us,
• 1:42:51
  Speaker 5: Holy Mary, Mother of God, now while it is yet
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 5: time for us to merit salvation, But pray for us
• 1:42:57
  Speaker 5: especially when that solemn and sad hour of death has arrived,
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 5: and that dark hour will be decided our eternal destiny.
• 1:43:02
  Speaker 5: At that dread hour, forsake us not pray for us
• 1:43:05
  Speaker 5: now and at the hour of our death. We have
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 5: seen what an excellent prayer the Hail Mary is. It
• 1:43:10
  Speaker 5: follows that it is also an efficacious prayer. When the
• 1:43:12
  Speaker 5: Hail Mary was uttered for the first time by the
• 1:43:14
  Speaker 5: Archangel it ushered in the most stupendous of all miracles.
• 1:43:17
  Speaker 5: And whenever we devoutly repeat this salutation with faith and confidence,
• 1:43:21
  Speaker 5: it will be for us also a means of grace
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 5: and blessing. Whenever you salute Mary, says Saint Bernard, she
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 5: returns the greeting she gives you in return consolation and blessing.
• 1:43:30
  Speaker 5: Let us then recite this beautiful and excellent prayer most
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 5: diligently and piously, and let us give special preference to
• 1:43:35
  Speaker 5: the devotion of the Rosary, which is a garland woven
• 1:43:37
  Speaker 5: to Blessed Mary. From this prayer of praise, the quarter
• 1:43:40
  Speaker 5: of an hour spent in reciting the beads will bring
• 1:43:42
  Speaker 5: us blessings in life and a happy death. How we
• 1:43:44
  Speaker 5: shall rejoice when we behold Mary face to face and
• 1:43:47
  Speaker 5: greet her with the words, Hail Mary, full of grace.
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 5: The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women,
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 5: And blessed is the fruit of thy whomb Jesus, to
• 1:43:54
  Speaker 5: whom be praise for all eternity. Amen. End of chapter eight.
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 5: According by Tatiana Chicchilla, Columbus, Ohio.
• 1:44:08
  Speaker 3: Chapter nine of the Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 1:44:12
  Speaker 3: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:44:16
  Speaker 3: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:44:21
  Speaker 3: Recording by Linda Pretorius. The Excellence of the Rosary by
• 1:44:25
  Speaker 3: Reverend math Joseph Frings, Chapter nine, the prayer to increase
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 3: the three divine virtues. And now there remain faith, hope,
• 1:44:35
  Speaker 3: and charity these three. But the greatest of these is charity.
• 1:44:39
  Speaker 3: One Corinthians thirteen thirteen. Dear brethren, In beginning, the rosary
• 1:44:44
  Speaker 3: ie our Father, and three Hail Marys are set in
• 1:44:47
  Speaker 3: supplication for the three divine virtues. These virtues are called
• 1:44:51
  Speaker 3: divine because they have God for their author or their object.
• 1:44:56
  Speaker 3: In baptism, these virtues are infused into the soul together
• 1:44:59
  Speaker 3: with sanctifying grace. Through sanctifying grace received in baptism, we
• 1:45:04
  Speaker 3: are may children of God. From that moment there is
• 1:45:08
  Speaker 3: imposed upon us the duty as soon as we shall
• 1:45:11
  Speaker 3: be able to use our reason of thinking, speaking, and
• 1:45:15
  Speaker 3: acting as behooves the true children of God. This duty
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 3: we perform if we imitate the example of Jesus Christ,
• 1:45:23
  Speaker 3: and if we endeavor to be perfect, as our heavenly
• 1:45:26
  Speaker 3: Father is perfect. But as this cannot be done by
• 1:45:29
  Speaker 3: human power, the Holy Ghost has willed to enable us
• 1:45:33
  Speaker 3: to do so by imparting to us in baptism the
• 1:45:36
  Speaker 3: three divine virtues. By the infused grace of faith, God
• 1:45:40
  Speaker 3: gives us a supernatural light, in addition to the natural
• 1:45:44
  Speaker 3: light of our reason, with the aid of which we
• 1:45:47
  Speaker 3: may comprehend His revelations. God bestows upon us thus through
• 1:45:52
  Speaker 3: the virtue of faith, a share of His own wisdom.
• 1:45:56
  Speaker 3: The supernatural grace of hope turns our thought heaven we
• 1:45:59
  Speaker 3: will word gives us an incentive to co operate with grace.
• 1:46:04
  Speaker 3: The supernatural virtue of charity renders us capable of loving
• 1:46:08
  Speaker 3: God in a worthy and meritorious manner, and of loving
• 1:46:12
  Speaker 3: that which God loves. As the child arrives at the
• 1:46:16
  Speaker 3: age of discretion and obtains the right use of reason,
• 1:46:20
  Speaker 3: he is obliged to practice these virtues, and thus I
• 1:46:24
  Speaker 3: strengthen his soul and grow in peace. We are obliged
• 1:46:29
  Speaker 3: to awaken frequently faith, hope, and charity towards God and
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 3: our neighbor in a practical manner. By the possession, practice,
• 1:46:36
  Speaker 3: and application of these three divine virtues, we attain to
• 1:46:40
  Speaker 3: Christian perfection. The more we learn to know these virtues,
• 1:46:44
  Speaker 3: the more zealous we shall be in practicing them, The
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 3: more earnestly we shall strive for their increase, the more
• 1:46:51
  Speaker 3: incessantly shall we pray for them. Let us therefore take
• 1:46:54
  Speaker 3: these three divine virtues for the subject of our consideration. One.
• 1:47:00
  Speaker 3: Faith is the first of the three divine virtues. It
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 3: is the foundation of the other virtues. Without faith in
• 1:47:07
  Speaker 3: God in his revelations and promises, there can be no
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 3: Christian hope, no Christian charity. For this reason, faith is
• 1:47:16
  Speaker 3: the foundation of virtuous living. Christian faith is a virtue
• 1:47:20
  Speaker 3: infused by God into our souls, by which we are
• 1:47:22
  Speaker 3: enabled to believe firmly all that which God has revealed
• 1:47:26
  Speaker 3: and which the infallible Catholic Church purposes for our belief.
