Shows
Today's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJuly 20 2026, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,Today’s in first reading (Matthew 12:38-42), in the feast of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr, we see the opponents of the Lord asking for a sign of Heaven. Jesus tells them that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah, that is, the resurrection.Christ the Lord points that repentance is the sign they are missing. The people of Nineveh heard a warning and changed.The Queen of the South traveled far to seek wisdom. But standing before the scribes and Pharisees is Someone greater than Jo...
2026-07-2029 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJuly 19, 2026, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,In the parable of the weeds in the field, the Lord Jesus explained — as we read today (St. Matthew 13:24-43):"He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.The weeds are the children of the evil one,and the enemy who sows them is the devil.The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be...
2026-07-1932 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJuly 17, 2026, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,Our Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice, as He reveals in the Gospel today (Matthew 12:1–8). The Pharisees criticized His hungry disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath. He didn’t dismiss the Law; He revealed its heart, full of mercy.The divine mercy is poured out without reservation upon us. It can’t be earned, and we don’t deserve his mercy. But God simply loves us, regardless of whether we are worthy or not, and pours His mercy unconditionally.True holiness does not become harsh toward human weakness.That w...
2026-07-1832 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJuly 16, 2026, Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,Today, July 16th, is the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a feast instituted for the Carmelites in 1332 and extended to the whole Church by Benedict XIII in 1726. It’s the feast of the worldwide devotion to the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Brown Scapular.In Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah defended the beauty and purity of Israel’s faith in the living God.In the twelfth century, hermits withdrew to that mountain and later founded the Carmelite order, devoted to the cont...
2026-07-1729 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 10, 2026, Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,We continue praying our Holy Rosary from Austin, Texas.In today’s main reading of the Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus tells a parable that illustrates God’s compassion and mercy — misericordia, in Latin and Spanish, signifying the suffering of the heart.It is the characteristic of the infinite love of God, as He never forgets his offspring.The whole mystery of the divine mercy is beyond our human understanding. Nothing would exist were it not willed into being by God.And the greatest manifestation of divine m...
2026-03-1129 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 8, 2026, Third Sunday of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,Today’s Today, the Third Sunday, the Catholic Church begins the second phase of Lent with the Gospel of “living water” (Jn 4:13-14): the intense dialogue of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, a foreigner from whom He asks a drink of water.Christ the Lord said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”Pope Benedict XVI, recalling t...
2026-03-0825 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 7, 2026, Saturday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,Today’s Gospel (Luke 15:1–3, 11–32) portrays the prodigal son.The father stands for the divine mercy of God, and the older son stands for all of us sinners who misunderstand divine love.“Everything I have is yours.”The Father says the same to us today.In this magnificent parable, we see the prodigal son agonizing over his sins, feeling a great emptiness after he turned the divine gift into the ego’s possession.Finally, he realizes that only the compassion and the mercy of his father will save hi...
2026-03-0731 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 6, 2026, Friday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,Today, we read in the Gospel (Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46) that Jesus told the chief priests and the elders the striking parable of the landowner who planted a fertile vineyard.The vineyard stands for the people of Israel, the Church, and the world, but we are not the owners; we are just the tenants, entrusted with the responsibility of caring for it."The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone."The vineyard of this world is a place where we can find rest, enjoyment, and good w...
2026-03-0730 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 5, 2026, Thursday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,We read in the Gospel today (Luke 16:19-31) the story of the poor and hopeless beggar Lazarus, who is carried to paradise — to the “bosom of Abraham— and the rich man taken to the underworld.The conversation between the rich man buried in the torment of hell and Abraham in heaven is extremely revealing. This parable, presented by Christ himself, depicts an utterly unique view of the afterlife.‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
2026-03-0629 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 4, 2026, Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,During Lent, we prepare ourselves for the central events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.Because of the sins and disobedience of the human race, Christ, the Son of God in human nature, decided to pay for our redemption with his blood.Through his infinite mercy and love for us, he set us free from the slavery of Satan and of sin.God the Father glorified him with the resurrection.The lesson for humans was clear: if we follow Christ, the new Head of humanity, faithfully...
2026-03-0429 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 3, 2026, Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,Today, Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, we see in the Gospel, Christ the Lord condemning the religious externalism, vanity, and hypocrisy of the Pharisees of that time, and currently, all of us.We should look into our Lenten practices of piety and works of charity and see whether they are performed to be seen.Also, today the dioceses of the United States celebrate the Memorial of St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955), virgin, called to teach the Gospel and to bring the Eucharist to the Native American and African A...
2026-03-0332 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 20, 2025, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries) | Fifth Anniversary of the Rosary NetworkFriends of the Rosary,Today, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, we celebrate that Christ, who remained two days in the tomb, is risen from the dead, unleashing on the third day God’s forgiving and hopeful love in all its power."Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." The words heard by the women at the tomb — Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James — are addressed to us today, too.It means that death, sin, fear, and solitude are not the la...
2025-04-2132 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 25, 2025, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,When our will is aligned with the divine will, we become the conduits of the grace of God.As Bishop Barron writes, “Faith is an attitude of trust in the God who is always holding out new possibilities to us.""When our lives and hearts are aligned to the God who creates the universe when our wills are directed according to his purposes, we become the conduits of enormous power."Today, we pray for Pope Francis's health recovery and the eternal rest of Marc Louis, husband of An...
