Most Holy Rosary (Our Lady of Ransom)

Transcription

1 Most Holy Rosary (Our Lady of Ransom) Blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord. 1. In the old section of Quito Ecuador there are many beautiful chapels and shrines that are literally only blocks apart. Most of these beautifully ornate churches were built for and maintained by various religious communities. There is one for the Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Poor Clares, Carmelites, Conceptionists, Jesuits and the Mercedarians. In each of these sacred places not only are there very beautiful and ornate altars, statues, frescos, and other such things as paintings but also miraculous images and happenings. It is very clear these good people had faith in those days and God rewarded them with many miracles. Looking at our times, one cannot help but wonder if Our Blessed Lord and Savior was speaking about us when He said, When the Son of Man comes will He find faith on earth?! 2. It is often asked: Why are we in this fix? Why this lack of faith? In a word, we are under the wrath of God. There are many descriptions in the Sacred Scriptures of what this wrath looks like and its causes. Not surprisingly, one place is the book of Job. Let s consider some verses from the 12 th chapter that act as marks or signs that God s wrath is present. Verse 17 He [God] bringeth counsellors to a foolish end, and judges to insensibility. Do we not have foolish counselors and insensible judges today? They are seemingly totally ignorant at best and at worst completely opposed to the Laws of God and that of Nature. Thus, we have legalized murder (abortion), divorce and perversion all about us now. Wrath of God He leaves us to ourselves. 3. Verse 18, 19, 21, 23: He looseth the belt of kings, and girdeth their loins with a cord. overthroweth nobles He poureth contempt upon princes He multiplieth nations, and destroyeth them. Where have all the kings, princes and nobility gone? We have lost all sense of nobility The revolutionary republics have sought to destroy the kings and all nobility we now have egalitarianism instead, and it is destroying us! These revolutionary nations come and go multiplied and destroyed, with

2 millions dead. These revolutionary republics separate themselves from God and His Church as we have here in the USA. And this produces foolish counselors and insensible judges The wrath of God 4. Verse 19 He leadeth away priests without glory. We have lost many priests not only from scandals but also from the lack of perseverance and proper training as to what is really going on. We have lost the notion of hierarchy and the sense of the sacred. We have forgotten God! As the mother of St. John Bosco said so well, a priest never goes to heaven or hell alone. He takes a train packed with souls in either direction. When it is down it is without glory they lead. 5. Verse 20 He changeth the speech of the true speakers, and taketh away the doctrine of the aged. Lies are common place now. Fake News is all around us. This is no longer the age of information but misinformation, with the doctrine of the Aged, i.e., TRADITION, ridiculed and spurned, and forgotten. Everything is rewritten made politically correct Wrath of God. 6. Yet God promises a reversal a restoration: Verse 23, 24, 25: He restoreth them again after they were overthrown. He changeth the heart of the princes of the people of the earth (i.e., leaders of the revolution replublics), that they walk in vain where there is no way. They shall grope as in the dark, and not in the light, and he shall make them stagger like men that are drunk. Those of the revolution shall fail and the old order return. Let us never lose hope that this will happen, for it will. And for those who have faith, it will be glorious 7. In the meantime, let us go to visit one of the chapels of Quito in increase and solidify our faith. On this external solemnity of the Most Holy Rosary, let us go to the chapel containing the statue of Our Lady of Ransom, that is, Our Lady of Mercy, whose feast day was last Sunday, Sept 24. It is the chapel for the Mercedarians, called La Merced. The outside has various architectural features of note things like beautiful green domes and a large bell tower. But of special interest is the Arabian influence on parts of the building. It is clearly coming from Spain where the Moorish