• 1:47:31
  Speaker 3: An act of faith requires the use of the understanding
• 1:47:34
  Speaker 3: and the use of the will. The mysteries suppose our
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 3: natural understanding. They are furthermore, to be believed in supernatural manner,
• 1:47:44
  Speaker 3: and we require therefore the supernatural light of faith added
• 1:47:48
  Speaker 3: to the natural light of our understanding. And we require
• 1:47:52
  Speaker 3: also that our natural will power be strengthened by the
• 1:47:56
  Speaker 3: supernatural power of grace. This light is the power we
• 1:48:00
  Speaker 3: receive in baptism. The supernatural light of faith qualifies us
• 1:48:05
  Speaker 3: to understand that the truths revealed by God are divine.
• 1:48:09
  Speaker 3: In order to believe, it does not suffice to know
• 1:48:12
  Speaker 3: the divine truths as the Church teaches them. We must also,
• 1:48:17
  Speaker 3: of our own free will, assent to them and acknowledge
• 1:48:21
  Speaker 3: as divine truths, even those mysteries which surpasse our human understanding.
• 1:48:26
  Speaker 3: To that extent, faith is a matter of will. God,
• 1:48:30
  Speaker 3: through the light and power of the grace of faith,
• 1:48:33
  Speaker 3: comes to the assistance of our reason and will in
• 1:48:36
  Speaker 3: order that we may confidently submit both to divine revelation,
• 1:48:41
  Speaker 3: that is, to God, in order that the infused virtue
• 1:48:45
  Speaker 3: of faith may be meritorious for us. We must co
• 1:48:48
  Speaker 3: operate with grace by readily submitting our understanding and our
• 1:48:53
  Speaker 3: will to divine revelation. Then this virtue of faith will
• 1:48:57
  Speaker 3: not only be an infused one by but also will
• 1:49:01
  Speaker 3: be an acquired one, and thus become a meritorious virtue.
• 1:49:05
  Speaker 3: This actual and acquired virtue is for every adult the
• 1:49:09
  Speaker 3: first condition of salvation. Still, the acceptance of the divine
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 3: doctrine is alone not sufficient for salvation. We must live
• 1:49:17
  Speaker 3: in accordance with our faith. We must do good and
• 1:49:20
  Speaker 3: shun evil. Such is the teaching of faith. He truly believes,
• 1:49:25
  Speaker 3: who practices what believes, says Saint Gregory, and Saint James
• 1:49:29
  Speaker 3: tells us that faith without works is dead faith and
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 3: avails nothing to salvation. A living faith is the first
• 1:49:37
  Speaker 3: condition and the beginning of salvation. Eternal happiness consists as
• 1:49:42
  Speaker 3: we are aware in the vision of God. The living
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 3: faith is a beginning of this vision. We know God
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 3: through the Christian faith, but only as in a mirror.
• 1:49:54
  Speaker 3: Now I know in part, but then I shall know
• 1:49:57
  Speaker 3: even as I am known one Corinthians thirteen twelve two.
• 1:50:02
  Speaker 3: The second of the divine virtues is hope. Christian hope
• 1:50:06
  Speaker 3: is a virtue infused into our souls by which we
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 3: confidently expect of God everything which He has promised us
• 1:50:13
  Speaker 3: through the merits of Christ. God has promised us eternal happiness.
• 1:50:18
  Speaker 3: Also all things which we stand in need of and
• 1:50:21
  Speaker 3: that are profitable for us in our endeavor to attain
• 1:50:25
  Speaker 3: eternal happiness. Jesus has merited these for us, and God
• 1:50:30
  Speaker 3: has promised them to us for the sake of the
• 1:50:33
  Speaker 3: merits of Jesus Christ. And because God has promised them
• 1:50:36
  Speaker 3: to us, we must confidently expect and hope for them.
• 1:50:40
  Speaker 3: Because God is omnipotent, merciful, and faithful to his promises.
• 1:50:46
  Speaker 3: This Christian confidence in God is bestowed by the virtue
• 1:50:49
  Speaker 3: of hope infused into our souls at baptism. We must
• 1:50:54
  Speaker 3: frequently exercise it in order to make it conducive to salvation.
• 1:50:59
  Speaker 3: The virtueu of hope is based upon the virtue of faith.
• 1:51:03
  Speaker 3: Faith informs us of the promises of God, and that
• 1:51:06
  Speaker 3: He is all powerful and faithful in fulfilling his promises.
• 1:51:11
  Speaker 3: Without faith, Christian hope would not be possible. This, the
• 1:51:15
  Speaker 3: apostle Paul teaches in his Epistle to the Corinthians. In
• 1:51:18
  Speaker 3: plain words, faith, he writes, is the substance of things
• 1:51:23
  Speaker 3: hopeful Hebrews eleven one. Hope is really, therefore an active
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 3: faith in the mercy and generosity of God. Christian hope
• 1:51:33
  Speaker 3: is just as necessary for salvation as faith, for as
• 1:51:37
  Speaker 3: we are saved by hope. Thus, the Apostle writes in
• 1:51:40
  Speaker 3: the Epistle to the Romans Roman eight, verse twenty four, Hence,
• 1:51:45
  Speaker 3: when we lose hope, we forfit our salvation. Christian hope
• 1:51:50
  Speaker 3: is in part desire, in part confidence. It is a
• 1:51:54
  Speaker 3: lively desire for eternal happiness, for the possession of God,
• 1:51:59
  Speaker 3: and for the means which aid us in gaining salvation.
• 1:52:02
  Speaker 3: It contains in itself a heartfelt desire for forgiveness of
• 1:52:07
  Speaker 3: sins and for liberation from the punishment due to sins.
• 1:52:11
  Speaker 3: It includes an ordent longing for a virtuous Christian life.
