“The problem with the world today, there are not enough rosaries being said.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Dear Brothers in Christ,
We are born into a spiritual battle, and whether we are aware of it or not, whether we fight or allow ourselves to be over-run, this battle will continue as long as we are alive. Pope Leo XIII reaffirmed the importance of not cowering away from battle, nor remaining silent:
“To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamours are raised against truth, is the part of a man either devoid of character or who entertains doubt as to the truth of what he professes to believe. In both cases such mode of behaving is base and is insulting to God, and both are incompatible with the salvation of mankind. This kind of conduct is profitable only to the enemies of the faith, for nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good……….and very frequently by such display of courage (from Christians) our enemies lose heart and their designs are thwarted. Christians are, moreover, born for combat, whereof the greater the vehemence, the more assured, God aiding, the triumph: “Have confidence; I have overcome the world.” Pope Leo XIII (encyclical Sapientiae Christianae)
Society is in steep decay with its adoption of the culture of death and destruction. Immorality is being normalised and the acceptance of, and demand for, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia gain traction worldwide. Our children are being indoctrinated against God, church and natural moral law by schools and universities rife with evil ideologies. The decline in Church attendance, the denial of the existence of God, and Catholics disbelief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist are some of the signs of the times. Christian persecution is public, vicious, and intentional. Cancel culture is rampant, even within the church. Satan and the enemies of God work ceaselessly to destroy everything holy and sacred, blaspheming God, Jesus, the Catholic Church and Our Most Holy Mother, Mary.
To combat these evils, it is necessary that the faithful return to God and to prayer. Sadly, the majority of Catholics have remained silent in the face of evil. When these evil teachings, opinions, and attacks on Church dogmas are left undefended by the Catholic faithful, evil gains traction and the spreading of errors makes inroads in the great apostasy we are witnessing today.
Recently, an article in ‘The Atlantic‘, written by Daniel Panneton blasphemed the rosary and those who pray the rosary, labelling them as extremists and Christian nationalists, and likening the rosary (‘battle-beads’) as a weapon akin to an AR-15 style rifle. The author, who evidently displays a Marxist bias, demonised the rosary as a physical weapon through the cunning use of words with negative connotations. He attempted to demoralise those who pray or display the rosary so that they would neglect their resolve or hide their rosaries. To those who may be inclined to begin taking up the rosary, Panneton offered strong discouragement from even entertaining the idea by employing the threat of being labelled an extremist.
Despite this evil play, Panneton does state a misrepresented truth – the rosary is indeed a weapon, albeit a spiritual one rather than a physical one. Unbeknownst to him, the first person to actually refer to the rosary as a weapon is Our Lady herself when she gave it to St Dominic. In fact, she also referred to it as a “battering ram”. Fr. Brendan Kilcoyne asserts that “the Rosary is a machine gun of theology. It is where you pepper Hell with the name of God.” So much so is the rosary like a “machine gun” rather than a mere AR-15 rifle in the battle against evil, that the devil has been forced to admit on many occasions the pain he suffers due to its power, as evidenced by the former Vatican exorcist, now deceased, Father Gabrielle Amorth:
“During an exorcism, Satan said to me through the possessed person: “Each Ave Maria of the rosary is a blow to my face. If Christians knew the power of the rosary, it would be the end of me”.
Men, we are in a battle. And in battle, we need to have weapons. St Paul tells us clearly that “we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Our battle is spiritual.
In the first spiritual battle in Scripture, that between Adam and Eve and the serpent (devil), God responds by proclaiming that He will “put enmity between you [the devil] and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). The battle lines have been drawn by God, and either we are the seed of the woman (the New Eve – Mary) or we are the seed of the serpent (devil). We are either sons of light or sons or darkness (1 Thess 5:5). The battle started in the garden of Eden and it continues to this day.
‘The Atlantic’ article is a direct insult and persecution against Catholics who are the seed of the woman, who are sons of Our Lady. Scripture tells us that “when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child” (Revelation 12:13). We should not be surprised that Our Lady is being persecuted, nor that those who follow her in doing the will of God will be persecuted with her. The book of Revelation goes on to reveal that the serpent continues to wage war against the woman’s children (Rev 12:17). Christ Himself has said that we will be persecuted for following Him (John 15:20). It is evident that Our Lady and those who pray the rosary are a threat to Satan’s plans. The devil knows the power of the Virgin and her Rosary against his wiles and it is no wonder he is utilising every possible means to stop men praying the rosary. As we see this battle intensifying, we recall the urgency with which Our Lady, during her many apparitions, like that at Fatima, calls repeatedly for the rosary to be recited daily. Her role in this battle is crucial.
