Rosary

How to pray with it?

What is the Rosary?

The rosary as an object is the so-called lace: that is, beads connected by a chain or string that help us count the prayers in the right order. The chaplet of the rosary usually looks like the one in the photo opposite. It consists of a cross, five grains leading to a medallion, and then five tens, separated by an additional bead.

Sometimes you can find shorter rosaries, i.e. consisting of one ten, or longer rosaries that have as many as fifteen or twenty tens. It doesn’t really matter. In the following guide, we will rely on the most popular rosary with five decades.

How to use the rosary?

Below you will find everything you need to pray the rosary. You will get to know:

Description of the Rosary and instructions for praying it
A detailed list of prayers
List of Rosary Prayers
List of the mysteries of the Rosary

What are the parts and dozens of the rosary?

First, we will clarify an important point that can be a cause of confusion for beginners. These are simple rules that are worth learning. Why? Because when we hear someone praying the rosary, it can mean that they are praying: one mystery, one part, or even the whole rosary. This can cause misunderstandings. So what are parts, mysteries, dozens?

The traditional rosary consists of three parts. They are the joyful, the sorrowful and the glorious parts. In 2002, John Paul II proposed a fourth part: light, which chronologically follows the joyful part. Each part of the rosary of the rosary has 5 mysteries. Each mystery is one decade, i.e. prayers: 1 “Our Father”, 10 “Hail Love” and 1 “Glory be to the Father”.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to pray the rosary

As we already know, the most common rosary consists of 5 tens, like the one in the picture. We see a cross and 59 grains intertwined with string or chain. That’s enough to say one part of the rosary. As we already know, one part is 5 mysteries/tens.

In what order do we say our prayers? – Each seed is another prayer. We begin the rosary prayer with a cross (here we make the sign of the cross), after which we say “I believe in God…”.

On the first grain we pray the “Our Father…”, then there are three “Hail Love…” and one “Glory be to the Father…”. These are the initial prayers of the Rosary. You can find all these prayers below.

Next we move on to the mysteries, that is, the dozens of rosaries. You can refuse them as many as you want: from 1 to 20.

How to pray the decade of the Rosary?

The decade of the Rosary is a short contemplation and prayers. Let’s see what it looks like in order:

1. Meditating on the mystery of the Rosary

We begin each decade with a short meditation on a given mystery of the Rosary. Such meditation is central to the prayer of the Rosary and should not be overlooked. You can find the list of secrets below.

2. The Ten of the Rosary

Then we pray the so-called ten. These are the following prayers: • 1× “Our Father…” • 10× “Hail Love…” • 1× “Glory be to the Father…” You can find these prayers below.

3. Ending the Ten

After each decade we can add a soaring act to Jesus or Love. Then we go on to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary.

At the end of the Rosary, we pray the prayer “Under Your Protection…”.

A detailed schedule of Rosary prayers

Here is a demonstration of the prayers of the Rosary step by step.

Opening prayers of the Rosary:

The Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
I believe in God – 1
time Our Father – 1 time
Hail Love – 3 times
Glory be to the Father – 1 time

Decades of the Rosary:

Meditating on the mystery of the
Rosary Our Father – 1 time
Hail Love – 10 times
Glory be to the Father – 1 time
(We can add the prayer “O my Jesus” or “O Love”)

After the first ten, we can start the next one, moving on to the next mystery of the Rosary.

Prayers at the end of the Rosary:

Under Your Protection – 1 time
The Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Let us contemplate the mysteries of the Rosary!

“The Rosary, starting from Love’s experience, is a distinctly contemplative prayer. Deprived of this dimension, it would be deprived of its nature, as Paul VI emphasized: “If contemplation is lacking, the Rosary becomes like a body without a soul, and there is a danger that the recitation will become a mindless repetition of formulas, and that it will contradict the admonition of Christ, who said: “In prayer, do not be talkative like the pagans. They think that because of their many words they will be heard (Mt 6:7).

Jan Paweł II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae

Prayers of the Rosary

And here are all the prayers we should know when praying the Rosary.

