My Tribute to Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary and it seems fitting that I should leave the unfinished posts on St Therese of the Child Jesus and St Francis of Assissi to write about some of my experiences involving Our Lady of the Rosary.

Seems the 'seed' for this relationship was planted in my 'soul' during the bus trip from Huntsville to Marmora in July 1995. I say my 'soul' because I only received the knowledge necessary to make a 'conscious' connection a couple of years ago when I learned that the woman of the apparitions in Fatima Portugal in 1917 introduced herself as 'Our Lady of the Rosary'.

On the bus trip between Huntsville and Marmora in July 1995 a kind lady gave rosaries to the passengers on the bus ... she stated that these were special rosaries ...'a scapular rosary'. The same lady suggested to me that I revisit Marmora on September 13th and October 13th ... that these were somehow very special dates. September 13, 1995 I visited Marmora with my sister Joanne and October 13, 1995 I visited Marmora alone. On one of those visits, I can't remember which, I offered the balance of my life to the Blessed Virgin Mary ... a tearful and emotionally charged experience.

Several years later I learned that September 13th and October 13th were two of the days of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima Portugal back in 1917.

a paragraph from a web page on the history of the rosary

"One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world". These were the words spoken to Saint Dominic by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1208 when she appeared to him. The Rosary as we know it today was in a different form in it's beginnings.

a paragraph from a web page on the history of the scapular

The Brown Scapular is a Roman Catholic devotion to Mary under her title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is worn as a sign of love and devotion for the Mother of God. The Scapular was presented by Our Lady to St. Simon Stock, the Father General of the Carmelite Order, on July 16, 1251. Mary stated the following promise to him concerning the Scapular: "Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire...it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace.

My own experience with the rosary goes back to my early childhood. My mother would bring us children to her bedroom and force us to kneel around her bed while she recited the rosary. My mother who has passed her 80th year continues to practice her 'passion' for the rosary ... simply reciting the prayers several times each day.

From my childhood years(less than 10 years old) until July 1995 I had little or no experience with the rosary ... I did not own one and I did not pray the rosary. Since that time it is rare that I do not have my rosary with me ... where ever I am ... and I carry a 'scapular' in my wallet.

Until July 1995 I had never heard of the 'scapular' ... since that time I have learned that the scapular is affiliated with the 'Carmelites' ... St Teresa of Jesus, St Theresa of the Child Jesus and St John of the Cross are all well known Carmelites. St Teresa and St John are both well known 16th century spanish mystics who dedicated their lives to the reformation of the Carmelite Order. The reformed order came to be known as 'Discalced Carmelites'. I believe the name 'Discalced Carmelites' was mentioned in the book I read in December 1995, one of the 2 volume series written by St Teresa that I had purchased in Assissi a few months earlier. I had no idea what the word 'discalced' meant and no appetite to try and find out the meaning.

In August 2003, I had just finished walking the 'Ruta de La Plata' (Seville to Santiago Compostella)and I found myself in Segovia Spain, the home of St John of the Cross. I had just purchased new shoes in Santiago de Compostella a few days earlier and I tried wearing them in Segovia ... nope ... seemed my feet needed some time to heal from the long walk. I went around without shoes ... barefoot ... even in the Cathedral dedicated to St John of the Cross. A few weeks later, back in Canada, a priest mentioned during a homily that the word 'discalced' simply meant 'barefoot'. This brought to mind my experience in Segovia ... maybe St John of the Cross was trying to tell me that if I wanted to follow in the spirit of the "Discalced Carmelites' I would have to go around barefeet :-)

IN December 1998 I found myself sitting on top of Mount Carmel in Israel(Haiffa). I visited the Carmelite Monastery there and had a somewhat 'mystical' experience in the chapel. While I was sitting in the chapel ... simply sitting(alone) ... looking at this statue of Elijah ... I had never seen a statue of Elijah before and I don't think at the time I knew that Elijah was considered the 'spiritual' father of the Carmelite Order.

A couple of people came into the chapel and sat accross and slightly behind me ... I never did see their faces. I overheard a gentlemen telling these people some of the story of Elijah ... a few minutes later the same gentleman starting playing a flute(I think) and said the tune he was playing was written to commemorate Elijah's flight to heaven in the chariot of fire.

Some say say music is the doorway to the soul ... there are no words to describe what was going on in my soul a few seconds after hearing this music in the chapel on Mount Carmel that day. I remember feeling like I was 'floating' as I walked back down the hill to the hostel where I was staying. I also remember saying to myself along the way ... "I feel like I have enough love for the whole world at this moment" . This indescribable sensation lasted a few hours ... I had some difficulty trying to get to sleep that night.

On December 7, 2003 I found myself sitting in this same chapel on top of Mount Carmel Israel. A couple of months earlier I had been asked to be in Mount Carmel on December 8th ... the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. Who asked me? ... don't know ... it was one of those interior 'locutions'. Later that day I learned that the actual site of the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal was about 25 kilometres away.