In his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II made a prophetic statement that the Church’s future victories would come through Mary:
“‘Be not afraid!’ Christ said to the apostles (cf.Lk 24;36) and to the women (cf. Mt 28:10) after the Resurrection. According to the Gospels, these words were not addressed to Mary. Strong in her faith, she had no fear. Mary’s participation in the victory of Christ became clear to me above all from the experience of my people. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski told me that his predecessor, Cardinal August Hlond, had spoken these prophetic words as he was dying: ‘The victory, if it comes, will come through Mary.’ During my pastoral ministry in Poland, I saw for myself how those words were coming true.
After my election as Pope, as I became more involved in the problems of the universal Church, I came to have a similar conviction: On this universal level, if victory comes it will be brought by Mary. Christ will conquer through her, because He wants the Church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her.” (pp. 220-221)
In past centuries, many a victorious battle has been won with Our Lady’s intercession, and the recitation of her rosary. In particular, the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 saw all of Europe praying the Rosary for the Holy League’s victory against the Ottomans with the Title of Our Lady of Victories given to Our Lady in remembrance of the battle by St Pope Pius V. Again, Pope Leo XIII reminds us how the rosary thwarted off heresies in the time of St Dominic. Speaking on the Albigensian heresy, Pope Leo XIII in the encyclical Octobri Mense recalled that;
“there seemed to be no human hope of opposing this fanatical and most pernicious sect when timely succour came from on high through the instrument of Mary’s Rosary. Thus, under the favour of the powerful Virgin, the glorious vanquisher of all heresies, the forces of the wicked were destroyed and dispersed, and faith issued forth unharmed and more shining than before.”
Like the battle of Lepanto that saved Western Civilisation, we find ourselves today continuing the same long, hard battle that will once again, through the intercession of Our Lady, save civilisation; a battle that will end in her Immaculate Heart’s triumph as she leads men back to her Son’s Sacred Heart. For this to happen, however, she needs our co-operation. She needs men to fight with her heavenly weapon, the rosary, and adhere to her call at Fatima to make reparation and atonement against the many offenses committed against her Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Maximilian Kolbe prophesied that Mary would play a crucial role in combating the forces of evil that have risen up against the Church. He said:
“Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. However, assumed into heaven, the Mother of God now requires our co-operation. She seeks souls who will consecrate themselves entirely to her, who will become in her hands effective instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spreading of God’s kingdom upon earth.”
The CALL
On Saturday October 8th 2022, one day after the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7), all men of good will are called to take up their rosaries and to march under the banner of Our Lady of Victory to their local Cathedral or town square, and in unison with their brothers world-wide, pray the rosary to fulfill the requests of Our Lady at Fatima. The call for the World-wide Rosary Crusade is to make reparation and atonement, and to pray for repentance and conversion of sinners; to pray for peace in the world and in families; to pray for the reign of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart in the hearts of men, in families and in society.
For the sake of this noble cause, we are happy to be extremists. With an extreme love of Jesus and His Mother, we will take up our rosaries and pepper heaven with our petitions, praying peacefully for ourselves and others. Holding our “battle-beads” firmly, let us join together in prayer and project the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary into the cosmos to fight the demons who have taken hold of our fallen brothers and sisters, and with the Intercession of Our Lady, obtain victory for Christ and her. We have been assured of victory in Christ, but we ourselves must wage this battle and live out this victory continuously in each generation until the end of time. It is precisely in this battle against Satan and his followers that the Virgin Mary comes to our aid today. Men, are you ready for Our Lady’s call to battle?
Victorious in Jesus through Mary
For further information on the World-wide Rosary Crusade or to enquire on how to start a Men’s Rosary Group for the First Saturday’s devotion, contact us on info@kofpb.org
“The rosary is sort of a machine gun and atomic bomb, namely a weapon that is far superior to all the weapons of modern warfare in overcoming the enemy of God”. Servant of God, Fr Joseph Ketenich
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