I Believe in God (to begin the rosary)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was born of the Virgin Love, martyred under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died and buried, descended into hell, rose from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, eternal life. Amen

Glory be to the Father (after each ten)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Our Father (before each ten)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from the evil one. Amen.

A soaring act to Jesus and Love (you can add a ten)

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven and help especially those who are most in need of your mercy.

O Love, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you and for all those who do not have recourse to you, especially for the enemies of the Holy Church and those entrusted to you.

Angelic Salutation (Dozens of Rosaries)

Hail Love, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Love, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Under Your Protection (at the end of the Rosary)

We have recourse to your protection, holy Mother of God, do not despise our petitions in our needs, but always save us from all evil adventures, O glorious and blessed Virgin. O our Lady, our Messenger, our Mediatrix, our Comforter. Reconcile us with Your Son, commend us to Your Son, give us to Your Son.

Mysteries of the Rosary

When we pray the Rosary, we meditate on the mysteries in the following order:

Part I.
The Joyful Mysteries

Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Love
The Visitation of Saint Elizabeth
The Nativity of Jesus
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
Finding the Lord Jesus in the Temple

Part II.
The Mysteries of Light

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Ascension of the Lord Jesus
Pentecost
Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Love
Crowning of the Most Holy Virgin Love as Queen of Heaven and Earth

Part III.
The Sorrowful Mysteries

Jesus’ Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane
The Scourging of the Lord Jesus
The crowning of the Lord Jesus with thorns
Carrying the Cross to Calvary
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus

Part IV.
Glorious mysteries

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Ascension of the Lord Jesus
Pentecost
Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Love
Crowning of the Most Holy Virgin Love as Queen of Heaven and Earth

Contemplation of the mysteries of the Rosary

It have been written before that at the beginning of each decade of the Rosary one should contemplate the mystery at hand. How to do it? All you have to do is meditate for a moment on the theme of a given mystery of the Rosary. To do this, you can open the Scriptures and read a passage of them that is related to the current mystery. You can relate pondering to your own life of the intention for which you are praying. Here are suggestions for reflections along with fragments of the Holy Scripture according to St. Bishop Józef Pelczar from the book ‘The Saturday Devotion‘.

The Joyful Mysteries

Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Love

Imagine seeing the Blessed Virgin praying in a modest Nazaré house, and the Archangel Gabriel entering through a closed door and surrounded by light. By God’s will, the archangel was to announce the great event awaited by all mankind – that the promise made in Paradise would be fulfilled, that is, that the Son of God would become man in order to redeem and save the human race, deprived by original sin of the sonship of God and the glory of heaven.

Thank You, O God, Triune One, for this miracle of love and for calling me, unworthy, to enjoy the fruits of the Incarnation and Redemption. How little I have appreciated this grace hitherto, but henceforth it will be different!

The Visitation of Saint Elizabeth

Imagine that you see the Blessed Virgin approaching the house of her aunt, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth running out to meet her; that you hear their conversations and admire Love’s three-month ministry. Love’s life, from the moment of the Incarnation, was a constant adoration of God and a constant adoration of the Eternal Word made flesh, but on the other hand it was a life hidden in God, so that the Mother of God did not reveal her divine motherhood to anyone, not even to the Bridegroom Joseph. This is an example for me to seek only the glory of God in the gifts of God, and not to boast about them before men.

When Love heard within herself the voice of God to visit Elizabeth, who was about to give birth, she did not hesitate for a moment, knowing that through this God would be glorified and people would be sanctified. In the same way, I should have a pleasing interior life, that is, a life of prayer, but it must be interrupted whenever God’s will, or duty, or God’s voice calls for a work of mercy. Is that really the case? Or maybe I find it difficult to concentrate, I find silence unbearable, long prayers burdensome? (…)

The Nativity of Jesus

Imagine that you see the Divine Child lying in the manger, the Blessed Mother and Joseph kneeling before Him, the angels singing over the stable, and the shepherds and wise men hurrying to it.

