Everyday Rosary Newsletter Vol.2, Issue #02 -- The Real Secret To A Fruitful Lent

March 1, 2010

Second Week of Lent

Lenten Greetings!

The monthly Everyday Rosary Newsletter is brought to you from the How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com website. In each issue you will find Rosary inspirations, new meditations, feature articles and ideas that support your prayer life, a calendar of upcoming Rosary Feast Days, and how to incorporate your faith in other holidays. Plus stories on how the Rosary has affected the lives of others and what people are doing to promote the Rosary. It will also keep you up-to-date on information added to the site. It is your monthly dose of Rosary inspiration!

Table of Contents

• A Note From The Editor
• Articles
• Top Picks
• How To Checklist
• Calendar Of Upcoming Feast Days
• Resources
• Testimonials
• Meet This Month's Rosary Promoter
• Q&A
• What's New

A Note From The Editor:

It seems like it was just Christmas, but here it is already Lent. Sometimes it is hard to shift gears from the joyous and festive season of Christmas into the somber penitential season of Lent. If this sounds familiar to you, do not fret. In this newsletter, you will find the real secret to a fruitful Lent.

Lent is a time to really focus on the sufferings and death Jesus endured for you. It is a time to unite your own daily sufferings with His cross so as to build up the body of Christ, namely the Church. The reason a penitential nature is endured during this time of year is so that you get the opportunity to offer small daily sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, for repentance for your own sins and for the sins of the whole world, and for your own spiritual growth.

It is actually a fabulous time of year and a time for great spiritual development. Embrace your daily crosses. Live in a spirit of penance. The peace you will attain will be truly insurmountable. You don't have to take my word for it. Look no further than to the lives of the saints. There you will find the secret of a fruitful Lent and a fruitful life for that matter. Your greatest example is the Queen of All Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary who perfected the virtues you should be trying to foster during this holy season.

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Articles

Good St. Joseph

March is the month of St. Joseph. What better time than now to highlight this great saint.

God chose St. Joseph to be the protector of His only Begotten Son on earth. The Church recognizes St. Joseph as the protector of God's Church on earth, the Holy Catholic Church.

A parallel figure to St. Joseph and his role is Joseph of the Old Testament. When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, he was taken to Egypt. While in Egypt he gained the pharaoh's good favor and was eventually rewarded by being made chancellor of Egypt which meant he was charged with overseeing and protecting ancient Egypt's treasury. Later he protected and provided for Israel by welcoming his family into Egypt.

It is fascinating seeing the Old Testament typologies of current Catholic beliefs and teachings. God protected and provided for His Chosen People through Joseph. God protected and provided for Jesus through St. Joseph. God continues to protect and provide for the Church through the intercession of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph being the head of the Holy Family had the great privileged of being charged with caring for the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus. Husbands and fathers should ask for St. Joseph's intercession so they can care for their families with the same heroic virtue he displayed.

It is a good idea to charge your finances to the care of St. Joseph as well. Pray for his intercession when applying for jobs or when buying or selling your home. His intercession is so powerful and his example is so far reaching that he really should be one of your closest friends. Ask for his help often. He won't let you down.

A St. Joseph statue makes a lovely addition to your home and it serves as a reminder of his constant care and companionship for your family. A lovely one is listed in the Resources section of this Newsletter.

Another way to imitate St. Joseph can be brought to light when studying the Gospels. Angels act as God's messengers. In the Gospels, God spoke to St. Joseph in this way. There are three Biblical accounts of how an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and gave him directions from God. Each time, St. Joseph immediately obeyed.

St. Joseph is not recorded as speaking a single word in the Gospels. Perhaps this silence can serve as a lesson as well.

New Meditation on the Fourth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary - The Assumption of Mary

The fruit of the mystery, the Assumption is the grace of a happy death. Mary's most chaste spouse, St. Joseph is the patron of a happy death. He died in the arms of Jesus and Mary. There is no better way to die so no wonder he earned the honor of this title. A happy death was St. Joseph's reward for his faithful and selfless service to God by protecting and providing for Jesus and Mary.

St. Joseph never even noticed his selfless service. Rather, he found it to be a great privileged to sacrifice himself in order to care for the Holy Family.

You too will experience this great peace and fulfillment St. Joseph experienced if you imitate his holy example by doing all things for the love of Jesus and Mary. If you do this you too will be rewarded with the grace of a happy death. Don't forget to pray for St. Joseph's and the Blessed Virgin Mary's intercession that God will grant you this very special grace.

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Top Picks

This Lenten Sacrifice Idea Is Almost Too Easy!

Having a hard time deciding what to give up for Lent this year?

