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Hope you enjoy this:
Our Lady of the Rosary, Adoration and My Friend Mike
(Originally posted on October 7, 2014)
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| (Image source: Wikimedia Commons) |
On October 7, we celebrate the memorial of our
Lady of the Rosary, instituted by Pope Pius V. He attributed the naval
victory over the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 to the Blessed
Mother's intercession after the Christian world sought her aid through
the Rosary. The Nashville Dominicans provide an interesting summary of
this miraculous event and of Pius V. I encourage you to read their
article here.
As a Lay Dominican, I have come to treasure the rosary, contemplating the richness of its mysteries every day.
But I also have a fondness for this
particular memorial beyond my love of the rosary. You will understand
why after reading about my friend Mike. The article that follows is one
of twenty stories from my book, Fleeting Glimpses of the Silly, Sentimental and Sublime:
From
the inception of the Adoration Chapel in our parish and without
interruption for nearly five years until a few days before his death,
this gentleman came every Saturday morning. Initially, he came for two
hours each week – from 3 A.M. to 5 A.M. Eventually, another person lent a
helping hand by coming in a half-hour early each Saturday morning. That
hour and a half was not enough for Mike – he added another hour each
week when he joined his wife in the Chapel each Monday evening.
He learned to pray the Rosary there. Oh, how he enjoyed praying the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament!
Nothing
kept him away – not snow, not ice, not radiation treatment, not
chemotherapy, not even a terminal illness. Just weeks before his death,
he came in at 3 AM in obvious discomfort. He was coughing and had some
difficulty breathing. But how devoutly he tried to genuflect and bow his
head before his beloved Lord. After awhile, he settled in his chair,
pulled out his favorite little meditation booklet and began to pray the
Rosary.
He
knew that others were willing to cover his hour and half for him. But he
did not want to “inconvenience anyone”. Despite the cancer that was
raging through his weakened body, “there was no reason for him to give
up his hour yet,” he said, “except that he was getting a little lazy.”
His fellow Adorers reminded him of all the prayers being offered for him
during this difficult time and of their desire to be helpful to him and
to his family. He appreciated everyone’s prayers and concerns and
simply told us that he did not want to get angry with God. He never
did.
“It
was okay for you to leave,” he said to the person he was relieving. "No
need to stay. I'll be fine." Mike was at peace – one with his heavenly
Father and Mother. We should have all thanked him then for teaching us
how to live and how to die – with absolute trust and faith in a God Who
always knew what was best for him.
My
friend spent his last hour before the Blessed Sacrament with his wife
five days before he passed away. He died at home surrounded by his
loving family and on the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. How great
is our God! This simple and humble man would have been the first one to
admit that there was nothing of any value that he ever did on his own.
Anything of value that he did (and he did much of eternal value) was
only by and through the grace of God. How abundantly willing He is to
provide that grace to those who love Him!
God
does not promise those who love him a life here free of trials and
tribulations. Time before Him in the Blessed Sacrament is no guaranty of
a struggle free life. But He does promise sufficient graces to carry
our daily crosses and eternity with Him for those who love Him.
Mike loved to visit Him. You will too! Our Lord is waiting for you! Please do not disappoint Him - so many who claim to be His followers have and continue to do so.
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