2025-02-2529 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityOctober 30, 2024, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
From time immemorial, the human race has wondered who will be saved and who will go directly to heaven, purgatory, or hell. This is the critical question of our existence.
At that time, Jesus was asked (Lk 13:22-30):
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?
He answered them,"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,for many, I tell you, will attempt to enterbut will not be strong enough.
We have free will, and it’s up to us to ac...
2024-10-3030 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 27, 2024, Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
In honor of Mary, the Immaculate Mother, we praise and thank the Lord through the Joyful Mysteries we pray today.
And we continue reading John 14. In today's Gospel (Jn 14:7-14), Lord Jesus reveals the coinherence that obtains within the very existence of God.
He says to his disciples:
"The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in...
2024-04-2731 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 25, 2024, Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today is the Feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist, the author of the second Gospel, a Jewish Christian baptized and instructed by St. Peter.
The Gospel of Mark, written in 50 A.D. for Roman Gentile converts, records St. Peter’s preaching about Our Lord. It rarely quotes the Old Testament and carefully explains Jewish customs, rites, and words. It excels in portraying Christ’s and His hearers’ emotions and affections.
St. Mark accompanied St. Paul and his cousin St. Barnabas in the evangelization of Cyprus before he became the compan...
2024-04-2629 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 24, 2024, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Jesus cried out and said, as we read today (Jn 12:44-50):
"I came into the world as light,so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,I do not condemn him,for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world."
In this passage of the Gospel of John, Jesus made clear, once again, that he and the Father are one.
God from God...
2024-04-2529 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 23, 2024, Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
People who do not believe are not among the Lord Jesus’ flock. They refuse to be part of the Kingdom of God. These are truly blind and, sadly, do not manage well their free will.They might be dominant in our society.
At that time, Jesus the Good Shepherd said to the Jews (Jn 10:22-30) in Jerusalem during the feast of the Dedication, as we read in the New Testament today:
“You do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know...
2024-04-2330 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 22, 2024, Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Jesus said — as we read today (Jn 10:1-10):
“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved.”
“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Lord Jesus is calling every one of us by our name.
The Good Shepherd knows what’s hidden in our hearts, and He is leading us out to our salvation and communion with Him.
We are invited to avoid following strangers, thieves, and robbers. They come to slaughter and destroy our souls.
2024-04-2329 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 21, 2024, Fourth Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is the Good Shepherd Sunday — Lord Jesus guarding, guiding, protecting, and watching over his flock.Jesus said (Jn 10:11-18):
"I am the good shepherd.A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
"I am the good shepherd,and I know mine and mine know me,just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;and I will lay down my life for the sheep."
Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!...
2024-04-2130 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 20, 2024, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today, we see in the Gospel of John John (6:60–69), at the end of its sixth chapter, how many disciples of Lord Jesus abandoned Him and returned to their former way of life. "The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe," said Jesus. When He asked whether the Twelve would leave too, Peter answered, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy O...
2024-04-2032 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 19, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Easter is a time of rejoicing for every Christian. It’s a time for thanking and praising our Holy God. Christ's resurrection caused and guaranteed our own. Our eternal joy has been won for us by Christ.
The enigma of human existence has troubled agnostic philosophers and scholars down through the ages and still today. But this mystery finds its explanation in the risen Jesus.
Physical death is not the end for man, with all his intellect, talents, and God-given graces. We are meant to find our fulfillment in th...
2024-04-2030 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 18, 2024, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Christianity and the Catholic Church — the continuation of Christ’s work among us — has existed for almost two thousand years. It’s the longest institution that has ever existed on earth.
Without the Holy Spirit and the certainty of the Resurrection — that we celebrate on Easter — our faith would be worthless.
"If Christ has not risen," St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:17, "vain is your faith, for you are still in your sins." But "Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."
His resurr...
2024-04-1828 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 17, 2024, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries) | Prayer for Peace in Middle EastFriends of the Rosary,
And He will deliver us from the perils of eternal death, to enjoy the endless happiness of Heaven. We pray today’s Glorious Mysteries from San Diego, CA.
By following the example of the risen Christ, we prepare ourselves to imitate His humility.
Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we might not at first recognize that Christ Jesus is alive and walking with us.
But through constant prayer, especially the Rosary of Mary, we will open our minds to Jesus.
He will restore the...
2024-04-1727 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 16, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries) | Prayer for Peace in Middle EastFriends of the Rosary,
People often complain when they experience injustice and wickedness. Also, James and John once wished that Jesus would call down fire from Heaven and destroy the sinful cities. However, this is the spirit of the world, not the spirit of Christ.
“The Son of man came not to destroy souls, but to save" (Luke 9:55).
In the proper time, God will impart divine justice, in His own way.
For the present, He allows weeds to grow among the wheat.
Our mission is to follow in the st...
2024-04-1628 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 15, 2024, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries) | Special Prayer for Peace in the Middle EastFriends of the Rosary,
Our spiritual life is based — or it should be based — in one single premise: “Believe in the One sent by God the Father.”
The risen Jesus gives us through his disciples another critical advice—as we read today (Jn 6:22-29)
“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
This way, when we start the third week of Easter, we are invited to seek what’s above, avoiding to think from an earthly perspect...
