The Speech at the Third Rosary Meeting, Sept. 6, 2003

The world will one day be saved by the Rosary and the Scapular. These are the words of Our Lady to St. Dominic.  That is why we are promoting a Rosary Crusade.  We want to do our part to help Our Lady save America and the world through the Rosary. 

The word “Rosary” means “Crown of Roses;” every time people say the Rosary devoutly they place a crown of one hundred and fifty-three roses upon the heads of Jesus and Mary.  Each time you say a “Hail Mary” you are giving Her a beautiful rose. To show that this is literally true, St. Louis de Montfort tells the following story:

 At each Hail Mary a rose issued from his mouth
The chronicles of Saint Francis tell of a young friar who had the praiseworthy habit of saying the Crown of Our Lady (the Rosary) every day before dinner. One day for some reason or other he did not manage to say it. The refectory bell had already been rung when he asked the Superior to allow him to say it before coming to the table, and having obtained the permission he withdrew to his cell to pray.

 After he had been gone a long time the Superior sent another Friar to fetch him, and he found him in his room bathed in a heavenly light facing Our Lady who had two angels with Her. Beautiful roses kept issuing from his mouth at each Hail Mary; the angels took them one by one, placing them on Our Lady's head, and She smilingly accepted them.

Finally two other friars who had been sent to find out what happened to the first two saw the same lovely scene, and Our Lady did not go away until the whole Rosary had been said.

Our Lady explains the ‘Hail Mary’
One day when Saint Mechtilde was praying and was trying to think of some way in which She could express Her love of the Blessed Mother better than She had done before, She fell into ecstasy. Our Lady appeared to Her with the Angelic Salutation in flaming letters of gold upon Her bosom and said to Her: “My daughter, I want you to know that no one can please me more by saying the salutation which the Most Adorable Trinity sent to me and by which He raised me to the dignity of Mother of God.

“By the word Ave (which is the name Eve, Eva), I learned that in His infinite power God has preserved me from all sin and its attendant misery which the first woman had been subject to.

“The name ‘Mary’ which means ‘lady of light’ shows that God has filled me with wisdom and light, like a shining star, to light up heaven and earth.

“The words ‘full of grace’ reminds me that the Holy Spirit has showered so many graces upon me that I am able to give these graces in abundance to those who ask for them through me as Mediatrix.

“When people say ‘The Lord is with thee,’ they renew the indescribable joy that was mine when the Eternal Word became incarnate in my womb.

“When you say to me ‘blessed art thou among women,’ I praise Almighty God's divine mercy which lifted me to this exalted plane of happiness.

“And at the words ‘blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,’ the whole of heaven rejoices with me to see my Son Jesus Christ adored and glorified for having saved mankind.”

‘Hail Mary’: currency of Heaven
One day Saint Gertrude had a vision of Our Lord counting gold coins. She summoned the courage to ask Him what He was doing. He answered: “I am counting the Hail Mary’s that you have said; this is the money with which you can pay your way to Heaven.”

The holy and learned Jesuit, Father Suarez, was so deeply aware of the value of the Angelic Salutation that he said that he would gladly give all his learning for the price of one Hail Mary that had been said properly.

Our Lord said in the Gospels that He came down from Heaven to cast fire upon the Earth. This fire that He speaks of is none other the fire of zeal for God's glory and the salvation of souls. If we are not on fire for God, then our faith is probably very weak and inactive. By cultivating a love of the Rosary, the Holy Spirit will set us on fire with His divine love.

The number of the saved
Let us never become complacent and think to ourselves that our place is assured in Heaven. Heaven is earned with great pain and difficulty. St. Theresa, the Little Flower, was told by Heaven that those who will be saved are like the number of leaves left on a tree after the autumn winds have blown the rest of the leaves off the tree.

So let us all promote Our Lady's Rosary. We need to make this Crusade grow worldwide. We need volunteers to host the meetings in the homes. The hosts will be receiving Our Lady like St. Elizabeth received Her. She was so filled with graces that She could not let Our Lady leave Her. She wanted Our Lady to live with Her for the rest of Her life.

Venerable Mary of Agreda’s revelations on The Birth of Our Lord

The fulfillment of the immutable decree of the Lord was secured by the edict of Caesar Augustus, ordering the registration of all his subjects in their native city to be inscribed.

 St. Joseph asked Our Lady to pray to God if She could accompany him on this trip. God answers that She is to follow the wishes of St. Joseph. He increases Her guard of honor to 10,000 angels.

They carried with them bread, fruit, and some fishes, which ordinarily composed their nourishment. She took along the extra linens and clothes necessary for the delivery of Her child. Their house they left in the charge of a neighbor.

