Pentecost Sunday marks the end of the Easter season. Today at Mass the priest spoke of the power of prayer when two or more people are gathered in Christ’s Name. He also encouraged the parishioners to invoke the aid of the Holy Spirit during all of their joys, sorrows, trials, and sufferings.

The following are recent prayer requests that I received, both in comment form as well as via private emails. Today let’s ask the Holy Spirit to guide these people in their thoughts, words, and actions, and to renew their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Here is additional reading via the EWTN site, and I’ve also included a YouTube video of Father Robert Barron speaking about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. (For those of you who have already seen Fr. Barron’s video in this previous post, please note that the video in today’s post is a completely different video, and one well worth watching.) Thank you for your prayers and for sharing your time.

Prayer Request from Charlene:

Hello, my mother has been tormented for decades by “schizophrenia”, & ungodly possessions. In my early years as a child my mother loved God, raised us to love God. Then, she lost her faith, began to do witchcraft to hurt people, which I feel has been an open door for evil to corrupt her life. She no longer allows myself to pray, read the scriptures, she becomes restless & angry. Her skin complextion is darker when she is sick & she will often speak about herself in the third person. Mom needs spiritual cleansing, the kind that comes with fasting & praying.

Prayer Request from Gracie Parrish:

My interest is in spiritual warfare cause of my experiences over the yrs.problems with family,the lost of two husbands,the separations of my only daughter due to controlling spirit,family members 3 deaths,a lot of people in our area have taken their life.If you offer class’s or know a good instructor that that do home school where i can study at home take test and send them back to instructor please let me know.Our parish do not offer class’s here.ive called different parish’s that is 35 miles from me which is greensboro,nc.no class’s offered.Most do not want me to bring up spiritual warfare.we face it daily in our close friends,family they have no clue whats going on. I’m dealing with it in different faiths they dont know whats going on cause they have not been school on this matter.Its going on bad in Churches between members from what ive been told.The warfare is bad.

Prayer Request from Mona:

Thank you so much for this beautiful website and offering to pray the rosary on others behalf. I need your help, I have fasted, said several novenas and my prayers are unanswered.

I have been unemployed for a while now, relying on my ex husband to provide the bare necessities (he left me and our 3 very young children for another woman). I have applied for the perfect position with our city government, and need the job. Please pray the rosary for me, that I may get this job, so that I can provide for my children and also be able to move my family into a more secure neighborhood.

Thank you.

Mona

To all mothers, grandmothers, and godmothers, wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Please take a few moments to read the Ave Maris Stella, which is a hymn to Mary. It was very popular in the Middle Ages, and many composers have used it as the basis of other compositions. The Latin title of this hymn means “Hail Star of the Sea.” I’ve included a YouTube video below.

Ave Maris Stella

Please take a few minutes to read the following email which came from Walt, one of the readers of The Rosary Trail. For those of you who are in the Stony Point, NY area, or for those of you who are able to travel there, I suggest that you take full advantage of this wonderful Marian event that is happening on May 18th. We need to remember that May is Mary’s month, and this is a perfect opportunity to show our true devotion to the Queen of Heaven and Earth!

When you click on the image of the Marian Day flyer below, you should be able to see the image in a separate window and in an enlarged format, which should be much easier to read. Please don’t hesitate to let me know via comment or private email if for some reason you are not able to view the flyer in an enlarged format. I’ll be happy to email it separately to anyone who can’t view it in this post. I’d hate for you to miss out on this experience!

Email from Walt

Hi again Margo,

Just a few thoughts for you and, ” The Rosary Trail”… retreats and the value of religous retreats and the “International Marian day of Devotion”, being held here at our Marian Shrine in Stony Point NY on 5/18/13.

The Salesians offer many retreat opportunities for young adults and adults. Just click on, “Retreats’ located on the left hand side of the screen for more info. The Shrine is run by the Salesians of St. Don Bosco who, like St. Pio, had a major devotion to our Blessed Mother. Many of the retreats are, “Marian” in nature and are beautiful opportunities to fellowship with others and to be with Jesus and His Mother in the beautiful, open and quiet settings of the Shrine. Many are one day retreats and others are longer.

In addition to these retreat opportunities, the Shrine has many special events. On May 18,2013, There will be the “International Marian day of Devotion”. I have attached the committee’s worksheet. The official flyer comes out this week. I’ll be directing (not leading) the rosary @ 2:20PM. There is no cost for this event. You can bring your own lunch, or pay $10.00 for a lunch that includes a hamburger/ hotdog, fries, beverage and dessert.

I just wanted to share these opportunities with you and your readers as I think they will be receptive to and can benefit from them.

Sincerely,
Walt

Veni Creator

Recently I had the pleasure of connecting with J.Q. Tomanek, a columnist at Ignitum Today, which is a website that offers Catholic perspectives on every topic that is important to young adults from relationships to religion to life in general. Ignitum Today is known as “The Social Network of the New Evangelization Generation.”

