Arm Yourself for the Spiritual Battle

If you still think praying the Rosary is just for women, then check out this video from Doug Barry's RADIX apostolate. By the way, Doug Barry is going to be one of the speaker's at this year's North Texas Catholic Men's Conference. He will certainly challenge you to man up!

Real Men Pray the Rosary

Rosary Apostolate
Real Men Pray the Rosary is a lay apostolate dedicated to the promoting the prayer of the Rosary, especially among men. The group has recently published a handbook on the Rosary and now, just in time for Father's Day, they are selling hand made rosaries that include their logo.

They Bleed Red
I like this style of rosary because it's very manly. The rosaries are made of hematite stone, which has the appearance of metal (as a true weapon should be made of) and if broken open "bleed" red. Additionally, the crucifix is a replica of the crosier used by Blessed Pope John Paul II and now recently by Pope Francis as well. The center piece portrays Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, on one side and the RMPTR logo on the other.

Spiritual Weapon
Countless Popes and Saints have cited the Rosary as one of the most powerful spiritual weapons. St. Padre Pio used to call out to one of the younger friars, "bring me my weapon, bring me my rosary." I've often said in some of my Joe Catholic talks, that I have been looking for a short cut to holiness. There are none, but there are sure tried practices to sanctification: praying the Rosary and frequent use of the Sacraments.
Father's Day
The rosaries are priced at $39.95 and would make a great Father's Day gift and can be purchased HERE.

Our Lady of the Rosary

From Legion of Mary

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pope Piux V established this feast in 1578 in thanksgiving for a victory Christians had over the Turks in Lepanto. The victory was achieved due to the praying of the rosary. In 1717, Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church.

Since we celebrate this feast day early in October, the remainder of the month is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. Below you will find a video from Family Rosary explaining the history of the Rosary.

October is Holy Rosary Month

Month of Prayer
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary or Pray the Rosary Month (as if any other month isn't?) It's an odd thing that many men associate the Rosary with femininity. It is far from that. It is a very manly prayer. Why? Because at the heart of the Mysteries of the Rosary is a reflection on the life, death and resurrection of Christ, the Perfect Man. You can't get any more manly than that!

Christ-Centered, Gospel Based
Even the prayers are Christo-centric. The Lord's Prayer was given to us by Jesus himself in the Gospels. [See Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4] Oh, but what about the Hail Mary? Certainly that's some made up Catholic, Mary worship, right? Nope. That too comes from the Gospel. The first part of the prayer is taken from Luke 1:28 and 1:42. In the very middle of the prayer, as we do transition to a petition to our Blessed Mother (pray for us), is the name of JESUS.

Spiritual Weapon
Countless Popes and Saints have cited the Rosary as one of the most powerful spiritual weapons. St. Padre Pio used to call out to one of the younger friars, "bring me my weapon, bring me my rosary." I've often said in some of my Joe Catholic talks, that I have been looking for a short cut to holiness. There are none, but there are sure tried practices to sanctification: praying the Rosary and frequent use of the Sacraments.

Real men pray the Rosary!

Rosary Resources:
Family Rosary - Servant of God, Father Peyton's apostolate: "the family that prays together, stays together"

Rosary Center - multiple resources

Rosary Army - Free Audio Rosary

Tuesday Tech Talk: Free Audio Rosaries

During the men's conference this weekend, we had an unexpected, prolonged break because the lines for confession were so long. What a great problem to have! I filled some of the time by talking about the Rosary as a powerful spiritual weapon and how so many of the saints incorporated this popular devotion in their daily prayer lives.

I struggle to find the time in the morning to pray the rosary and when I get home I am often too tired to remember anything other than getting ready for the next day. What I have found most helpful is praying the rosary during my morning commute to work. I have downloaded an audio version of the rosary on to my iPhone and play/pray it on way to work. I not only get to pray the rosary, but I lower my blood pressure and reduce the likelihood of road rage during those rough mornings of traffic. Praying the rosary this way takes about 15-20 minutes. It's OK if you have to split the prayer up between your morning and afternoon commutes if you don't have a long one. This is also a good way to pray the rosary as you work out or go for a morning walk.