2024-04-1529 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 14, 2024, Third Sunday of Easter, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries) | Special Prayer for Peace in the Middle EastFriends of the Rosary,
Today, on the Third Sunday of Easter, while we celebrate the risen Jesus we pray hard for peace in the Middle East. Yesterday, Iran fired hundreds of exploding drones and missiles in its first direct attack on Israel after years of a shadow war.
We invoke Our Lady of Peace, the Blessed Mother, so people open their minds to Jesus and understand the necessity of peace in the world.
Jesus, the Prince of Life and Peace, is more alive than ever and is on our side.
"Peace be...
2024-04-1431 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 13, 2024, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Christ Jesus, who demonstrates his authority over nature, comes to save us, encouraging us not to be afraid.
As we read today (Jn 6:16-21), Jesus walks on the stirred sea heading into the boat with the terrified disciples, and says to them: "It is I. Do not be afraid."
In the Scriptures, the sea was something to be feared. Water was a symbol of danger and chaos.
The boat, with Peter and the other followers, is evocative of the Church, which moves through all types of storms a...
2024-04-1329 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 12, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Jesus' multiplication of bread and fish, feeding a crowd of 5,000, is the only one of the miracles included in all four of the Gospel accounts.
This miracle greatly influenced the understanding of the first Christians of the Lord's identity and mission.
This passage — we read about it today in the Gospel — was followed by Christ's Bread of Life discourse, in which He explained his teaching on the Eucharist to the crowd.
He drew the connection between the miraculous feeding and the institution of the sacrament of the Euch...
2024-04-1230 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 11, 2024, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
St. Paul wrote that God's love for us is an excess since it exceeds and surpasses what reason can comprehend and desire.
He also calls the love of God "foolishness". This foolishness is reparation for that other foolishness which is sin.
In today's Gospel reading, we learn:
"The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, (Jn 3:31-36).""The one who comes from above...
2024-04-1131 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 10, 2024, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
God came into us purely out of love, out of his desire we flourish.
The entire universe is moving restlessly toward the unity of the souls with God. And Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s salvific intent.
"Creation is nothing but the overflow from the intensity of Trinitarian love," wrote Bishop Barron. "All things flow from and are marked by the Spiritus Sanctus (Holy Spirit). He is their ground, their secret origin, their principle."
Christ revealed to us the divine goal: the sharing of the lo...
2024-04-1130 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 9, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
We celebrated yesterday the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
Today, we possess the knowledge Mary didn’t have at the time of the Annunciation — the knowledge about the plans of her Son, the Incarnate Word, would unfold on earth.
We are fortified by Mary’s trust in God at the Annunciation and encouraged to trust the Divine Mercy and the Divine Will to be open to God’s redirection of our lives.
In choosing to follow God, we trust in Jesus. We surrender to Him to be mo...
2024-04-1031 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 8, 2024, Solemnity of the Annunciation, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the first Joyful Mystery.
The Holy Spirit comes through the Archangel Gabriel to Mary and imparts to her the gift of all gifts, a divine Son.
In humble acceptance, the Virgin Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38).
Having been conceived immaculately, Mary's body became the Living Tabernacle of the Lord.
Accordingly, she answered in nearly the same words her Divine...
2024-04-0830 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 7, 2024, Sunday of Divine Mercy, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today is the Sunday of Divine Mercy, the Octave Day of Easter, and we confidently say: Jesus, I trust in You, have mercy upon us and the whole world.
The Divine Mercy Sunday origin is from a revelation to the Polish nun Saint Faustina Maria Kowalska, the mystic of the twentieth century who initiated the Divine Mercy devotion.
Between 1930 and 1938 Jesus requested to her numerous times a Feast of Divine Mercy. On May 5, 2000, five days after the canonization of Saint Faustina, the Vatican decreed that the Second Sunday of...
2024-04-0730 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 6, 2024, Saturday in the Octave of Easter, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
On this Sunday of Divine Mercy, we will reflect upon the revelation of God's mercy. Christ didn't come to condemn but to forgive, to show mercy. We intend to be filled with the Holy Spirit, trying to learn from the early Church when the first Christians dedicated themselves to the good of the other, as we read this Easter in the Act of the Apostle. They were selfless and generous. They lived with the faith that conquers the world. And we recall the words of Saint Augustine, "Mercy is heartfelt sy...
2024-04-0630 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 5, 2024, Friday in the Octave of Easter, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
For a third time, the Risen Jesus revealed himself to a large group of Apostles after being raised from the dead (Jn 21:1-14).
The passage occurred in the Sea of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee). It was before the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Pentecost.
There were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons (James and John), and two others of his disciples.
The Apostles had returned to their old fishing job.
Having fished all night and caught nothing, th...
2024-04-0630 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 4, 2024, Thursday of the Octave of Easter, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Christ Jesus, the Holy One risen from the dead by the Father after completing his redemptive mission, appeared to His eleven apostles, as Luke tells in the reading of today (Lk 24:35-48).
While they were still speaking about how two of the disciples recognized in the breaking of the bred, the Lord stood in their midst and showing his hands and feet said to them,
"Peace be with you."
He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was...
2024-04-0527 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 3, 2024, Wednesday of the Octave of Easter, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
In today’s Gospel of Luke (Lk 24:13-35), we read the marvelous passage of the disciples being enlightened by Jesus on the road to Emmaus.
