Who would ever think that beads, some made of plastic, others of wood, still others of rope or cloth, attached together, would be one the most effective weapons against the Devil??? Unless they were cannonballs attached to chains and swung by Hercules (or Prince Fielder), it seems that such things would be a mere annoyance to the evil one, at best.  It seems like they would be swatted away like flies from an elephant.  I mean…really…can you imagine those little old ladies from church, using their “beads,” dropping flying elbows on Satan’s head from the top of a steel cage or whacking him on the head with a metal chair???  (Ok, maybe I still remember the WWF…a little too vividly)

         Well, that type of “silliness” is exactly what the world would want you to believe. But I would hope, as Catholics, we know better in both our heads and our hearts.  As Pope Adrian VI said[1], the Rosary is the scourge (or flying elbow to the ribs…metal chair to the head) of the Devil.

In fact, one of the most ardent supporters of the Rosary, Padre Pio, described the Rosary as THE weapon against the Devil.[2]  Rumor has it that, a few days before his death, Padre Pio told some Friars in his room “Bring Me My Weapon!!”   When the Friars saw no physical weapons near him, Padre Pio exclaimed that the Rosary was the true weapon against the Devil.[3]  Hence, the title of this article.

The Rosary is a prayer having many different meanings and benefits that are too numerous to talk about here, so I will just focus on one aspect – weaponry!  I never thought of the Rosary in that way…as a weapon…well, until the last year or so.  I’m not quite sure why I was so blind.  (As an aside, if you ever want to see a really cool Rosary, check out this weapon[4]!)

The Rosary was given to us by the Blessed Mother herself, probably through Saint Dominic[5] in the 13^th century.  She called it her psalter, wherein the 150 Hail Marys follow the pattern of the 150 Psalms.  In October 2002[6], Blessed Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light (Luminous Mysteries) “[t]o bring out fully the Christological depth of the Rosary [and]…include the mysteries of Christ’s public ministry between his Baptism and his Passion.”

For the longest time, I, unfortunately, was one of those Catholics that thought of the Rosary as a group of repetitive prayers that was hard to get through without falling asleep or daydreaming about other things.  I never quite realized what it really was.  Maybe I was never taught how to properly pray the Rosary.

As a weapon, I’ve heard the Rosary described as equivalent to launching missiles at the evil one.  I’ve heard it described as the nuclear weapon against evil.  I’ve actually come to be fond of the mental image of the Rosary chain being wrapped around the Devil’s neck to shut him up from whispering in my ear.  (Ok, was that too graphic?)  Maybe some of you like the imagery of the flying elbow or the metal chair.

However, before we talk about why the Rosary is an effective weapon, lets be very precise about who this weapon is used against.  I always thought the enemy was self evident, but lets be clear. First of all, the world is in need of prayer.  Through the prayers of the Rosary, we meditate on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  In so doing, we fill a void that is ever present in this world and seems to be getting bigger.  If we don’t fill that void, who will?  That’s the easiest answer in this whole article!  Its really easy to see who is filling that void.  Look down….way way down…in the center of hell encased in ice[7] (for you literary fans).  Ok, maybe look at the television, read the newspaper, look at popular culture.  Take a wild guess who is filling that void in the absence of prayer!  I think it’s self-explanatory.  As Padre Pio said, if all of the demons in this world became visible, they would blot out the sun![8]

Now that the who is taken care of, lets look at the “what.”  When we talk about the Rosary as THE weapon against the Devil, we should not limit our thinking to just “big” evils (like Communism) or to just “smaller” evils such as gossip.  Similarly, we should not limit our thinking to combat against just mortal sins or just venial sins.  The Rosary is THE weapon against all of the above and everything in between.  It is equally effective in converting a communist nation as it is in helping us shut our mouths when we want so badly to talk about others, in rejecting heresy as it is in helping us reject the temptations against purity, and in dispelling materialism as it is in playing a PS3 when we should be out cutting the lawn.   No one ever said that the Rosary was for the strong or only for kings and princes.  In fact, it is probably most effective when said by the meek and humble, the simple, and the poor in spirit.

