5 Quick Takes Saturday - Vol 9

~1~

First off, here are the long overdue dandelion photos, which were taken just two days after this post


If you think that was a lot of dandelions, the next day you could hardly even see the grass! Alas, i didn't get pictures of it because then you could see the grass... because Yavi mowed the lawn. But see? I told you there would be a ton more! Now they are all dead and we have to look at the ugly brown stalks with semi-fluffy white "marshmallows" on top. Ick.

~2~


An awesome video that you all must watch! I won't tell you what it is about... because it would spoil the ending! Just watch it!

~3~

40 Days for Life Spring 2009 Campaign Report from David on Vimeo.

Another video, this one from 40 Days for Life. If you have not previously been a part of this amazing pro-life ministry, watch the video and then i am sure you will at least sign up for the e-mails.

~ 4 ~

A little something that i made for the month of May and beyond. I thought it would be great if all of us Catholic bloggers put either the picture above, or something that you made, or even just text on your blog sidebar to tell the world that we pray the Rosary and aren't ashamed of the fact!

~5~

Also for the month of May, i would like to share something with all of you that my sister Yavi made. I think it turned out really great!

You can click on the image to view it in a larger size.

The Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows

The Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as the Rosary of the Mater Dolorosa, is an ancient prayer, that dates back to the first centuries. My family heard about this prayer from the priests of Miles Christi, and Our Lady of Kibeho asked people to pray it during her apparitions in Rwanda. In light of this, as well as it is a good devotion for Lent, I decided to share with you the Method for the Rosary of the Mater Dolorosa.

This is what the Mater Dolorosa rosary looks like. Instead of a crucifix, there is a medal with Our Lady of Sorrows on one side, and a scene of the crucifixtion on the other. There are seven decades, with seven Hail Mary's each, and instead of beads for the Our Fathers, there are medals with scenes of each of the seven sorrows. You can still pray this on a regular rosary, if you don't have a Mater Dolorosa rosary, just remember there are only seven Hail Mary's and not ten!

Method for the Rosary of the Mater Dolorosa

V. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

I believe in God the Father the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

R. I belive in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

V. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

R. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

R. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Today we will meditate on the Sorrows of Our Lady. In the first sorrow let us contemplate (The Prophecy of…)

V. Our Father…

R. Give us this day…

V. Hail Mary…

R. Holy Mary…

[seven times]

V. Glory be to the Father…

R. As it was…

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy!

V. In the second sorrow let us contemplate…

At the end of the seventh sorrow say:

V. Let us pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, in order to obtain the holy indulgences. (Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be)

V. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, 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 valley of tears. Turn then, 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.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we made be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Seven Sorrows of our Lady

1. The Prophecy of Holy Simeon.
2. The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple.
4. The Encounter of Jesus with His Blessed Mother as He Carries the Cross.
5. The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ and Mary at the Foot of the Cross.
6. The Descent from the Cross, and Jesus in the Arms of His Most Blessed Mother.
7. The Burial of Our Lord, and the Loneliness of the Blessed Virgin.

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

Taken from Benedictus: Day by Day with Pope Benedict XVI

The historical origin of the rosary lies in the Middle Ages. People looked for some kind of psalter for them and found the prayers to Mary with the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ, strung out like beads on a necklace. They touch you in a meditative way, so that the repetition allows the soul to settle into tranquility and, holding fast to the Word, above all to the figure of Mary and to the images of Christ that pass you by, make your soul calm and free and grant it a vision of God. The rosary does in fact provide a link for us with this primitive knowledge that repetition is a part of prayer, of meditation, that repetition is a way of settling oneself into the rhythm of tranquility. It's a matter of allowing myself to be carried away by the calm of repetition and of steady rhythm. So much the more so, since this text does not lack content. It brings great images and visions and above all the figure of Mary - and through her the figure of Jesus - before my eyes.
These people had needed a prayer to bring them calm, to take them out of themselves, away from their troubles, and set before them consolation and healing. This basic experience in the history of religion, of repetition, of rhythm, of words in unison, of singing together, which carries me and soothes me and fills my space, which does not torment me, but lets me be still and comforts me and sets me free, has here become fully Christian, in that people pray quite simply in the Marian context and in that of the appearance of Christ to men, and yet at the same time let this prayer be internalized them - where the soul becomes one with the words.

Our Lady of the Rosary.... Pray for Us!

My 100th post!

In honor of my 100th post, I wanted to once again bring to your attention (in case you missed it below) the request 1,000,000 Rosaries to be said, in order to end abortion. Please join Catholics everywhere in praying the Rosary, almost simultaneously, on Saturday, May 3rd. Please register, HERE, and find the starting time for your time zone HERE. They are asking people to register, so that they can tally how many people are saying the rosary. Be sure to register each member of your family that will be praying, not just your family! Spread the word, on your blogs, through e-mail, word of mouth, anything to let people know of this endeavor. Will you join 999,999 other people in praying the Rosary, to end this great evil of abortion?