Happy Birthday, Blessed JPII!

Blessed John Paul II on the Rosary

From The Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae of John Paul II:

The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.

This Apostolic Letter is one of the countless reasons that the people of God call Blessed John Paul II "The Great". In

this letter, the Holy Father discusses some of the history and importance of praying the Rosary. He examines in-depth how the through a Rosary, when properly prayed, Mary systematically draws us into the heart of her Son; and then he teaches us how to properly pray a Rosary, practically bead by bead.

I've posted several times about the Rosary over the last few years. I love the Rosary, even though at times I've found it intimidating and difficult. Lately, though, St. Louis Marie de Montfort has been helping me out quite a bit. I posted his suggestions HERE. They really work--I use them myself!

May Benedict XVI's successor do the same for him...

Blessed John Paul II, Pray for us

Catholicism Preview

Pope John Paul II Moved From the Grottoes

JPII: A Life Changer

from the article titled People give witness to ways Pope John Paul changed, saved their lives By Carol Glatz, Catholic news Service:

Men and women of all ages and nationalities have sent personal stories to www.karol-wojtyla.org -- a website run by the Diocese of Rome dedicated to the late pope's beatification and canonization.

As of April 28, the multi-lingual site published more than 400 testimonies from people sharing the ways they feel Pope John Paul interceded on their behalf or brought them back to the church.

Many are notes of thanks for prayers answered, such as a risky surgery gone well or troubles in the family resolved.

Others are personal accounts of meeting or seeing the pope during one of his many trips abroad and the feeling of being in the presence of a holy and charismatic man. Others were influenced by the way Pope John Paul reached out to people in every walk of life.

+     +     +

I was blessed with the great honor of cantoring the Sunday following Pope John Paul II's death, and I will never forget how deeply this affected me. I was in a pretty bad place at the time. Even though I had come back to the Church after a few years away, I was reaping the consequences of a few bad choices I had made, and even though I wasn't asking for anything specific or praying to him consciously, I remember staring at the Holy Father's pictures, and in the depth of my soul asking him for his intercession.

I believe it was his intercession that gave me the courage to completely reorder my life, to push through the setbacks and clear every hurdle that popped up in my way, that I might begin again. I can't speak for my husband, but I believe Pope John Paul II interceded on his behalf numerous times as well. One of his pictures is on our mantle with Our Lady and our family photos. He's also hanging on the fridge. Watching his Beatification will be one of the most profound moments of my life.

Life of Pope John Paul II

Downpour

I'd have stood in it for a Papal Mass. I'd stand in it now for a Papal Mass.

Miracle Approved