Here are two free or inexpensive ways to download an mp3 version of the rosary or to obtain one on CD.

Rosary Army - mp3 files in English, Spanish and Dutch

CatholiCity - Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet on CD ($1 donation suggested); available as download too

Saint Talk: St. Dominic, the Lord's Hound

Today we celebrated the feast of St. Dominic who founded the Order of Preachers best known as the Dominicans. He founded the order in in the early 1200's and it was approved in 1216. The order's charism is that of preaching and to this day often make parish missions. St. Dominic, along with Bishop Diego de Acevedo, encountered and preached against the heresy of Albigensian. This heresy held that all things material were evil and denied the incarnation.

In addition to being a contemporary of St. Francis, St. Dominic introduced the Rosary as a form of prayer after he received a vision from Our Blessed Mother. She gave him instructions how to pray it. This account was affirmed by Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Pius XI

St. Dominic is often portrayed in art with a dog at his feet. Some say this is attributed to a dream his mother had. She dreamt of giving birth to a hound that held a lit torch in its mouth. Some believe that the hound in the dream reprsented Dominic spreading the light of Christ to the world.

In today's weekly audience, Pope Benedict XVI described St. Dominic as possessing "the harmonious integration of contemplation of the divine mysteries and apostolic activity.”

Lessons:

1. Like St. Dominic we should be men of prayer.

2. In St. Dominic we can see a model for combining lives of prayer (contemplation) with lives of action (apostolic mission). In other words - both and.

Catholic Toolbox: Spiritual Warfare

Fall of Rebel Angels, Pieter Bruegel

Spiritual Leaders

Joe Catholics we have a God given duty to protect our families – physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually. Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not we are at war. Not the war on terrorism, but an Ancient War in which “our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits” [Eph 6:12].

We are part of the Church Militant and as the spiritual leaders of our families, we are at the frontline of this battle. What can we do to arm ourselves against the devil and his minions?

Marching Orders

We need to return to spiritual fundamentals: prayer, sacraments and a life of virtue. Get straight and get right with God! You can be holier. Fight as to win. This is the big one. We are in dire combat with the forces of evil. Love is the answer.

Nurture your relationship with Him. Learn your faith. “Studying the faith is studying Jesus Christ.” Education is not enough. Most of us know more than enough to be canonized saints, but none of the saints were canonized for what they knew, but for what they did. It's not enough to know the faith, you have to live the faith. (NOTE: This is paraphrased from notes taken at a Father Corapi conference years ago.)

What is our purpose? To love, know and serve God with all our heart, mind and soul. 

SWAT: Spiritual Weapons and Tactics:

• Pray to your Guardian Angel for protection and help. 
• Pray the Rosary – “the greatest weapon;” “prayer of the Gospel. When you pray the rosary, you pray the Gospel, the Good News, the Word made Flesh, who is Jesus” 
• Receive the Sacraments frequently 
• Frequent Communion (i.e., daily mass) 
• More frequent Reconciliation 
• Use the Sacramentals: holy medals, scapulars, rosaries, prayer cards, blessed salt
• Holy Water 
• Brown Scapular – like “dog tags” it identifies us as children of Mary, the Mother of God; we reflect on prayer and penance; you may grasp it to overcome the temptation 
• Unite all your pain and suffering with Jesus. Offer it up!

Pray the Rosary

Today mark's the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. It is also a reminder that October has been set aside as the Month of the Rosary. This is a good time to get back on track with incorporating the Rosary as part of your daily prayer life. Perhaps you can share the Rosary with your family one night a week. Father Peyton's saying is as true now as ever: "the family that prays together, stays together."