The journey lasted five days. The angels lit the way when their day extended into night. St. Joseph would at times also see them and would alternate with them in singing hymns of praise.

Our Lady read into people’s souls
They also suffered hardships; they received sharp reprimands at taverns, being refused as worthless people.  Sometimes he had to stay in hallways.  Our Lady observed and knew the secrets of the different souls of those She met, penetrating into the very thoughts and conditions of each,  whether of grace or of guilt.  She also knew whether they were predestined or reprobate. She prayed for the ones,  and wept bitter tears for the others.

The holy prince Michael led Her by the arm along the way when She was tired; he shielded Her against the weather.  They arrived in Bethlehem at 4 p.m. They knocked at the doors of their acquaintances and family relations; but they were admitted nowhere.  They went to fifty different places, but were rejected everywhere. It was 9:00 PM, and still they had no place to lodge.

Saint Joseph then suggested that they retire to a shepherd’s cave outside the city walls. This cave became the first Temple of light.  They esteemed it as favors and welcomed it with tears of consolation and joy. They fell on their knees giving thanks to God.

The angels lit up the cave. Our Lady set about cleansing the temple and mercy-seat.  Saint Joseph insisted that that this was his job, but Our Lady continued to assist him; the angels joined in to finish the work.

St. Joseph made a fire, and they ate a frugal meal. They then both retired to pray. St. Joseph retired at the entrance of the cave. He was elevated in ecstasy and saw everything that passed during the night, in a vision more exulted than that of Jacob.

The Queen was called in a loud voice by the most High, wherein She fell into an ecstasy and clearly saw the Divinity. He announced that His birth was to be this night. She prostrated Herself before the throne and gave Him glory, thanks, and praise for Herself and all creatures. She asked for new light and grace in order to undertake the service and worship and rearing up of the Word made flesh, whom She was to bear in Her arms and nourish with Her virginal milk. She held Herself unworthy of the office. She humbled Herself to the dust. His Majesty confirmed a new the title of “Mother of God” upon Her.

Jesus’ birth at midnight, Sunday, in 5,199 from Creation day
She remained in ecstasy for over an hour, and when She regained the use of Her senses She felt the body of the Infant God move and prepare to issue forth from Her womb. This movement caused no pain or hardship, but filled Her with incomparable joy and delight. Her body became so spiritualized with the beauty of Heaven; Her countenance emitted rays of light, like a sun incarnadined, and shone in indescribable earnestness and Majesty. She was kneeling in the manger, Her eyes raised to Heaven, Her hands joined and folded at Her breast, entirely rapt in the Divinity. In this position, at the end of the rapture, She gave to the world the only Begotten of the Father and Her own, Our Savior Jesus, at the hour of midnight on a Sunday in the year of the creation of the world 5,199.

Jesus did not divide but penetrated the virginal chamber as the rays of the sun penetrate the crystal shrine, lighting it up in prismatic beauty. He was born pure and disengaged, without the protective shield called “secundina.” He came forth glorious and transfigured, so that His holy soul’s glory overflowed to His body, just like at the Transfiguration.  St. Michael and Gabriel received Him into their hands, and then presented him to His Mother.  The first words of Jesus were: “Mother, become like unto Me, since on this day, for the human existence which Thou hast given Me, I will give another more exalted one in grace.”

 The most prudent Mother answered: “Raise Me, elevate Me, Lord, and I will run after Thee in the odor of Thy ointments.”  They exchanged several other lines from the Canticles of Canticles. The Infant Jesus said: “Behold Thy art beautiful, my friend, and Thy eyes are dove’s eyes.”  Our Lady heard the voice of the Eternal Father say: “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am greatly pleased and delighted.” 

 The most prudent Mother made entirely godlike in the overflow of so many sacraments, answered: “Eternal Father and exalted God, Lord and Creator of the universe, give Me Thy permission and benediction to receive in My arms the Desired of nations, and teach Me to fulfill, as Thy unworthy Mother and lowly slave, Thy holy will.” 

Then She heard a voice which said: “Receive Thy only begotten Son; imitate Him; and remember that thou must sacrifice Him when I shall demand it of Thee.”

 The divine Mother answered: “Behold the creature of Thy hands, adorn Me with Thy grace so that Thy Son and My God receive Me for His slave; and if Thou wilt come to my aid with Thy Omnipotence, I shall be faithful in Thy service; and do Thou count it no presumption in Thy insignificant creature, that She bear in Her arms and nourish at Her breasts Her own Lord and Creator.” 

 The divine Child then suspends the miracle of His transfiguration; suspends the miracle to His body, and confines it solely to His soul.