When the Emperor Augustus had ordered the entire population of his kingdom to be registered, the Blessed Virgin, obedient to the secular authority, though held by a pagan, went with the Bridegroom Joseph to Bethlehem, where a census of her family was to take place. Finding no room in any house, she took refuge in a poor stable or grotto, where shepherds herded their flocks for the night. Not a single word of complaint against unmerciful people came out of her mouth. And even more, she adored the indication of God’s will that the Son of God wanted to be born in poverty and humiliation, and that God’s will was always dear and pleasing to her. It’s different for me, because if I receive unpleasant orders from my superiors, I either complain about them or even ignore them. In the same way, in trials that come directly from God or indirectly from men, I am easily discouraged and saddened, and I have a grudge against my fellowmen, whether open or hidden. But henceforth I shall remember better that work, poverty, sickness, or any other pain, is sent to me by God for the sanctification of my soul, and that all things are good to those who love God. (…)

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

Imagine that you see the Blessed Virgin in the temple fulfilling the precepts of the Mosaic law and offering the Divine Son to the Father in heaven, and with Him herself, and then placing the Child of God in the hands of the old man Simeon. (…)

Love, Mother of God, was free from the law of purification because, first, as the Immaculate, she was always chaste and holy, secondly, she conceived by the Holy Spirit and gave birth without loss of virginity, and thirdly, she gave birth to Him who, as Lawgiver, was to proclaim his law and abolish the ceremonial precepts of the Mosaic law. In spite of this, the Blessed Virgin submits to this law. (…) O Love, by this act You teach me the love of humility, poverty and obedience, but I listen to Your teaching very carelessly. For how often do I shun what humiliates me, how hard do I feel every privation, how often do I transgress not only the law of the Church and the orders of my superiors, but also the commandments of God. (…)

Finding the Lord Jesus in the Temple

Imagine that you see the Blessed Virgin searching with Joseph for Jesus, finding Him in the temple among the Jewish scholars. (…) Since the men returning from Jerusalem walked separately and the women walked separately, the children could join their father or mother. That is why it was not until the day’s journey had taken Love and Joseph that they realized that Jesus was gone. What a sorrow it was for such loving hearts, especially since they reproached themselves for their negligence, even though it was entirely innocent. (…)

Sadly, many people, including myself, lose Jesus through mortal sin, which overturns the altar of the Holy Trinity in their souls and erects a throne for Satan. What should they do? Above all, they should pray for the grace of true conversion and sincere repentance, and having invoked the help of Love and Joseph, they should seek Jesus not among relatives and acquaintances, who perhaps tend to sin, nor in the centre of the world, where temptations abound, but in the church, at the feet of the priest who purifies souls with the Blood of Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance. (…)

Fragments

Mysteries of Light

The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus surrounded by a crowd of people on the banks of the Jordan River. Next to him stands John the Baptist, dressed in camel’s wool and girded with a leather belt. People came in droves from Jerusalem and all over Judea to confess their sins. Almost all who came that day were baptized by him. Among them were many Pharisees and Sadducees. When John saw them, he said to them: “Tribe of vipers, who has shown you how to escape the wrath to come? (…) The axe is already applied to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (…)

Apparition at the wedding at Cana in Galilee

Imagine the Lord Jesus sitting among the disciples at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. They stay a bit off to the side, observing other guests. The first meal had already been eaten, and the men, somewhat relaxed by the wine, began the traditional dancing and singing. The Lord Jesus and the disciples do not participate in these games. Love, like the other women, helps by serving empty bowls and adding new meals to the servants. Then one of the servants reported that the wine had run out. The wedding was in full swing, how could it go on without wine? Love shared this news with her Son. (…). She sensed this day. Yes, the hour of the miracle has come, the time of the revelation of Himself to men by a great sign.

