Friends of the Rosary: Christ Jesus asked us to stop judging, and be forgiving and merciful — as we read today in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 6:36-38). "For the measure with which you measurewill in return be measured out to you." For this behavior, we need to ask God's grace. "I say to you, love your enemies,and pray for those who persecute you,that you may be children of your heavenly Father,for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust." (Mt 5:43-48) "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 26, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:The Holy Trinity speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings.And today, on the second Sunday of Lent, we move from Jesus' retreat to the desert and the temptations by the devil to the splendor of the Transfiguration. This episode, when Christ was transformed into pure light, is told in the three Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  The Transfiguration is a promise of Jesus’ glory, his Resurrection. On a mountain in today’s reading, a voice affirms that Jesus is God’s Son in words reminiscent of the voice at Jesus’ baptism. In addition, the appearance of Moses and Elijah connects this story with God’s relationship to the people of Israel. Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, respectively. Together with Jesus, they represent God’s complete Word. The Transfiguration occurs in the presence of three of Jesus’ disciples — Peter, James, and John — who would accompany him to the Garden of Gethsemane just before his arrest in the first Sorrowful Mystery. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York ⁠• February 25, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: During Lent, we renew our baptismal vows and reaffirm our identity as Jesus’ disciples. The Lenten season — with its the three main pillars of of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving — help us strive to be better followers of Christ The Faithful rediscover the penitential season that precedes Easter. On Ash Wednesday we accepted the ashes placed upon each of one’s forehead as an essential part of our commitment to be ambassadors for Christ, to live for something beyond one’s pleasure and self-satisfaction. We are soldiers and warriors in a dramatic war against sin. And the outcome of this spiritual battle is to establish the kingdom of heaven, holiness, and charity. It's the struggle to be a saint that God wants us to be by the power of the grace of baptism. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 24, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: In Lent, from Ash Wednesday until the sundown in Holy Thursday, we engage in a 40-day battle to overcome sin. Through intense prayer, fasting and self-discipline, almsgiving and sharing our time and talents, and deep reflection, we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says, “During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting.” “We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully.”  Lent is an personal spiritual retreat. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 23, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. The feast commemorates the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle and continued in an unbroken line down to the present Pope. In today’s Gospel (Mt 16:13-19), we see how Peter is appointed to lead the Church of Christ on earth. Jesus said: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 22, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, the Catholic Church honored St. Jacinta Marto (1910-1920), the youngest visionary of Our Lady of Fatima. She and her brother Francisco — whose feast is April 4 — were officially declared saints on May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. St. Francisco's feast is on April 4. Both under 12 years old, they were the youngest non-martyrs to be beatified in the history of the Church. Along with her cousin Lucia, they witnessed the apparitions of Mary. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 21, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:Christ Jesus didn't promise us smooth discipleship, but one filled with suffering — even much suffering. In His three falls beneath the weight of the Cross, Jesus was tested in His faith. Freely and willingly, He emptied Himself and became obedient unto death for our sake. Christ's Via Crucis is a time of trial for us, too. A test of faith. Our earthly journey is filled with setbacks and even personal tragedies. The answer is to abandon ourselves to the will of the Father, in imitation of Our Lord. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 20, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's reading in the Gospel (Mt 25:31-46), Christ Jesus explains what is needed to inherit eternal life. "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." The Kingdom of Heaven is about our absolute love for God and the radical commitment to love our fellow human beings. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 19, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today's Gospel (Mk 1:12-15) shows Christ Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert for forty days and consoled by angels of God. After the temptations, Jesus went into Galilee and began to preach. "The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,and he remained in the desert for forty days,tempted by Satan.He was among wild beasts,and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested,Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:"This is the time of fulfillment.The kingdom of God is at hand.Repent, and believe in the gospel." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 18, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today’s Gospel tells the episode (Lk 5:27-32) of the instant conversion of the tax collector Levi — St. Matthew. Jesus passed by, gazed at Matthew, and simply said, "Follow me." "And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him." Bishop Barron asks: "Was Jesus responding to a request from Matthew or some longing in the sinner’s heart? Certainly not. Grace, by definition, comes unbidden and without explanation." Grace and conversion are creations of the Lord. And, mind you, no matter how hard and accomplished we are, we don't convert. Only the Lord Jesus converts. God graciously calls us. Through prayer, we will notice this calling during this Lent. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 17, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Every Friday during Lent we abstain from eating meat. It's a Christian practice that helps us to discipline ourselves and dominate our superficial hunger for food and drink. And like we did on Ash Wednesday on Good Friday we will eat one full meal, or two smaller meals. "We fast because we have a hunger for God," as Bishop Barrons explains today. Our deepest hunger is for God. And to discover this inner desire, we have to fast. We are meant to feel how hungry we are for God, the true Living Bread.  In addition, the Fridays of Lent are a good practice for Good Friday as an opportunity to reflect on the Lord's Passion. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 16, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: "Lent is a time to look inward and share our deepest desires, worries, and weaknesses with the Lord in prayer," Pope Francis said in his Ash Wednesday homily. "The Lord is inviting us to remove the masks we so often wear and see ourselves as we truly are in the sight of God." In his homily, Pope Francis encouraged everyone to make more space for prayer in silence in Eucharistic adoration during the 40 days of Lent. He quoted advice from St. Anselm of Canterbury, an 11th-century Benedictine monk and doctor of the Church who wrote in 1078: "Escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts. Break off from your cares and troubles and be less concerned about your tasks and labors. Make a little time for God and rest a while in him." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 15, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the feast day of St. Valentine and most importantly, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the penitential season of Lent — forty days of prayer, abstinence, and fasting in imitation of Our Lord in the desert. During today's Mass, the ashes are blessed and then priests or deacons impart this sacramental on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fragility, and mortality. The ash on our forehead means that we are witness to our faith. It also reminds us that our time on earth is short. The ashes are made from the palms used at the previous Passion Sunday ceremonies. During Lent, we observe the central act of history, the redemption of the human race by Our Savior Jesus Christ. All the baptized are called to do some penance: • Abstinence from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent. • Fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It means that a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 14, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's readings, we learn from the first letter of James the Apostle about the value of trials and temptation (Jas 1:12-18). "Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of lifethat he promised to those who love him." "Each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death." All good giving and every perfect gift are from above, coming down from the Father of lights." Friends, we are encouraged to persevere through trials, even finding joy in our difficulties, for these challenges test our faith and develop perseverance. As the holy apostle teaches, we must avoid being double-minded and unstable in our faith, especially when seeking wisdom from God. Instead, we should ask for God's grace and wisdom with unwavering faith, for He gives generously to all who ask. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 13, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, February 11, was the 32nd World Day of the Sick, a commemoration instituted by Pope St. John Paul II. The World Day of the Sick takes place each year on the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. On this day in 1858 in Lourdes, France, the 14-year-old peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous saw the Virgin Mary, wearing a white dress and holding a rosary. It would be the first of 18 appearances of Holy Virgin in Lourdes. In one apparition, on the feast day of the Annunciation, Mary said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Since then, Lourdes has been a popular travel destination. Thousands of people say their medical conditions have been cured through pilgrimage, prayer, and the water flowing from a spring to which Bernadette was directed by the Blessed Virgin. Experts have verified 69 cases of miraculous healing at Lourdes since 1862. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 12, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Christ Jesus is the healer of the human race, afflicted by original sin. We all, repentant sinners, know our Shepherd. At that time, during His public ministry, Jesus miraculously cured thousands of people. One of those souls was a leper abandoned by society. We see today in Mark's gospel (Mk 1:40-45) both the divine power and the divine compassion of Jesus in an act of healing. A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,“If you wish, you can make me clean.”Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 11, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On Feb. 10, the Catholic Church remembers St. Scholastica (480-547). She was the twin sister of St. Benedict, the "father of monasticism" in Western Europe. The twins' mother died at their birth. Under Benedict's direction, Scholastica founded a community of nuns near the great Benedictine monastery Monte Cassino. Inspired by Benedict's teaching, Scholastica devoted her life to seeking and serving God.When she passed away, Benedict saw in a vision the soul of his sister departed from her body, and in the likeness of a dove, ascend into heaven. He rejoiced with hymns and praise, giving thanks to God.  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Scholastica, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 10, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: What is the will of God? It is love, as love is His essence—to show love to others and/or will the good of others. That is the way God's goodness manifests itself to us. God is the supreme lover of our soul. His goodness means that He provides what we need for our perfection, not merely what we desire for our pleasure, which very often leads to our destruction. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote: "As a sculptor, He sometimes applies the chisel to the marble of our imperfect selves and knocks off huge chunks of selfishness that His image may better stand revealed. Like a musician, whenever He finds the strings too loose on the violin of our personality, He tightens them even though it hurts, so that we may better reveal our hidden harmonies." What father does not want to be proud of his son? So long as there is love, there is necessarily a desire for the perfecting of the beloved. What parent does not want to be proud of their child? So long as there is love, there is necessarily a desire for the perfecting of the beloved. Because God loves us, like any father, He wants us to be happy. He made us for eternal joy. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 9, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, we celebrated the memorial day of Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878). Pius IX defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854. It stated, "It has been revealed by God that Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race." Three years after the proclamation of the dogma, on March 25, 1858, the Blessed Virgin, during one of her apparitions to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” In 1996, Pope John Paul II said, "The freedom from every stain of original sin entails as a positive consequence the total freedom from all sin as well as the proclamation of Mary's perfect holiness, a doctrine to which the dogmatic definition makes a fundamental contribution." The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that Mary was "redeemed in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 8, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus teaches that evil comes from within, from our hearts. “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.From within the man, from his heart,come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,adultery, greed, malice, deceit,licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.All these evils come from within and they defile.” Our Lord summoned the crowd: “Hear me, all of you, and understand.Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;but the things that come out from within are what defile.” Through prayer and sacrifices, we combat the evils and dysfunctions that stem from original sin, the effects of which are evident everywhere. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 7, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the memorial day of Saint Paul Miki and Companions Martyrs, we see Jesus calling the Pharisees hypocrites because they “disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mark 7:1–13) The Pharisees and scribes were questioning Jesus because His disciples were not following the tradition of the elders but instead were eating with unwashed, uncleaned hands. He responded,“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,as it is written:These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me;In vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines human precepts.” The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was 1) disregard of love — not willing the good of the other — and 2) a human creation of the Eternal Word. They were playing as little Gods, following an interpreted religion for their earthly purposes. Regarding what is real love, Bishop Barron writes, “It’s a leaping outside of the narrow confines of my needs and desires, and an embrace of the other’s good for the other’s sake. It is an escape from the black hole of the ego, which tends to draw everything around it into itself.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • YouTube video: Daily Rosary broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Catholic Church celebrates today the Memorial of St. Agatha (d. 250), a virgin and martyr who died in defense of her purity, in Catania, Sicily. After Quintanus, the governor of Sicily, tried in vain to force her to consent to sin, imprisoned for a month, and then had her breasts cut off, but that night Agatha was miraculously healed by the apostle St. Peter. When asked why she lived the servile life of a Christian, St. Agatha answered: "I am a handmaid of Christ, and that is why I bear the outward appearance of a slave; yet this is the highest nobility, to be a slave to Christ." The governor threatened her with the most dreadful tortures if she did not renounce Christ. Agatha countered: "If you threaten me with wild beasts, know that in the Name of Christ, they grow tame; if you use fire, from heaven angels will drop healing dew on me." She was then rolled over sharp stones and burning coals and finally taken to prison where she died while praying. "O Lord Jesus Christ, good Master, I give You thanks that You granted me victory over the executioners' tortures. Grant now that I may happily dwell in Your never-ending glory." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Agatha, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 5, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's Sunday reading (Mk 1:29-39), we see a day in the public life of Jesus: He heals people, drives out demons, prays, and preaches. As followers of Christ, we are invited to pray, serve the poor, and evangelize throughout Galilee. The Gospel of Mark presents as a healer. In him, divinity and humanity come together. "In him, the divine life and divine power are breaking through," writes Bishop Barron. "God’s deepest intentions appear—what God plans for us in the kingdom to come is now historically anticipated." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 4, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, February 3rd, we celebrate the memorial of St. Blaise (or Blase), a fourth-century saint and martyr who enjoys widespread veneration in the Eastern and Western Churches due to many cures attributed to him. On this day the Church gives a "Blessing of the Throats" in honor of St. Blaise, who was a physician and Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia. From the eighth century, St. Blaise has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat. St. Blaise is included in the list of Fourteen Holy Helpers. Today, two candles are blessed with a prayer that God will free us from illness. St. Blaise lived in a cave on Mount Argeus and was a healer of men and animals. According to legend, sick animals would come to him on their own for help, but would never disturb him at prayer. While arrested, and in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed fellow prisoners, including saving a child who was choking on a fish bone; this led to the blessing of throats on Blaise's feast day. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Blaise, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 3, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, forty days after the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also popularly known as Candlemas Day — since it takes place the Procession and Blessing of Candles at Mass. Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess. The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity. And with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point toward Easter. Overall, Jesus’ presentation signifies God made man’s entrance to His temple, presenting Himself to those who were searching for Him. It also reminds us that prayer, penance, and contemplation result in a solid interior life that brings true Christian charity. During the episode of the Presentation, we see Simeon’s prophecy of Mary’s sufferings. Pope John Paul II taught that ‘Simeon's words seem like a second Annunciation to Mary, for they tell her of the actual historical situation in which the Son is to accomplish his mission, namely, in misunderstanding and sorrow.’ (Redemptoris Mater, n16) Only those who pray and offer penance, like Simeon and Anna, are open to the breath of the Spirit. They knew how to recognize the Lord in the circumstances in which He manifested Himself because they possessed an ample interior vision. In addition, today, and given that consecrated men and women are to be the light in the world — imitating Jesus, the Light of the World — we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. Pope St. John Paul II instituted this celebration in 1997. The Church demonstrates its gratitude to all those who dedicate themselves in a privileged way to prayer and have a particular religious vocation to the contemplative life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 2, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus is astonished by our lack of faith. As we read this week (MK 6:1-6), He cured many sick, drove out demons, and performed mighty deeds. Despite these miracles, people refuse to trust in Him. Though we, the faithful, possess an understanding of the Eternal Word, our faith remains lacking. Christ Jesus dwells among us, yet we fail to recognize Him. In the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, He abundantly bestows His grace, but we persist in disbelief and ingratitude. One day, the whole truth will be revealed to each of us. Unfortunately, for many, it will be too late. The majority will realize that they've wasted their time on Earth. It's time to fully convert and place our trust in Him. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John Bosco, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠February 1, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Every January 31, the Catholic Church honors St. John Bosco (or “Don Bosco”), a 19th-century Italian priest who reached out to young people to remedy their lack of education, opportunities, and faith. He was an enlightened educator and innovator. St. John Bosco was the founder of the Salesian Society, named in honor of St. Francis de Sales, and of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. His lifework was the welfare of young boys and girls, hence his title, "Apostle of Youth." He had no formal system of education, but rather his methods centered on persuasion, authentic religiosity, and love for young people. At age nine, he had a prophetic dream in which unruly young boys were uttering words of blasphemy. Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary appeared to John in the dream, saying he would bring such youths to God through the virtues of humility and charity. Later on, this dream would help John to discern his calling as a priest.He'd become a spiritual guide and provider along with his fellow Salesian priests and brothers, giving boys religious instruction, lodging, education, and work opportunities.  This success did not come easily, as the priest struggled to find reliable accommodations and support for his ambitious apostolate. Italy’s nationalist movement made life difficult for religious orders, and its anti-clerical attitudes even led to assassination attempts against Don Bosco. However, such hostility did not stop the Salesians from expanding in Europe and beyond. They were helping 130,000 children in 250 houses by the end of Don Bosco’s life. “I have done nothing by myself,” he stated, saying it was “Our Lady who has done everything” through her intercession with God. St. John Bosco died on January 31, 1888, after conveying a message: “Tell the boys that I shall be waiting for them all in Paradise.” He was canonized on Easter Sunday of 1934 and is a patron saint of young people, apprentices, and Catholic publishers and editors. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John Bosco, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 31, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This week we read in the Gospel how Jesus drives out demons and unclean spirits from possessed men. Reflecting upon it, there are powerful things we can do to win the battle against evil in our lives, according to Fr. David Rider, a Catholic priest in Monroe, New York. • Never engage in the occult or abstain from habitual mortal sin. It invites them in. • Cleanse our homes from anything that can invite demons — new age crystals, good luck charms, books about the occult. • Never leave your house without wearing some blessed object on your person: crucifix, miraculous medal, scapular. • Never wear an Italian horn or an eye against the evil eye. • Play Christian praise and worship music at all times. The devil can’t stand to be anywhere where Jesus is being praised. • Pray the Holy Rosary — each Hail Mary is a hit to Satan's head. • Go to confession frequently. One confession is more powerful than a hundred exorcisms • Cling to the Holy Eucharist and spend time in adoration. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 30, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Christ Jesus demonstrated His authority during His public ministry, notably exerting power over the spiritual realm. This included causing men with unclean spirits to convulse and expel their demons, as described in St. Mark 1:21-28 and St. Mark 5:1-20. Christ gave us the power to be like Him so that we are free from sin because sin makes us like the devil. Reflecting on this, Bishop Barron wrote, "and now we have to make a decision." "If he is who he says he is and who he demonstrates himself to be, then we have to give our lives to him." Are we with Christ or against Him? Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 29, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel (St. Mark 1:21-28), Jesus finds in a synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, who cries out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us?I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"Jesus rebuked him and said,"Quiet! Come out of him!"The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. People possessed with demons were obeying him, to the amazement and astonishment of the people in Galilee. From the first days of His public ministry, Jesus’ messianic power began to be manifested to those who saw and heard Him. Still today, the mystery of the Incarnated Word is beyond human calculation and imagination. Why don’t we accept the infinite power and love of God, as it is described in the Scriptures? Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 28, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's reading (Mark 4:35–41), Jesus calms the storm that confronts our lives and threatens our peace. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,so that it was already filling up.Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.They woke him and said to him,"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"He woke up,rebuked the wind,and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"The wind ceased and there was great calm.Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified?Do you not yet have faith? In this episode, the disciples stand symbolically for all of us journeying through life.When the trials and anxieties of life confront us, our first reaction is fear. But then Jesus successfully calms the waves. If we are awake in the presence of Christ within us, then we can withstand the most frightening storms. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 27, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: St. Paul's soul-shaking conversion has a parallel in our life. Christ came to dwell in us during our baptism. It was our first conversion, although in most of us were unaware of the gift received as we were baptized as infants. If we are lukewarm or Christians merely from habit or tradition — unconscious Christians — we must be converted to a zealously faithful life. Our repentance must include gratitude to God and be exercised with a simple heart. Another "Damascus hour" is the Eucharist moment in holy Mass. Here, too, Christ meets us. Every Mass affects a conversion, a change in us. We bring our human wants and weaknesses to the altar, and in exchange receive grace and divine Bread in Holy Communion. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Paul, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 26, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On January 25, the faithful celebrate the Conversion of Saint Paul, one of the great events of the early Church. This feast celebrates St. Paul's turning away from persecution of Christians to promoting Christianity. Saul was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, and a Roman citizen. He was a student of the Pharisee rabbi Gamaliel and surpassed all his peers in zeal for the Jewish law and their traditions, which he thought to be the cause of God. Saul of Tarsus became one of the most fierce enemies and persecutors of Christians. He was one of the conspirators in the martyrdom of the holy deacon Stephan. He was suddenly converted on the road to Damascus when our Lord appeared to him in His resurrected glory (Acts 9:1-9). In other words, Saul, a blasphemer and a persecutor was made an apostle, and chosen to be one of the principal instruments of God in the conversion of the world. From a fierce persecutor, he became the great Apostle of the Gentiles. He made three missionary journeys which brought him to Asia Minor and southern Europe, and made many converts. Fourteen of his Epistles are found in the New Testament. He was beheaded in Rome around 66 A.D., and his relics are in the Basilica of St. Paul. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Paul, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 25, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel (Mark 4:1–20), Christ Jesus tells the parable of the sower. A man goes out to sow and throws the seed on the path, on rocky soil, on thorny soil, and finally on good soil. There are different types of soil, which apply symbolically to ourselves. God is a farmer, sowing the seed of His word and His love on the path, the rocks, and the thorns, pouring out His love on those who are least likely to respond. As Bishop Barron writes, "God’s love is irrational, extravagant, embarrassing, unreasonable, completely over the top." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 24, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This week we continue praying for the unity of the Christians and the legal protection of unborn children. All human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. All of us are called to His eternal and loving company in Heaven. No one is excluded. However, through their willingness and actions, many decide to reject the Truth and exclude themselves. God is the model on which all human beings are created. He looked upon himself and wished that other beings would share in His joy. We participate in the greatness of our Creator, His intelligence, and loving nature. This manner of creation brings us to understand the dignity of every human being. A person might be born with a disability or may suffer disability through injury or disease, but these deprivations do not affect his essential dignity. One day, all the human imperfections will be healed and they will enjoy forever the beatific vision that we all long for. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 23, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Parishes, schools, or religious formation programs may celebrate the Mass for the dignity of human life, giving thanks to God for the gift of human life. It's a simple truth: It is better to be alive than never have been in existence. As a result, we worship and love the Giver of this gift. This love is what moves us to protect the life of the unborn or any who might be unjustly treated. We are also led to protect women who might feel tempted or forced to commit abortion, as we know the devastating consequences that abortion will have in their lives. We have to do everything we can to convince the many perpetrators of abortion — medical personnel, pro-abortion activists, and politicians — of their errors, so they repent and change their ways, both for their benefit and for the benefit of society. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 22, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary:When Jesus passes by, we have to respond. The first four apostles — Peter, Andrew, James, and John — immediately responded to the call of the Lord, as we read today in the Gospel (Mark 1:14–20).Jesus is passing by every day. He never ceases calling us by our names, because He wants our healing on Earth and our salvation for eternity. "Repent, and believe in the gospel."Now is "the time of fulfillment," as he proclaimed. We are meant to see ourselves in Peter and Andrew, in James and John."Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 21, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The message of salvation has been historically spread by the Holy Spirit working through the apostles, saints, and the faithful in the Church. This proves the power of God. Had the message of salvation been spread and promulgated by powerful men, the cry would soon go up on all sides and people would say: "This religion is the invention of the upper class; it is a clever plan of the upper classes to keep the poor and humble workers in subjection." Starting with the apostles and martyrs, it was the poor and working classes — many simple fishermen of Galilee — who spread Christ's message, and who suffered imprisonment and death at the hands of the educated and upper classes for so doing. It’s a historical fact, proven year after year, that Christ erected an institution, the Catholic Church, against which the gates of hell, the power of all the enemies of our salvation, have been incapable of prevailing, despite their countless attempts of destruction from outside and inside during twenty centuries. The divine guidance and help of Christ is with His Church, and it will be with it forever. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 20, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Thousands of Americans gathered today in Washington, DC for the 51st annual March for Life, the second in a post-Roe America. The faithful showed support for the right to life — a life-affirming culture that respects the inherent dignity of all human life. The theme this year ‘With every woman, for every child’ focused on the need to care for both mother and child during the nine months of pregnancy and in the years after. Pregnancy care centers and maternity homes across the country exist to provide support for women facing unexpected pregnancies so that no mother ever feels alone or without support on her journey. The annual March for Life is the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 19, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This week in the Gospel we see Christ Jesus curing many, including a man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1–6) as well those who had diseases and were pressing to touch him (Mk 3:7-12). The unclean spirits were falling before him shouting, "You are the Son of God." These healings signified the arrival of the kingdom of God. His person was an entirely new way of ordering things — based on unconditional love and kindness. This way of life made demons crazy and awakened the opposition of the powers of that time — the Pharisees and the religious establishment. Our Lord permitted all of that darkness to crush Him. But then, on the third day, He would rise again from the dead in the power of the Holy Spirit, swallowing up the darkness of the world. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York •⁠ January 18, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Tomorrow, Thursday, January 18, 2024, is the National Prayer Vigil for Life. It is held on the eve of the March for Life each January at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Thousands of pilgrims and participants pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life. The 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. prayer events on January 18 and the 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 a.m. Mass on January 19 will be televised by EWTN and live-streamed on the Basilica’s webpage. “A prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer that will rise throughout the world,” Pope Saint John Paul II wrote. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 17, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: "Glorify God in your body," as the Holy Spirit tells us through St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20), as we read yesterday. The first teaching emphasizes avoiding immorality, particularly sexual immorality. "Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within us," St. Paul wrote. Dark forces in our society have promoted evil ideologies that push the idea that our body is for pleasure. Moreover, according to this view, one's gender can be chosen. It’s all about going against the Divine and the Holy Spirit. We all know the destructive consequences of sin. "You are not your own. For you have been purchased at a price," Paul said. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 16, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray for the end of racism and discrimination. Today in the U.S., on the third Monday in January, is the federal holiday of civil rights leader Luther King Jr Day. It honors the life and legacy of this iconic figure of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. King’s fight against discrimination and segregation changed American history and gave hope to millions for a future of equality. His March on Washington, on August 28, 1963, and his “I Have a Dream” speech was an inspiring moment. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr stated, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” King’s call for racial equality is echoed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.”  (CCC 1934). As St. Augustine wrote, “An unjust law is no law at all,” while St. Thomas Aquinas stated, "An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." In U.S. tradition, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is honored along with another non-Catholic Abraham Lincoln, and two Catholics, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 15, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today’s Gospel (St. John 1:35-42) gives an account of the vocation of the first four Apostles who found Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God, and decided to follow him. This event was the beginning of vocations, a movement of holiness that will last until the end of the world. The Church of Christ consists of men with a sinful human nature, yet it is assisted by divine aid. Another momentous fact is Christ's choice of the Apostles among "the lowly and the humble to confound the wise." (1 Corinthians 1:27). The first four Apostles were simple fishermen from Galilee, not men of education or any social standing in their communities. He could have converted and chosen some of the more highly educated scribes of Jerusalem, some of the many philosophers in Greece, or even Roman senators. But he did not. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 14, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel (Mark 2:13–17), Christ Jesus calls Matthew to become his disciple. "As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,sitting at the customs post.Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”And he got up and followed Jesus.While he was at table in his house,many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;for there were many who followed him." The Lord just simply said, "Follow me." It was an explosion of grace. As Bishop Barron said, "Grace, by definition, comes unbidden and without explanation." "Just as creation is ex nihilo, so conversion is a new creation." As Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis comments, "The deepest meaning of Christian discipleship is not to work for Jesus but to be with Jesus." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 13, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Evil or the devil camouflages well in its environment. We notice this in our secular society. In the Book of Genesis, it was the infamous figure of the serpent. That animal insidiousness was unnoticed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our progenitors thought the serpent was benign. Pope Francis warns that "the devil is a master tactician and shapeshifter able to instill doubt."In the biblical account, the prohibition imposed on Adam and Eve of eating from that tree "was God’s way of preserving them from the presumption of omnipotence, of making themselves masters of good and evil, which is temptation, a bad temptation even now. In the episode of The Fall, we learn that the most dangerous threat to the human heart is pride, which is the beginning of all evil. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 12, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary:Soon, we will begin Lent, a season that commemorates the forty days Jesus spent in the desert, enduring temptations. There, Our Lord did not engage in dialogue with the Evil One.He responded using the words of Holy Scripture, the word of God.Christ never conversed with the devil; He chased him away."When temptation comes, never talk. Close the door, close the window, close your heart. In this way we defend ourselves from this seduction," Pope Francis said."The Bible explains to us that evil does not begin in man in a clamorous way when an act is already manifest, but much earlier when one begins to fantasize about it, to nurse it in the imagination and thoughts, and ends up being ensnared by its enticements," the pope cautioned.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 11, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:In today’s reading (Mk 1:29-39), we see Jesus curing many who were ill or possessed by demons.The Son of God went throughout Galilee preaching and driving out demons.As we read on Tuesday, these demons knew who was Jesus (Mk 1:21-28). But He was not permitting them to speak because they knew Him.