Strong Like David With His Sling
The power of the Rosary is utterly disproportionate to its simplicity. There is no grace that cannot be obtained, no Goliath that cannot be defeated, through the humble supplication of the Rosary.
We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times. Not with force, not with arms, not with human power, but with Divine help obtained through the means of this prayer, strong like David with his sling, the Church undaunted shall be able to confront the infernal enemy, repeating to him the words of the young shepherd: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and a spear, and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of armies . . . and all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for this is his battle, and he will deliver you into our hands” (I Kings 17, 45-47).
Pope Pius XII
Ingruentium Malorum
15 September, 1951
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Dear Fr. Mark,
As with many of my more prominent Carmelite brothers and sisters, I find the Rosary a nearly unbearable and unendurable penance. I approach it with no hope of anything other than doing it and getting through it.
And yet, your constant writing about it and the insights you provide are fuel for helping me to change my attitude. Obviously, it is only God who can really effect the change, but He won’t do it if I will not allow it–and perhaps that has been the problem up to now.
So, I owe you a great debt of thanks for these constant reminders. Thank you.
shalom,
Steven
Dear Steve, This is the deal. I promised Our Blessed Lady at the beginning of the month of October that I would post something on her Rosary each day as an offering of love to her and also to help souls. It hasn’t been easy (Day 17!) but I ask the Mother of God to make my poor efforts fruitful. I am very happy to learn that the Rosary posts have been encouraging for you. Do persevere. It is a school of ceaseless prayer, a way of living out what is written in the Rule of Saint Albert for Carmel: “they will remain in their cells pondering the law of the Lord day and night.”