The next morning (December 8th) I decided to go to this Al Muhaqra ... the site of Elijah's showdown. I arrived about 4:00PM ... the place was deserted and it was almost closing time ... a short yet pleasant visit ... nothing special. On my way out of the place I realized it was almost 4:30 and I hadn't been to mass yet ... I had a 5-6 kilometre walk back to the village and I was told finding a bus back to Haiffa after dark(5:30PM) would be difficult. Seemed getting to the church on time for mass would now be impossible ... oh well! ... I didn't feel particularly disturbed.

Walking along the road I said to Mary ... "I am on my way down the mountain and if You want me to attend mass You will have to get me back to Haiffa before 6:00 PM"(the time for the last mass).

A 100 metres or so down the road there was a small white car parked on the opposite side of the road. As I was walking alongside the car(on the opposite side of the road) the driver and I exchanged glances ... he asked me if I wanted a ride into town ... hmmm! On the way into town he explained how and where I might find a ride into Haiffa ... a 'sherut' ... a communal taxi of sorts. I found the 'sherut' and I was sitting in a pew in the church at ten minutes before six ... hmmm! ... seems Mary did want me to attend mass that day.

During this same trip to Israel I was almost arrested in Bethlehem ... I spontaneously decided to visit the home of suspected Palestinian terrorists in Bethlehem. In Canada, on my way to the Toronto airport(walking back to the bus station in Brampton ... on this particular trip I took a rather circuitous route to the airport ... still don't know why) a stranger had told me about this 'miracle baby' born in ??? (he wasn't sure).

While in Jerusalem, I read an article about this 'miracle baby' and learned that the family lived in Bethlehem ... thought to myself ... why not go visit this child? As I write this ... it reminds me of the Three Wise men who went to visit the 'miracle child' born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago ...

I had no idea how dangerous such a visit could be ... a few minutes after leaving the house I was accosted by several Israeli soldiers ... I hadn't given any thought to the possibilty that I could be considered a 'terrorist suspect' simply by visiting the home ... yikes!!

I was saved in Rachael's tomb ... a minute or two after reading the inscription on Rachael's tomb ... Joseph speaking to his mother ... something to the effect ... "mother ...come up out of your tomb and help me" ... Rachael's response was ... " go wherever God takes you and do not worry He will protect you"

Fortunately, one of the Israeli gentlemen visiting the tomb spoke a little english ... he heard the bus running(the bus that chauffers the Orthodox Jews to and from Rachael's tomb, which is in Palestine territory) ... the bus had just dropped off several men and was waiting just outside the door ... he suggested I hurry ... get on the bus and get a ride to the check point at the entrance to Bethlehem. I had been told by Israeli soldiers a few minutes earlier that I was not allowed to leave the tomb. I ran out and climbed on the bus ... whew!!

Also on this same visit to Israel, I would unexpectedly visit a place called Meggido ... formerly known as Har Meggido. Some say this is the place referred to as 'Armegedon' in the Book of Revelations.

I had lots to think about on my flight back to Canada ... why did I feel I had been asked to visit Mount Carmel on December 8th? ... a specific location on a specific date. Why did the stranger on the street in Brampton tell me about this 'miracle baby'? Why did I feel compelled to visit this 'miracle baby' in Bethlehem? Why did I visit Meggido on the way home?? Only questions ... as always ... no answers!!

I had a similar experience of 'being asked' to do something in particular in June 2000. I was sitting in a chapel in Lisieux France(home of St Therese of the Child Jesus) and I experienced another one of those 'interior locutions' ... asking me to walk from Lourdes France to Fatima Portugal via Santiago Compestella. I had left Canada planning to walk from Col Somport to Santiago Compostella. Within 2 weeks I was walking out of Lourdes ... direction Fatima.

I would learn after arriving in Fatima that the 'third secret' of Fatima was made public the same day I left Lourdes ... June 26, 2000 ... this 'third secret' had remained unpublished for more than 50 years.

Seems to me there are only 3 possibilities concerning the 'pledge of the remainder of my life' to the Blessed Virgin Mary in September or October of 1995:

1. The story of the Blessed Virgin Mary is only a 'myth' and I have used this 'myth' as a crutch to keep going after the trauma of my marital separation in July 1995.
2. The story of the Blessed Virgin Mary is true and She declined my offer in 1995 ... I am not worthy to be Her servant.
3. The story of the Blessed Virgin Mary is true and She accepted my offer in 1995 ... and She has been my guide, protectress, comforter etc etc for the past nine years.

The 3rd possibilty scares me the most. My often times unusual behaviour of the past almost 10 years could perhaps be solved with the regular consumption of lots of alcohol and/or some good drugs :-). On the other hand, if the 3rd possibilty is in fact true ... YIKES!!