Image courtesy of ChatGPT with CN Whittle
Monday, July 20, 2026
Sunday, July 19, 2026
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION
Solemnity of the Assumption
The Solemnity of the Assumption invites us to contemplate not only where Mary is, but who she became through God's Grace. Throughout her life, Mary allowed the Lord to shape her heart into a dwelling place of perfect love. Her soul became radiant with holiness because she responded each day with faith, humility, and complete trust in God's will. The beauty of Mary was not merely outward; it was the golden beauty of a soul entirely surrendered to God.
Continuous offering of love
From the moment of her joyful "Yes" at the Annunciation until she stood faithfully beneath the Cross, Mary's life was a continuous offering of love. She treasured God's Word, pondered His mysteries in her heart, and remained steadfast through every joy and every sorrow. Grace transformed her from within, making her a living reflection of God's goodness and mercy.
Dormition
According to the ancient tradition of the Church, when Mary's earthly life drew to its close, she entered her Dormition, her peaceful "falling asleep" in the Lord. Her death was not a defeat but the completion of a life wholly united to Christ. Because she belonged so completely to her Son, God did not allow the body that had borne the Incarnate Word to remain in the grave. Mother Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heavenly glory, where she now rejoices forever in the presence of the Holy Trinity.
Promise of hope
Mary's Assumption is more than a privilege granted to one holy woman; it is a promise of hope for all who follow Christ. Her glorified life reveals the destiny God desires for His faithful people. Holiness is not beyond our reach. Like Mary, we are called to let God's grace transform our hearts day by day until the beauty of Christ shines within us.
Honour Our Lady
As we honour Our Lady today, let us ask for her prayers. May she teach us to treasure God's Word, to trust Him in every circumstance, and to grow in the golden beauty of holiness. Then, when our own earthly pilgrimage is complete, we too may be welcomed into the eternal joy of heaven, where we shall behold God face to Face and sing His praises forever.
Golden Beauty of Mary's Soul
When Mary's earthly race was run,
She journeyed to her glorious Son.
The gates of heaven opened wide,
To welcome Christ's dear Mother inside.
No stain of sin her soul could claim,
She lived for God's most holy Name.
Her heart was pure, her soul did shine,
As living temple for Divine.
Her golden soul with splendour glowed,
Reflecting every grace God had bestowed;
More radiant than the morning's light,
She glowed with heaven's beauty bright.
The angels sang with joyful voice,
The saints in glory did rejoice;
Their Queen had come with humble praise,
To share God's everlasting days.
Her head, often bowed so deep in prayer,
Was crowned with glory beyond compare.
Her faithful "Yes," so meek and free,
Now blossomed into victory.
Assumed to heaven, body and soul,
God crowned the one He had made whole.
The Queen of Heaven, crowned above,
Now reigns within God's endless Love.
Yet Mary's heart has not grown far;
She watches where her children are.
She gently leads us day by day,
To follow Christ, the Truth, the Way.
She teaches us that holiness
Is found through love and faithfulness.
A humble heart, obedient still,
Delights to do the Father's Will.
O Mary, Mother, gracious Queen,
The fairest soul the world has seen;
Pray we may walk the narrow way,
And join your song one glorious day.
Then with the angels we shall raise
Our grateful hearts in endless praise.
Where Christ our King is all in all,
And love forever conquers all.
Image by CN Whittle
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
ROSARY AND DEVOTION TO MARY IN THE MONTH OF MAY
Luky;
MAY is our Lady's month, the month of the most holy rosary, my favourite prayer.
I'm not going to be sanctimonious about it. Either the rosary is your kind of prayer or it isn't. I love saying the rosary, but St Thérèse of the Child Jesus found it difficult to pray. But even if you're not specially taken with it, the rosary is a wonderful prayer.
Signs of grace
As I've often said, we've always said the rosary as a family, and a less devout spectacle it would be hard to imagine. Sometimes I wondered whether we shouldn't just drop the whole thing because my children seemed to feel about the rosary the way St Thérèse did, but then I recalled the special signs of grace bestowed on my friends and family as a result of rosary novenas, and pushed on regardless.
After all, it is not very nice when you are small to sit still at Mass, but by the time you're in your late teens you find a deep need to go to Mass to collect your scattered and sometimes shattered resources.
Renew trust with Our Lady
By the same token a daily withdrawal into a quiet room for your rosary, said as well as you can, renews your trust with our Lady, until it becomes the most peaceful part of your day.
Strong, silent woman
I always feel the Blessed Virgin must have been such a strong, silent woman. Do you remember nights spent up caring for tiny tots with high temperatures, children crying in agony with an ear or tooth infection? Do you remember how desperately helpless you felt?
One film I watched depicted our Lady and the holy women all screaming out their sorrow. I could never imagine our Lady performing like that. I see her instead under the cross looking steadfastly into her Son's Eyes. If she had gone to pieces there, our Lord would have had even more to bear.
Please pray the rosary
Mary has done a lot for us. And time and again, she has come to earth and begged her children to pray the rosary every day, promising grace and blessings on those who grant her request. Yet so many have a dislike of this specially recommended form of prayer.
Family prayer-time
Bearing this is mind, we persevered with our family rosary daily, me armed with a store of cautionary words for certain parties, who felt that family prayer-time should rather be called family fun-time.
Whenever the children became restive during the rosary, I found myself saying things like: "Pray your rosary. Am I the only Catholic in the family?"
Laughter
One night we were praying, and my youngest was frolicking around, providing a laugh per Hail Mary. I looked at her in a reproving manner, so she subsided, knelt down and joined in the prayer. Her brothers and sisters were mumbling and this got on her nerves.