He said to them,
“Oh, how foolish you are!How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these thingsand enter into his glory?”
The two disciples did not understand the explanation of Our Lord's act of self-emptying himself out of love, even unto death, taking upon himsel...
2024-04-0332 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 2, 2024, Tuesday of the Octave of Easter, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
In the Gospel today (Jn 20:11-18), Mary Magdalene stays outside the tomb weeping. She is asked first by the angels and then by the Lord himself by she is weeping.
Jesus calls Mary Magdalene by her name, and she recognizes Him. Her pessimism disappears. She goes from fear to joy!
We all are consoled by the truth that Jesus is seeing, knowing, and loving us, even when we feel troubled, discouraged, and far away from Him.
Also, Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,for I...
2024-04-0229 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityApril 1, 2024, Monday of the Octave of Easter, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today, Monday in the Octave of Easter, we read (Mt 28:8-15) the episode of the first apparition of the crucified and risen Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.
The two women embraced his feet and did him homage. Our Lord called them by their name and encouraged them not to be afraid.
As long as we trust in Jesus, we shouldn’t be afraid. The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead showed that God is up to something greater than we had imagined.
As Bishop Bar...
2024-04-0130 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 31, 2024, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today is Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, the foundation upon which our faith rests. It’s the Solemnity of Solemnities and the climax of the Church year because all of the mysteries we have commemorated from Advent until now have pointed toward Easter.
On this day, Christ Jesus conquered death and unlocked for us the path to the glory of eternity.
The sadness of the Passion and Crucifixion of the Holy Week is vanished. Through a deep prayer of thanksgiving, we praise and glorify Our Lord, ex...
2024-03-3133 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 30, 2024, Holy Saturday — Easter Vigil, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today, on Holy Saturday (from Sabbatum Sanctum, its official liturgical name), also known as Saturday of the Glory, the Church remembers and mourns Christ in the tomb. We pray and meditate on his Passion and Death and his Descent to the Dead to announce liberation from the shadow of darkness.
It is not Easter yet, and the day is usually spent working on the final preparations for the biggest feast of the Church year.
The entire body of the Church is represented in Mary, as she awaits, in faith...
2024-03-3031 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 29, 2024, Holy Friday of the Lord’s Passion, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today, the whole Church commemorates the commemorate the Passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ when He died for the sins of the world. It's a solemn day of mourning and also a legal holiday around much of the world. It's a day of sadness, spent in fasting, abstinence, and prayer. Practicing some mortifications today, such as eating less or standing up is appropriate.
We find ways to slow down and have more quiet to contemplate this day, avoiding loud conversations and restricting ourselves from distractions, entertainment, and social media.
...
2024-03-2927 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 28, 2024, Holy Thursday of the Sacred Triduum, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, and the first day of the Sacred Triduum. The word “triduum” comes from the Latin words tris (“three”) and dies (“day”).
The Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper this Holy Thursday and ends after evening prayers at sunset on Easter Sunday.
The three of the Triduum are:
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!
To Jesus through Mary!
Here am I, Lord; I come to do you...
2024-03-2830 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 27, 2024, Wednesday of the Holy Week, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
As we read today in the Gospel (Mt 26:14-25), during the Last Supper, Christ confirmed Judas Iscariot as His betrayer:
“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
“Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
“Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”
He answered, “You have said so.”
Judas Iscariot expresses the mystery of iniquity or myst...
2024-03-2729 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 26, 2024, Tuesday of the Holy Week, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
In the Holy Land, Christians participated in a stunning procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem this Palm Sunday, Catholic News Agency reported.
The route followed the same path that Jesus took when He entered Jerusalem and was acclaimed by the crowd holding palms and olive branches.
About 3,000 faithful ascended the Mount of Olives, passed by Gethsemane, where Jesus experienced the most painful hours of his passion. Due to the ongoing war, there were fewer pilgrims than usual.
Those present responded with closeness in prayer, praise to the Lord, and a message of joy — the joy of being Ch...
2024-03-2630 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 25, 2024, Monday of the Holy Week, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary,
Yesterday, speaking in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis invited the crowd to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as He entered Jerusalem "so that being made by his grace partakers of the cross, we may have a share also in his resurrection and his life."
At the end of Palm Sunday Mass, the Pope said: "And now we turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary. Let us learn from her to stay close to Jesus during the days of Holy Week, to arrive at the joy of the Resurrection."
With the...
2024-03-2530 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 24, 2024, Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today, March 24th, is Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion and the beginning of Holy Week. It’s the completion of the Paschal Mystery of the Passion and Resurrection.
For five weeks of Lent, we have been preparing to celebrate our Lord’s paschal mystery by prayer, works of charity, and self-sacrifice.
Today we commemorate this solemn celebration in union with the whole Catholic Church. Christ entered in triumph into his own city of Jerusalem to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise a...
2024-03-2529 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 23, 2024, Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
The Virgin Mary's role is to bring us face to face with the love in the Heart of Jesus crucified, wrote Mother Teresa."Be careful of all that can block that personal contact with the living Jesus. The Devil may try to use the hurts of life, and sometimes our own mistakes — to make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves you," wrote the saint.It's not only that Jesus loves us. He longs for us. Even when we don't feel worthy. "How can we last even one day...
2024-03-2331 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 22, 2024, Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today, one week before Good Friday, we see in the Gospel (Jn 10:31-42) how hatred against Christ escalated in those final days of the Redeemer of the World.
