What has the power to end wars, destroy evil, save lives, and heal people? Someone might think I’m talking about a superhero.
No. I’m thinking about the power available to any believer in the Rosary. This traditional Catholic devotion usually prayed on beads really has awesome power! How do we know? Our Lady herself has told us.
Messages from Our Lady
In the 13th century, St. Dominic and Blessed Alan received 15 promises from Our Lady for all who faithfully pray the Rosary. The promises included many graces, along with the power to make virtue and good works flourish and to provide an “armor” against evil.
Much later in 1917, Mary appeared to three children near the town of Fatima in Portugal. One of the those children, Lucia dos Santos (later Sister Lucia of the Immaculate Heart), said the Virgin told her that there is no problem — no matter how difficult it is — that we cannot resolve by praying the Holy Rosary. She said the Rosary’s power involves both spiritual and temporal matters.
Three secrets revealed
At Fatima, Our Lady gave Lucia three secrets which have all supposedly come true. One secret predicted the end of World War II, the Bolshevik Revolution and its effect on the Christian faith, and the start of World War II.
Another secret is believed to be the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in 1981. The date of the attempt was May 13, the same day on which the children had seen their first apparition in 1917.
Pope John Paul II subsequently visited the shrine at Fatima to give thanks for his survival. He often said he believed Lucia’s visions saved his life.
As we celebrate October as the Month of the Rosary, I encourage our readers to join me in praying the Rosary frequently. Our Lady will give us the power to be “superheroes” ourselves as we pray for her intercession to bring about a world filled with love, justice, and peace.