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 3: It is that hunger and thirst for justice of which
• 1:52:18
  Speaker 3: Christ speaks in the Eight Beetitudes. As God is the
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 3: supreme good, combining every other good, so our desire for
• 1:52:26
  Speaker 3: the blessed possession of God must be the sins, theerest,
• 1:52:31
  Speaker 3: indeed the sole desire of our hearts. All other things
• 1:52:36
  Speaker 3: we may desire only on God's account, and only in
• 1:52:39
  Speaker 3: so far as they are the means to help us
• 1:52:42
  Speaker 3: to the possession of God. Who Ever experiences this desire
• 1:52:46
  Speaker 3: will zealously pray for all things, he will be a
• 1:52:50
  Speaker 3: man of prayer. Christian hope is not only desire, but
• 1:52:54
  Speaker 3: also confidence. God has promised us forgiveness of our sins
• 1:52:58
  Speaker 3: and the grace to do the good that is required
• 1:53:01
  Speaker 3: of us. He has promised us, after a Christian life,
• 1:53:04
  Speaker 3: the eternal happiness of heaven. He is ready to fulfill
• 1:53:08
  Speaker 3: his promises. The fulfillment of the divine promise depends, however,
• 1:53:12
  Speaker 3: upon our own cooperation, upon our sincere good will, upon
• 1:53:17
  Speaker 3: our cooperation with grace. Our confidence must therefore never become presumption.
• 1:53:23
  Speaker 3: The apostle admonishes us to work out our salvation in
• 1:53:27
  Speaker 3: fear and trembling. Saint Francis the Selves calls confidence in
• 1:53:30
  Speaker 3: God and distrust in ourselves, the two balancing poles, by
• 1:53:34
  Speaker 3: the help of which we are enabled to keep our equilibrium,
• 1:53:38
  Speaker 3: to distrust ourselves, and to have the fullest trust in God,
• 1:53:43
  Speaker 3: is the essence of Christian hope. Christian hope is an
• 1:53:47
  Speaker 3: essential condition for eternal happiness. By hope, we anticipate life eternal.
• 1:53:53
  Speaker 3: It is to us a pledge and a foretaste. And
• 1:53:56
  Speaker 3: when we shall pass into eternity with the living hope,
• 1:53:59
  Speaker 3: our hope will be transformed into possession of that which
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 3: we have hoped for, the possession of God, the supreme good.
• 1:54:07
  Speaker 3: Three Charity, the third of the divine virtues, is the
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 3: virtue infused by God into our souls, which enable us
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 3: to love God above all things, and for His sake,
• 1:54:17
  Speaker 3: to love our neighbor as ourselves. That such divine charity
• 1:54:22
  Speaker 3: surpasses human power is quite evident. It is inseparably united
• 1:54:27
  Speaker 3: to sanctifying grace. He who possesses sanctifying grace possesses also
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 3: the virtue of divine charity. He who loses sanctifying grace
• 1:54:36
  Speaker 3: through mortal sin loses also divine charity. The virtue of
• 1:54:41
  Speaker 3: charity is a participation in the divine charity with which
• 1:54:45
  Speaker 3: God loves us. It is a divine commandment that we
• 1:54:49
  Speaker 3: must love God with our whole heart, with our whole soul,
• 1:54:53
  Speaker 3: and with our whole strength, And that we must love
• 1:54:56
  Speaker 3: our neighbor as ourselves for God's sake. To give oneself
• 1:55:01
  Speaker 3: wholy to God, to prefer him to all things, rather
• 1:55:05
  Speaker 3: lose all things than offend him. To seek to accomplish
• 1:55:08
  Speaker 3: His Holy will in all things, to observe his commandments,
• 1:55:12
  Speaker 3: To offer up to God every thought, word, and deed,
• 1:55:16
  Speaker 3: to work and suffer for God, to live and die
• 1:55:19
  Speaker 3: for God. This is the true love of God. He
• 1:55:23
  Speaker 3: that hath my commandments and keepeth them. He it is
• 1:55:28
  Speaker 3: that loveth me. Thus speaks the Son of God John
• 1:55:31
  Speaker 3: fourteen twenty one. To love God in this manner is
• 1:55:35
  Speaker 3: made possible for us by the divine virtue of charity
• 1:55:39
  Speaker 3: received in baptism. We may, however, co operate with it
• 1:55:42
  Speaker 3: and so fulfill God's commandments. Only in this manner does
• 1:55:47
  Speaker 3: the infused virtue become an acquired and meritorious virtue. The
• 1:55:52
  Speaker 3: Christian virtue of charity is the greatest of all virtues.
• 1:55:56
  Speaker 3: It presupposes faith and hope, because we must believe and
• 1:56:00
  Speaker 3: hope in God before we can love him. Charity gives
• 1:56:03
  Speaker 3: life to faith and hope. With our charity, faith and
• 1:56:07
  Speaker 3: hope are deed and a veil not for salvation. Who
• 1:56:10
  Speaker 3: so loves not remains in death. Charity is not merely
• 1:56:15
  Speaker 3: the greatest of all virtues, but it contains all Christian virtues.
• 1:56:19
  Speaker 3: It is the essence of the Christian life. Through Christian faith,
• 1:56:23
  Speaker 3: we participate in the divine knowledge, through hope in the
• 1:56:27
  Speaker 3: divine power, and through charity we participate in the divine
• 1:56:31
  Speaker 3: justice and sanctity. Christian charity renders us holy, as the
• 1:56:36
  Speaker 3: heavenly Father is holy and perfect, as the Father in
• 1:56:39
  Speaker 3: Heaven is perfect. It is charity which year on earth
• 1:56:43
  Speaker 3: unites us with God. He who abides in charity abides
• 1:56:47
  Speaker 3: in God and God in him. It is a virtue
• 1:56:50
  Speaker 3: which continues for all eternity, when faith has become the
• 1:56:54
  Speaker 3: vision and hope the possession of God. The love of
• 1:56:57
  Speaker 3: God is inseparably united to the love of our neighbor.
• 1:57:01
  Speaker 3: For as Saint Augustine says, there are two commandments, but
• 1:57:06
  Speaker 3: only one charity, because there is no other charity with
• 1:57:09
  Speaker 3: which we love our neighbor than that with which we
• 1:57:13
  Speaker 3: love God, who says that he loves God but does
• 1:57:16
  Speaker 3: not love his neighbor. In him, there is no divine charity.