J.Q. asked if he could interview me and post the interview on his site, and of course I was happy and honored to be asked. My interview was posted yesterday, and here it is:

Margo and The Rosary Trail

Recently I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a person by the name of Dale Allan. Mr. Allan is an author, and it only took a few minutes for me to be instantly intrigued by his work. I asked him if he’d consider coming to The Rosary Trail blog to do a guest post and was thrilled when he said yes!

Dale Allan’s Bio

Dale Allan is a graduate of Fordham University. He has held several senior positions in Fortune 250 companies and has traveled the world. A black belt in martial arts, avid fly-fisherman, political junkie and devout Christian, the creative storylines of his novels reflect the many aspects of his diversified life.

When Dale Allan was just twelve years old, his father was murdered while away on an extended business trip. A week before his death, Dale had struggled to write a letter updating him on the family’s activities. When his father was buried with the handwritten note in his pocket, Dale fully understood the power of writing.

Book Synopsis – A Prayer for the Devil

When a Priest determines to avenge his brother’s murder, he must make a journey into the underworld of radical Islam that shakes the very foundation of his faith.

Twin brothers Luke and Aaron Miller could not lead more different lives. Aaron, a rising political star who manages the campaign of a man many believe will be the nation’s next president, embraced his father’s Jewish heritage. Luke, on the other hand, honored his mother’s faith and entered the Catholic priesthood. When Aaron and the candidate he supports are killed in a bombing at a presidential stump speech, the Miller family’s core is destroyed. Fear of a terrorist threat grips the nation, but the FBI and the press seem more focused on the death of a presidential candidate than on the other innocent victims like Aaron. Suddenly, Luke begins to feel the lure of a vengeance that is stronger than the bond of faith.

As he falls deeper into the abyss of political intrigue that surrounded his brother’s mysterious professional life, Luke is tempted to break his promise to God and reassess his own sense of right and wrong. What sort of priest carries a concealed weapon? How can he judge others when he himself has strayed so far from his own flock?

Luke’s comfortable life in Boston collides with the faraway world of the Middle East as he sets out on a journey to unravel the truth behind Aaron’s murder. Will he take an eye for an eye?

In A Prayer for the Devil, Dale Allan weaves a fast-paced murder mystery wrapped in a thoughtful meditation on the intersection of faith and justice. Luke’s journey through his own darkness propels him to a shocking ending that will leave readers breathless.

A Prayer for the Devil is a finalist in Foreword Reviews book of the year competition and was awarded the coveted Kirkus Star, which is awarded for books of extraordinary merit.

Recently I received a couple of comments from people who experienced Signal Graces in their lives. You may have already seen the comments, but I thought it was worth including them in a separate post for those of you who may have missed reading them.

Signal Graces on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway

Jim writes:

A few years ago, I started praying the Rosary. Like many people, I had trouble with it in the beginning. My mind would wander while I said the prayers and I found that I would often say an entire decade of the Rosary without having spent much time meditating about the particular mystery that I should have been thinking about.

I became discouraged and I started to think that the Rosary was not the devotion for me. Just before I made my final decision to quit praying the Rosary each day, I decided to pray and ask for guidance. For some reason, I made this prayer while I was driving my car on the Garden State Parkway, a major highway with at least 3 lanes of traffic headed in each direction.  At the time, I rarely prayed while driving.  As I drove and prayed, I told Our Blessed Mother and Our Lord that I was thinking of giving up the Rosary. “It’s just not for me. I’m not getting anything out of it. I think I should quit praying the Rosary. I’m sorry.” Just as I was saying these words, a car passed me on the left and then pulled into my lane of traffic, directly in front of me. This car then slowed down so that I was close enough to be able to read the one bumper sticker on this person’s car. The bumper sticker contained only three words: PRAY THE ROSARY.

I had received a signal grace. I’ve been praying the Rosary ever since.

Signal Graces within a marriage

Catherine Makena writes:

It was around 2010 when I felt an urge of praying the rosary especially for my family and myself because I felt I am not living my christian live fully. I devotedly said the rosary, and Our Lady guided me on what exactly I should stop doing that was spoiling my relationship with God. I particularly prayed for the grace in sanctifying my 10 year old marriage through the sacrament of matrimony and believe you me, by December 2011, I and my husband were grace with this sacrament. It was not easy all this years to organize this given that my husband come from another religion.  Deep down within me, I know it is the work of our Lady who intervened my case to her son.

Originally posted on February 11, 2012

On February 11th, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous.  This apparition was the first of a series that followed.  On March 25th of that year, there was an apparition in which the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”  You can read more about Our Lady of Lourdes here.