Fridays of Lent have a penitential quality. The Stations of the Cross, prayed in many parishes today, allow us to love and treasure the Holy Cross of Jesus.
We have to be one in spirit with Him. In our crucifixion with Christ we find salvation.
For Christ and with Christ, we suffer freely and willingly the unpleasant things that...
2024-03-2228 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 21, 2024, Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Christ Jesus' message is crystal clear, as we read today (Jn 8:51-59):
"Amen, amen, I say to you,whoever keeps my word will never see death."
But the prideful Jews of that time rejected His divinity and opted to offend the Lord. Even they picked up stones to throw at Him.
"Now we are sure that you are possessed.Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’Are you greater than our father Abraham, who...
2024-03-2129 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 20, 2024, Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:In today’s Gospel (Jn 8:31-42), we read:"Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?"Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.”The Scribes and Pharisees of that...
2024-03-2030 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 19, 2024, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus. He is the patron and protector of the Universal Church.
He is also invoked as the patron of the dying because Jesus and Mary were at his death-bed and the patron of fathers, among many other causes. And that’s why today is Father’s Day.
St. Joseph was an ordinary manual laborer although descended from the royal house of David. In the designs of Providence, he was...
2024-03-1929 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 18, 2024, Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
This Monday, March 18th we begin the fifth and final full week of Lent. Day after day, the liturgical readings tell of the lowering storm clouds that will break open next week.
And today’s main reading in the Gospel (John 8:1-11) features the woman caught in adultery. The scribes and Pharisees accuse and bring her to Jesus.
Our Lord responds: "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
And tells the woman: "Go, and from now on...
2024-03-1826 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 17, 2024, Fifth Sunday of Lent and St. Patrick, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Previously called "Passion Sunday," this Fifth Sunday of Lent marks the beginning of Passiontide — the last two weeks of Lent. It commemorates the suffering of Christ (Latin passio = “suffering”). It's the final Sunday of Lent before the beginning of Holy Week.
The Catholic Church follows the practice of covering crosses and sacred images throughout the temples. Crosses remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.
The Gospel's main reading (Jn 12:20-33) invites us to reflect upon what it means to follow Christ.
The Lord said:
"Who...
2024-03-1728 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 16, 2024, Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
After she died, St. Teresa of Avila appeared to one of her nuns and said:
"There should be no difference, as far as purity and love are concerned, between the blessed in Heaven and the faithful on earth, though we are perfectly happy and you are suffering. What the Divine Essence is to us in Heaven, the Blessed Sacrament should be to you on earth."
St. Alphonsus Liguori explained:
"Here, then, is our Heaven on earth—the Most Blessed Sacrament."
Ave Maria!Jesus, I Tr...
2024-03-1629 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 15, 2024, Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Friends of the Rosary:
In today’s Gospel (Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30), we see how the Jews were trying to kill Our Lord as He moved in Galilee nearing the end of His public life.
"But no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come."
So Christ Jesus continued to teach to large crowds who were coming to hear Him. The admiration of the people intensified the hatred of the priests, openly seeking the death of the Messiah. Our Lord was spending His da...
2024-03-1529 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 14, 2024, Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
The mercy of God is infinite, beyond our comprehension.
However, stating that everyone, no matter their deeds, will enter the glory of Heaven seems contrary to the words of Jesus.
Yesterday, in the Gospel’s main reading (Jn 5:17-30), the Son of God said:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life."
The message seems to be clear: Those "wh...
2024-03-1428 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 13, 2024, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
God wants every believer to be transformed into the image and character of Jesus Christ.
And on this season of Lent, we learn all the virtues necessary that, in St. Paul's words, "Christ may be formed in us" (Gal. 4:19).
And as we prepare ourselves to participate in the Resurrection of the Lord, we conform our lives in imitation of the suffering and patient servant of Christ. He is the portrait of the loving crucified Savior.
Padre Pio, one of the saints who understood Christ’s suffering the...
2024-03-1328 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 12, 2024, Tuesday of Fourth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
In his apostolic letter "Salvici Doloris", St. John Paul II wrote on the Christian meaning of human suffering: "It is through suffering that Jesus redeems us."
Benedict XVI wrote in his book Jesus of Nazareth: "In Jesus’ Passion, the filth of the world is wiped out in the pain of infinite love."
Great pain is God’s chosen way, because, as the Ratzinger-supervised Catechism clarifies: “The heart is converted by looking at him whom we have pierced. It is by discovering the greatness of God’s love that our heart is...
2024-03-1228 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 11, 2024, Monday of Fourth Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
The faithful, who see their lives increasingly perfected by the grace of God, find it incomprehensible why many among us, especially friends and family members, prefer to stay attached to sin and darkness.
The Holy Spirit explained yesterday’s Gospel reading (John 3:14-21).”
“And this is the verdict,that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light,because their works were evil.For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his...
2024-03-1128 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 10, 2024, Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word that means "rejoice."
Today's Gospel (John 3:14-21) describes the reason for our joy: God's great love for us has been revealed in Jesus. Through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Christ has reconciled us with God and one another.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his...
2024-03-1024 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 9, 2024, Saturday of the Third Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
"I have come not to abolish the law but to fulfill it," Jesus said to the Pharisees, as we read this Wednesday (Matthew 5:17–19).
