October is the Month of the Holy Rosary

St. Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)
Biography

Your nearest enemies will attack you all the more cruelly because you are so close to them. I am speaking of the powers of your soul and of your bodily senses -- these are distractions of the mind, distress and uncertainty of the will, dryness of the heart, exhaustion and illnesses of the body -- all these will combine with the devil to say to you: "Stop saying your Rosary; that is what is giving you such a headache! Give it up; there is no obligation under pain of sin. If you must say it, say only part of it; the difficulties that you are having over it are a sign that Almighty God does not want you to say it. You can finish it tomorrow when you are more in the mood, etc. ... etc. ..."

It is really pathetic to see how most people say the Holy Rosary -- they say it astonishingly fast, and mumble so that the words are not properly pronounced at all. We could not possibly expect anyone, even the most unimportant person, to think that a slipshod address of this kind is a compliment, and yet we expect Jesus and Mary to be pleased with it!

Even if you suffer from dryness of the soul, boredom and interior discouragement, never give up even the least little bit of your Rosary -- for this would be a sure sign of pride and faithlessness. On the contrary, like a real champion of Jesus and Mary, you should pray your Our Fathers and Hail Marys quite dryly if you have to, without seeing, hearing or feeling any consolation whatsoever, and concentrating as best you can on the mysteries. You ought not to look for candy or jam to eat with your daily bread, as children do -- but you should even say your Rosary more slowly sometimes when you particularly find it hard to say.

Saint Dominic has divided up the lives of Our Lord and Our Lady into fifteen mysteries which stand for their virtues and their most important actions. These are the fifteen tableaux, or pictures, whose every detail must rule and inspire our lives. They are fifteen flaming torches to guide our steps throughout this earthly life.

They are fifteen shining mirrors which help us to know Jesus and Mary and to know ourselves as well. They will also help light the fire of their love in our hearts.

They are fifteen fiery furnaces which can consume us completely in their heavenly flames.

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