Really thought this was a great message…. Weaponize Yourself with Mary By Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB There are two powerful weapons I recommend to you. These are for your protection in a dangerous world – in today’s chaotic and, yes, evil culture. One is the 9 millimeter and the other is… only kidding! The weapons I am suggesting that you arm yourself with are spiritual weapons. One is the Rosary and the other is the frequent recitation of the Hail Mary. A Catholic Christian in today’s world needs to be packing the Blessed Mother’s intercession through the Rosary prayed daily and the three Hail Mary’s before going to bed. The devil is having his way with humanity because we have lost friendship with Jesus and Mary. He is a cunning snake who penetrates into the void of every human heart that allows itself to be absent from God and His Divine life. When we cut ourselves off from God’s grace through sin and spiritual apathy, the evil one fills that emptiness with sinful inclinations and temptations. We feel lousy when we don’t fight back against sin, but we lack the power to get right on our own. We know that there is something wrong, but rather than fix it with the sacraments and spiritual discipline, we wallow in sloth and accept sin as something normal. Where do we start to get right with God? How do we fix it? There is a remedy. Mary, Our Blessed Mother, is the secret weapon against the wickedness and snares of the devil. So… pray the Rosary and also pray 3 Hail Mary’s as your last prayer before going to sleep every day. You’ll get out of your sinful funk. It may take a while but it will happen. Do it for love of Jesus. Do it out of respect and honor for His Holy Mother. Do it because it is a tried and true means of keeping evil away from you. Do it because when the Blessed Mother has appeared many times over the last few centuries, she told us to pray through her intercession. Do it because many a saint was able to attain heaven by simply praying through Mary. Don Bosco told the Salesian family that praying the 3 Hail Mary’s was a sure and certain way to keep the devil at bay. Start praying them as your last prayer before going to sleep every day. Then continue by adding the Rosary to your daily routine, and try to pray the Rosary in the morning so that you don’t let the busy day go by and you simply forget to get it in. In St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we hear: “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits.” Believe this scripture. Arm yourself with Marian devotion. Look, there is a spiritual war going on in the world that is often invisible to the eye but is becoming more apparent to us at this time in history. Do something about it. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a most effective weapon against demonic forces. Also pray “the Memorare.” Do you remember it? It is a powerful prayer written many centuries ago and it goes like this: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother! To you do we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer us. Amen.
I learned a lot from this you tube. The Rosaty goes all the way back to the martyrs dying in the arena. Powerful.