• 1:57:21
  Speaker 3: We have seen therefore, how the three divine virtues are
• 1:57:24
  Speaker 3: the foundation of the Christian life, and that their practice
• 1:57:28
  Speaker 3: constitutes Christian life. The true worship of God consists in
• 1:57:33
  Speaker 3: practicing these virtues, which at the same time are the
• 1:57:37
  Speaker 3: sole way to eternal bless Progress in the Christian life
• 1:57:41
  Speaker 3: keeps pace with the activity of these virtues. This increase
• 1:57:46
  Speaker 3: of virtue is likewise a gracious gift of God. We
• 1:57:49
  Speaker 3: are ever obliged to cooperate with grace. We must strive
• 1:57:54
  Speaker 3: for the increase of our faith, hope, and charity by
• 1:57:57
  Speaker 3: frequently practicing these virtues, by the words, the reception of
• 1:58:00
  Speaker 3: the Holy sacraments, by attentively contemplating the divine truths, and
• 1:58:05
  Speaker 3: especially by humble and heartfelt prayer. How feeble indeed is
• 1:58:10
  Speaker 3: our faith, how wavering our hope, how insufficient our love
• 1:58:14
  Speaker 3: of God and neighbor. They need the strengthening grace of God.
• 1:58:18
  Speaker 3: To pray rightly and to be worthy of being heard,
• 1:58:21
  Speaker 3: we must awaken these fundamental virtues. Therefore, at the beginning
• 1:58:26
  Speaker 3: of the Rosary, we say devoutly one our Father and
• 1:58:30
  Speaker 3: three home Marys, to ask God for an increase of
• 1:58:33
  Speaker 3: these virtues, because faith, hope, and charity should be both
• 1:58:38
  Speaker 3: the basis and the fruit of the Rosary. Amen. End
• 1:58:44
  Speaker 3: of chapter nine. Recording by Linda Pretorius.
• 1:58:52
  Speaker 2: Chapter ten of the Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 1:58:56
  Speaker 2: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:59:02
  Speaker 2: For more information, would volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:59:06
  Speaker 2: Recording by John Brandon. The Excellence of the Rosary by
• 1:59:12
  Speaker 2: Reverend math Joseph Frings, Chapter ten. The Excellence of the
• 1:59:18
  Speaker 2: Rosary in regard to its form, she reacheth therefore from
• 1:59:24
  Speaker 2: end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly. Wisdom
• 1:59:30
  Speaker 2: eight one. The disposition of the heart is in prayer
• 1:59:36
  Speaker 2: more consequence than the matter of expression. Yet an appropriate
• 1:59:40
  Speaker 2: form of prayer is helpful in avoiding distraction and inducing devotion.
• 1:59:46
  Speaker 2: A divine savior taught his disciples to make use of
• 1:59:49
  Speaker 2: a special form of prayer, the our Father. The form
• 1:59:55
  Speaker 2: of the Rosary helps appreciably in rendering the Rosary the
• 1:59:59
  Speaker 2: great prayer it is. The Rosary has been aptly called
• 2:00:03
  Speaker 2: the lay Breviary. For many centuries, the faithful joined in
• 2:00:08
  Speaker 2: the reciting of the Breviary. As late as in the
• 2:00:11
  Speaker 2: eleventh century, Saint Peter Damien urgently exhorted the faithful to
• 2:00:16
  Speaker 2: participate in the ecclesiastical hours of prayer. And when gradually
• 2:00:22
  Speaker 2: participation in the ecclesiastical prayer ceased, Divine Providence supplied the
• 2:00:27
  Speaker 2: Rosary to take for the laity the place of the Breviary.
• 2:00:31
  Speaker 2: It may thus properly be called the lay Breviary. In fact,
• 2:00:36
  Speaker 2: it reminds of the Breviary of priests, for it contains
• 2:00:39
  Speaker 2: verbal prayer and meditation, and the one hundred and fifty
• 2:00:42
  Speaker 2: hail marys of the Rosary correspond to the one hundred
• 2:00:45
  Speaker 2: and fifty psalms of the Breviary. Let us now consider
• 2:00:50
  Speaker 2: how appropriate the form of the Rosary is and how
• 2:00:53
  Speaker 2: it renders the Rosary a perfect prayer. The form makes
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 2: the Rosary both an excellent devotion and an excellent prayer.
• 2:01:02
  Speaker 2: Prayer is the first duty of all men. It is
• 2:01:05
  Speaker 2: an article of faith that no man can work out
• 2:01:08
  Speaker 2: his salvation without prayer. The real essence of prayer consists
• 2:01:12
  Speaker 2: in the union of vocal prayer with meditation or interior prayer.
• 2:01:18
  Speaker 2: The true prayer is a conversation or intercourse of man
• 2:01:22
  Speaker 2: with God. The combination of meditating with vocal prayer is
• 2:01:28
  Speaker 2: an excellent means of participating in divine grace. Meditation makes
• 2:01:33
  Speaker 2: us realize our needs, the faults which we should lay aside,
• 2:01:37
  Speaker 2: and the virtues which we must acquire. Sin makes man blind,
• 2:01:42
  Speaker 2: Meditation opens his eyes. Vocal prayer alone is not of
• 2:01:47
  Speaker 2: itself a protection from sin. Daily experience teaches this. There
• 2:01:54
  Speaker 2: are many who say vocal prayers and yet fall into
• 2:01:57
  Speaker 2: grievous sin and remain in the life state. The reason
• 2:02:02
  Speaker 2: is because they omit the contemplative prayer. Those who combine
• 2:02:07
  Speaker 2: vocal prayer with meditation do not easily incur God's disfavor,
• 2:02:12
  Speaker 2: or if they do, they at once resolve to amend,
• 2:02:16
  Speaker 2: and they lose no time in returning to God. A
• 2:02:20
  Speaker 2: combination of meditation and vocal prayer is therefore calculated to
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 2: preserve us from sin, and to rescue us from that
• 2:02:28
  Speaker 2: state if unfortunately we find ourselves in it. It is
• 2:02:33
  Speaker 2: also the most effective means for us to reach Christian
• 2:02:37
  Speaker 2: perfection and eternal salvation. We should therefore combine with vocal
• 2:02:43
  Speaker 2: prayers proper meditation if we desire our prayers to be
• 2:02:47
  Speaker 2: more perfect. When we say the Our Father or the
• 2:02:51
  Speaker 2: Hail Mary, we should not merely utter the words with
• 2:02:54
  Speaker 2: our lips, but should contemplate the purport of the words,
• 2:02:59
  Speaker 2: lifting the mind mind to God to whom we appring.