Today we remember Our Lady of Lourdes, and invoke her aid for all of the people we know who are suffering from bodily ills.  We should also remember that St. Bernadette of Lourdes is the patron saint of bodily ills, and we can always turn to her when we need prayers for a sick loved one or for anyone suffering from any type of bodily ailment, including sickness in general.  She is also the patron saint of poor people and people ridiculed for their piety.

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comforter of the afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; look with mercy on me.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors; and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal.

I come, therefore, with complete confidence to implore your maternal intercession.  Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests.  Through gratitude for your favors, I will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory.  Amen.

Please be sure to take a few minutes and watch this YouTube commentary by Father Robert Barron. He offers some interesting insights into how the Holy Spirit moves within our lives, and does so in a twelve minute presentation! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

David N. Walker is a Christian husband, father and grandfather, a grounded pilot, a would-be Nashville star, and a near-scratch golfer who had to give up the game because of shoulder problems. A graduate of Duke University, he spent 42 years as a health insurance agent. Most of that career was spent in Texas, but for a few years he traveled many other states.

He started writing about 20 years ago and has been a member and leader in several writers’ groups. Four of his books, the devotional Heaven Sent and the first four novellas in the Fancy series, are now available in paperback and in Kindle and Nook formats. Click here for more information and links to purchase these books.

David continues to work on the Fancy series, and expects to publish volume 5 in April.

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As leader of my Sunday School class for the past eight years, I’ve made it a practice to read a short piece to the class each Sunday before bringing up the teacher. Sometimes it would be something funny or something to do with current events, but frequently it would be an inspirational or devotional piece I’ve received in an email. I’ve carefully saved all of these readings over the years.

A year or so ago it dawned on me that I had a treasure trove of Christian stories I could share with others. I went back through my files and selected 67 of the pieces I’ve read through the years. The selection includes some of my own thoughts and one piece written by my daughter. The rest are those I’ve received in emails.

My first step was to try to contact the authors of the pieces whenever I could find their names. Then I sent emails to each asking permission to include his or her piece in my book. Of course, I had to omit a number of them whose authors either were unlocatable or denied permission. The result was the stories I’ve included in the book, Heaven Sent. Many of them are anonymous, but I’ve attributed those authors I found who gave me permission to use their stories.

Once I selected the stories which would go into the book, I appended comments of my own to them, except, of course, for the ones I originally wrote. To eliminate confusion, I put the original stories in italics, with my comments following in plain text.

Please click here to read more about Heaven Sent on my website, including how to order it. Or click here to read about it on Goodreads. Or here to buy a copy while you’re at it.

Here’s one of the stories I wrote:

Anna Grace—a Picture of God’s Rest

          Sitting in church one morning some years ago, I saw something so ordinary and simple and yet so beautiful that I was overwhelmed by it.  I hope I can convey the power of what hit me.

          A young couple sat in front of us with a baby in an infant seat between them turned so that the baby—who my wife discovered was named Anna Grace—faced us.  Throughout the service—praise and worship, announcements and sermon—the mother sat with her hand lightly touching Anna Grace’s cheek.

          Anna Grace rested one of her little hands on the back of her mother’s hand and the other on her arm and just smiled contentedly.  A little later she fell asleep with her hands remaining on her mother’s hand and arm.

          The picture was one of unbounded love from the mother to the daughter and of unquestioning trust from the daughter toward the mother.  Resting securely in her mother’s touch, Anna Grace was totally at peace.

          The church service and the crowd of people around me ceased to exist as I gazed at this picture.  God reminded me that He loved me infinitely more than this human mother loved her daughter and that I needed Him infinitely more than Anna Grace needed her mother.

          There was much going on around Anna Grace that she could not understand.  Our sanctuary holds a couple of thousand people.  Our music is pretty loud and lively.  Strange people (us) were staring at her.  Was Anna Grace daunted in any way by all of this?  No!  She was at peace, resting in her mother’s touch, totally confident that her mother would bring about what was best for her despite anything going on around her.

          This was the most powerful picture of God’s rest I’ve ever seen.  He promised us that He would take ANYTHING that happened in our lives and use it for our good—not some things, not most things, but ALL THINGS!  He didn’t promise there would never be pain or that all would always go the way WE wanted it to, but He did promise our ultimate good.

          This infant, Anna Grace, was reminding me to rest in God and be anxious for NOTHING!  Not to worry about circumstances around me, not to worry about what I was going to eat or how I would pay for it.  Not to be bothered or troubled—period!

          God has already let us see the end of the book.  We know how it comes out.  We win!  But more than just winning in the end, He has promised that He is in control in the meantime if we’ll just surrender ourselves to Him and rest in Him.

          The contentment on Anna Grace’s face spoke volumes more than I can hope to write here.  I just hope I have given you a glimpse of what God showed me in this infant and her mother.