HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY - GREAT PRAYER OF POWER AND GRACE

WHY PRAY THE ROSARY?
The Rosary is a powerful prayer which combines meditation on the life of Jesus Christ together with spoken or mental prayer.
A rosary, or set of structured beads, can be 'told' or fingered in a particular pattern while you are praying.
The Rosary is a powerful tool of prayer against the devil and his followers.
The Rosary offers many graces to the person praying; and also to the family of the person praying.
The Rosary offers protection while travelling, and in dangerous situations.
The Rosary is often answered by great graces.

Learn how to pray the Holy Rosary
Step by step tuition on how to pray the Rosary can be found at
http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm#loaded


The Rosary is a wonderful way to pray and meditate on the mysteries of the Life of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
All you need to know to take part in this prayer is at
http://www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com/rosary-videos.html

90 videos on the Holy Rosary
These are a wonderful aid to meditate on while praying the Rosary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyDl_ymabeQ&feature=rellist&playnext=1&list=PL836532F05D7FCD41


Pray the Rosary online at
http://www.comepraytherosary.org/




With thanks to rosarycenter.org/ how-to-pray-the-rosary-everday.com/ youtube and comepraytherosary.org
 

THE MARY GARDEN - PART TWO

NAMES, LEGENDS AND REFLECTIONS

OF MARIAN HERBS AND FLOWERS

YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM THIS LIST

FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL GARDEN

 

Amaryllis, or Amaryllis belladonna - or 'Beautiful lady'. Tradition tells us that the flower symbolizes Mary as 'Beautiful lady'

Amaryllis, or Hippeastrum hybrid - or 'St Joseph's Lily'.
  The legend is that when a suitable husband was being chosen for Mary, the suitor who made the most striking impression was Joseph.  
The reason was that when he arrived to meet Mary and her parents, he was carrying a long brown walking stick. At the upper end of the stick, a beautiful flower bloomed - the Amaryllis belladonna . . .

Baby's breath, or Gypsophila panicul - 'Lady's Veil'

Bachelor's buttons, or Centauria cyannis - 'Mary's Crown'

Begonia, or Begonia fuch rosa - 'Heart of Mary'

Bellflower, or Adenophera - 'Lady Bell'

Bleeding heart, or Dicentra spectabilis - 'Mary's Heart'

Blue Flag Iris, or Iris versicolor - share Mary's sorrows as we behold the purple blossoms and sword-like leaves of this herb and flower.
  The Iris was compared to the Virgin in mystic devotion.
The blade-shaped foliage denotes the sorrows which 'pierced her heart' as Simeon prophesied in the Temple during the Presentation of the Baby Jesus

Blue Phlox, or Phlox divericata - 'Lady's Wedding'

Bluets, or Houstonia caerul - 'Madonna's Eyes'

Buttercup, or Ranunculus acris - 'Lady's Our Bowl'

Camelia, or Camellia japonica - 'Purity'

Canna, or Canna generalis - 'Rosary beads'

Canterbury bells, or Campanula medium - 'Our Lady's Nightcap, Mary's Bells, Our Lady's Smock'
 

Carnation, or Dianthus caryophyllis - Mary's love of God.
  These flowers are said to have bloomed at Christ's Nativity, according to a German legend

Castilian roses [Damascus roses or Damask roses] or Rosa damascena  - The variety of roses found by Juan Diego after the heavenly visitation of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

Christmas Rose, or Helleborus - said to have flowered on Christmas day to honour the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Mary

Chrysanthemum, or Chrysanthemum coronarium - 'All Saints Flower' . Chrysanthemum is believed to have been present as Christ was laid in His Tomb

 

Clematis, or Clematis virginiana- the Virgin's Bower

Clematis, or Clamatis flammula - 'Cross'

Columbine, or Aquilegia vulgaris; known as 'Our Lady's Shoes'
  Columbine is said to have sprung up wherever Mary's foot touched the earth when she was on her way to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with her second cousin, John.
  Columbine's spurred flower is said to resemble a minute dove; and the flower came to symbolize the Holy Spirit of God.
  In England, doves were used to decorate the altar in Whitsun Week - the week following Pentecost Sunday - as people made connection between the dove, the Holy Spirit and Our Lady's Flower - the other name they had given the sweet columbine

Reflection;
Mary, how many miles you walked upon this earth!
  Your grace-filled being brought the Son of Man close to us.
Have we ever thanked you for the role you played?
  Let us follow your footprints; even better, teach us to walk in your shoes