• 2:03:03
  Speaker 2: Otherwise our prayer will be merely a prayer of the lips.
• 2:03:07
  Speaker 2: Remember the words of our divine Savior. These people glorify
• 2:03:12
  Speaker 2: me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
• 2:03:17
  Speaker 2: In saying the Rosary, we combine vocal prayer with meditation
• 2:03:22
  Speaker 2: upon the sacred mysteries. Where there is time for it.
• 2:03:26
  Speaker 2: A longer meditation is very beneficial and of great spiritual advantage.
• 2:03:31
  Speaker 2: But if time is lacking, or when the rosary is set,
• 2:03:33
  Speaker 2: in common with others, one should, at least at every
• 2:03:37
  Speaker 2: decade briefly put the mystery before the mind. Pondering upon
• 2:03:41
  Speaker 2: the mysteries whilst saying the prayers is ordinarily requisite to
• 2:03:45
  Speaker 2: gain the indulgences attached to the Rosary. The Rosary in
• 2:03:51
  Speaker 2: its union of vocal prayer and meditation, is the perfect prayer.
• 2:03:55
  Speaker 2: The parts of the Rosary so appropriately succeed one another
• 2:03:59
  Speaker 2: as to form a beautiful chain of prayers. We begin
• 2:04:03
  Speaker 2: the prayers of the Rosary with the sign of the Cross,
• 2:04:06
  Speaker 2: with which the Church commences all her prayers. This sign
• 2:04:10
  Speaker 2: reminds us of the most Holy Trinity, in whose name
• 2:04:13
  Speaker 2: we were baptized, and to whom we belong absolutely through creation, redemption,
• 2:04:20
  Speaker 2: and sanctification. By making the sign of the Cross, we
• 2:04:23
  Speaker 2: place ourselves vividly in the presence of God, to whom
• 2:04:27
  Speaker 2: we are praying, and awaken within us acts of faith, reverence, love,
• 2:04:33
  Speaker 2: and confidence. Through the sign of the Cross, there are
• 2:04:36
  Speaker 2: dedicated to God in prayer the thoughts of the mind,
• 2:04:39
  Speaker 2: the words of our lips, and the sentiments and feelings
• 2:04:43
  Speaker 2: of the heart. Most assuredly, the devout signing ourselves with
• 2:04:47
  Speaker 2: the cross is an excellent introduction and preparation for prayer.
• 2:04:53
  Speaker 2: Then follows most appropriately the Apostles Creed. It declares more
• 2:04:58
  Speaker 2: fully that which the sign of the Cross indicates. The
• 2:05:03
  Speaker 2: twelve articles of the Creed contain that which we must
• 2:05:06
  Speaker 2: firmly believe if we would be saved the Creed most
• 2:05:11
  Speaker 2: properly opens the Rosary because it is the basis of
• 2:05:15
  Speaker 2: our faith. The joyful Rosary expounds the article of faith
• 2:05:20
  Speaker 2: conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary.
• 2:05:25
  Speaker 2: The sorrowful Rosary is a commemoration of the article suffered
• 2:05:30
  Speaker 2: under punchest pilot was crucified, died, and was buried. The
• 2:05:34
  Speaker 2: glorious is founded upon the article, rose again from the dead,
• 2:05:39
  Speaker 2: ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God.
• 2:05:44
  Speaker 2: Thus the entire Rosary is, in truth a prayer of
• 2:05:47
  Speaker 2: faith and draws from the faith its force and efficacy.
• 2:05:52
  Speaker 2: After the Creed follows Glory Be to the Father, which
• 2:05:55
  Speaker 2: is repeated at every decade of the Rosary, as it
• 2:05:58
  Speaker 2: is also set in the the ecclesiastical hours after every psalm.
• 2:06:04
  Speaker 2: To give glory to God is our chief duty. It
• 2:06:07
  Speaker 2: must be our intention in all our words and works.