Remember, prayed properly - reflecting on the mysteries - the Rosary is not simply a set of repetitive prayers, but a meditation on the life, suffering and death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is NOT a Marian prayer, but rather a Christocentric prayer, for it is a meditation on the Gospel, the Word of God, made flesh in Christ!

Here's an inspiring video on the Rosary. After the video, I have posted a few links to help with praying the Rosary. Also check out the many links on the right column of the Catholic Culture link I have above for the Month of the Rosary.

How to Pray the Rosary

The Rosary Army Podcast

The Rosary Pope: Leo XIII

Feast of the Transfiguration

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord. The account of the transfiguration is documented in the gospels of Matthew (17:1-6), Mark (9:1-9) and Luke (9:28-36). According to EWTN and the Catholic Encyclopedia it marks the "culminating point of his public life." The three apostles who join him on the mountain - Peter, James and John - are also the same three who are present on the night he is taken in the garden.

The Transfiguration is the Fourth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary. Blessed John Paul II, who instituted the new mysteries, wrote that the transfiguration is an event which "strengthens the faith in the disciples' hearts, prepares them for the tragedy of the Cross and prefigures the glory of the Resurrection."

To learn more about the Transfiguration:

Insight Scoop The Ignatius Press Blog: The Transfiguration: Gospel to the Dead

Canterbury Tales by Marshall Taylor: The Metamorphosis of Jesus Christ

EWTN: Transfiguration

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Father's Day Guest Post: Canterbury Tales

Today's special Father's Day guest post is from Taylor Marshall who lives in Dallas, Texas. Marshall is a former Episcopal priest. He and is wife were received into the Catholic Church by Bishop Kevin Vann on May 23, 2006. He has previously worked for the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D. C. and has appeared on EWTN's the Journey Home with Marcus Grodi. Marshall is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Dallas focusing on the Natural Law theory of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

In addition to working on his very successful blog, canterbury tales, Taylor Marshall has written two Catholic books. Most recently, he published The Catholic Perspective on Paul.

Fathers, Give Your Children a Gift: Pray with them the Rosary 365 days for 18 years!

The father of Holy Father John Paul II
He prayed nightly on his knees 

Tomorrow is Father's Day. Fathers, consider giving a gift in return. The best gift you could give to your children is to lead them in praying the Rosary every night with your family: for each child that's the Rosary 365 nights a year for 18 years. That's 348,210 Hail Mary's with "pray for us...at the hour of death"! (multiply that number times how many children you have)

• Also, praying will become for your children as natural as getting dressed or brushing their teeth. 
• When they go to college, they'll have a habit of praying the Rosary. 
• They will also have the life of Christ thoroughly memorized because of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. 
• Everyone in your family who participates in the daily family Rosary can potentially receive a plenary indulgence every day (the usual conditions apply). 
• You're family will come together around Jesus and Mary every day - great memories. 

Blessed John Paul II said that he owes his vocation to seeing his dad praying on his knees every night. How many children have never seen their father on his knees in prayer? Why not make this a daily practice and lead by example? 

Happy Fathers Day. Be a father, and hold the spiritual reigns of your home.

ad Jesum per Mariam,

Taylor
PS: Having a hard time establishing the daily Rosary in your home? Here are 12 tips for praying the Family Rosary daily (please click here).

FAQ of Faith - Sacramentals

First, sacramental objects (Rosaries, medals, scapulars, etc.) only obtain their special nature through the Blessing of a priest (and sometimes deacon). In and of themselves, the sacramental objects possess no power. The significance of these items is drawn from the blessing, prayer and how they are utilized to draw the person closer to God. Sacrementals should be used as daily reminders to live a life of virtue - answering the call to universal holiness, even in our own ordinary lives.

To wear rosary beads as talismans or carry medals as "good luck" charms diminishes the objects to superstitious rubbish. The sacramentals should draw us deeper into prayer and a life more reflective of Christ and His saints.

OTHER RESOURCES:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1667

EWTN

Catholic Encyclopedia

The How To Book of Sacramentals