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We Can Do It – Mama is Gonna See to It!

You can do it, all you need is a hand!

We can do it, Mama is gonna see to it!

Curtain up! Light the lights!

We got nothing to hit but the heights!

I can tell, wait and see.

There’s the bell! Follow me!

The Rosary, The Rosary, The Rosary

Three times I heard those words earlier this morning when praying with the Blessed Mother. I was asking Her in what way would She like me to pray with Her for the Jubilee Year of 2025? The answer came back to my heart spontaneously – “the Rosary, the Rosary, the Rosary.”

Antoinette – My Mother

I was blessed as a young child to have a mother who was devoted to the Rosary. She would come into my room before bedtime – light a candle before a statue of the Blessed Mother and teach me the rosary. She was a beautiful witness – better than words – for I would see her pick up the rosary when she was worried or when she just wanted to call upon the Mother of God and hold Her hand. She was truly a “contemplative in action.”

I was only 10 years old when she died but as I say “Antoinette” packed my bag before she left with the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Rosary. My mother would die wearing my ruby red Confirmation beads around her neck as a silent witness to the power of this prayer. So to hear this morning – “pray the rosary, pray the rosary, pray the rosary” was a little puzzling for that has always been my first and foremost devotion of prayer.

Words from Our Lady

This directive from Our Blessed Mother this morning to “pray the rosary” three times probably began on the Feast Day of the Holy Mother of God – January 1, 2025. I was attending a Mass specifically being requested by another for the intention of a “successful surgery and healing” that I was scheduled for January 2nd – the next day.

In the Church where the Mass was being celebrated – there is a quaint little chapel located in the front vestibule. It’s a little prayer room one can go into with a beautiful image of Our Lady Gate of Dawn hanging on the wall front and center.

As I grabbed a folding chair to sit down before the picture of Our Mother – words entered into my heart. “Am I not here who am your Mother?” A sense of complete peace flooded my thoughts at that moment. She was reading my thoughts and responding heart to heart.

I must admit that I had found myself wondering the day before the surgery – what would be the final outcome once I was in the recovery room? Would I still be maintaining my peace and strength that I had experienced since the inception of this particular situation. . .or rather would I be having opposite feelings?

Upon arriving home after Mass – I immediately looked up the entire conversation of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego. I needed to truly absorb Her words once again! It had been “in the folding of Her arms” in the “Gate of Dawn” picture at Church that ignited the image and words of Our Lady of Guadalupe in my heart.

Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain.

Am I not here who am your Mother?

Are you not under my

shadow and protection?

Are you not in

the folds of my mantle?

In the crossing of my arms?

Is there anything else you need?”

An Unplanned Retreat

I have been on a 10 day unplanned retreat. All went well after my procedure – thanks be to God. Certainly my Heavenly Mother and earthly Mother were both with me and the Divine Physician was at the helm during the surgery. However, once home – I found myself wanting the silence and solitude and probably the rest that my body would need to heal after the procedure within. I was not in pain or discomfort but I just took the “lead” that was coming forth.

I had time away from the phone – from the computer – from running to do errands and from seeing my days flow like water. Time slowed up for me and in that “pausing” – I was able to listen to see. The car stayed in the driveway in the park position – one that usually is not the case!

The “unplanned retreat’ prepared me to view the rosary thru “rose-colored glasses” – seeing “Castilian Roses” and understanding something that might be of use and interest to others.

In fact the “Castilian roses” that St. Juan picked on the Hill of Tepeyac and brought to the Bishop were not from that region at all!

They were from the “Bishop’s home town in Castille, Spain!” Our Lady of Guadalupe thought of everything! Truly we ARE in the folds of Her Mantle!!!!

Today is January 12, 2025 as I write this blog. One month ago – December 12, 2023 – it was the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Coincidence? Nada, as I say. Let us truly listen to Her to see! To see what She is inviting us into for 2025 – possibly the Year of the Rosary along with the Jubilee Year of Hope!