Costmary,  or Chrystanthemum balsamita - 'Mary's Leaf'

Cowslip, or Primula veris - 'Our Lady's Keys'. In medieval times, St Mary was often referred to as 'Our Lady'

Daffodil, or Narcissus pseudonarc - 'Mary's Star'

Dog rose, or Rosa canina - 'Mary's Thorn'

Edelweiss, or Leontopodium alpinum - 'Purity'

English daisy, or Bellis perennis - 'Mary-love'

Fern, or Asplenium ruta-mur - 'Lady's Hair'

Field Bindweed, or Convolvulus arvensis - 'Our Lady's Little Glass', after a symbolic story in which Our Lady assisted a waggoner to set his cart free after she plucked the flower and gave it to him

Forget-Me-Not, or Myostis scorpoides, Myostis sylvatica- 'Our Lady's Eyes'

Foxglove - 'Our Lady's Gloves'

Fuschia, or Fuschia magellanica and hybrida - 'Our Lady's Ear-drop'.
  The gently drooping flowers of the lovely fuschia resemble pendant earrings or ear-drops. It is said that Jesus may have playfully hung flower jewels of amethyst and ruby colors on his mother's ears.
  Another tradition is that the blossoms were named Our Lady's Ear-drops as a way of paying tribute to Mary, who through her ears 'heard the Word of God, and kept it'

Reflection;
A baby's fascinated play - tugging at his mother's ear, playing with her face and hair, brings a smile to those who watch.
  Little ones cherish their moms, tucking fallen flowers in her hair and bringing her wildflower bouquets to bring her joy.
  Mary, nourish my love for you and Jesus.

Heartsease - known as 'Herb Trinity' because of its white, yellow and purple coloring. Common in medieval paintings of Mary

Holy Hay

Juniper, or Juniperis - 'The Madonna's Juniper Bush'.
  In Sicily it is said that the juniper bush saved both Mary and the infant Jesus life as they fled into Egypt.
  They were being pursued by soldiers, and the Holy Family fled through fields of flax and peas and various shrub thickets.
  The trusty juniper bush opened up its thick branches to enclose the Holy Family, hiding them until the searching soldiers had gone.
  The inside of the large bush became a soft bed, sheltering the fleeing family.
  The needles on the outside of the bush became as prickly as spears, thus protecting the Family within.

Reflection;
  Our garden of life includes both blessing and despair. Mary's life embraced both.
  Mary, you, Joseph and child lived in Egypt, toiling for years to build a good life.
  Sometimes I wonder how you managed to live your life so untouched by bitterness or harshness of spirit. Please teach me.
 

Lavender - Our Lady's Drying Plant

Lily of the Valley, or Convalleria majalis - 'Our Lady's Tears'.
  It was said that when Mary wept at the foot of the Cross, her tears fell to the ground and turned into the tiny fragrant blossoms of the Lily of the Valley.
  This flower was a symbol of the Virgin Mary because of its pure flowers, sweet scent and humble appearance.
  It was held to symbolize the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and to represent the purity of body and soul by which Mary found favor with God.
  Lily of the Valley is one of the flowers used to decorate the Lady Chapels of Churches. 
  In his paintings, the famous early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck portrayed the flower in the grass beneath Mary's feet.

Reflection;
The sacred text does not speak of your tears, Mary, as our legend does. It tells us instead that you stood by the cross and you were not alone.
  Other women and John were also there. We wonder at the sorrow, the pain of this little community standing by.
  Fragrant tiny white lily-bells, a thousand quiet tears bowing before the still-cold winter winds, teach me of springtime and the Resurrection just beyond the stone-cold tomb.

Lungwort - 'Mary's tears' - The white spots on the leaves were held to be Mary's tearstains; and the changing color of the flowers from pink to blue represent blue eyes reddened with weeping.
  Lungwort is also known as 'Mary and Joseph'

Madonna Lily - said to have been carried by the Angel Gabriel when he visited Mary to tell her God had chosen her to be the Mother of the Savior.
  The Venerable Bede, 8th-century chronicler of the English people and church, claimed that the color of the flower represented her purity, and the golden anthers the radiant light of her soul

Marigolds - Mary's Gold. The flowers were used as a gold-colored dye for wool, and may have been thought to symbolize Mary's simplicity and domesticity of life