• 2:06:11
  Speaker 2: To give glory to God must also be our principal
• 2:06:14
  Speaker 2: intention in saying the Rosary. As we repeat this doxology
• 2:06:19
  Speaker 2: at the end of each decade, we should again raise
• 2:06:22
  Speaker 2: up our mind and heart to God with fresh sentiments
• 2:06:24
  Speaker 2: of faith, love and confidence. This preserves us from distraction
• 2:06:30
  Speaker 2: and gives new zeal to our prayers. After the first
• 2:06:34
  Speaker 2: glory be to the Father, we say one our Father,
• 2:06:38
  Speaker 2: and three Hail Marys for the increase of the three
• 2:06:41
  Speaker 2: divine virtues. The three divine virtues are the foundation of
• 2:06:46
  Speaker 2: the right disposition, which we must have in order truly
• 2:06:49
  Speaker 2: and worthily to honor God. Saint Augustine says, God is
• 2:06:54
  Speaker 2: to be glorified through faith, hope, and charity. They are
• 2:06:58
  Speaker 2: the cornerstone of the Christian life, and the Apostle says
• 2:07:03
  Speaker 2: the just man liveth by faith Hebrews ten thirty eight,
• 2:07:09
  Speaker 2: meaning that man lays the foundation for his justification through faith,
• 2:07:13
  Speaker 2: receives the life of justification from faith, perseveres in this
• 2:07:18
  Speaker 2: just life through faith, perfects this life through the light
• 2:07:22
  Speaker 2: and the power of faith. Whence hope and charity proceed
• 2:07:27
  Speaker 2: to promote This kind of life is the aim of
• 2:07:29
  Speaker 2: the devotion of the Rosary. The more pious and virtuous
• 2:07:33
  Speaker 2: we become, the more we glorify God and assure our
• 2:07:37
  Speaker 2: temporal and eternal happiness. These prayers are the introduction and
• 2:07:43
  Speaker 2: preparation to the prayer of the Rosary, which combines meditation
• 2:07:47
  Speaker 2: of the mysteries with a recital of the our fathers
• 2:07:51
  Speaker 2: and hail Mary's. The Rosary is a prayer indeed for
• 2:07:55
  Speaker 2: the glory of God and for honoring and invoking Mary,
• 2:07:58
  Speaker 2: the Mother of God. The mistasies of the Rosary contain
• 2:08:02
  Speaker 2: that which God has done in order to glorify himself
• 2:08:06
  Speaker 2: and to redeem, sanctify, and save mankind. At the same time,
• 2:08:11
  Speaker 2: these mysteries from the lives of Jesus and Mary are
• 2:08:14
  Speaker 2: fraught with touching examples for our own lives. In the
• 2:08:19
  Speaker 2: devout contemplation of these mysteries and in the application of
• 2:08:23
  Speaker 2: the same to our own religious moral life. By the
• 2:08:26
  Speaker 2: gist of the prayers of the Rosary and the chief
• 2:08:29
  Speaker 2: fruits which we should draw from this saving devotion, certain
• 2:08:35
  Speaker 2: critics of the Rosary cannot understand why the Hail Mary
• 2:08:38
  Speaker 2: is so frequently repeated, But in the repetition lies the
• 2:08:42
  Speaker 2: strength of the prayer for holy perseverance is expressed. By
• 2:08:47
  Speaker 2: this repetition. The Psalmist in the one hundred and thirty
• 2:08:52
  Speaker 2: fifth sum repeats twenty six times the words for His
• 2:08:57
  Speaker 2: mercy endureth forever, and the heavenly hosts proclaim there thrice, holy,
• 2:09:04
  Speaker 2: forever and ever, we are perfectly right. Therefore declaring that
• 2:09:08
  Speaker 2: the Rosary is a thoroughly practical prayer corresponding exactly to
• 2:09:13
  Speaker 2: the necessities and peculiarities of our minds and hearts. We
• 2:09:18
  Speaker 2: might challenge the world to name a more beautiful, a
• 2:09:21
  Speaker 2: more excellent prayer. The Church therefore numbers the Rosary amongst
• 2:09:26
  Speaker 2: her most efficacious prayers, and she has endowted richly with
• 2:09:30
  Speaker 2: indulgences to induce the faithful to say it frequently. End
• 2:09:36
  Speaker 2: of section ten. Recording by John Brandon.
• 2:09:44
  Speaker 4: Chapter eleven of the Excellence of the Rosary. This is
• 2:09:48
  Speaker 4: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 2:09:53
  Speaker 4: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 2:09:58
  Speaker 4: Recording by Colleen McMahon. The Excellence of the Rosary by
• 2:10:03
  Speaker 4: Reverend math Joseph Frings, Chapter eleven, The Excellence of the
• 2:10:08
  Speaker 4: Rosary on account of the mysteries commemorated. Unless thy law
• 2:10:13
  Speaker 4: had been my meditation, I had then perhaps perished in
• 2:10:16
  Speaker 4: my objection Psalm one eighteenth, verse ninety two. Dear Brethren,
• 2:10:22
  Speaker 4: in our former considerations of the Rosary, we have discussed
• 2:10:26
  Speaker 4: the prayers of which the Rosary is composed. The second
• 2:10:29
  Speaker 4: chief part of the Rosary is the fifteen Mysteries. They
• 2:10:32
  Speaker 4: are called mysteries because the truths which they contain are
• 2:10:36
  Speaker 4: hidden and cannot be comprehended except by divine revelation. These
• 2:10:40
  Speaker 4: mysteries and their significance will be the subject of our
• 2:10:44
  Speaker 4: discourse today. It is the spirit and intention of the
• 2:10:47
  Speaker 4: Church that these mysteries be properly meditated upon while saying
• 2:10:52
  Speaker 4: the Rosary. This we do by reflecting upon them, by
• 2:10:55
  Speaker 4: applying to ourselves the lesson drawn from them, and by
• 2:10:59
  Speaker 4: resolving to a men our life or to perfect it
• 2:11:01
  Speaker 4: according to this lesson one. The consideration of the divine
• 2:11:06
  Speaker 4: truths of salvation is absolutely necessary for all mankind, for
• 2:11:10
  Speaker 4: no one can be saved who is not mindful of
• 2:11:13
  Speaker 4: his salvation. We cannot attain happiness without serving and loving God.