The Son of God Jesus denounced the hypocrisy of the instructional religion of that time, but He didn’t call for its dismantling.
"What He effected was a transfiguration of the best of that classical Israelite religion—temple, law, priesthood, sacrifice, covenant—into the institutions, sacraments, practices, and structures of his Mystical Body, the Church," explained Bishop Barron.
Many evangelicals want Jesus without the Universa...
2024-03-0928 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityMarch 8, 2024, Friday of the Third Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:Lent is a time for a new conversion. By the sacrifice of penance, the Lord sends us abundant grace to purify us. Benedict XVI said that Lent disciplines us, so we can be centered on the Paschal Mystery and change our daily lives. It’s a new beginning.Benedict focused on three practical solutions. First, he mentions faith in a Creator God, and then "the renewal of the faith in the reality of Jesus Christ given to us in the Blessed Sacrament.""And flowing from this, we must ask him to tea...
2024-03-0830 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 29, 2024, Thursday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today, we read in the Gospel the story told by Jesus to the Pharisees of a poor man named Lazarus covered with sores who sat outside the door of a rich man dressed finely and dining sumptuously each day.
When Lazarus died, he was carried away by angels to "the bosom of Abraham" and comforted there. The rich man also died and was buried, and carried to the netherworld, where he was in torment.
From the flames of Hell, the rich man asked Abraham to warn his earthly five...
2024-02-2929 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 28, 2024, Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:In today’s reading (Mt 20:17-28), Christ Jesus anticipates to the Twelve disciples His Sorrowful Passion: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentilesto be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." He also explains the meaning of His earthly dwelling: "Whoever wishes to be great among yoush...
2024-02-2827 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 27, 2024, Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
As we read in the Gospel today (Mt 23:1-12), Jesus said to his disciples and the crowd:
"The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
The Son of God was talking about the spiritual pride shown by the scribes and Pharisees:
"Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice."
Being themselves the authors of many precepts, the...
2024-02-2830 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 26, 2024, Monday of the Second Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Christ Jesus asked us to stop judging, and be forgiving and merciful — as we read today in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 6:36-38).
"For the measure with which you measurewill in return be measured out to you."
For this behavior, we need to ask God's grace.
"I say to you, love your enemies,and pray for those who persecute you,that you may be children of your heavenly Father,for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,an...
2024-02-2627 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 25, 2024, Second Sunday of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:The Holy Trinity speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings.And today, on the second Sunday of Lent, we move from Jesus' retreat to the desert and the temptations by the devil to the splendor of the Transfiguration. This episode, when Christ was transformed into pure light, is told in the three Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The Transfiguration is a promise of Jesus’ glory, his Resurrection.
On a mountain in today’s reading, a voice affirms that Jesus is God’s Son in...
2024-02-2530 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 24, 2024, Saturday of the First Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
During Lent, we renew our baptismal vows and reaffirm our identity as Jesus’ disciples.
The Lenten season — with its the three main pillars of of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving — help us strive to be better followers of Christ
The Faithful rediscover the penitential season that precedes Easter.
On Ash Wednesday we accepted the ashes placed upon each of one’s forehead as an essential part of our commitment to be ambassadors for Christ, to live for something beyond one’s pleasure and self-satisfaction.
We are soldiers a...
2024-02-2425 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 23, 2024, Friday of the First Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
In Lent, from Ash Wednesday until the sundown in Holy Thursday, we engage in a 40-day battle to overcome sin.
Through intense prayer, fasting and self-discipline, almsgiving and sharing our time and talents, and deep reflection, we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says, “During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting.”
“We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to...
2024-02-2330 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 22, 2024, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.
The feast commemorates the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle and continued in an unbroken line down to the present Pope.
In today’s Gospel (Mt 16:13-19), we see how Peter is appointed to lead the Church of Christ on earth.
Jesus said: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the King...
2024-02-2229 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 21, 2024, Wednesday of the First Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Yesterday, the Catholic Church honored St. Jacinta Marto (1910-1920), the youngest visionary of Our Lady of Fatima.
She and her brother Francisco — whose feast is April 4 — were officially declared saints on May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. St. Francisco's feast is on April 4.
Both under 12 years old, they were the youngest non-martyrs to be beatified in the history of the Church. Along with her cousin Lucia, they witnessed the apparitions of Mary.
Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!
To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lo...
2024-02-2130 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 20, 2024, Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:Christ Jesus didn't promise us smooth discipleship, but one filled with suffering — even much suffering. In His three falls beneath the weight of the Cross, Jesus was tested in His faith. Freely and willingly, He emptied Himself and became obedient unto death for our sake. Christ's Via Crucis is a time of trial for us, too. A test of faith. Our earthly journey is filled with setbacks and even personal tragedies. The answer is to abandon ourselves to the will of the Father, in imitation of Our Lord. Ave Mar...
2024-02-2028 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 19, 2024, Monday of the First Week of Lent, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
In today's reading in the Gospel (Mt 25:31-46), Christ Jesus explains what is needed to inherit eternal life.
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me."
"Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
The Kingdom of Heaven is about our absolute love for God and the radical...
2024-02-2028 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 18, 2024, First Sunday of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today's Gospel (Mk 1:12-15) shows Christ Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert for forty days and consoled by angels of God. After the temptations, Jesus went into Galilee and began to preach.