Mantle - Our Lady's Mantle. The leaves are covered with fine silky hairs on which raindrops can settle without wetting the leaf.              
  Possibly because of this the plant was likened to a cloak for the Blessed Virgin

Our Lady's Bedstraw

Ox-eye Daisy, or Chrysanthemum leucanthemum - 'Mary's Star'. Symbolic of purity and simplicity, the daisy is widely portrayed in the flower meadows of medieval paintings.
The legend tells that on the night that Jesus was born, the Magi were praying on a mountainside.
  They saw a star appear in the form of a fair child who told them to go to Jerusalem, where they would find a newborn infant.
  The Wise Men followed the Star and reached Bethlehem village. They searched for a further sign; and King Melchior saw a white and gold flower that looked like the star that had led them to Bethlehem.
  Melchior bent to pick the sweet flower, and, as he did so, a stable door opened and they saw the Holy Family.

The Office of the Star - a mystery play and a pageant about the visit of the Magi on the Feast of the Epiphany, began as a part of the 11th century liturgical service. It probably originated in France.
  The play was later replaced by Feast of the Star, performed partly in church, and partly outdoors.

Reflection
Things, persons and events are prophets pointing the way to God; inspiring people to praise God. 
  Did you learn, Mary, to discern God's graces long before Bethlehem and the coming of your Child?
  If only I could share your wisdom, as did the Wise Men who knelt down before the Child in your arms

Peony - gloriously rich medieval flower which featured in many tapestries and paintings

Periwinkle - 'The Virgin's Flower', probably because of its blue, star-like flowers. Mary was often referred to as Stella Maris, meaning 'Star of the Sea'

Petunia - sing Mary's praise

Pinks - also known as the 'Gilly flower'; they are considered a symbol of the Virgin Mary

Primrose - was used to decorate church altars in May, which is called 'the month of Mary'

Rose - symbolizes Mary herself, known as the 'Mystic Rose'.
  Two of the roses associated with Mary are the antique Rosa Gallica [the 'apothecary's rose] and Rosa Alba.
  The Gallica is reputed to be the oldest cultivated rose and the ancestor of all European medieval roses

Snowdrop - 'Our Lady's Bells'. Snowdrops flower at the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple - also known as Candlemas - or The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin.
  This beautiful feast falls on February 2nd

Star of Bethlehem - this flower is a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas

Violet - 'Our Lady's Modesty'. This flower symbolizes the humility of Mary.
  The violet's delicacy, color, sweet scent and characteristic heart-shaped leaves refer to Mary's innocence, modesty and constancy

Wild Strawberry - designated as the fruit of the Virgin Mary and of blessed souls in heaven.
  In his paintings, Jan Van Eyck depicted wild strawberries growing in the grass beneath Mary's feet.

THE MARY GARDEN - PART ONE

DURING THE MIDDLE AGES, PEOPLE SAW REMINDERS OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD, IN THE HERBS AND FLOWERS GROWING AROUND THEM.
  Villagers tending their plots; herbalists cutting medicinal herbs and cloistered nuns on their knees planting flowers and herbs gave honor and praise to the Mother of the Divine as they carried out their humble tasks.
 
'Flower of flowers' 
  Medieval people were devoted to Mary, and decorated altars with flowers on her feast days. Violets were symbols of her humility; lilies symbolised her purity, and vibrant roses her glory.
  They named Mary 'Flower of Flowers' and named plants after her.

Mary's life 
 There are more than thirty herbs and flowers which bear touching legends about Mary's life.
  You might wish to grow a Mary Garden dedicated to Mary; many people have a Marian garden, in which they grow plants associated with her name.
  An image of Mary resides in the Marian garden.
These statues can be easily obtained. [See [1] for one link].
  The Marian garden is a wonderful place to spend time in, increase your serenity and turn your heart and mind to God in prayer.

'Rosary' 
  St Benedict had a rose garden ['rosary'] at his monastery in the 4th century.
  The first garden we know of which was specifically dedicated to Mary was that of the Irish St Fiacre in the 7th century.
  The earliest record of a Mary Garden is that of a fifteenth century monastic accounting of records for the purchase of plants for 'S. Mary's Garden'.
  This record was made by the Norwich Priory Sacristan in England.

Rich tradition 
  Prior to the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960's, a rich tradition of honoring Mary with flowers flourished.
  May crownings of Marian statues with flowers were carried out.
  Home altars with an image of Mary were often decorated by home-grown flowers.
  After the Council, the medieval customs faded somewhat; but in a post-Conciliar revival, the Mary Garden has made a strong comeback.
 