Ok, Ok, but why is the Rosary such an effective weapon against the Devil?  Why does the famous exorcist Gabriel Amorth report that, during an exorcism, his colleague reported hearing the Devil say that each Hail Mary is like a blow against his head??[9]  Again, the answer is fairly straightforward.

First and foremost, the Rosary is the prayer of the Gospels.[10]  As Pope Pius XII said[11], the Rosary is the compendium of the entire Gospel.  Other writers have described the Rosary as the Gospels on a chain.  Think about it.  18 of 20 of the mysteries are directly described in the Gospels.  So don’t ever let anyone tell you that the Rosary is not Biblical!  The “last” two mysteries, the Assumption of the Blessed Mother and the Crowning of the Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven, can be inferred from reading Scripture.

For those reasons, when we pray the Rosary, we are praying the Gospels…and in praying the Gospels, we are praying Jesus Himself.  How can this be, you ask?  Well the answer is…surprise!!…again really quite simple.  The entire body of Scripture (let alone the Gospels), when distilled, condensed, and concentrated into one word…is the Eternal Word…Jesus Christ himself.  Therefore, praying the Gospels is praying Jesus himself.

Maybe more formally, praying the Rosary is both prayer and meditation because it is addressed to the Father, to the Blessed Mother, and to the Trinity, and is a meditation on Jesus Christ.  Said in another way, the Rosary is a reflection on some of the most important times in Jesus’s life wherein we showed His love for us and also on the life of God’s most perfect creature Mary who, being full of grace, lived life to the fullest, totally free[12], and without sin.

This reflection on the mysteries of the Rosary causes us to remember and to look upon God Himself.  Said more simply, the prayers of the Rosary say everything that the Devil hates to be said.  It focuses our minds, hearts, and souls upon our Blessed Lord and His life.  When we pray the Rosary, we enter mind, body, and soul into the mysteries of the Gospels and tap into the infinite graces just waiting to be poured out by the Holy Spirit through his spouse, the Blessed Mother.  When we pray these words, the Devil cannot enter!

Some of you are not doubt asking how meditation on the mysteries, aside from vocal prayer, can possibly stop the Devil when he cannot hear our thoughts but only our words.  I think the answer to that is also straightforward, if you have the right frame of reference.

The Rosary brings a true peace that is obtained from directly combatting evil with good.  Some of this peace is derived from using the Rosary as an offensive weapon to directly attack temptations and sin.  However, the notion of the Rosary as a weapon also applies to using the Rosary as a shield from temptations. Shields are weapons as well, at least in the divine sense.  As Pope Leo XII said, the Rosary is powerful because Mary is the Mediatrix of Divine Grace and surpasses in power all of the angels and saints in Heaven.  The grace that is poured out both vanquishes evil directly (offensively) and also protects our hearts, minds, and souls (defensively) from giving in to the temptations that we face.  Accordingly, one way to think about the vocal prayers is to think of them as calling down grace for more of an offensive attack.  In a similar way, the meditative portion of the prayers can be thought of as an internalization of Jesus himself which also calls down grace and shields our souls from some of the attacks.  (Oh yeah, and remember who the Devil is…a fallen archangel.  For that reason, Mary has more power than the Devil.)

But enough theory, lets be a bit more practical for just a minute.  When holding the crucifix, we make the sign of the cross and reaffirm what we believe and what the Church believes.  We ponder His life, death, and resurrection.  We honor God, reaffirm our belief in the Blessed Mother and all other important issues that the Devil fights against.

