by Lisa Marino PT, DPT
After discerning God’s will to integrate prayer and spirituality into healthcare, I left my mainstream physical therapy job in 2017. I was amazed at how much better my patients improved with an hour of one-on-one care, more time to listen and encourage them, and especially prayer for healing.
A new campaign – which began as a simple “tweet” from Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas – is kicking off what could be a tsunami of prayer known as the Marian Blue Wave to end abortion once and for all with the most powerful weapon in our arsenal – the Rosary.
October 15
“Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ.”
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2708
For Reflection:
How does this depiction of Christian meditation differ from other ideas of meditation presented in the secular culture? Why are all of the faculties of the soul are helpful in entering into prayer? How can I engage my intellect, imagination, emotion and
desire when I pray the Rosary?
Pro-Life senators have introduced a new bill that will improve the collection of abortion statistics in the states, as well as track how many infants are born alive after an attempted abortion.
October 14
“Just as two friends, frequently in each other’s company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness,
similar to them…”
-Blessed Bartolo Longo
For Reflection:
What evidence have I seen in my own life that friends take on each other’s habits and characteristics? If I learn to enter deeply into the mysteries of the Rosary, then, I too, can become similar to Mary and Jesus. How does this enhance my desire to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary? (See tomorrow’s Grace Line for an insight on Christian meditation).
October 13
“In a word, by focusing our eyes on Christ, the Rosary also makes us peacemakers in the world. By its nature as an insistent choral petition in harmony with Christ’s invitation to ‘pray ceaselessly’ (Lk. 18:1), the Rosary allows us to hope that, even today, the difficult ‘battle’ for peace can be won.”
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
Do I truly believe that my prayer of the Rosary can be used by God to bring peace to the world? Why or why not? Am I willing to give it a try, in conjunction with so many others, so that this culture might be reclaimed for Jesus Christ? I will pray for generosity of heart.
A new docudrama, entitled Love and Mercy: Faustina, about the life of St. Faustina Kowalska which is based on newly revealed writings from her spiritual director, Father Michael Sopocko, will appear for one day only in more than 700 U.S. movie theaters on Monday, October 28.
October 11
“For myself, I know of no better way of establishing the kingdom of God, Eternal Wisdom, than to unite vocal and mental prayer by saying the holy Rosary and meditating on
its fifteen mysteries.”
-St. Louis De Montfort
For Reflection:
Why is the Rosary such a useful prayer in establishing the kingdom of God within the soul? How have I seen this to be so in my own life? What can I do to make progress in my daily meditation of the mysteries?
Last week, the nation was riveted by a video depicting Brandt Jean, brother of slain twenty-six year old Botham Jean, forgiving and expressing love for his brother’s killer. It was so moving, even the judge left the bench to retrieve her personal Bible and gift it to the defendant, a loving deed for which she is now being punished.