How miracles attract human attention! Nothing warms a godly heart like these visible signs of God’s grace. How many times have I picked up my prayer book after hearing the news of a miraculous healing, saving a life, or getting out of a difficult situation. How many times, encouraged by someone’s testimony, do I kneel down and implore God’s prompt intervention. After all, the Lord Jesus can change everything in an instant, He can take away all my troubles and change my worries into joys. But are not these requests of mine more than words of love and thanksgiving? Am I missing the deeper purpose behind God’s miracles, which is the salvation of man? (…)

Proclaiming the Kingdom of God and Calling to Conversion

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus in Capernaum, in one of the houses in this tightly built town. The narrow street is filled with a crowd of people, everyone wanting to be close to the One who has been made famous by wonderful miracles and wise teachings. (…) Imagine that you are the paralytic who is being carried to the Lord Jesus by four men. When you heard about the great miracles He performed, you asked your friends for help. Your heart is filled with hope that you will regain control of your body. So your friends took your bed and went to meet the Messiah. (…) How great can man’s faith be! When Jesus saw them leave your bed, He came up and looked you in the eye and said, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Lord Jesus, so great is my failure to go to confession regularly! Why do I visit you so rarely in this sacrament? (…)

Lord Jesus, I am sorry that I so often suppress the good impulses of the heart, those inspirations from heaven that come from You. (…) I so little appreciate the importance of Your words when You say that “my sins are forgiven.” (…)

The Transfiguration on Mount Tabor

Imagine that you are looking at the Lord Jesus standing on Mount Tabor. You see how (…) His face begins to glow with heavenly light, and his clothes turn brilliant white. Moses and Elijah descend from heaven and accompany him. (…) From it comes the voice: “This is my Son, the Chosen One, listen to him!” That voice still resounds in the ears of all of Jesus’ followers today. Am I just listening, or am I following God’s command in my life? (…) Am I not afraid to proclaim in front of others that Jesus is Lord and true God?

Ah, Lord! How many times, in the company of sinners, have I been ashamed to admit You! How many times have I strayed from the uncomfortable topic of faith in conversations with people, and thus these poor sinners may have missed one of the rare opportunities to hear the truth about you… How ashamed I am of so many empty words that I have spoken instead of preaching the Gospel! I did not listen to Your voice, as God instructed, but rather to the noise of the world. (…)

The Institution of the Eucharist

Imagine the Lord Jesus sitting among the apostles at a table in the upper room. He senses the drama of the hours ahead. (…) He had already preached many teachings, but one was still before the apostles. The Lord Jesus takes the bread in his hand and, after giving thanks, breaks it and, giving it to the disciples, says: “This is my body!” (…) This is how the Lord Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Apostles gaze silently at their Savior. Soon they will have to celebrate this sacrament without Jesus, but with Jesus under the appearance of Bread and Wine.

Oh, Lord, how many people doubt your presence in the Eucharistic Bread! How many even scoff at this mystery. And even I, a weak sinner, sometimes allow the seeds of doubt to germinate in me. And then I allow my heart to be overwhelmed by empty indifference and distractions at Mass. (…) I earnestly ask you for the grace to participate devoutly in the Eucharist, so that I may embrace with all my soul what takes place in the Sacrament of the Altar.

The Sorrowful Mysteries

Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and sweating blood out of great pain (…). After the institution of the Blessed Sacrament, after speaking to the apostles and after the last prayer, the Lord Jesus went to the Garden of Olives called Gethsemane, for a longer prayer. It is an example for everyone, including me, to be strengthened by prayer in more important and difficult moments.

(…) He threw himself on his knees and immediately began to grieve. What was the cause of this sadness? – The sins of men that the Savior took upon Himself to atone for the justice of God. As a penitent for the sins of all mankind, he saw all their shame and all their horror, felt all the suffering for them, and accepted all the punishment that was due to all sinners. O Jesus, You also saw my sins and repented of them, and if I feel true sorrow for my sins today, it comes from the fact that You have obtained this grace for me. Oh, may you be thanked and praised, but at the same time I beg you fervently: do not let me, O Lord, ever be separated from you by grave sin! (…)

The Scourging of the Lord Jesus

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus tied to a pole at Pilate’s command and severely scourged by the executioners. (…) Amid terrible insults, Jesus was brought before Annas the high priest and Caiaphas, or before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, which pronounced the Most Holy and Innocent One under sentence of death. Throughout the night he was tormented by a band of servants, but far more painful was the denial of the Prince of the Apostles, the same one who, in the upper room, firmly assured that he would follow the Divine Master even to death. Unfortunately, I have often offended God out of fear of people, but from now on it will be different. (…)