Arranging Roses in the Tilma

“On the 12th of December, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac. Here, the Blessed Mother told him to climb the hill and to pick the flowers that he would find in bloom. He obeyed, and although it was winter time, he found roses flowering. He gathered the flowers and took them to Our Lady who carefully placed them in his mantle and told him to take them to the Bishop as “proof”. When he opened his mantle, the flowers fell on the ground and there remained impressed, in place of the flowers, an image of the Blessed Mother, the apparition at Tepeyac.”

Some translations speak of Our Lady “arranging” the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma and above you will note the translation – that “Our Lady who carefully placed them in his mantle.”

This morning those words struck a chord in my soul and my mind went to the recitation of the rosary and what I believe Our Mother was showing me as “gift” for this year of 2025 and to use it quickly especially for the people of California.

Our Tilmas

Our Blessed Mother arranged the roses in the Tilma for St. Juan Diego. He had not a clue that “Her Masterpiece was enfolded in the folds of his garment” for the Bishop and all to gaze upon and for all those in future days – us included!!!!

What if?

What if each bead of your rosary – a rose as we frequently refer to each bead – were given to Our Mother to carefully place within the folds of a tilma covering a soul that we might be praying for?

Possibly it could be for those in California that lost their homes – they’re everything – the firefighters and first responders – the elderly that were displaced from nursing homes – the list is endless! However, we can cover them with our love and prayers – our personal “Tilmas” our roses lovingly arranged by the Blessed Mother for “each person.”

Can you imagine our Guardian Angel delivering 54 roses – to Our Blessed Mother to place carefully on the soul of another who is need that we are praying for? Whether it be for family members, those sick, those dying, those you may not even know.

Of course, right now, I am only counting “one rosary” that would consist of the 53 Hail Mary’s and then the 54th Hail Mary that you would pray along with the Our Father and Glory Be for the Pope’s intentions.

Fr. Jim Blount tells us that this is not “Leave it to Beaver” time – an old TV show that was family oriented. He said it is a time to be “spiritual athletes” and we should be praying all 4 mysteries at least a day!!!!

We have time! I realized with my “unplanned retreat,” I had been wasting a lot of time – scrolling and using the cell-phone. You cannot imagine the time gained with not holding that cell phone or leaving it on another floor far from reach and sight! It’s “heads up time” not “heads-down” time for sure!

Are You Ready to Walk the Walk?

The words that I began this blog off with were from the old song – “Everything is Coming Up Roses” and it seemed to be floating around in my head before I began to write. Then I looked up the lyrics! I just grinned from ear to ear – Yep! This was definitely our Mama! She was telling not only me but whoever I pass this along to – PRAY THE ROSARY, PRAY THE ROSARY, PRAY THE ROSARY.

Right now we feel helpless in comforting and aiding the people of California. Our Lady of Guadalupe seems to be showing us another way that we can be of help with the beads of our rosaries. Let the Blessed Mother arrange your “Hail Mary Roses” for each person that you knowingly pray for and unknowingly pray for.

She knew the right kind of roses to place lovingly in Juan Diego’s tilma. . .just as She knew to place the Bishop’s home town Castilian roses from Castile!

We can absolutely donate our monies but just as importantly we can “clothe all the suffering” with ” Rosary Tilmas” to give strength, support and whatever they are most in need of to make it through this horrific time!

ARE YOU IN??????

Serving the “Other”

Looking this afternoon for some more info regarding Our Lady of Guadalupe – I found something very interesting. It was from the Archdiocese of San Francisco dated December 9, 2017 – the Feast Day of St. Juan Diego.

Archbishop Cordileone wrote in his closing paragraph:

Let us all, then, always focus our lives on doing God’s will by sharing His love with others in the concrete circumstances of our lives. Then we can be confident in her who is here, who is our Mother, who keeps us under her shadow and protection, who is our fountain of life, who keeps us in the folds of her mantle and in the crossing of her arms. Truly, there is nothing else that we need!

You can do it, all you need is a hand!