  In medieval times, legends about flowers and herbs were used to instruct the faithful, as well as to entertain them.
  As those striving to know more about the gospel values gazed at violets, they thought of Mary's humility. They would then try to practise her humility in their daily lives.
  Medieval men and women sang Mary's praises when they passed petunias; and thought of Mary's sorrows during her life as they saw the purple blossoms and sword-like leaves of the blue flag iris.

Popes and poets 
 Popes and poets praised Mary in hymns, such as in this 15th-century Ave Maria:
  
     Heil be touch, Marie, that aff flour of all
     As roose in eerbir so reed.

If you wish to make a Mary garden, remember it is very simple to create; it is a small sacred garden enclosing a statue or shrine of the Virgin Mary.
  You can plant flowers that remind you of Mary. Read through the lists of flowers and herbs we will provide, and which can be easily grown in your own Mary garden.

Make your own Mary garden
  A Mary Garden is a garden dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God.
In a Mary Garden, which can be as small as a clay pot or as large as a park, a statue of Mary is surrounded by herbs and flowers which have special significance for her, through legends or naming.
  If you have a garden or backyard, why not plant your Mary garden there?
  Otherwise plant your garden in a pot on your windowsill, on a patio or on an indoor table. 

Virtual Mary garden
   If you are sick and bedbound, or a child with no garden of your own, you can make a picture of a Mary garden and place it next to your bed.
  Looking at the picture will immediately give you a virtual Mary's garden where you can connect with the Mother of the Divine.

Pilgrimage to Mary gardens
  Should you wish to make a pilgrimage in Mary's honor, you may find these herbs and flowers in Mary gardens throughout the world.
  Five large Mary Gardens, each with a statue of the holy Madonna and all connected with religious institutions, are located east of the Mississippi River.

•   The Garden of Our Lady, across Millfield Street from St Joseph Church in Woods Hole on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

•   The Mary Garden at St Mary's Church Annapolis, Maryland, is located behind the church in the quadrangle formed by the church, rectory and Carroll House on Duke of Gloucester Street in old Annapolis.

•   The Mary Garden at the Shrine at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at Mount Saint John is located near Dayton, Ohio. The grotto is a model of the Massabielle Lourdes Grotto of France.

•   Mary's Garden at St Catherine of Siena Church in Portage, Michigan.

•   The Mary Garden at the Episcopal Convent of the Transfiguration on the grounds of the convent in the Cincinnati, Ohio, suburb of Glendale.

IRELAND

•   Mary Gardens at the Knock Shrine, County Mayo, Ireland.

•   Artane Oratory of the Resurrection, Dublin Ireland.

ENGLAND

•   Cloister of Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln, England.

AUSTRALIA
 

• Our Lady's Parish, Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia.

JAPAN

• The Church of Our Lady of Akita, Akita, Japan.

 
[1] Link to Virgin Mary Garden Statues; Catholic Home and Garden
http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/virgin_mary_shrines_for_sale.htm 

With thanks to catholichomeandgarden.com





 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND BLESSED NEW YEAR TO OUR READERS

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A

BLESSED NEW YEAR

TO ALL OUR READERS

 

LITANY IN HONOUR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Leader; Lord have mercy on us
Congregation; Lord have mercy on us
Christ have mercy on us
Christ have mercy on us
Lord have mercy on us
Lord have mercy on us
Christ hear us
Christ graciously hear us

God the Father of heaven
Have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the World
Have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit
Have mercy on us
Holy Trinity one God
Have mercy on us