On the first bead, and 5 subsequent beads, we pray the Our Father.  There are no greater words known to man to honor the Father than to use the words that Jesus Himself gave us.    More theologically speaking, it is important to remember that, in each of His mysteries, Jesus always leads us to the Father and is continually turned towards him.  For that reason, the Our Father makes meditation upon the mystery, even when carried out in solitude, an ecclesial experience.[13]

On the next three beads, we pray to/through the Blessed Mother for her to dispense grace, through her spouse the Holy Spirit, for an increase in three very important virtues, faith, hope, and charity (love).

As we move on, we then start to pray the Gospels and enter into the mysteries.  Throughout all of the 20 mysteries, we focus on God and on very important moments in Scripture.  Every time that we focus on God, we are taking our focus off of the world and off of ourselves.  This is perfect prayer.  However, it is exactly what the Devil does not want.

More specifically, the first part of each Hail Mary is drawn from the words spoken to Mary by the Angel Gabriel and by Saint Elizabeth and is a contemplation in adoration of the mystery accomplished in the Virgin of Nazareth.[14]

The center of gravity in the Hail Mary is the name of Jesus. It is precisely the emphasis given to the name of Jesus and to His mystery that is the sign of a meaningful and fruitful recitation of the Rosary.[15]

Finally, Mary’s unique status as the Mother of God, Theotókos, allows us to appeal to her in the second half of the prayer, as we entrust to her maternal intercession our lives and the hour of our death.[16]

After the Hail Mary, we say the Glory Be, also known as the “Trinitarian doxology” or Gloria, which is the high-point of contemplation. The glorification of the Trinity at the end of each decade raises our minds to the heights of Heaven.[17]

Finally, some Catholics add the “Oh My Jesus” prayer, also known as the Decade Prayer, at the end of each decade.  This prayer mirrors the prayer that Sr. Lucia has said that she received from the Blessed Mother at Fatima.[18]  This prayer calls to mind the need for mercy and penance, penance, penance!

Can you think of anything “worse” for the Devil?  Seriously.  What could possibly be more destructive against his temptations and plans than such meditations and prayers?  They are both offensive and defensive weapons and entirely frustrate the desires and purposes of the evil one and his army.

Ok Ok, I’m just about done with this long post.  So let me end with this.  It is widely reported that the Blessed Mother, during her appearances in Medjugorje, said that Satan wants war.  Well, if he wants war, then when are we going to get serious about launching missiles at this head?  When are we going to get serious about jumping into the war and fighting the good fight?  When are we going to swing a metal chair at his head, jump off the top rope with an elbow to the ribs, or simply just punch him in the face?!?!  The time has long since come.  As Pope Blessed Pius IX said, “give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the World!”[19]  So lets do it!

God Bless!

So this is not a typical blog entry…and parts are totally plagiarized from I don’t even remember who. (Best Guess is Scott Hahn and Mother Angelica) All I know is that I’m not even close to this brilliant.  I don’t even know why this is coming out now, but I just felt compelled to write this entry and post it…so I hope it helps someone out there.  (Truth be told, I’m reading about Padre Pio…maybe that has something to do with it!)

—

Ok, so how many of you reading this are either pursuing a college degree or already have one?  Maybe some of you have, or are working towards, a B.S., B.A., M.A., M.S., or Ph.D.  Maybe others of you are an M.D. or a D.O. and are even called “Dr.”  Still others may have a J.D., like me, and can put “Esq.” after your name (for the record, I despise this suffix).   Dare I say some may even have M. Div. or S.T.D after their names.  All of these degrees are wonderful pursuits and are very good.  But, in the end, it seems like just a jumble of letters to me.  I might as well have no letters or even supercalifragilisticexpialidocious after my name.

In the end, when the dust of battle settles, and time gives way to eternity, the only two letters that are going to matter won’t come after your name…thats for sure…and they certainly aren’t listed above.  The only two that will matter might come before your name…and are “S” and “T”

So why don’t we put as much effort into obtaining those letters as we are/did to obtain all of the other ones above?!?!