"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,and he remained in the desert for forty days,tempted by Satan.He was among wild beasts,and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested,Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:"This...
2024-02-1829 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 17, 2024, Saturday After Ash Wednesday, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today’s Gospel tells the episode (Lk 5:27-32) of the instant conversion of the tax collector Levi — St. Matthew. Jesus passed by, gazed at Matthew, and simply said, "Follow me."
"And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him."
Bishop Barron asks: "Was Jesus responding to a request from Matthew or some longing in the sinner’s heart? Certainly not. Grace, by definition, comes unbidden and without explanation."
Grace and conversion are creations of the Lord. And, mind you, no matter how hard and accomplished we are, w...
2024-02-1730 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 16, 2024, Friday After Ash Wednesday, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Every Friday during Lent we abstain from eating meat. It's a Christian practice that helps us to discipline ourselves and dominate our superficial hunger for food and drink.
And like we did on Ash Wednesday on Good Friday we will eat one full meal, or two smaller meals.
"We fast because we have a hunger for God," as Bishop Barrons explains today.
Our deepest hunger is for God. And to discover this inner desire, we have to fast. We are meant to feel how hungry we are...
2024-02-1631 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 15, 2024, Thursday After Ash Wednesday, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
"Lent is a time to look inward and share our deepest desires, worries, and weaknesses with the Lord in prayer," Pope Francis said in his Ash Wednesday homily.
"The Lord is inviting us to remove the masks we so often wear and see ourselves as we truly are in the sight of God."
In his homily, Pope Francis encouraged everyone to make more space for prayer in silence in Eucharistic adoration during the 40 days of Lent.
He quoted advice from St. Anselm of Canterbury, an 11th-century Benedictine monk and doctor of the Church who wrote in 1078:
"...
2024-02-1529 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 14, 2024, Ash Wednesday, the Beginning of Lent, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today is the feast day of St. Valentine and most importantly, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the penitential season of Lent — forty days of prayer, abstinence, and fasting in imitation of Our Lord in the desert.
During today's Mass, the ashes are blessed and then priests or deacons impart this sacramental on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fragility, and mortality.
The ash on our forehead means that we are witness to our faith. It also reminds us that our time on earth is short.
Th...
2024-02-1428 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 13, 2024, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
In today's readings, we learn from the first letter of James the Apostle about the value of trials and temptation (Jas 1:12-18).
"Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of lifethat he promised to those who love him."
"Each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death."
All good giving and every perfect gift...
2024-02-1431 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 12, 2024, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Yesterday, February 11, was the 32nd World Day of the Sick, a commemoration instituted by Pope St. John Paul II.
The World Day of the Sick takes place each year on the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. On this day in 1858 in Lourdes, France, the 14-year-old peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous saw the Virgin Mary, wearing a white dress and holding a rosary.
It would be the first of 18 appearances of Holy Virgin in Lourdes. In one apparition, on the feast day of the Annunciation, Mary said, “I am the Imm...
2024-02-1327 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 11, 2024, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Christ Jesus is the healer of the human race, afflicted by original sin. We all, repentant sinners, know our Shepherd.
At that time, during His public ministry, Jesus miraculously cured thousands of people.
One of those souls was a leper abandoned by society.
We see today in Mark's gospel (Mk 1:40-45) both the divine power and the divine compassion of Jesus in an act of healing.
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,“If you wish, you can make me...
2024-02-1129 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 10, 2024, Memorial of St. Scholastica, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
On Feb. 10, the Catholic Church remembers St. Scholastica (480-547). She was the twin sister of St. Benedict, the "father of monasticism" in Western Europe. The twins' mother died at their birth. Under Benedict's direction, Scholastica founded a community of nuns near the great Benedictine monastery Monte Cassino. Inspired by Benedict's teaching, Scholastica devoted her life to seeking and serving God.When she passed away, Benedict saw in a vision the soul of his sister departed from her body, and in the likeness of a dove, ascend into heaven. He rejoiced w...
2024-02-1033 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 9, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
What is the will of God? It is love, as love is His essence—to show love to others and/or will the good of others.
That is the way God's goodness manifests itself to us.
God is the supreme lover of our soul. His goodness means that He provides what we need for our perfection, not merely what we desire for our pleasure, which very often leads to our destruction.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote: "As a sculptor, He sometimes applies the chisel to the marble of...
2024-02-0930 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 8, 2024, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Yesterday, we celebrated the memorial day of Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878).
Pius IX defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854. It stated, "It has been revealed by God that Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race."
Three years after the proclamation of the dogma, on March 25, 1858, the Blessed Virgin, during one of her...
2024-02-0929 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 7, 2024, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Jesus teaches that evil comes from within, from our hearts.
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.From within the man, from his heart,come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,adultery, greed, malice, deceit,licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.All these evils come from within and they defile.”
Our Lord summoned the crowd:
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;but the things that come out fr...
2024-02-0729 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 6, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today, on the memorial day of Saint Paul Miki and Companions Martyrs, we see Jesus calling the Pharisees hypocrites because they "disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition." (Mark 7:1–13)
The Pharisees and scribes were questioning Jesus because His disciples were not following the tradition of the elders but instead were eating with unwashed, uncleaned hands.
He responded,"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,as it is written:These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me;In vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines human precepts."
The hypo...
