Our mother in heaven is the quintessential mother…she wants to rescue us, her children from the darkness in our lives. And her special prayer—the rosary—is like a rope dangling down from heaven. In fact, Michelangelo painted it just that way! In his Last Judgment painting, two souls hold onto rosary beads. They are pulled into heaven by an angel!

Why is the rosary so special? It is condemned by Protestants for being repetitive and “worshipping Mary.” And some of us remember saying it on our knees every night as children, and wanting it to be over! “Mommy, my knees hurt. Are we done yet?”

Why is the Rosary truly a lifeline?

• Repetition is used in many cultures. It helps take us out of the fast pace of our culture. When the rosary is said slowly, the process of fingering the beads and repeating the prayers, takes us into another realm—the realm of spirit.
• We don’t “worship” Mary, but Jesus did give her to us as our spiritual mother (John 19:27). It is good to call on her and through these prayers, we focus on the significant events in salvation history. In reviewing the 20 Mysteries, we have a complete overview of the life of Jesus.
• The image of a ladder, or a rope, reminds us that the spiritual life takes effort. We pull ourselves up, one step, or bead, at a time. And Mary, out Mother, lets us struggle while offering as much support as she can. All mothers know—as much as we would like to do it for them, our kids have to do it on their own….learning to walk, learning to sound out words and learning by mistakes.
• The Biblical prayers of the rosary seem to be very special to our Mother. Just as I like it when my children create cards for me that express gratitude, Mary likes this prayer and responds.

During a naval battle near Lepanto in 1571, the soldiers who were defending Europe against Muslim invaders prayed the rosary. Although they were outnumbered, they were victorious and they gave credit for that important victory to the Blessed Mother. Since that time thousands of people have testified that they received help after praying the rosary.

In our diocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, our bishops have held Rosary Rallies for the past 42 years. These events gather Catholics from miles around at a stadium. Young people represent the beads of the rosary. As the Hail Marys are said, the students step forward to place a flower in a large vase. It’s a beautiful, inspiring event that brings a feeling of being Home…safe, comforted, nurtured.

Home is where our spiritual Mother resides. Pray the rosary!

I always remember the feast day of the archangels because of the numbers: 9-29. My son Peter was born on 12-29, so I guess the symmetry of the numbers is a handy device for my memory.  But I didn’t really think about the importance of these angels until I met an exorcist.

Father Mottet passes out the “Prayer to St. Michael” wherever he goes. He says we need the help of this powerful angel, who cast Satan out of heaven, in order to fight big temptations. The necessity of angels as everyday helpers became clear when as I listened to Father Mottet speaking.

But, like many people, I still didn’t have any real sense of angels. With the busy-ness of life, I was missing a lot of spiritual things.  Not until we moved to a farm in the country did I slow down enough to notice a few things.

 

When I go out to do barnyard chores, I open the door gently. The early morning sun illumines thousands of dancing dust particles. I remember one time when my little girl spontaneously called out, “Look Mommy. Those are tiny angels!

If those particles are really angels, then we are totally surrounded by them! And what a pleasant thought that is.  Angels are God’s messengers and “clerks.” They have a really hard job because we humans are deaf to the spirit world. So the angels dance and push and try to get our attention.  And most of the time, we turn blind as well. Blind and deaf, stubborn and oblivious, we miss the good stuff…the blessings all around.

But as I open my eyes to notice the dust floating in the air, and open my ears to hearing the sounds of clucking chickens, I feel a deep sense of peace. It’s almost like bathing in light. There is order and beauty and rhythm to this world God created.  The horses whinny from the pasture. The clouds move across a vast sky. There are mountains on the horizon.

And a feather floats in the air as I pray!  I remember….

For the first seven years of my kids’ lives, whenever they needed a boost in confidence, I would sneak in their bedrooms late at night to leave a white feather at the end of the beds.  They would come running out to the kitchen in the morning, “Mommy, Mommy! The angels left a feather for me!”

“Oh how beautiful! What a special present it is! What do you think your angels were trying to say by leaving this?” I would ask. They collected quite a few of these treasures and grew strong in feeling they had help close at hand!

Let’s take time on Sept. 29 to remember both our Guardian Angels and the Big 3.

St. Michael is the powerhouse who helps guard against the onslaughts of the devil. The Angel Gabriel is the primary messenger in the Bible and we can ask him for life direction! And Angel Raphael’s name means “God has healed.” So the big three cover a lot of basic concerns!

One way we like to celebrate the angels is to make “angel food cake” or the opposite–devil’s food cake. We taste deviled eggs on this day. And we try to have a table decorated with white and feathers and angel sculptures!

–Judith Costello. Judith is the mother of two kids. She and her family live on a small farm they call “Sagging Acres” in rural New Mexico. Judith writes for national and regional magazines. She is a catechist, artist and a Secular Carmelite (OCDS).

(P.S.—The angels sometimes need help from parents. White feathers can be purchased at hobby and craft stores.)

This is the Prayer to St. Michael:
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
O Prince of the Heavenly Host –
by the Divine Power of God –
cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

My friend was shaking when she told me her story: “We got the call in the early morning. My son was on his way to work, riding his motorcycle. He collided with a deer on the highway and skidded on a totally mangled bike for 30 feet. When I heard he was lying there, bloody and sprawled across the road, I felt like Our Lady of Sorrows! God was so merciful, and clearly Mary was there because my son walked away with very few injuries!”

We mothers know what it is like to have those moments when we stop breathing out of fear and pain. We suffer with and for our children. So many times my own children have been hurting and their hurts wound me…maybe even more than them. So when I think about Our Lady of Sorrows, I find comfort, help and guidance. Her pain must have been excruciating. Yet she never wavered in faith, hope or love.

The seven sorrows of Mary are these:

1. When Jesus is a tiny baby, Simeon prophesizes that a sword will pierce his mother’s heart.
2. Mary and Joseph must flee to Egypt, to avoid the persecution of Herod.
3. Mary and Joseph discover that Jesus is missing! For three days they search for him in Jerusalem.
4. Mary meets her bloodied son on the way to Calvary.
5. She stands at the foot of the Cross in agony.
6. Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in her arms.
7. Her son is buried.

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is Sept. 15, the day after the feast of the Holy Cross which is intimately united to her day. Traditionally the entire month of Sept. is dedicated to honoring Mary as the Sorrowful Mother.

There could be no greater load of suffering for a mother than Mary’s. But the fact that sorrow did not destroy her and that she did not run away from it is the message for us. She placed her trust in God. She stayed in the experience–watching, praying and trusting.

As a result of her courage she was rewarded, even while on earth, by seeing Jesus rise from the dead! Her joy in that truth must have been overflowing!

Mary is our heavenly mother ready to intercede for us whenever we are troubled. All we have to do is ask! So do you ask?

There was a time when I was a “strayed Catholic” and caused my mother quite a bit of grief. Yet my mother, whose name is Mary, never stopped praying for me. She never withheld love. I came back into the church as a result of her prayers. Then we decided to go on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It was Mary, through Mary, who helped me truly return to my faith home!

Since that time I continue to be awestruck by the ways God answers the intercession of Mary. She is the Mother of Mothers, the Mother who is with us always.

It is helpful to remember, during this special month, that no matter what our sorrows may be, there is always hope and help. Mary, our mother is with us!