God Bless

 Oooohhh… he said strip! Scandalous!  Well not really.  The more accurate title for this entry is probably “Strip for Jesus…and Then Run Naked.”  Now maybe that would be a more scandalous title.  In any case, the inspiration for this post is Hebrews 12:1.   (Ok, yes, please pause at this point and look up this verse.  Actually, I will hyperlink a footnote to save you the effort).[1]

In this verse, Paul is speaking to the Hebrews about running a race with endurance/perseverance and stripping off anything that might slow us down…hence the nice little catchy title.

But what race are we running and why do we have to strip?  (Yeah, I know, it may not be the best mental image).  And what is Paul talking about when he says endurance?  And, for that matter, just what does it mean to win this race?

Well, lets talk about the race itself first.

As you probably know, this race is not a race to see who can get the best time or who is the fastest runner.  This race is run towards the finish line of eternal life, and most importantly, towards Jesus.  It seems simple enough, but I guess it had to be said…just so we are all on the same page.

So now you may be thinking, if I am in this race, just whom am I running against?  Mother Teresa looks like she’d probably be pretty slow…or what about the really old priest (everybody seems to know one)…or that little old lady that is always at daily mass and walks really slow down the aisle??? I bet they are turtle slow!  Hah…wrong!!! Actually, these people are the Olympic athletes.  But thank goodness we aren’t competing against them!   I think I would have been lapped by Mother Teresa years ago!  It’d be like me riding a Big-Wheel on a NASCAR track…yeah it’d be ugly.  But I digress.

Anyways, the competitors in this race are not other Christians…thank goodness. Even the fallen away Christians aren’t the competitors…but they might be hurdles in the middle of the track.  No, the race is being run against Satan, the world, the flesh, fear…you name it.  To put it more Biblically, the competitors are principalities, powers, rulers of this present darkness, and evil spirits in the heavens.[2]  To say it still another way, the only competitors are the things that slow us down or keep us from running altogether.  In fact, Satan and his minions aren’t even competitors, because they aren’t running anywhere, and certainly not towards Jesus.  They are simply hecklers lobbing fireballs at the runners! Sometimes I think of them like the two old critics on the Muppets…sigh…if they weren’t so nasty, that might be funny. But anyways, even though Satan is powerful, I’d rather play “Frogger” against his fireballs with Jesus on my side than try to outrun a saint.  One race I can win, the other I’m getting lapped.

But no matter what (notice I didn’t say “who”) we are running against or around, or jumping over, we have to remember that the goal is not the race itself, to finish ahead of your neighbor, or to finish with the fastest time.  The goal is the prize at the end of the race…and that prize isn’t a thing or a trophy.  That prize is a somebody…and his name is Jesus Christ.

Remember when He said I am the way, the truth, and the life?[3]  Maybe if He was speaking about this verse he could have also added…”and the goal.”  We must always look towards our Blessed Lord at the finish line.  If we focus on those in front of us (cough… cough…like the Pope) we are going to get discouraged for sure.  If we look back, we risk becoming prideful and, in so doing, getting passed up or even going backwards.  The Pharisee that looks back is going to get run over for sure.

But anyways, getting back to that one word in the title that made you want to read this post…Stripping!

Before we get to Paul’s specific words, let’s make a quick comparison to what Peter said in 1 Peter 2:1[4] when he talked about a similar idea.  In this verse, Peter uses the Greek word “apastaysti” which means stripping off old clothes and basically throwing them in all directions.  Now, in Hebrews, Paul uses a similar concept and uses the work “orakon” which, more accurately, refers to stripping off of weight or bulk.  But what does this all mean?

Well, as everybody knows, you cannot run a race with a ball and chain wrapped around your ankle.  Try playing Frogger tied to a post.  What happens?  You get run over by a truck.  In this case, a dude with horns would be driving the truck.

For that matter, how many times have you seen an Olympic athlete run a race in a parka, or with a weight belt, or even in boots or a sweatshirt?  Never…why…because it doesn’t happen. All elite runners try to shed every piece of clothing and hindrance they can to make themselves lighter and less bogged down.