Rather than giving up one thing for Lent such as coffee or chocolate, perhaps a more spiritually beneficial idea is to give up something spontaneous each and everyday. This way you are truly living in a spirit of self denial and self sacrifice because you are deciding to deny yourself of something you really want each day.

How To Checklist

Here Is Your Lenten Checklist

• Choose something to give up that will be a true sacrifice.

• Don't just give something up because you are "suppose to", instead understand the purpose of sacrificing.

• Each day be sure to offer up your sacrifice to Jesus in reparation for your sins and for the sins of the whole world. (A morning offering accomplishes this.)

• Go the extra mile and do something extra in addition to giving something up. Here are some suggestions: go to daily Mass, say an extra Rosary everyday, pray the Divine Mercy chaplet, or commit to some spiritual reading (you will find excellent books in the Resource section of this Newsletter).

• Participate in the Stations of the Cross on Fridays.

Calendar Of Upcoming Feast Days

St. Patrick's Day - March 17

St. Patrick is famous for teaching the truths of the Blessed Trinity with the help of a shamrock. The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary can be recalled in a special way on this day. During both the Baptism of Jesus and His Transfiguration, the Blessed Trinity was gloriously manifested.

St. Joseph's Feast Day - March 19

This very important feast day is held in honor of St. Joseph, the leader of the Holy Family. St. Joseph was Jesus' foster father on earth and the most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is the protector of the Roman Catholic Church and the patron of a happy death.

The Feast of the Annunciation - March 25

This very important of the Rosary days is the commemoration of the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary asking if she would be the Mother of Jesus.

Palm Sunday - March 28

This movable feast is the beginning of Holy Week being the sixth and final Sunday during Lent and is celebrated the Sunday before Easter. On this day the Church celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is also called Passion Sunday because the account of Jesus' Passion is recounted in the Gospel readings during Mass. Therefore it is counted among the Rosary days because it is a commemoration of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.

Resources

• www.magnificatrosaries.com
• Divine Mercy Rosary - Both the Rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet can be prayed while using this rosary. This Divine Mercy rosary comes with red and gray glass swirl, 6mm beads. The pewter center has an image of the Divine Mercy on it. The pewter crucifix measures 1.5 inches in length and the overall length of the rosary is 18.25in long. Made in Italy.

Books And Spiritual Reading

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich - Anne Catherine Emmerich’s writings are the best-known account of the Passion after the Gospels, and influenced Mel Gibson’s blockbuster movie The Passion of the Christ. Read the transcription of a series of visions by a great mystic and stigmatic, who was recently beatified by the Church. Full of fascinating details concerning every aspect of the Passion, the Last Supper, the Descent into Hell, Our Lady and the Apostles. The people, places and cultural background surrounding these momentous events, are captured in detail, many of them verified by recent scholarship.
• The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori - This is one of the greatest Catholic books ever written. Actually, it is five complete books in one volume. Here the great Doctor of the Church has assembled the very finest information about Our Lady that he could find, all taken from the many writings of Saints, Doctors of the Church and other holy authors, as well as from Sacred Scripture.

  The first book (called the "First Part") explains the words of the Salve Regina (the "Hail Holy Queen"), showing how God has given Mary to mankind to be the "Gate of Heaven," even for those who may presently be entrenched in mortal sin. The second book explains Our Lady's principal feasts - the Immaculate Conception, Nativity, Purification, Annunciation, Assumption, etc. - revealing to the reader's mind fresh truths about these mysteries in her life. The third book explains the Seven Sorrows of Mary, showing why Our Lady's "martyrdom" was longer and greater than that of all other martyrs. The fourth book describes the ten different virtues of Our Lady, and the fifth book gives dozens of famous prayers, meditations and devotions to her.

  Actually, The Glories of Mary contains even more than all the above, for St. Alphonsus' books are always packed with treasures on every page. For example, he also includes here the theological proofs for the Immaculate Conception, explanations of the mysterious invocations in the Litany of Loreto, and a description of Our Lady's death. In all, The Glories of Mary amounts to nothing less than the greatest compendium of nearly 18 centuries of Catholic teaching on and devotion to Our Lady. Easily understood by all, this famous book is undoubtedly the best composite of teaching about the Blessed Virgin Mary ever penned and is one that will lead many souls to a greater love of Jesus through a more intimate knowledge of Mary and her exalted role in our salvation.

CD's

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ on CD - Here is The Dolorous Passion, complete and unabridged, in a professionally read audio book, and all on one inexpensive MP3-Compact Disc, along with the brief 54-page life sketch of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich, written by Clemens Brentano, the famous German poet and literary man who copied down her visions and compiled The Dolorous Passion from her visions.

• Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet CD featuring Still Waters - The best-selling Still Waters album, with recited versions of the Rosary, including the Luminous Mysteries and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The Chaplet includes powerful meditations on the Passion from St. Faustina's diary. Fr. Dan Papineau, M.J.C. Rector, Nation Shrine of The Divine Mercy and Still Water. You can listen to this album before buying.

DVD's

• Patrick, Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle - Children will love this beautiful animation that highlights this story of St. Patrick who, kidnapped at age 16 to be a slave in Ireland, turned to God for strength and inner freedom, and thus began a saga of faith and adventure that led to the conversion of Ireland. Blending historical facts with beloved traditions, this film brings to life a long-lost world.

Miscellaneous

• St. Joseph Statue - This beautiful handmade statue depicts St. Joseph holding Jesus in one arm and a lily in his other hand. The young sleeping Jesus is cradling a gold colored cross to his chest. This stunning hand painted statue features exquisite detail from the texture and folds of the clothing to the finely detailed eyes and toes. Handmade in South America. Statue stands 16in. Tall, 16 1/2in. including the halo, and 4 1/2in. wide at the base.

• Divine Mercy Novena and Chaplet Pamphlet

Important Links

• www.magnificatrosaries.com

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Testimonials

"Love the Rosary, Love your site & love you for what you are doing to promote the rosary!"

Meet This Month's Rosary Promoter!

Who:
Lottie Dorsey of magnificatrosaries.com has been creating beautiful handmade rosaries for nearly 18 years. She is a former teacher, a convert to the Catholic Faith, a member of the Catholic Daughters and helps with religious articles sales at her parish. She also donates beads to two monasteries where the nuns make rosaries for their gift shop as a means of supporting themselves, and to local ministries that go to Haiti and Cuba.

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If you would like to be highlighted as the Rosary Promoter of the Month, use the Rosary Promoter Submission page on How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and write us asking for a Rosary Promoter application. If you know someone that promotes the Rosary and should be featured as a Rosary promoter, by all means pass this along to them or send us their information and we'll contact them.

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Q&A

My son had a rosary that he purchased in Rome and placed it in his car on the rear view mirror. He has had this rosary for many years. Last night, however, he went to the movies with his wife and when they got in the car the rosary had been riped off the mirror and no where to be found. There was no sign of robbery other than the rosary.

Nothing else was missing or damaged and no one else was with them.

Has anyone ever heard of something like this?

If you have heard a similar story please contact us using the Contact Us page. And your response will be featured in next months newsletter.

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What's New

A Glimpse Into Next Month's Newsletter

Next month's Newsletter - Rosary Devotees: Get the Easter Inspiration You Need

New On The Site

There are a lot of new things up on the site. We have launched our Rosary Prayer Requests page and have seen much interest with people from the Rosary Community requesting prayers for their personal intentions. Please check it out. Post your own prayer request and pray for those who have put up posts. Check it out here...Rosary Prayer Requests

Also new is our Request Free Rosary Resources page. This is an exciting new section where people who are needing rosaries and other religious items whether it be for personal use or for use in the missions can post their request along with an address where the items can be shipped. There are already three requests from three different countries! If you are able please check it out and send free rosaries and other items by clicking here...Request Free Rosary Resources

Inspirational Stories of the Rosary is another very exciting page where you can share your own stories and read stories posted by others. A super comment has already been posted on this page. You have got to check out the picture the contributor posted of a breath-taking giant rosary made from hand blown glass balls. View it here and add your own comment or inspiring Rosary story here...Inspirational Stories of the Rosary

And one more page where you can get involved that was recently added is the Saint John Marie Vianney Quotes page. You can read famous quotes of Saint John Vianney and even comment on them or add your own. Check it out here... Saint John Marie Vianney Quotes

We are just thrilled to have these pages up. It is our goal to make a truly warm and interactive Rosary Community and all four of these recently added pages help make that a reality. We hope you enjoy them as well as we do!

Coming Soon

Very soon, we are adding an "Ask A Rosary Question" section, where we encourage you to ask any question you may have about the Rosary whether it be about the myteries, origin and history or the prayers.

We are currently working on adding some Rosary Jewelry pages where you will find information, reviews and places to buy these fabulous sacramentals.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading! Keep visiting www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and remember we love hearing from you. Please use the "contact us" page to leave any and all suggestions or comments.

I hope your New Year is filled with peace and blessings from God.

Holy Mary, Mother of God. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death!

Queen of All Saints. Pray for us!

To Jesus through Mary,

Kathleen Bowen and The Rosary Team

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