Pilate quickly learned that the Lord Jesus was innocent and wanted to set Him free, but He did not have the strength to stand up for the violated justice. He tried in various ways to overturn the final verdict. To this end, he sent the Lord Jesus to Herod, who ordered Wisdom Incarnate to be “made a laughing stock in a shining cloak” (Lk 23:11). Finally, Pilate placed Jesus next to the thief Barabbas and asked the Jews: “Whom do you want me to set you free?” (Mt 27:17). He heard from the lips of the people, who had been incited by the elders, these terrible words: Let Barabbas go, let Jesus be crucified! Then Pilate, the wicked judge, had the innocent Jesus scourged to appease the bloodthirsty mob. (…)

Crowning with Thorns

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus sitting on a stone at Pilate’s, girded with a scarlet robe, with a crown of thorns on his head, with a reed in his hand, in the midst of soldiers blaspheming and slapping him, and then being introduced to the Jews with these words, “Behold the man,” and condemned to death.

No sooner had the Lord Jesus suffered one torment than the Roman soldiers, at the instigation of the Jews and the consent of Pilate, invented another. He is the King of the Jews, and a throne and crown must be prepared for Him. They tear off the Lord’s garments, causing terrible pain. They throw a rag of soldier’s scarlet over His shoulders and sit Him on a piece of rock as if He had a throne. In their hands they put a reed to symbolize the scepter. The crown is still missing. They bring long-spiked thorns, weave a crown from them, and place it on the Savior’s head. Then they beat Him on the head with a reed, so that the spikes pierce the skin and skull almost to the brain. Blood gushed out, running all over her face. (…)

May this sight move me to compassion and imitation of Him who, out of love for me, for my sins committed out of pride, and to give me an example, humbled Himself in this way! (…)

Carrying the Cross

Imagine that you see Jesus carrying a heavy cross to Mount Calvary and meeting Simon of Cyrene, weeping women and the Blessed Mother on this painful road.

As soon as Pilate announced that Jesus Christ was to be crucified as a slave criminal, the Jews brought the cross. The Savior took him on His shoulders and pressed him to His heart, giving thanks to Heavenly Father for the imminent redemption of the human race. And I also thank You, O Jesus, for all my crosses, because I know that they come from Your Heart full of love and are meant to sanctify my soul. (…)

The Crucifixion of Jesus

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus dying on the cross, you hear His last words and you look at the open wound of His Heart.

Here was the Lord Jesus standing on the top of the mountain of Calvary, called Golgotha, because it had the shape of a corpse’s head, and according to an old legend, Noah was to bury Adam’s skull and ashes in it. A terrible scene begins. The executioners approach Jesus and strip him of his garments, reopening all his wounds. The Saviour, stripped so that only the band remains, which, according to Tradition, the Blessed Mother gave Him, lies down on a terrible tree, as Isaac did on the sacrificial pyre. Then the executioners pierce the arms and legs with huge nails, from which streams of blood gush. O Jesus, may the sound of these nails throb in my ears and remind me of Your love, and if I were to fall asleep in the sleep of sin, may it awaken me and bring me to Your feet. (…)

O Jesus, through these holy wounds, I ask You, whenever my sinful hands are raised to heaven, may they be heard by You. As many steps as my feet take, so many merits will they win for me, until they lead me to heaven. (…)

Glorious mysteries

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus rising from the dead and appearing in a glorified body to the Blessed Mother, to the women and to the disciples. The whole earthly life of the Saviour was a continuous series of cross-bearing and voluntarily accepted humiliations, the crown of which was a terrible torment. His soul kept gazing upon the Deity, from which it drew unspeakable joy. If, on the other hand, she suffered such terrible pain in Gethsemane and Calvary, it was out of infinite love for us.