In this verse, Paul is telling us to do that same thing!  Shed all of the bulk that you can.  Loosen up and get rid of anything that is slowing you down – get rid of the junk! Don’t be a hoarder of things of this world!  To be specific, Paul is telling us to strip off everything (such as sin) that cling to us.

Maybe think of it this way – Sin and worldly desires cling to us like tar clings to a smokers lungs.[5]  You cannot run a human race very well if you have tar in your lungs.  Just the same, you cannot run a spiritual race very well if the world is clinging to your legs, to your mind, or to your heart.  The less sin we have attached to us, the smoother our strides will be!

So lets be really simple and clear. Just like elite athletes, we must be willing to sacrifice what we want to do in life, be willing to train hard, be willing to practice, and be willing to expend every last ounce of our energy[6] to cross the finish line.

Ok, Ok – are we really naked in this race?  Well…no!  Whew! As Paul also says in Ephesians 6:13-17, you must put on the armor of God…stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate…your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace…hold[ing] faith as a shield, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.[7] So I guess we are clothed after all.  But we are clothed in light and Truth, and not in some make believe fashion of the world.  Sorry for the false advertising in the title….but I got you to read this…and I’m almost done!

So even though we run in light and Truth, that doesn’t excuse us from running with endurance. For that reason, we cannot spiritually sprint out of the blocks, only to fall like a heap in the middle of the track.  That would not do anyone any good.  Instead, we have to run at a pace that allows us to finish. Sometimes, runners run too fast and get burned out.  Others run so fast that they miss a turn and end up going in the wrong direction…even while they think they are still running towards Jesus.  But don’t get confused.  The instruction is still to run!

So, last but not least, what does it really mean to win the race?

Heaven.

Wow…that was easy.  But yet, it is also so difficult. To win the race means to inherit eternal life and to reach eternal truth itself (or more accurately, Himself).  But some people give up the race because they don’t see a logical finish line.  But who ever said the truth had to be logical?  The truth is love…and love isn’t logical.[8]

Soooo…now that you have read all of this… what type of scene are you imagining in your mind when you think of this race…especially in view of the title??? Well, I hope that you can see that Jesus is running with you.  He is also the one standing at the finish line with open arms waiting to hug anyone that makes it across the line.  You should picture yourself running with the lightest and yet the strongest armor that you can imagine…and crossing that finish line to eternal joy!

So, enough of my rambling on…here is one moral of this story…At the end of every day, if I examine my conscience and notice that the results of my daily race don’t bring me closer to Jesus, then I missed my turn and veered off in the wrong direction, no matter how fast I thought I was running.  Maybe I went too fast and accidently followed the wrong path…thinking that I was doing the right thing but instead going off course.  Maybe I went too slow and didn’t make any progress at all.  Maybe I actually went in reverse.

Nevertheless, and, God willing, when we do cross that finish line, we will hear those wonderful words – Well done, good and faithful servant.  Now enter into your Master’s joy![9]

God Bless!

Ok, so seriously…why is the host always a little circular tasteless wafer and not a pretzel, cookie, cinnamon bun, or even a scone???  You might think that the French would consecrate croissants.  Maybe Hispanics would consecrate a tortilla.  Maybe Americans would even try to consecrate a pancake…preferably chocolate chip. We could even make it have a smiley face!  Ok, so maybe not…but anyways, the answer is fairly easy, but most Catholics don’t quite realize it.

First of all, for a sacrament to actually be a sacrament (i.e., a sense perceptible sign that signifies and actually brings about grace in the soul) there have to be three things present: (1) an outward sign, (2) inward grace, and (3) divine institution.[1]  Consecrating a pretzel doesn’t have much to do with (2) or (3), so we will focus on (1) the outward sign.