• 2:11:18
  Speaker 4: Yet he knows not God, who does not give any
• 2:11:21
  Speaker 4: thought to things divine. In order to learn to know
• 2:11:24
  Speaker 4: God and to make progress in this knowledge, we must
• 2:11:27
  Speaker 4: contemplate the divine attributes and perfections, and the works which
• 2:11:31
  Speaker 4: proclaim them. The whole universe is preaching to us God's omnipotence, wisdom,
• 2:11:36
  Speaker 4: and love. The heavens tell of God's glory, and the
• 2:11:40
  Speaker 4: firmament proclaims the works of his hands. The tiny flowers
• 2:11:43
  Speaker 4: in field and meadow, the birds in the tree, the
• 2:11:46
  Speaker 4: stars in the sky. They all remind us of God
• 2:11:50
  Speaker 4: and of his omnipotence and goodness. We ought not regard
• 2:11:54
  Speaker 4: these things thoughtlessly. They give us food for salutary thought
• 2:11:57
  Speaker 4: and meditation. They exhort us to show love and gratitude
• 2:12:01
  Speaker 4: towards God, the merciful Father, who has created all these
• 2:12:05
  Speaker 4: things for us. God so loved the world as to
• 2:12:08
  Speaker 4: sacrifice for it his only begotten son, The Son so
• 2:12:12
  Speaker 4: loved mankind that he became man, suffered for us, and
• 2:12:16
  Speaker 4: died upon the cross in order to ransom us from
• 2:12:19
  Speaker 4: sin and ruin. We learn to know not only the malice, horror,
• 2:12:23
  Speaker 4: and guilt of sin, but also the infinite mercy and
• 2:12:26
  Speaker 4: love of God. By pondering on the works of God,
• 2:12:30
  Speaker 4: in the work of sanctification, specially ascribed to the Holy Ghost,
• 2:12:34
  Speaker 4: we perceive fresh wonders of God's love. The Holy Ghost
• 2:12:38
  Speaker 4: cleanses us from our sins and transforms us into the
• 2:12:41
  Speaker 4: children of God. He consoles us with heavenly consolation and
• 2:12:45
  Speaker 4: leads us with his hand, conducting us to Christian perfection
• 2:12:50
  Speaker 4: and to life eternal. By considering these divine works often
• 2:12:54
  Speaker 4: and earnestly, we learn to know God and become desirous
• 2:12:58
  Speaker 4: of loving Him and serving Him faith fully. To make
• 2:13:01
  Speaker 4: progress and the knowledge of these divine things is the
• 2:13:04
  Speaker 4: sacred duty of a Christian. But in order to be saved,
• 2:13:07
  Speaker 4: it is not sufficient to know God. We must also
• 2:13:10
  Speaker 4: know ourselves. For this reason, Saint Augustine besought God, let
• 2:13:14
  Speaker 4: me know myself and let me know thee. We must
• 2:13:17
  Speaker 4: learn to know our faults in order to correct them
• 2:13:20
  Speaker 4: and our evil inclinations, so as to fight against them.
• 2:13:24
  Speaker 4: We must ascertain what virtues we are lacking in so
• 2:13:27
  Speaker 4: that we may strive to acquire them. We must understand
• 2:13:31
  Speaker 4: the gravity of our sins to repent of them sincerely. Finally,
• 2:13:35
  Speaker 4: we must understand our inability to acquire merit, so that
• 2:13:38
  Speaker 4: we may seek from God grace, strength, and help. It
• 2:13:42
  Speaker 4: is necessary also that we understand clearly the duties which
• 2:13:46
  Speaker 4: we have to perform. If we were profoundly impressed by
• 2:13:50
  Speaker 4: the excellence of the divine laws, of the magnificent rewards
• 2:13:54
  Speaker 4: that will be the share of those who observe the
• 2:13:56
  Speaker 4: commandments and of the terrible chastisement awaiting the transgressor, who
• 2:14:01
  Speaker 4: would ever presume to transgress these divine commandments? And what
• 2:14:05
  Speaker 4: is calculated to impress us with these truths, if not
• 2:14:08
  Speaker 4: serious reflection upon them. The royal prophet exclaims, blessed are
• 2:14:14
  Speaker 4: they that search His testimonies, that seek Him with their
• 2:14:17
  Speaker 4: whole heart Palm one eighteen, verse two. Meditation has drawn
• 2:14:22
  Speaker 4: numberless sinners from the depths of sin, and protected untold
• 2:14:26
  Speaker 4: numbers against sin. It is, also, as sating nacious remarks,
• 2:14:30
  Speaker 4: the shortest way to Christian perfection. Hence, Saint Teresa implores
• 2:14:35
  Speaker 4: those who have not yet begun this meditative prayer to
• 2:14:38
  Speaker 4: do so in the name of God and through the
• 2:14:40
  Speaker 4: love of Christ, and no longer deprive themselves of this
• 2:14:44
  Speaker 4: most precious and necessary good. Objection may be made by
• 2:14:48
  Speaker 4: some that they cannot meditate, that they have not the
• 2:14:51
  Speaker 4: ability to do so. The reply is that for meditation,
• 2:14:55
  Speaker 4: no skill or science is required. When you reflect upon
• 2:14:59
  Speaker 4: an article of fa faith, upon a commandment of God,
• 2:15:02
  Speaker 4: upon sin or virtue, upon God your duties, and then
• 2:15:07
  Speaker 4: awaken acts of faith, hope and charity, contrition and thanksgiving,
• 2:15:11
  Speaker 4: followed by resolutions of amendment petitions to God for his
• 2:15:15
  Speaker 4: grace and assistance to keep these resolutions. You have made
• 2:15:19
  Speaker 4: a very good meditation. This much anyone can do. Another
• 2:15:24
  Speaker 4: objection may be advanced that one has no time for it.
• 2:15:27
  Speaker 4: A man living in the world has many business cares,
• 2:15:31
  Speaker 4: But then the salvation of the soul is the chief
• 2:15:33
  Speaker 4: business of man. Our divine Savior has said that one
• 2:15:37
  Speaker 4: thing only is necessary, and this one thing is solicitude
• 2:15:41
  Speaker 4: for the soul's welfare. David had the cares of governing
• 2:15:44
  Speaker 4: a great kingdom, and yet he said, Oh, how have
• 2:15:47
  Speaker 4: I loved thy law, O Lord? It is my meditation
• 2:15:50
  Speaker 4: all the day? Psalm one eighteen, verse ninety seven. No,
• 2:15:54
  Speaker 4: my brethren, time and ability are not lacking. If anything
• 2:15:58
  Speaker 4: is lacking, it is the good will. Therefore, let us
• 2:16:01
  Speaker 4: all make the firm resolution to give in the future
• 2:16:05
  Speaker 4: due consideration to Christian meditation, so as to place our
• 2:16:09
  Speaker 4: soul's welfare and safety. Two. The mysteries of the Rosary
• 2:16:13
  Speaker 4: offer us an easy method and material for our meditation.
• 2:16:17
  Speaker 4: They give us a brief sketch of the life, passion,
• 2:16:20
  Speaker 4: and death of Jesus Christ and the sorrows and joys
• 2:16:23
  Speaker 4: of our mother Mary. The fifteen mysteries are divided into
• 2:16:27
  Speaker 4: three parts, the joyful, the sorrowful, and the glorious mysteries.