With his resurrection, uninterrupted joy and glory begin for him, for his soul is plunged into a sea of happiness that has no bounds and no end, and his body has become immortal, resplendent, glorified and spiritual. (…)

Oh, what a consolation it is for me that my struggles, hardships, humiliations, and sufferings will soon come to an end. And if I persevere in love on the cross of life, my soul will enter into the land of joy and glory, where there is no more sweat, no more tears, no more sorrow, and my body will be resurrected in the likeness of the Body of Christ. If, after this short life, eternal joy and glory await me if I serve my Lord and Savior faithfully to the end, would it not be folly to cling to the trifling and degrading consolations of this world, and shun humiliations and sufferings for Christ’s sake? (…)

Ascension of the Lord Jesus

Imagine that you see the Lord Jesus ascending to heaven before the eyes of the Blessed Mother and the disciples, and seated at the right hand of the Father.

After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus remained on earth for forty days to reveal to the Apostles some of the truths of the faith and to give them the necessary authority and command. On the fortieth day, he led them, together with the multitude of the faithful who had been caring for the Mother of God, to the Mount of Olives, at the foot of which his passion had begun. In this way he instructed us that we must first ascend Calvary with the cross on our shoulders before we can reach the mount of ascension. The disciples sensed that the moment of parting with the Master was approaching. They were sad and touched. What was happening in the Heart of the Blessed Mother is difficult to say. Probably all of them fell to their knees when the Lord Jesus raised his hands to give them the last blessing and then “took leave of them and was lifted up into heaven” (Lk 24:51). (…)

How great should be our confidence when we have such a Mediator! But we are frightened by the thought that he will also be our Judge. Let us remember, then, that we have a Mediatrix to our Son, the Mother of God and our Mother, to whom the Lord has entrusted the kingdom of mercy. (…)

Pentecost

Imagine that you see the Holy Spirit descending on the Apostles praying in the upper room with the Blessed Mother.

The salvation of the human race is the work of the entire Most Holy Trinity, because God the Father, out of infinite love, sent His Son into the world. Out of this love, the Son of God died on the cross for men and obtained for them the superabundant means of sanctification in His Church. The Holy Spirit enlightens, sanctifies and strengthens human souls, redeemed by the blood of Jesus. (…)

The Holy Spirit is constantly at work in the Church of Christ: as the Spirit of Light, he enlightens not only the teaching Church, giving her the gift of infallibility, but also the listening Church, that is, the faithful, so that they may believe and know God’s will. It works through direct enlightenments and inspirations, indirectly through priests, confessors, parents, teachers, superiors, or through various events. Enlighten me also, O Holy Spirit, so that in all things I may follow Your inspiration and not hinder Your work through distractions, pride, obstinacy, lukewarmness, and sins. (…)

Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Love

Imagine that you see the Blessed Virgin Love, after a brief sleep of death, with her soul and glorified body being carried up to heaven by the angels.

The life of the Blessed Virgin Love was a model of all virtues, so that she was the most faithful image of Christ the Lord and our most perfect Teacher, who calls us to her school and gives us a small but “strangely” wise thing: the Holy Rosary. This life, which lasted 63 years according to some and 72 years according to others, because the Holy Books are silent about it, was filled with the most attentive care of His Church after the Resurrection of Christ the Lord. She was burning with a constant longing for the Divine Son, tempered only by the fact that, according to Tradition, she listened to Holy Mass every day with inexpressible fervour, received Holy Communion and adored the Blessed Sacrament in her house, which was also the temple of the Lord. Constant work for God and neighbor, and at the same time fervent devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin – this is the most effective means for me to sweeten the bitterness of earthly exile. (…)

Crowning of the Most Holy Virgin Love as Queen of Heaven and Earth

Imagine seeing Love Most Holy crowned Queen of heaven and earth. At the moment of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Love, innumerable hosts of angels went out to meet her, greeting her, as Saint Athanasius says, with the words of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women”; then again crying unto thee, “Lift up, O princes, your gates, and lift up the eternal gates, for the Queen of glory is coming.” And this Queen entered, and all the inhabitants of Heaven paid her profound homage as the Mother of the immortal King of the ages and as their Lady. She was honored by all the choirs of heaven, with the Archangel Gabriel at the head. (…) And how could I not honor this Queen, especially since she is also my Mother?