3 influence is still felt in various architectural features. These external features gives a little hint for what is waiting for us inside. 8. Upon entering this prayerful and exquisite church, one notices that on every pillar (which are many, large and square in shape) are found many paintings Most of these paintings display previous miracles performed by the intercession of Our Lady of Mercy They depict rescues from the various elements of our world such as from fires, volcanoes and earthquakes from floods and drowning. But also depicted are the Mercedarian Martyrs and Saints some shown in the midst of their martyrdom e.g., one bishop is shown with a sword through the head. 9. The Mercedarians, the Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of Captives, is a congregation of men founded in 1218 by St. Peter Nolasco at the request of Our Blessed Mother. He was assisted by his Dominican confessor St Raymond of Pennafort, the canon of Barcelona, as well as by King James of Aragon. The development of the order was immediate and widespread throughout much of Western Europe. Their apostolate was to ransom and rescue souls enslaved by the Muslims Saracens (those of Abraham without Sarah). This they did. 10. It does not take much imagination to see how those enslaved could easily lose hope and confidence their faith not being strong enough to endure the trial at hand, leading them to submit to the false doctrines of Islam in order to receive better treatment and avoid an untimely death. For this reason the members of the order took a fourth vow to ransom and even die for another who is in danger of losing their faith. In 1272 their religious rule read:... all the brothers of the Order must always be gladly disposed to give up their lives, if it is necessary, as Jesus Christ gave up His for us... And in another place is mentioned the need to Surrender of one s life as hostage in Saracen Territory. Thus, one formulation of the vow read: I will remain in person in the power of the Saracens if it be necessary for the Redemption of Christ s Faithful. 11. And so, not surprisingly, at the chapel La Merced in Quito, in the very back of the church is found a large painting of various men, women and

4 children being ransomed from their Muslim captors by these white robed sons of Our Lady of Ransom. These good religious, solid in their faith, exchanged places with the weak to prevent them from losing their souls! 12. Aside: From the life of St. Peter Claver we learn how he had many notable victories over Muslim fanaticism how so? Patience, gentleness and perseverance. One took 22 years, some others over 30, and one converted only after 40 years. Most of them he baptized on their death bed. From the life of St. Vincent Ferrer we hear how very effective he was in converting the Muslim Moors in Granada, Spain. After only three sermons, 18,000 Moors converted to the Christian Faith. 13. Returning to the statue of Our Lady of Mercy in Quito, it is well established that this remarkable and beautiful statue is miraculous. Thus, the reason for all the depictions of her miracles hanging all through out the church. They were accomplished there in Quito This statue is unusual because it is made of solid stone even from the native volcano rock found near by. This very heavy stone statue puts on display the immobility of the faith, the immobility of Our Lady, the Mother of God. 14. So many today are feeling the attacks on their faith tempted to give way! This is not surprising when so little is left to protect it! No more Christian Kings and kingdoms, no more nobility. This is not surprising with fewer and fewer faithful and dedicated priests, as well as the general loss of tradition. This is not surprising with the constant lying and fake news, bad judges and foolish leaders we have. And so, many are feeling rather weak, and easily run away from the fight or just give in to the temptations to enslavement by the world, the flesh and the devil. Many have fallen away with no one to rescue them or ransom them from such vice and error. But there is Someone there is always Our Lady She is always there for us a true Mother. 15. We must, therefore, cling on to this Lady this immoveable faithful mother that has power over all the natural and preternatural forces of this world earth, wind, fire and water. Did she not show us at Fatima she has power over the all of these and even more by opening up hell

5 below the ground and by moving the sun in the sky? Whence comes this power over all the powers of this world but from access to Her Divine Son. Through Her access to Him, she is able to ransom us from an evil way of life. I have read how men enslaved to the most shameful of vices have conquered gained complete freedom returned to the regular practice of the faith. How? They prayed the Rosary and lots. Often times up to 10 or more times per day. But the price was paid and they were freed. 16. Because of the wrath under which we are laboring at this time, the Mercedarians have modified their 4 th vow to read: In order to fulfill this mission we, impelled by love, consecrate ourselves to God with a special vow, by virtue of which we promise to give up our lives, as Christ gave his life for us, should it be necessary, in order to save those Christians who find themselves in extreme danger of losing their faith by new forms of captivity. New forms of captivity? electronic media! Electronic devices. 17. This ancient order of Mercedarians is of Our Lady s inspiration. They need and depend on Her to make ransoming and saving souls possible and effective. Let us, then, follow their lead by looking to her now to do the same for our own faithfulness under trial, and for the saving of other souls. If we have to pray the Rosary 10 times a day to free ourselves or another (our loved ones and those committed to our care), let us pray them. it will be worth it immobility will be ours the wrath of God will be ended.