• 2:16:31
  Speaker 4: The joyful mysteries of the Rosary contain events from the
• 2:16:35
  Speaker 4: youthful life of Jesus. These are the Annunciation, the visitation
• 2:16:40
  Speaker 4: of Mary, the nativity of Christ, the presentation of Christ
• 2:16:44
  Speaker 4: in the Temple, and the finding of the child Jesus
• 2:16:46
  Speaker 4: in the Temple. These five mysteries comprise the foundation of
• 2:16:50
  Speaker 4: the work of the Redemption, with all of them as
• 2:16:53
  Speaker 4: intimately connected Mary, the blessed Mother of the Redeemer. These
• 2:16:57
  Speaker 4: five mysteries set before us the example of Jesus and
• 2:17:01
  Speaker 4: Mary to make us children of God. The Son of
• 2:17:04
  Speaker 4: God became incarnate, and he is for us the model
• 2:17:07
  Speaker 4: of a child of God. Mary, his holy Mother, is
• 2:17:11
  Speaker 4: in all things his faithful likeness, and thus the model
• 2:17:15
  Speaker 4: for us in the imitation of Christ. The sorrowful mysteries
• 2:17:19
  Speaker 4: of the Rosary remind us of the work of redemption
• 2:17:22
  Speaker 4: through the passion and death of Jesus Christ. He begins
• 2:17:25
  Speaker 4: his passion in the Garden of Olives, in an agony
• 2:17:28
  Speaker 4: of sorrow. By the scourging he did penance for our
• 2:17:31
  Speaker 4: sins of the flesh, and by the crowning with thorns
• 2:17:34
  Speaker 4: for our sins of the mind. Then he bore his
• 2:17:37
  Speaker 4: cross to the place of execution, and with it the
• 2:17:40
  Speaker 4: sins of the world, in order to efface our debt
• 2:17:43
  Speaker 4: upon this cross. These mysteries teach us how to partake
• 2:17:47
  Speaker 4: of the merits of the Redemption. The consideration of our sins,
• 2:17:50
  Speaker 4: of their malice and guilt, and a sincere contrition for them,
• 2:17:54
  Speaker 4: is the first step. The second is the discipline of
• 2:17:57
  Speaker 4: our flesh and its evil desires, by ties, temperance, chastity,
• 2:18:01
  Speaker 4: and mortification. The third step is the discipline of the
• 2:18:05
  Speaker 4: spirit by humble obedience towards God and his Holy Law.
• 2:18:09
  Speaker 4: The fourth is the patient bearing of our cross, and
• 2:18:12
  Speaker 4: the last is that we die completely to sin and
• 2:18:15
  Speaker 4: live only for Christ. The glorious mysteries of the Rosary
• 2:18:19
  Speaker 4: tell us of the glorious fruits of the Redemption. These
• 2:18:23
  Speaker 4: are a new life of grace, resurrection from the dead,
• 2:18:26
  Speaker 4: and admittance into Heaven. They speak to us also of
• 2:18:29
  Speaker 4: the mission of the Holy Ghost, whose work is to
• 2:18:32
  Speaker 4: sanctify us. In Mary's assumption into heaven, we behold the
• 2:18:36
  Speaker 4: most sublime work of the Holy Spirit, that is her
• 2:18:39
  Speaker 4: life here upon earth, and her coronation in heaven, the
• 2:18:42
  Speaker 4: reward of this holy life for all eternity. All these
• 2:18:46
  Speaker 4: things are calculated to induce in us a devout Christian life.
• 2:18:50
  Speaker 4: We behold what God has prepared for those who love Him,
• 2:18:53
  Speaker 4: who live for Him, who work and suffer and die
• 2:18:56
  Speaker 4: in His grace and love. Thus the fifteen Mystery give
• 2:19:00
  Speaker 4: us a short summary of the lives of Jesus and Mary.
• 2:19:03
  Speaker 4: The events selected are best calculated to awaken our faith,
• 2:19:07
  Speaker 4: to strengthen our hope, to inflame our hearts with love
• 2:19:11
  Speaker 4: for Jesus and Mary, and to animate us to imitate
• 2:19:14
  Speaker 4: the lives of Jesus and Mary. These mysteries thus offer
• 2:19:18
  Speaker 4: most excellent material for our meditations. They are so simple
• 2:19:22
  Speaker 4: that every believing Christian may understand them, yet so profound
• 2:19:26
  Speaker 4: and full of meaning that those most learned and advanced
• 2:19:29
  Speaker 4: in the spiritual life may find therein ample food for edification.
• 2:19:34
  Speaker 4: The public life of Jesus and Mary pass as it
• 2:19:37
  Speaker 4: were before our eyes. How fortunate did the Apostles esteem
• 2:19:41
  Speaker 4: themselves to have known Jesus by sight, to have listened
• 2:19:44
  Speaker 4: to the teachings from his own lips, to have gazed
• 2:19:47
  Speaker 4: and meditated upon his holy life. We may draw the
• 2:19:50
  Speaker 4: same prophet from the diligent and devout meditation of the
• 2:19:54
  Speaker 4: mysteries of the Rosary. If we daily say the Rosary
• 2:19:58
  Speaker 4: and picture the mysteries to ourselves, what advantage may we
• 2:20:02
  Speaker 4: not draw from them for our life? It will be
• 2:20:04
  Speaker 4: for us a daily intercourse and association with Jesus and
• 2:20:08
  Speaker 4: Mary that will enlighten our minds, elevate and ennoble our hearts,
• 2:20:12
  Speaker 4: and powerfully invite our will to a true life of virtue.
• 2:20:16
  Speaker 4: The Rosary is therefore an admirable means to lead a
• 2:20:20
  Speaker 4: truly Christian life, and an admirable means consequently to attain
• 2:20:25
  Speaker 4: eternal salvation. Let us all be zealous to avail ourselves
• 2:20:29
  Speaker 4: of it, and the Rosary will become a bond uniting
• 2:20:32
  Speaker 4: us intimately with Jesus and Mary and conducting us to
• 2:20:36
  Speaker 4: the participation of their glory and happiness for all eternity. Amen.
• 2:20:42
  Speaker 4: End of Chapter eleven recording by Colleen McMahon. End of
• 2:20:48
  Speaker 4: the Excellence of the Rosary by Reverend math Joseph Frings