Fixing the rest of the family with a stern look, she commanded: "Say your rosary! Am I the only Catholic in the family?"
Catherine Nicolette;
Those were the days! I am still devoted to the holy Rosary. I also often pray the Divine Mercy rosary.
What is the rosary?
For those who do not really know what the rosary is, it is a set of beads used as a reminder, on which prayers based in Scripture may be prayed.
Large beads
The large beads are held at the beginning of a cycle of prayer known as a decade, while the "Our Father" prayer of Our Lord Jesus Christ is prayed (Matt 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).
Small beads
The small beads are held during the decade, while the "Hail Mary" prayer is prayed. This prayer is based upon the visitation of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38).
Glory be
The large bead is held at the end of the decade, while the "Glory Be" prayer is prayed. This prayer is a short yet profound doxology reflecting the biblical foundation of the Trinitarian prayer, echoing the baptismal formula given by Jesus Christ, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The phase "as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be" affirms God's Eternal Nature and unchanging Glory, reminiscent of passages such as Hebrews 13:8; "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Reflection on biblical passages
While each decade is being prayed, different passages from the Bible are reflected on. The mysteries reflect as follows:
The Joyful Mysteries:
The Annunciation: Luke 1:26-38
The Visitation: Luke 1:39-56
The Nativity: Luke 2
The Presentation in the Temple: Luke 2:22-40
Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple: Luke 2:41-52
The Sorrowful Mysteries:
The Agony in the Garden: Mark 14:13-42; Luke 22:39-46
The Scourging at the Pillar; John 19:1-3; Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15
The Crowning with Thorns: John 19:2-3, Mark 15:19, Matthew 27:27-29
The Carrying of the Cross: Matthew 27:31-33; Mark 15:20-22; John 19:16-18
The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ: Matthew 27:32-44; Mark 15:21-32; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:17-24
The Glorious Mysteries:
The Resurrection: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-16; Luke 24:1-12; Luke 20:1-16
The Ascension into Heaven: Luke 24:50-53
The Descent of the Holy Spirit: Acts 2:1-11
The Assumption of Mary: recognized in the Church by Venerable Pope Pius XII's 1950 Dogma of the Assumption Munificentissimus Deus [1]. Early church tradition spoke of the death and assumption of Mother Mary body and soul into Heaven at the Dormition. One account is the non-canonical account Transitus Mariae, [2] which describes angels transporting Mother Mary's body to heaven. This tradition influenced later liturgical celebrations, such as the Feast of the Dormition, established by the 6th century in the Byzantine church. [3] The Feast of the Dormition or Falling-Asleep of the Theotokos is beautifully described by the holy Orthodox Church in America [4]
The Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven: As Mother of the King of Heaven, tradition holds that Mother Mary has Queenship in Heaven. The history of the tradition that Mother Mary is Queen in Heaven is set out in the encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam of Venerable Pope Pius XII. [5] St Ephrem spoke of Mother Mary as Queen. St Gregory Nazianzen called Mary the Mother of the King of the Universe, while Prudentius asserted that the Mother brought forth God as man and and Supreme King. [5] St Andrew of Crete attributed the dignity of Queen to Mother Mary. [5] St Germanus and St John Damascene, St Ildephonsus of Toledo all recognized Mother Mary as Queen. [5]
Small biblical reminder
The rosary, to me, is almost like a small bible reminder in my pocket. It is easy to take with me anywhere, and may be prayed at any time. It is a quick resource which helps to remind me of the important truths and tradition of the faith.
The Divine Mercy Novena
The Divine Mercy Novena may be prayed upon the same kind of rosary. The Novena is a beautiful prayer which has many graces attached to it.
PRAY THE ROSARY WORLDWIDE
PRAY THE DIVINE MERCY NOVENA
PRAY AT LOURDES
[1] Venerable Pope Pius XII. November 1, 1950. Munificentissimus Deus
[2] Bible Probe. Transitus Mariae
[3] Sacerdotus. 2025. The Assumption of the Virgin Mary: Historical Development, Theological Foundations, and Refutations of Objections
[4] The Orthodox Church in America. Volume II -Worship. The Church Year. Dormition of the Theotokos
[5] Venerable Pope Pius XII. 11 October 1954. Ad Caeli Reginam
With thanks to vatican.va, bibleprobe.com, sacerdoctus.substack.com, oca.org, comepraytherosary.org, directfrom lourdes.com and Youtube
Image courtesy of ChatGPT with CN Whittle "Family rosary"
Friday, May 1, 2026
O MARY, QUEEN OF MAY
O MARY, QUEEN OF MAY
Queen of May, O gentle Mother fair,
You watch our weary world with tender care;
From heaven’s light your loving gaze descends,
Upon your children, whom your heart befriends.
With blossoms bright we crown your holy brow,
In love and prayer we make our humble vow.
Each petal laid, a quiet act of grace,
A sign of faith no darkness can erase.
You held dear Jesus, so fragile, pure, and mild,
And taught the world through care of holy Divine Child.
In simple deeds, in kindness softly shown,
We echo love that in your life was sown.
In troubled times, as ever they have been,
When hearts grow faint and hope becomes unseen;
We turn to you, O Mother, calm and bright,
To guide our steps again toward heaven’s true light.
Lead us, dear Mother Mary, upon the narrow way,
Through shadowed paths wending onward into eternal day.
We ask you keep us close, whatever may befall;
Sweet Queen of May, our Mother, our dear beloved all.
With thanks to Youtube
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