Holy Mary
Pray for us
Holy Mother of God
Pray for us
Holy Virgin of virgins
Pray for us
Mother of Christ
Pray for us
Mother of the Church
Pray for us
Mother of Divine Grace
Pray for us
Mother most pure
Pray for us
Mother most chaste
Pray for us
Mother inviolate
Pray for us
Mother undefiled
Pray for us
Mother most amiable
Pray for us
Mother most admirable
Pray for us
Mother of Good Counsel
Pray for us
Mother of our Creator
Pray for us
Mother of our Saviour
Pray for us
Virgin most prudent
Pray for us
Virgin most venerable
Pray for us
Virgin most renowned
Pray for us
Virgin most powerful
Pray for us
Virgin most merciful
Pray for us
Virgin most faithful
Pray for us
Mirror of justice
Pray for us
Seat of wisdom
Pray for us
Cause of our joy
Pray for us
Spiritual vessel of devotion
Pray for us
Mystical rose
Pray for us
Tower of David
Pray for us
Tower of ivory
Pray for us
House of gold
Pray for us
Ark of the Covenant
Pray for us
Gate of heaven
Pray for us
Morning star
Pray for us
Health of the sick
Pray for us
Refuge of sinners
Pray for us
Comfort of the afflicted
Pray for us
Help of Christians
Pray for us
Queen of angels
Pray for us
Queen of patriarchs 
Pray for us
Queen of prophets
Pray for us
Queen of apostles
Pray for us
Queen of martyrs
Pray for us
Queen of confessors
Pray for us
Queen of virgins
Pray for us
Queen of all saints
Pray for us
Queen conceived without original sin
Pray for us
Queen assumed into heaven
Pray for us
Queen of the most holy Rosary
Pray for us
Queen of peace
Pray for us

Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world
Spare us, O lord
Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world
Graciously hear us O Lord
Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world
Have mercy on us
Pray for us O holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

LET US PRAY:
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Your servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may we be delivered from present sorrow and enter into the joy of eternal happiness through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

REMEMBER [MEMORARE] - PRAYER

REMEMBER

[MEMORARE]

Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary

That never was it known

That anyone who came to thy protection,

Implored thy help, or sought thy intercession

Was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee

O Virgin of virgins, my mother,

To thee do I come,

Before thee I stand,

Sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,

Despise not my petitions

But in thy mercy hear and grant my prayer.

Amen.

HAIL THOU STAR OF OCEAN [AVE MARIS STELLA] - PRAYER

HAIL THOU STAR OF OCEAN

[AVE MARIS STELLA]

Hail thou star of ocean

Portal of the sky

Ever Virgin Mother

Of the Lord most high

Oh by Gabriel's Ave

Uttered long ago

Eva's name reversing

Established peace below

Break the sinner's fetters

Light on darkness pour

All our ills expelling

Every bliss implore

Show thyself a mother

Offer Him our sighs

Who for us incarnate

Did not thee deny

Virgin of all Virgins

To thy shelter take us

Gentlest of the gentle

Chaste and gentle make us

Still as on we journey

Help our weak endeavour

Till with thee and Jesus

We may live forever

Through the highest heaven

To the almighty Three

Father, Son and Spirit,

One same glory be.

Amen.

AVE MARIA [HAIL MARY] - PRAYER

HAIL MARY

[AVE MARIA]

Hail Mary,

Full of grace,

The Lord is with thee,

Blessed art thou among women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,

Mother of God,

Pray for us, sinners, now

And in the hour of our death.

Amen.

HAIL, HOLY QUEEN [SALVE REGINA] - PRAYER

HAIL HOLY QUEEN

[SALVE REGINA]

Hail, Holy Queen

Mother of Mercy

Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope,

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve,

To thee do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

Thine eyes of mercy towards us,

And after this, our exile, show unto us

The Blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus,

O clement, o loving, O sweet Virgin Mary,

Pray for us o most holy Mother of God

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, thy Son.

Let us pray;

Almighty, everlasting God, Who by the co-operation

of the Holy Spirit didst prepare the body and soul

of the glorious Virgin Mother Mary 

to become a dwelling place for thy Son;

grant that as we rejoice in her commemoration,

so by her fervent intercession we may be

delivered from present evils and everlasting death.

Through the same Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

THE ANGELUS

ANGELUS

Recited daily at 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary

And she conceived by the Holy Spirit

Hail Mary.

Full of grace,

The Lord is with thee,

Blessed art thou among women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,

Mother of God,

Pray for us, sinners, now

And in the hour of our death.

Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord

Let it be done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary.

Full of grace,

The Lord is with thee,

Blessed art thou among women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,

Mother of God,

Pray for us, sinners, now

And in the hour of our death.

Amen.

And the Word was made flesh

And dwelled amongst us,

Hail Mary.

Full of grace,

The Lord is with thee,

Blessed art thou among women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,

Mother of God,

Pray for us, sinners, now

And in the hour of our death.

Amen.

Let us pray

Pour forth we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts

That we, to whom the incarnation of Christ thy Son

Was made known by the message of an angel

May by His Passion be brought to the Glory of His Resurrection

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.