2024-02-0631 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 5, 2024, Memorial of St. Agatha, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
The Catholic Church celebrates today the Memorial of St. Agatha (d. 250), a virgin and martyr who died in defense of her purity, in Catania, Sicily.
After Quintanus, the governor of Sicily, tried in vain to force her to consent to sin, imprisoned for a month, and then had her breasts cut off, but that night Agatha was miraculously healed by the apostle St. Peter.
When asked why she lived the servile life of a Christian, St. Agatha answered: "I am a handmaid of Christ, and that is why I...
2024-02-0629 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 4, 2024, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
In today's Sunday reading (Mk 1:29-39), we see a day in the public life of Jesus: He heals people, drives out demons, prays, and preaches.
As followers of Christ, we are invited to pray, serve the poor, and evangelize throughout Galilee.
The Gospel of Mark presents as a healer. In him, divinity and humanity come together.
"In him, the divine life and divine power are breaking through," writes Bishop Barron.
"God’s deepest intentions appear—what God plans for us in the kingdom to come is no...
2024-02-0426 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 3, 2024, Feast of St. Blaise, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today, February 3rd, we celebrate the memorial of St. Blaise (or Blase), a fourth-century saint and martyr who enjoys widespread veneration in the Eastern and Western Churches due to many cures attributed to him.
On this day the Church gives a "Blessing of the Throats" in honor of St. Blaise, who was a physician and Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia.
From the eighth century, St. Blaise has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat. St. Blaise is included in the list of F...
2024-02-0331 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 2, 2024, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Today, forty days after the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also popularly known as Candlemas Day — since it takes place the Procession and Blessing of Candles at Mass.
Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess.
The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity. And with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point toward Easter.
Overal...
2024-02-0229 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityFebruary 1, 2024, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Jesus is astonished by our lack of faith.
As we read this week (MK 6:1-6), He cured many sick, drove out demons, and performed mighty deeds. Despite these miracles, people refuse to trust in Him.
Though we, the faithful, possess an understanding of the Eternal Word, our faith remains lacking. Christ Jesus dwells among us, yet we fail to recognize Him.
In the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, He abundantly bestows His grace, but we persist in disbelief and ingratitude.
One day, the whole truth...
2024-02-0130 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJanuary 31, 2024, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Every January 31, the Catholic Church honors St. John Bosco (or “Don Bosco”), a 19th-century Italian priest who reached out to young people to remedy their lack of education, opportunities, and faith. He was an enlightened educator and innovator.
St. John Bosco was the founder of the Salesian Society, named in honor of St. Francis de Sales, and of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. His lifework was the welfare of young boys and girls, hence his title, "Apostle of Youth." He had no formal system of education, but rather his meth...
2024-01-3130 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJanuary 30, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
This week we read in the Gospel how Jesus drives out demons and unclean spirits from possessed men.
Reflecting upon it, there are powerful things we can do to win the battle against evil in our lives, according to Fr. David Rider, a Catholic priest in Monroe, New York.
• Never engage in the occult or abstain from habitual mortal sin. It invites them in.
• Cleanse our homes from anything that can invite demons — new age crystals, good luck charms, books about the occult.
• Never leave your hous...
2024-01-3032 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJanuary 29, 2024, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
Christ Jesus demonstrated His authority during His public ministry, notably exerting power over the spiritual realm. This included causing men with unclean spirits to convulse and expel their demons, as described in St. Mark 1:21-28 and St. Mark 5:1-20.
Christ gave us the power to be like Him so that we are free from sin because sin makes us like the devil.
Reflecting on this, Bishop Barron wrote, "and now we have to make a decision." "If he is who he says he is and who he demonstrates himself to be, then we have to give...
2024-01-2932 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJanuary 28, 2024, Holy Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
In today’s Gospel (St. Mark 1:21-28), Jesus finds in a synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, who cries out,
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us?I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"Jesus rebuked him and said,"Quiet! Come out of him!"The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
People possessed with demons were obeying him, to the amazement and astonishment of the...
2024-01-2831 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJanuary 27, 2024, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
In today's reading (Mark 4:35–41), Jesus calms the storm that confronts our lives and threatens our peace.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,so that it was already filling up.Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.They woke him and said to him,"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"He woke up,rebuked the wind,and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"The wind ceased and there was great calm.Th...
2024-01-2733 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJanuary 26, 2024, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
St. Paul's soul-shaking conversion has a parallel in our life. Christ came to dwell in us during our baptism. It was our first conversion, although in most of us were unaware of the gift received as we were baptized as infants.
If we are lukewarm or Christians merely from habit or tradition — unconscious Christians — we must be converted to a zealously faithful life.
Our repentance must include gratitude to God and be exercised with a simple heart.
Another "Damascus hour" is the Eucharist moment in holy Mass. Here...
2024-01-2631 minToday's Rosary | Holy Rosary UniversityJanuary 25, 2024, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Holy Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)Friends of the Rosary:
On January 25, the faithful celebrate the Conversion of Saint Paul, one of the great events of the early Church. This feast celebrates St. Paul's turning away from persecution of Christians to promoting Christianity.
Saul was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, and a Roman citizen. He was a student of the Pharisee rabbi Gamaliel and surpassed all his peers in zeal for the Jewish law and their traditions, which he thought to be the cause of God.
Saul of Tarsus became one of the most fierce enemies and...
2024-01-2531 min