The outward sign of the sacrament can also be described as the external rite that has two required components itself…(I) form and (II) matter.  The “form” of the sacrament refers to the words said by the bishop, priest, or deacon.  The words are considered to be the more important element of the two.[2] However, the matter is also important.  Talking about pretzels means that we are talking about matter and not form.  In other words, we are talking about the actual physical thing that is being used in the sacrament.  In this case, we are talking about bread.[3]

So where should we look first to figure out this question about “matter”?  Of course, we first look into the Scriptures, and we see bread all over the place.  In Genesis, a king-priest named Melchizedek offered…you guessed it…bread (and wine) to God. [4] (Maybe you remember hearing about this guy in Eucharistic Prayer I.) The church sees his offering as a foreshadowing of the Eucharistic banquet.[5]  In the later books, guess what the Israelites offered in sacrifice among the first fruits of the earth in thanksgiving to God?  Bread (and wine) again.  (Don’t ask how bread can be a “fruit” – I have no idea!)  In the Book of Exodus, the unleavened bread of Passover is eaten to remember the Jewish liberation from Egypt.[6]  In the New Testament, does Jesus feed the crowd with muffins or cookies?  No, he multiplies the loaves…of bread, which is yet another foreshadowing the bread of the Eucharist.[7]

Then, and maybe most importantly, during the Last Super, we know for certain that Jesus used bread.  We have all read it and heard it – he “took bread.” In being faithful to his command, the early Church Fathers used bread and the Church continues to use bread.  Scripture does not say Jesus took a breadstick or a pretzel.  Similarly, Jesus didn’t take “dough.”  If bread was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us!  To make a long story short, Scripture and Tradition make it very clear that bread is absolutely necessary as the “matter” of the sacrament.  To top it off, the Magisterium of the Church has basically said, no bread, no sacrament!

Even though the Gospels do not specify the type of bread that Jesus used, we know from historians that, according to Jewish law, the Jews were not allowed to eat leavened bread on Passover.  So, we can make a pretty good guess that Jesus used unleavened bread (i.e., bread formed without yeast).  For this reason, at least in the Latin Rite, unleavened bread is required.  OK, I know what you are thinking – pretzels and pancakes aren’t formed with yeast either, so I still don’t understand what’s the big deal?

Thanks for asking!  The church has other requirements as well that are derived directly from history and sacred Tradition. For a valid consecration, the hosts must be: bread made of wheaten flour, mixed with water, baked in an oven, or between two heated iron molds, and not be corrupted.[8]  Why so strict?  Well, it still goes back to Scripture and Tradition.

But enough about history.  Lets talk about the bread itself since it’s only the matter that matters (for this discussion).  Since the first requirement is wheaten bread, the bread must be baked, otherwise it isn’t bread.  As I mentioned above, Jesus didn’t use dough.  Since the flour must be wheaten, not every type of flour will work.  Bisquick will not suffice. Although water is required, it has to be regular water…soda, Gatorade, chamomile tea, or Starbucks wont work.  Can you imagine trying to make a host with Coca Cola? (Actually people have tried to make hosts (and sometimes still do) with honey and syrup.  Others have actually used Oreo cookies and Coca Cola…no seriously they tried it!  No, SERIOUSLY…they did it! Suffice to say, you can’t have an Oreo Jesus and his blood isn’t Coke, so all of those attempts were invalid!)

Oh yeah, and the bread can’t be corrupted.  None of us wants moldy bread…and neither would Jesus.  In essence, these requirements exist so that we can use the same type of bread that Jesus used.  No pretzels, scones or pancakes for Jesus means none for us either!

So the next time you see the priest raise the bread up and say the words of consecration, try not to think about pretzels or cookies, even if you are hungry.  Try to think about the form and matter and remember the bread of Melchizedek, the bread of Passover, and the multiplying of the loaves.  Oh, and most importantly, try to remember that Jesus is still multiplying the bread, except its no longer bread that we are being fed with – Its Jesus himself!

God Bless!