“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us?I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” Christ was able to cast out unclean spirits. But this is not our case. Moreover, we must never argue with the devil, as Pope Francis recently reminded us. "The devil is a deceiver. Never talk to him, because he is smarter than all of us and will make us pay," he said. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 10, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Holy Virgin said in one of her revelations that with prayer and fasting, we can detain wars and natural catastrophes. The Lord listens to our prayers. In the New Testament, several passages highlight this. “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.” (John 9:31) “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (Peter 3:12) “And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.” (John 5:15) God listens and He is ready to answer, all you have to do is ask. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York ⁠• January 9, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We always should have our eyes very open to see what God is up to. The three kings from the East — the magi — evoke us the importance of spiritual alertness as they watched the night sky for divine signs. Once they saw the star, they moved, teaching us to move. They showed us to expect opposition when we walk the divine path. They spoke to Herod about the birth of the new King, and the wicked monarch used that information to destroy the light of the world. The wise men gave baby Jesus their precious gifts: frankincense (divine worship), myrrh (suffering Christ), and gold (denoting kingship). In the same way, we offer the very best of ourselves to the Lord. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 8, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, January 7th, the Catholic Church traditionally celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord — the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord when the entire Holy Trinity intervened. In some places, this solemnity is transferred to Monday, January 8th. The Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season. Then, ordinary time starts, until Lent, which this year will begin earlier: on February 14th, Ash Wednesday, and Valentine’s Day. At Christ's baptism, the heavens were opened and He was proclaimed the "Beloved Son" of the Father. At our Baptism, heaven is opened to us and we became the adopted sons of God. At His Baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism, we must pray to avoid actual sin. Jesus, who was sinless, did not need the baptism of John. The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the Word made flesh took the baptism of repentance because He laid aside his glory and humbly joined us in our sinfulness, standing with us, assuming our burden. The Son of God freely humbled Himself at the hand of John the Baptist before commencing his earthly ministry. And by His baptism in the Jordan, Christ manifested His humility and dedicated Himself to the redemption of man. He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world and buried them in the waters of the Jordan. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 7, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: Today’s Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord commemorates the visit of the magi to worship the baby Jesus as narrated in the Gospel of Matthew: "Behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’" The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek epiphainen, which means "to manifest," or “make known.” The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus, the Son of God, to the world. "Jesus is the Savior of the world. He comes not just for one group of people but for all. The magi, or kings, or astrologers, or seekers from the East, stand in for all the peoples of the earth," says Bishop Robert Deeley. "They represent all the people, including ourselves, who have found their way to Christ, who have found in him the meaning of their lives, and the light which guides them.  They also represent the inner hope of the human spirit showing that it strives for the meaning that Jesus brings to life." The Catechism explains the Epiphany this way: "The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 6, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:Most people do not know what they fundamentally want in life, or if they do, they lack the courage and determination to pursue a clear goal. Many spend their earthly existence looking for solutions and end up frustrated. Reflecting on this, Christ Jesus asked two of John the Baptist’s disciples (John 1:35–42), "What are you looking for?" This is an existential question for all of us. The correct answer should be to live united, in communion and friendship with the Creator of the Universe. In other words, holiness and eternal life. The pursuit of holiness and eternal life offers a simple and definitive response. It is an unambiguous approach to our challenging and temporary dwelling on earth. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 5, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the eleventh day of Christmas, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American to be canonized a saint. Born in New York in 1774, Elizabeth Ann Bayley married William Seton and they had five children. After her husband's death from tuberculosis, she converted from the Episcopal faith to Catholicism. She founded the American Sisters of Charity, a community of teaching sisters that began Catholic schools throughout the United States, especially helping with the education of underprivileged children. Elizabeth Ann Seton also laid the foundation of the American parochial school system and opened orphanages in Philadelphia and New York City. She died at Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821, was beatified by Pope St. John XXIII in 1963, and was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1975. We meditate on these words of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, "What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do His Father's will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly to do it in the manner He wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is His will. I know what is His will by those who direct me; whatever they bid me do, if it is ever so small in itself, is the will of God for me. Then, do it in the manner He wills it." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 4, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the tenth day of Christmas, we honor the Most Holy Name of Jesus, which means Savior. Moreover, the month of January has traditionally been dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This devotion to the Holy Name is deeply rooted in the Sacred Scriptures, especially in the Acts of the Apostles. God Himself gave this name to express His mission and the purpose of His existence. We read in the New Testament how the angel Gabriel revealed that name to Mary: “You shall call His name Jesus.” “His name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the womb.” Luke 2:21. To St. Joseph, the angel not merely revealed the name but explained its meaning: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” The name of Jesus is a name of love, hope, and joy. Whenever we pronounce it, we ought to bow our heads, as the very name reminds us of the greatest favor we have ever received, salvation. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 3, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: When the fullness of time came, the Father sent Christ Jesus, so that we might receive adoption as sons, as St. Paul reminded us in this letter to the Galatians (Gal 4:4-7) yesterday. This way, the Lord saved us from the slavery of sin. "So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God." "As proof that you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, Abba, Father!" This January 8th, on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we will renew our promises of the Baptism. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Blessed Virgin Mary, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 2, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on New Year's Day, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, our Lady's greatest title. The title “Mother of God” goes back to the third or fourth century. The Greek term Theotokos (“The God-bearer”) was officially consecrated as Catholic doctrine at the Council of Ephesus in 431. It became the first Marian dogma. At the end of the Council of Ephesus, crowds of people marched through the streets shouting: “Praised be the Theotokos!” This Catholic doctrine is based on the doctrine of Incarnation, as expressed by St. Paul: “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (721) explains this: "Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense, the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom." On this day the Catholic Church also celebrates the World Day of Peace, a tradition established by Pope Paul VI and confirmed by Pope John Paul II. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Blessed Virgin Mary, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠January 1, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Seventh Day of Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. The Church instituted this feast to present the Holy Family as the patron and model of all Christian families. Today is also the feast day of every family. The devotion to the Holy Family was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds went to adore the Child Jesus and, at the same time, they gave honor to His family. Later, similarly, the three wise men came from the East to adore and give honor to the newborn King with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that would be safeguarded by His family. Christ Himself was the first devotee of His family. He showed His devotion to His mother and foster father by submitting Himself, with infinite humility, to the duty of filial obedience towards them. St Bernard of Clairvaux said in this regard, "God, to whom angels submit themselves and who principalities and powers obey, was subject to Mary; and not only to Mary but Joseph also for Mary’s sake. God obeyed a human creature; this is humility without precedent. A human creature commands God; it is sublime beyond measure." Marriage is a sacrament that establishes a family. The children must learn how to obey and love their parents in thought, word, and action, just as Christ was obedient to the Virgin Mary and Joseph — the guardian and administrator of the divine family of Nazareth. And every Christian family must do their best to live in harmony and prayer. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Holy Family, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 31, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: At Christmas, we learn to be witness to the truth. To be a witness is to be a martyr. As soon as Christ was liturgically born, the Church presented St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents, as witnesses. We all are born in baptism to become Christ. At that moment, our eternity begins. We are compelled to be witnesses every hour and every day. Only in Heaven, we will comprehend this mystery. The Evil One whispers into man’s ear to abandon the truth and experience an earthly journey based on pleasures, honors, power, and money. The fallen angel knows how to destroy us. He applies his supernatural intelligence to lie and confuse us. But we the Christian people know that submission and humility are the answer. The merciful love of Christ is the answer! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Holy Innocents, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Professing the Christian faith demands the heroism of the martyrs. On the day after the solemnity of Christmas, we celebrated today the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr who was stoned in Jerusalem during the first persecution against the nascent Church. St. Stephen was the first to follow in the steps of Christ with martyrdom. Like the divine Master, he died forgiving and praying for his executioners (cf. Acts 7:60). During the first four centuries of Christianity all the saints venerated by the Church were martyrs. There is "the white army of martyrs" (martyrum candidatus exercitus) whose death was not a reason for fear and sadness, but of spiritual enthusiasm. For believers, the day of death, and even more so, the day of martyrdom, is the "passage" to immortal life, it is the day of the final birth. If Jesus had not been born on earth, men would not have been able to be born for heaven. Because Christ was born, we can be "reborn." And if we analyze in depth the mystery of Christmas, we see how the Child Jesus would save humanity by dying on the cross. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Holy Innocents, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Fourth Day in the Octave of Christmas, the Church celebrates the Feast of Holy Innocents, Martyrs. We remember the mass murder of the small children in the neighborhood of Bethlehem put to death the by wicked monarch Herod. Precious in the sight of God, these innocent victims bear witness to Christ who was persecuted from the time of His birth by a world which would not receive Him. The Holy Innocents saved the Child Jesus from death by King Herod by the shedding of their blood. The Holy Innocents are the special patrons of small children, who can please the Christ Child by being obedient and helpful to parents. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Holy Innocents, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the third day of Christmas, the universal Church honors the apostle and evangelist St. John (d. 101), the beloved disciple of Jesus and author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the Apocalypse. He is the evangelist of the divinity of Christ and His fraternal love. On Christmas Day, we read his passages on the pre-existence of the Word, who by His Incarnation became the light of the world and the life of our souls. Born in Bethsaida, son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother to St. James the Greater, both of whom were fishermen. The two were called by Jesus to be disciples as they were mending their nets by the Sea of Galilee. With James and Peter, he witnessed the Transfiguration. At the Last Supper, he leans on the Master's breast. At the foot of the cross, Jesus entrusts His Mother to his care. John's pure life kept him very close to Jesus and Mary for years to come. He was the only one of the Apostles who did not forsake the Savior in the hour of His Passion and Death. He was brought to Rome and, according to tradition, was cast into a caldron of boiling oil by order of Emperor Domitian, but he was miraculously preserved unhurt. John was then exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse or Revelation. Afterward returned to Ephesus where he founded many churches in Asia Minor and passed away in peace at about ninety-four years old. "My dear children, love one another," was his message. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Second day in the Octave of Christmas, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. His story comes from the Acts of the Apostles. Stoned outside the city wall of Jerusalem two years after the death of Christ, he died like his Master praying for his executioners. He was one of the seven deacons who helped the apostles; he was "filled with faith and with the Holy Spirit," and was "full of grace and strength." With Stephen, the Doctors of the Church emphasize the imitation of Christ even unto the complete gift of self. Stephen is usually pictured in deacon's vestments, holding the symbol of martyrdom, a palm branch. To be a witness is to be a martyr like Christ. By establishing the feast on the day after Christmas the Church draws an even closer comparison between the disciple and the Master. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Stephen, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: We rejoice today by celebrating the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Birth of Jesus Christ, and the First Day in the Octave of Christmas. Christmas time begins on December 24 with the first Vespers of the feast and ends on the feast of the Baptism of Christ, January 7th. On a day like this two thousand years ago, the Eternal Word was made flesh and dwelt among. For us and our salvation, the Messiah descended upon earth. The longings of the patriarchs and prophets were finally fulfilled. The Solemnity Day of Christmas is a feast full of joy. The Son of God became man to bring the light into our sinful world covered with darkness since our forefathers decided to separate themselves from the Divinity. He gave us a share in his divine life. Today, with the shepherds we hurry to the manger and adore the Incarnate Son of God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve. Through the shorter Advent season this year, we have prepared for Jesus’ first and second coming. John the Baptist and the Immaculate Mother appeared throughout the season announcing and foretelling the coming of the King of Glory. We hear today in the Gospel that Christ, the Son of God and the Second Person of the Trinity, is conceived after the Fiat of Mary. The Blessed Mother is the new Ark of the Covenant between God and mankind. God humbles and humiliates Himself by adopting human nature to form an alliance with us — poor sinful souls. He comes to save us from the slavery of sin and the power of darkness. Emmanuel, God with us, descends to us to open the gate of eternal paradise — closed since our first parents fell into sin. Today, on Christmas Eve, Psalm 24 is the theme of the vigil: Lift up your gates, O princes, Open wide, eternal gates, That the King of Glory may enter in. . . . With great joy at home, we ponder these great mysteries of the Holy Night, with the giving of gifts, Christmas carols, and special prayers contemplating with amazement the birth of the Savior. At midnight we attend Mass, rejoicing because the Light of the World has come today. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This year marks the 800th anniversary of the first Nativity scene established by St. Francis of Assisi in a cave in the Italian town of Greccio. The saint staged the Nativity in the year 1223 as a way to spread the story of Christmas. St. Francis wanted to highlight the amazement, joy, and humility of the Lord in the grotto of Bethlehem. The spirit of sobriety and humility of the Nativity contrasts with the consumerism that corrodes the meaning of Christmas. “The Nativity scene was created to bring us back to what matters: to God who comes to dwell among us. It helps us understand what matters and also the social relationships of Jesus in that moment, the family, Joseph and Mary, and loved ones, the shepherds,” Pope Francis said. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's reading, Luke 1:46-56, we hear the Magnificat — the Virgin Mary's hymn to praise the Lord. "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;my spirit rejoices in God my savior.for he has looked upon his lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me blessed:the Almighty has done great things for me,and holy is his Name.He has mercy on those who fear himin every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm,and has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thronesand has lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has sent away empty.He has come to the help of his servant Israelfor he remembered his promise of mercy,the promise he made to our fathers,to Abraham and his children forever."Mary's whole being is ordered to glorify and give honor to God. She wants nothing for herself. As Bishop Barron says, "Since God needs nothing, whatever glory Mary gives to him returns to her benefit, so that she is magnified in the very act of magnifying him. In giving herself away fully to God, Mary becomes a superabundant source of life; indeed, she becomes pregnant with God." "This act of magnifying and being magnified is the key to understanding everything about Mary, from her divine motherhood to her Immaculate Conception and Assumption to her mission in the life of the Church." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Worldly pursuits are far from providing lasting fulfillment. A journey of faith looking for the light of Christ is needed to avoid falling into despair and hopelessness. And we have to ask for divine grace in prayer. Embracing the light of God leads to a transformation of the heart and mind. And transformation — which is a process of becoming more Christ-like — is necessary for healing and salvation. Through the sacraments, we will nurture and spread the light and the merciful love of God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Advent and Christmas are a time for spiritual enlightenment and renewal. The light of Christ comes to defeat the darkness of sin, despair, and confusion. With His eternal word, the Savior of the world provides the clarity and direction needed against the world's evil powers. The deeper we go in our friendship with Jesus the fullest we will experience the sense of life. Jesus Christ, in His teachings, emphasized this (John 10:10,) "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Only through the divine gift of grace, we are drawn into this light and life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Only in God do we find the light of life. Our minds and souls are illuminated by Him, who is the ultimate source of all life and light. The Gospel of John states, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind" (John 1:4). Life and light emanating from God are intrinsic to His nature. In a world clouded by sin, confusion, and despair, God provides the clarity, truth, and direction we need. This is what we celebrate at Christmas: the light guiding us toward a deeper understanding of our purpose and life in its fullest sense. The fullness of life that includes peace, joy, and fulfillment can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary:Serving Christ Jesus is a cause for joy. Yesterday, we celebrated Gaudete Sunday, meaning Rejoice Sunday. And as Christmas draws near, the Church emphasizes the joy which should be in our hearts. The Lord will come again in His glory to lead them into His kingdom.In the chant of the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54), the Blessed Mother proclaimed, “My soul rejoices in my God.” “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant.”St. Paul (1 Thes 5:16-24) invited us to “rejoice always.” To be joyful, we have to give thanks all the time and pray without ceasing. This is the way of the Divinity. Authentic Christian joy emerges by the grace of God when we are closer to our Lord and build together the Kingdom of Heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!John the Baptist, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Third Sunday of Advent, we are invited, in the words of St. Paul (1 Thes 5:16-24), to: "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.In all circumstances give thanks,for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.Do not quench the Spirit.Do not despise prophetic utterances.Test everything; retain what is good.Refrain from every kind of evil." In the second reading (John 1:6–8, 19–28), we are told that John the Baptist "was sent from God", and he came "for testimony, to testify to the light." and to "make straight the way of the Lord." Friends, we are meant to be preserved for the coming of Christ, who is light from light, true God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!John the Baptist, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Son of God came from Heaven, healing and forgiving people, and even sacrificed His own life in atonement for our sins. But Christ Jesus was rejected and insulted.As we read yesterday in Matthew 11:16-19, they said: 'He is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' The evil powers of the world and the majority of political and religious leaders condemned God to death on the cross.Is that different today?The time is short until the end of all ages.Mary is warning us about the gravity of the situation worldwide, with a rampant ongoing offense to the Creator. She is stopping the fury of God. Once and for all, we must truly convert and embrace the eternal truth, avoiding twisting reality to our convenience. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: While imprisoned and tortured in a small Carmelite monastery's dungeon in Toledo, Spain, the 16th-century mystic Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591) wrote poetry filled with love and joy. He vividly described the soul's journey from dark night to mystical union with the Absolute Being. Saint John of the Cross endured much suffering, often at the hands of other Catholic prelates. It deepened his devotion to Christ's Passion. He faced humiliation, suspicion, and mistreatment. His response was to embrace the crucifix and break a dependence on the things of this world. When asked by Christ what reward he desired for his work, John famously replied, 'To suffer and be despised for Thee.' Only at life's end, after years of unjust suffering, was he recognized as a holy man. Saint John's life exemplifies that humiliation is often the path of the Cross. True endurance of life's hardships is possible only in communion with Christ Jesus. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John of the Cross, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), a 16th-century Spaniarch Carmelite mystic and priest best known for reforming his order together with Saint Teresa of Avila, and for writing the classic spiritual treatise "The Dark Night of the Soul." A great contemplative and spiritual writer, he also wrote "The Ascent of Mount Carmel," "The Spiritual Canticle", and "The Living Flame of Love."  Honored as a Doctor of the Church since 1926, he is sometimes called the "Mystical Doctor," as a tribute to the depth of his teaching on the soul's union with God. Born in 1542 in Fontiveros near the Spanish city of Avila, as young he spent several years working in a hospital for the poor. He had been practicing severe physical asceticism even before joining the Carmelites and got permission to live according to their original rule of life, which stressed solitude, silence, poverty, work, and contemplative prayer. John received ordination as a priest in 1567. He was the spiritual director and confessor of the Carmelite nun Teresa of Avila. She persuaded him to remain in the order and help her in the reform of the Carmelites. Their reforming movement of the "Discalced Carmelites" grew quickly, but also met with severe opposition from opponents of the strict observance, who seized John and imprisoned him in a tiny cell. His ordeal lasted nine months and included regular public floggings along with other harsh punishments. Yet it was during this very period that he composed the poetry that would serve as the basis for his spiritual writings. John managed to escape from prison in August of 1578, after which he resumed the work of founding and directing Discalced Carmelite communities. Suspicion, mistreatment, and humiliation had characterized much of his time in religious life, but these trials are understood as having brought him closer to God by breaking his dependence on the things of this world. Only near the end of his life had St. John's monastic superior recognized his wisdom and holiness. Though his reputation had suffered unjustly for years, this situation reversed soon after his death. When Our Lord asked him what reward he would ask for his labors, John answered: "To suffer and to be despised for Thee." He died of a very painful skin infection disease, erysipelas, in December 1591, while embracing the crucifix. St. John of the Cross was beatified in 1675, canonized in 1726, and named a Doctor of the Church in the 20th century by Pope Pius XI. In a letter marking the 400th anniversary of St. John's death, Pope John Paul II – who had written a doctoral thesis on the saint's writings – recommended the study of the Spanish mystic, whom he called a "master in the faith and witness to the living God." In Sayings of Light and Love, 26-27, St. John of the Cross wrote: "Mine are the heavens and mine is the earth. Mine are the nations, the just are mine, and mine the sinners. The angels are mine, and the Mother of God, and all things are mine, and God himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine and all for me. What do you ask, then, and seek my soul? Yours is all of this, and all is for you. Do not engage yourself in something less or pay heed to the crumbs that fall from your Father's table. Go forth and exult in your Glory! Hide yourself in it and rejoice, and you will obtain the supplications of your heart." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John of the Cross, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Aztecs had dark beliefs in their pagan religious center of Tenochtitlan. They offered human blood to their divinity by killing people. They thought that sacrifices were necessary to keep the sun moving across the sky and preserve their lives, otherwise, the world would end. We despise these barbaric beliefs today. However, many dominant ideologies in our secular society are also very destructive. They may not kill the body, but they are intended to kill the soul, which is much worse, as Christ Jesus revealed. The Spanish conquistadors arrived and established Christianity in the old Mexico. Over two decades, the Franciscan missionaries in charge had little success in converting the indigenous people. Many Aztecs didn’t trust the Spaniards and did not want anything from them. The situation was only getting worse. Supernatural intervention was needed. The Holy Trinity sent the Blessed Virgin. She appeared to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin as a mestiza woman — a mix of indigenous and European descent. The Heavens chose as their messenger a macehual Indian, that is, of a lower social class, only above the slaves. Seven years before the apparition of the Virgin Mary, he received the sacrament of baptism, and along with his wife, the sacrament of marriage. His wife, María Lucía, passed away in 1529, prompting Juan Diego to turn his life to God by attending Mass and catechism lessons at a Franciscan church in Tlatelolco. He lived with his uncle Juan Bernardino, an elderly man. On December 9, 1531, as Juan Diego was on his way from his home in Tulpetlac to the Franciscan missionary’s church in Tlatelolco, the unexpected happened. Mary appeared to him, speaking in the native language of Náhualt. Juan Diego's gravely ill uncle, Juan Bernardino, would be cured; a shrine would be built on the same spot at Tepeyac, and nine million Mexicans would convert to the true faith. The course of history was changed forever. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady appeared to an Indian convert named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531, in a miracle that changed history. She left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego. And She told him: "Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the fountain of your joy? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything." This miraculous image has proved to be ageless and is kept in the shrine built in her honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Within ten years of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the entire Mexican people, nine million, converted to Christianity. In 1910, Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Patroness of Latin America, and in 1945 Pope Pius XII declared Her to be the Empress of all the Americas. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Christ Jesus came to bring order to chaos. The powers of the world — dominated by darkness — sentenced the Author of Life and the Creator of All Things to death on the cross. Today, twenty centuries later, they continue to reject Christ and His followers. In the Western Hemisphere, those secular powers engineer ideologies and false doctrines that, sadly, a vast number of people adopt. The Son of God defeated death and sin with His resurrection. His victory is eternal and His words will never pass away. In yesterday’s second reading (Mark 1:1-8), we heard the words written by Mark, who accompanied Peter in his travels until Rome. His opening line “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God” is a statement of who is truly the conqueror and messenger of the good news — evangelium or Gospel in Greek. Christ is Lord. Neither the Roman Emperor at that time nor today’s leaders of the nations have power over the King of the Universe. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Loreto, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As our journey of conversion continues and we prepare to celebrate the nativity of Christ, on this Second Sunday of Advent we also celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto. The title of Our Lady of Loreto refers to the holy little house in Nazareth in which Mary was born and took place the Annunciation — the Incarnation when the Word became Flesh. Tradition says that a band of angels took the house from the Holy Land and transported it first to Tersato, Dalmatia in 1291, then to Recanati, Italy in 1294, and finally in the 14th century to Loreto, in the Adriatic Sea coast of Italy, where the Shrine of Loreto has been for centuries. The large basilica is one of the most famous shrines of Our Lady in Europe. One of the ancient statues of “Black Madonnas” is found here. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Loreto, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On December 9th, we celebrate St. Juan Diego, the indigenous Aztec pagan convert whose encounter with the Virgin Mary in 1531 began the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Juan Diego was hurrying to Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. In the native Aztec dialect, a radiant heavenly woman announced herself as the “ever-perfect holy Mary, who has the honor to be the mother of the true God.” “I am your compassionate Mother, yours and that of all the people that live together in this land,” she continued, “and also of all the other various lineages of men.” She asked Juan Diego to request the local bishop. “I want very much that they build my sacred little house here” — a house dedicated to her son Jesus Christ, on the site of a former pagan temple, that would show him to all Mexicans and exalt him throughout the world. The Mexico City basilica and the tilma of Juan Diego — the traditional cloak-like garment he was wearing containing the flowers until he had reached the local bishop — has become one of the world's most-visited Catholic shrines. St. John Paul II beatified St. Juan Diego in 1990 and canonized him in 2002. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Juan Diego, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: Today, December 8th, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this feast, we celebrate with great joy God’s gift to humanity in Mary. From the very moment of her conception, in the womb of her mother Anne, Mary received the grace of salvation in Christ. She was conceived free from original sin. The Holy Virgin was granted this extraordinary privilege because of Her unique role in history as the Mother of God. In 1854, Pope Pius IX's in the solemn declaration of "Ineffabilis Deus” proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." The Church of Christ holds Mary as a model for all humanity in Her holiness and Her purity in her willingness to accept the Plan of God for her. Mary’s Fiat — “Let it be done to me according to Thy Word,” — in response of the Angel Gabriel’s greeting, is the response required of all Christians to God’s Plan. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The well-known hymn “Joy to the World,” captures the essence of Advent beautifully: Joy to the world, the Lord has comeLet Earth receive her KingLet every heart prepare Him roomAnd Heaven and nature sing. "I am the light of the world," Christ Jesus revealed. And the best person we can turn to for help during the time of waiting Advent is Mary Our Mother. She awaited the day of His birth with with prayerfulness, purity, and whole-hearted submission to God's will. Her preparation was complete. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas of Myra, one of the most popular saints in the Western world. He was born in Lycia in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and was a 4th century saint and Bishop of Myra. He was know for practicing spiritual and corporal works of mercy, helping the poor and disadvantaged, and working tirelessly to defend the faith. Popular legends has made St. Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, into today's Santa Claus, a jolly, white-bearded man from the North Pole who who captivates children with promises of gifts on Christmas Eve.The story of Saint Nicholas came to America in distorted fashion. The Dutch Protestants carried a popularized version of the saint's life to New Amsterdam, portraying Nicholas as a Nordic magician and wonder-worker. Our present-day conception of Santa Claus has grown from this version. We Catholic should think of Nicholas as a saint, a confessor of the faith and the bishop of Myra. His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari; an oily substance, known as Manna di S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from them. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Advent is a spiritual journey to prepare us for the arrival of Christ. The meaning of the word advent is arrival. Preparation makes the solemnity of the Nativity (Christmas) more meaningful. Easter has Lent and Christmas has Advent.  The four Sundays leading up to Christmas are an invitation to reflect on the holy event of the birth of baby Jesus and why He came back. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah, in 9:2, explained it. "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." The light of the world.  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary: Advent is the time for a fresh start. We are invited to strengthen our friendship with Christ Jesus by setting time aside for Him. God becomes man — one of us, dwelling with us in our daily lives. His light flows into our sinful existence to illuminate it and remind us of the need to live in the service of others. By remembering Christ’s first coming at Bethlehem, our mind is directed to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. And as we don’t know when our Lord is coming we must be vigilant and watchful. On this Monday of the first week of Advent, we pray the Joyful Mysteries. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, it starts the new Liturgical Year and it commences with the First Sunday of Advent. We open a season fit for a renewed commitment to the faith and to welcome the message of the Holy One. It's a rich and intense time for prayer as well as an awakening in our Christian life, which puts us in vigilant waiting: we wait for the Lord who is coming. We should prepare to receive the mystery of the Word Incarnate, the true Light who enters the world through the immaculate womb of Mary. This light flows out into our dark, obscure, sinful lives to illuminate them, so that we can become the light that illuminates the world. Also, today is the feast day of St. Francis Xavier. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: The first 24 days of December are filled with celebration and preparation. The readings in the Gospel focus on the people of the Old Testament awaiting the Messiah, John the Baptist, heralding the way for Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary and her maternal preparations. We are getting ready for Christmas. However, too often material preparations make us lose sight. Through Advent, we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child. Advent, which starts tomorrow, is a season of waiting and longing. We reflect on the incredible love and humility of our God in taking the flesh of the Virgin Mary. Essentially, we prepare a peaceful place in our hearts wherein our Savior may come to dwell. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This Sunday we start the liturgical season of Advent, represented by the liturgical color purple—a symbol of penance and the sorrow of a contrite heart. After the 22 days of Advent, we will begin the Christmas season, with the liturgical color of white or gold—a symbol of joy, purity, and innocence. The Pope's intentions for this month go to people living with disabilities, so they may be at the center of attention in society, and institutions may offer inclusive programs. This month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, whose solemnity day is December 8th. The main feasts of Advent are: St. Francis Xavier (December 3),St. John Damascene (December 4),St. Nicholas (December 6),St. Ambrose (December 7),Immaculate Conception (December 8),St. Juan Diego (December 9),Our Lady of Loreto (December 10),St. Damasus I (December 11),Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12),St. Lucy (December 13),St. John of the Cross (December 14),St. Peter Canisius (December 21),St. John of Kanty (December 23). Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary: On November 30, Catholics worldwide celebrate the feast of St. Andrew, apostle and martyr. A fisherman from Bethsaida and brother of Simon Peter, St. Andrew spread Christianity in Russia and Asia Minor in the first century. He was crucified by the Romans in Greece on an X-shaped cross, which is now his distinctive symbol as well as the symbol of Scotland, of which he is the patron. St. Andrew demonstrated his love for his brother as well as his apostolic zeal when, convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, he sought out St. Peter. "Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, ‘we have found the Messiah.’ Then he brought him to Jesus." (Jn. 1:40-42) Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Andrew, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In Christ, we are well protected. Haters of the faith can pursue, mock, and insult us. The Evil one can twist people, and even family members, against us. We can be imprisoned, as is happening in many countries hostile to Christianity. In the Western hemisphere, ideologies can question the sanctity of life while attacking Christian families, marriages, and children. But the Creator of the Universe is with us until the end of times. As we read today in the Gospel, in Luke 21:21-19: “You will be hated by all because of my name,but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The end of the world will be preceded by fake prophets — the Anti-Christ — and huge tribulations in the form of wars, earthquakes, and famines. We even will see signs coming from the sky performed by the Anti-Christ. Christ Jesus revealed this in the Gospel, as we read today in Luke 21:5-11."See that you not be deceived,for many will come in my name, saying,'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'Do not follow them!When you hear of wars and insurrections,do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,but it will not immediately be the end."Then he said to them,"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plaguesfrom place to place;and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."As Bishop Barron writes today, "Though Jesus did not immediately return, the old world was over, broken, compromised, its destruction now just a matter of time." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Catherine Labouré, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is commemorated today. We recall when Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré and revealed to her the images of the miraculous medal. In the year 1830, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity in Paris, and told her that God had a mission for her. The Holy Virgin held her hands outstretched in the manner of a loving mother. On her fingers were rings with gems that emitted rays of light. She told St. Catherine: "These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask." Framing the image in an oval were the words, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." St. Catherine then saw an image of an M upon which was a cross. Underneath the M was Our Lord's heart crowned with thorns and Our Lady's heart pierced by a sword. Surrounding this image were 12 stars. Upon the globe at her feet, Mary stood atop the serpent's head. The Blessed Virgin instructed St. Catherine to have a medal made of these images, and she promised many graces to all who wore it. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Catherine Labouré, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, as every year on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Catholic Church observes the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe — also known as the feast of Christ the King. This celebration, on the last Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent, was instituted a century ago by Pope Pius XI. In his 1925 encyclical Quas Primas, Pius XI rightly wrote that "men must look for the peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ." "As long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations." Three years earlier, the Soviet Union was created in Russia, an explicitly secular state that would aggressively persecute believers in the coming decades. Later in the century, we would see the mass murder incited by communist and national socialist regimes, the World War II catastrophe, the destruction caused by ideologies, the genocides, abortion, and multiple other disgraces over the human race, all as consequences of a life established without faith in the living God. In this solemnity, we revere Christ as King. And we rejoice in acknowledging that Christ has necessarily supreme and absolute dominion over all things created. "His is the kingdom of love — the kingdom of those who give their lives for the salvation of others," said Pope Francis. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Christ Jesus is the living God that dwells with us until the end of times. Secularism rejects this universal truth, which is the foundation of human existence. Instead organizes life as if God didn't exist. It proposes a way of life that leaves God out of man's thinking and living. As an antidote to secularism, Pope Pius XI established in 1925 the feast of Christ the King, today known as the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, which we will celebrate tomorrow Sunday. We effectively proclaim Christ's royalty over individuals, families, and nations. And ask Him to hurry up by coming to help us! Our Lord, come! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As we are reading today in the Gospel (Lk 19:45-48), Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them: "It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." At that time, the temple was the economic, political, and religious center of life. It was the dwelling place of God on earth. As the Messiah, Christ Jesus was trying to turn the temple into a place of prayer. Fearing for their economical and political power, the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, rejected Jesus' message.By cleansing the temple, Jesus noted that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. And the dwelling place of God is in the bodies of the followers of Jesus. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the dioceses of the United States celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a sign of American unity and thanksgiving to God who has given us great gifts. In 1621, colonists in New England gave communal thanks and praise to God for his abundant mercies and blessings. This became a tradition and in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln instituted Thanksgiving Day as a legal holiday. He wanted Americans to celebrate the holiday as a sign of unity and thanksgiving to God, "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." There is no American holiday that so closely resembles the sacrament of the Eucharist — which means Thanksgiving. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, we reflected on the Feast of the Presentation of Mary, marking an early commencement of the Advent season. The Universal Church of Christ inaugurates its new liturgical year on the first Sunday of December. Advent points us both toward Christ’s Second Coming in glory at the end of time and also toward Christmas, the celebration of His first coming. Advent urges us to stay awake and vigilant, and and prepare for that great Day of the Lord. It’s also an invitation to recognize His presence already with us while building together the Kingdom of Heaven. Our salvation is achieved in the community by exercising the grace of faith. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Presentation of Mary. Liturgically, the cycle of these three Marian feasts: the Birthday of Our Lady (September 8), the Holy Name of Mary (September 12), and her Presentation in the Temple (November 21) precedes the first three feasts of our Lord: the birth of Christ on Christmas (December 25), the Holy Name of Jesus (January 3), and His Presentation in the Temple (February 2). According to the tradition, after an angel had revealed her pregnancy, Anna is said to have vowed her future child Mary to the Lord. At the age of three Mary was transferred to the temple. Here she received her nourishment from the hand of an angel. In the East, the feast is known as The Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple. It has been celebrated since the eighth century. We meditate today’s Mary’s presentation as a preparation for the approaching season of Advent. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In the Parable of the Talents, in Matthew 25:14–30, that we read yesterday, Christ Jesus invited us to rediscover the gifts and graces we have received from the Lord and put them in the service of others. It’s not about hiding those talents and burying them underground. That’s faith in action. That’s the way to carry on the plan of God. And mind you, the Lord will reward our efforts in our present, earthly life. “For to everyone who has,more will be given and he will grow rich;but from the one who has not,even what he has will be taken away.And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We hear today Sunday the Parable of the Talents, in Matthew 25:14–30, which teaches us about responsibly using the gifts and opportunities we have been given by the Lord. This parable tells of a master who was leaving his house to travel, and, before leaving, entrusted his property to his servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, the second received two, and the third received only one. Friends, we are put on Earth to work for the Kingdom of Heaven. We learn that our Holy God is rewarding those who put considerable effort into bettering their lives and the lives of those in their community. Life is all about serving others and being faithful and diligent in doing so. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today Saturday's feast is dedicated to the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, at the Vatican and in the Ostian Way, in Rome, where both apostles were martyred. The two holy tombs are a glory of Christendom. The Eternal City has two principal churches, St. Peter's and St. John Lateran, the mother of all churches on earth, and the church to the bishop of Rome. This celebration of today expresses the universal character of the Roman Church. From all lands, Christians made pilgrimages to it as the rock of faith and the foundation of the Church. From the perspective of the liturgy, the two churches honored today are prime examples connoting the heavenly Jerusalem. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel (Lk 17:26-37), Jesus says that the days of his Second Coming will be like the days of Noah. "As it was in the days of Noah,so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;they were eating and drinking,marrying and giving in marriage up to the daythat Noah entered the ark,and the flood came and destroyed them all." In Noah’s time, sin was dominant. Humans decided to ignore God. It was a mess. A flood came and a righteous man built a giant boat, an ark, in the middle of the desert.Representatives of all the animal species, as well as Noah and his family, went on board. Salvation affected the whole of creation. Noah was a prophet sent by God and his ark to the temple and the Church of Salvation.The tribulation will take place before Jesus comes for the second time. No one knows when that event will take place. As Christians, we have to be vigilant and live in a state of grace. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Gertrude Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: Friends of the Rosary: Today we read in the Gospel (Lk 17:20-25) how Christ Jesus responded to the Pharisees regarding the Kingdom of Heaven:"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."Today, we also honor Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), a Benedictine German nun and one of the great mystics of the Middle Ages. She was favored by visions of our Lord and has left an account of them in her books The Herald of Divine Love, The Life and Revelations, and Spiritual Exercises. St. Gertrude introduced the devotion to the Sacred Heart, which four centuries later, St. Margaret Mary spread throughout the Church. She accepted the illness and pain of her final years in a spirit of personal sacrifice. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Gertrude Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠⁠November 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠  

Friends of the Rosary: In His journey to Jerusalem, as He was traveling through Samaria and Galilee, Christ Jesushealed ten lepers, but only one of them, a Samaritan, thanked Him, glorifying God in a loud voice. As we read in the Gospel today (Lk 17:11-19), Jesus said,“Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Friends, our faith, our belief that we are laborers in the Lord’s vineyard, is healing and saving us every day from our dysfunctions and sins. We are rich in faith. God knows our tribulations and miseries and to combat that He is sending us abundance in grace and faith. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:The readings in the Gospel are preparing us for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, this November 26th. Christ's reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they were defeated by Jesus' Sorrowful Passion – that we pray today.Until everything is subject to Him, and this sinful world passes, the pilgrim Chruch will continue suffering. That's why we pray for the return of Christ. "Our Lord, come!"Secularism tries to organize a life as if God did not exist, leaving the Divinity out of man's thinking and living. But we the faithful proclaim Christ's royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday's reading highlighted the critical importance of living ever vigilant, with our lamps lit. Our Lord described what happened at a Jewish wedding festival and how five foolish virgins were excluded from the nuptials. This parable of the wedding feast, as told by our Lord, describes the kingdom of God and forewarns that many Christians will be excluded from the heavenly and eternal nuptials. On receiving the sacrament of baptism, Christians start on the road to heaven; they receive the Lord's invitation to the heavenly nuptials, but this is only the beginning. We are called to prepare ourselves by living according to the law of God for the moment when the call will go forth, and each individual's fate will be decided. We have received the fullness of God's revelation and have been offered a special place in his marriage festival. Behaving with negligence will make us lose this golden opportunity. Aided by God's grace, it is up to us now to decide! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, in Sunday's reading, we reflect upon the Parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins or the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1–13). Ten virgins await a bridegroom; five have brought enough oil for their lamps for the wait, while the oil of the other five runs out. The five virgins who are wise and are prepared for the bridegroom's arrival are rewarded, while the five who went to buy further oil miss the bridegroom's arrival and are disowned. While the foolish virgins are away trying to get more oil, the bridegroom arrives. The wise virgins then accompany him to the celebration. The others arrive too late and are excluded from the event. The parable has a clear theological meaning: be prepared for the Day of the Judgement and the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We might have peace in our souls, but the enemy is always in attack mode. We're fighting a continuous battle with the Evil One. Like many saints before us, we too are discovering the traps set by the enemy. In the case of this servant, the attacks often occur during the night while sleeping. One valuable lesson learned from these battles is to never engage. If cornered, respond only with prayers. St. Faustina Maria Kowalska recommended the following: "When I see his great fury, I stay inside the stronghold; that is, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Spirit of the Truth dwells within us. Therefore, we have to behave accordingly to this revelation. In the words of St. Paul in 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17, we're God's building, as we read yesterday. "Do you not know that you are the temple of Godand that the Spirit of God dwells in you?If anyone destroys God's temple,God will destroy that person;for the temple of God, which you are, is holy." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Virgin of Almudena Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, November 9th, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the St. John Lateran Basilica, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the oldest church in the West. It was built in the time of Emperor Constantine — when Christians were granted freedom to practice their religion — and consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. Also called the Church of Holy Savior or the Church of St. John Baptist, the Lateran Basilica is "the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world".  This solemnity recalls that the temple of stones is a symbol of the living Church, the Christian community. We celebrate the mystery of God's desire to build a spiritual temple in the world, a community that worships him in spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24). Also, today, is the feast — and a major holiday — of the Virgin of Almudena, patron saint of Madrid, Spain. People in Madrid venerate the image of the Virgin of Almudena, a medieval statue of the Virgin Mary that protected the city against the Muslim forces in the 11th century. The Cathedral of Madrid is dedicated to the Virgin under this title. From this city, we pray today's Rosary. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Virgin of Almudena Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Creator has endowed each of us with unique talents, even though we are united as one Body in Christ. We are strongly encouraged to employ these talents to collaboratively advance the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. St. Paul articulated this concept in his letter to the Romans, one of the passages we've recently studied (Romans 12:5-16ab). "We, though many, are one Body in Christand individually parts of one another.Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,let us exercise them:if prophecy, in proportion to the faith;if ministry, in ministering;if one is a teacher, in teaching;if one exhorts, in exhortation;if one contributes, in generosity;if one is over others, with diligence;if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York November 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Even the smallest thing does not happen on earth without the Will of God. St. Faustina Maria Kolwalska, the mystic nun and the apostle of the Divine Mercy, wrote this on September 3, 1937, the first Friday of the month. During Holy Mass, she became united with God, and Jesus gave her to know that revelation. "After having seen this, my soul entered into an unusual repose; I found myself completely at peace as to the work in its full extent," she wrote. We pray the today's Rosary in Madrid, Spain. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today's Rosary was recited on October 28, 2023, at St. Catherine of Siena parish, in Greenwich, Connecticut, before the Holy Mass celebrated in remembrance of Maria Blanca, who entered the Glory of Heaven, two years ago. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were used to point out the sins of people and their lack of holiness. The woman caught in adultery and the prostitute who washed the feet of Jesus are two examples of Pharisees exposing the sins of people. Jesus responded by neither condemning nor threatening them with God’s wrath and punishment. Rather, He forgave both women and set them free from their accusers. These Pharisees were no different to modern-day Pharisees who are quick to point out people’s sins and demand they live disciplined. But Jesus wants mercy, not sacrifice. In today's Sunday's reading (Mt 23:1-12) we see how Christ Jesus condemns the Pharisees for placing high expectations on people. He said, "Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice." To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York "You have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! • ⁠November 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We are not here to please others nor to demand attention that we might think we deserve. Let others show us consideration when they genuinely feel it. As Christ Jesus said (Lk 14:1, 7-11), "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at the table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position. Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table." "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The saints understood the secret of an earthly life well spent in God’s grace and friendship. Moreover, later, they would be rewarded by entering the glory of heaven. Yesterday, we celebrated the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed when all Souls — who are today in the purifying suffering of Purgatory — will join one day in the company of saints. St. Paul reminded us in yesterday’s reading (Rom 6:3-9): “We were indeed buried with Christ through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Commemoration of the All the Faithful Departed, All Souls' Day. Yesterday, Solemnity of All Saints, we rejoiced about those who entered the glory of heaven. Today, we pray for those who are in the purifying suffering of Purgatory awaiting the day of the heavenly glory, when they will join the company of saints. The Catechism explains this mystery: "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven." "The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned." During Mass, the priest remembers the faithful departed who have fallen asleep in the Lord, imploring God to grant them a place of happiness, light and peace. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!All Saints, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Solemnity and the festival of All Saints. The Church celebrates all the saints, canonized, beatified, known and unknown, including the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision to God. All saints lived on earth lives like our own; some of the saints could be our own relatives. They were baptized, marked with the sign of faith, they were faithful to Christ's teaching and they have gone before us to the heavenly home whence they call on us to follow them. The Gospel of the Beatitudes, that we read today, shows the road that they followed. We acknowledge therefore our universal call to holiness. But what must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We must follow Christ, devoting ourselves to the glory of God and the service of our neighbor. As the Catechism states, "Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness." (CCC 1024). "This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity—this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed—is called "heaven." It's the vision, described in the Revelation, "of all nations and tribes standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, proclaiming Him who redeemed them in His Blood." From November 1 to the 8th, we pray for the Faithful Departed. Today, we can pray the Litany of the Saints. We can make it really special by chanting it while reading an explanation of this litany. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!All Saints, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is Halloween which simply is the eve of All Saints Day. In other words, it’s a feast day of Catholic origin, which means All Hallow’s Eve, that is, All Saints Eve, or Vigil of All Saints. Hallows is the Old English term for saints. It is the evening before one of the major feasts of the year, All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1st. It’s the day when the living (the Church Militant) honor all the dead in Christ: the saints in heaven (the Church Triumphant) as well as all the holy souls detained in purgatory on their way to heaven (the Church Suffering). Halloween has been twisted by our secular society, associating it with the likes of witches, goblins, and gremlins. But Halloween and its association with the dead does find its roots in Catholicism. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the ancient Roman Pantheon to the saints of the Church, especially to all the martyrs. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III transferred the feast to November 1st and has been celebrated as such ever since. So we Catholics can celebrate Halloween as a holy party that culminates in worship in Mass, regardless if we see this feast quite different from the original. This week, after All Saints Day — a holy day of obligation, we will observe November 2nd the commemoration of the Faithful Departed (or All Souls Day), in Spanish la conmemoración de los Fieles Difuntos. We will remember those who are in purgatory and pray for them. All the souls in purgatory will go to heaven after their final purification and preparation. Our prayers can assist them in this transitory state. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 31, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: To recognize God as our Father, we must love our neighbor. Fraternal charity can be expressed as material and spiritual assistance, as well as through encouraging words and kind gestures. And all of us can offer prayers for our fellow human beings. Any material or spiritual assistance provided to a neighbor out of genuine charity is, in essence, given to God. And whatever is given to God is an investment in the eternal treasures of heaven. As adopted children of God, we will receive many blessings and graces in our earthly life when we faithfully express our fraternal love. Living a life of love and kindness can bring spiritual and emotional fulfillment. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today Sunday's Gospel, we get a crystal clear answer from Jesus about the pathway we should follow in our earthly pilgrimage: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul,and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." Out of his infinite goodness, Christ Jesus wished to share His eternal kingdom of happiness with mankind. He revealed to us that the love of our neighbor is an essential part of our obligations toward Him. If we do not recognize our neighbor as our brother, we do not recognize God as our Father and we do not love him. As St. John puts it: "Anyone who says 'I love God' and hates (does not love) his neighbor is a liar" (1 Jn.3: 20). Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Saints Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddeus, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Every October 28th we celebrate the Feast of the glorious Apostles Saints Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddeus. They may be paired together because they both preached the Gospel in Mesopotamia and Persia. St. Simon the Zealot is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. St. Jude Thadeus is the author of a short Epistle which forms part of the New Testament. He is invoked in desperate situations and impossible and lost causes because his letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Saints Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddeus, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 28, 2023, Second Anniversary: Rosary and Mass for María Blanca in Greenwich, Connecticut. All invited! • ⁠October 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Those who have been entrusted with more by God will be held to an even higher standard. This Christian teaching, expressed by Our Lord in Lk 12:39-48, is especially relevant today, given the war in Holy Land and Ukraine. It means that those who have been given greater responsibilities, such as leaders or people in positions of authority, will be held accountable in the presence of God for how they have used their power and influence. The biblical passage of “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more,” serves as a reminder for us to be mindful of the ways in which we use our blessings. We always have to strive to use them in a way that aligns with God’s will and promotes the well-being of others. It is a call to humility, gratitude, and responsible stewardship.We hold today, Friday, Oct. 27, a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Gaza and Israel, following the call of Pope Francis.  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and fasting on Friday, Oct. 27 for peace in Gaza and Israel, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. "It will be a day of penance to which I invite sisters and brothers of the various Christian denominations, those belonging to other religions, and all those who have at heart the cause of peace in the world, to join in as they see fit," the Pope said. A prayer vigil will take place today Thursday at 6 p.m. in St. Peter’s Square, where the faithful will join the pope to participate in "an hour of prayer in a spirit of penance to implore peace in our time, peace in this world." The tradition of a Holy Hour goes back to 1674 when Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and instructed her to spend an hour every Thursday meditating on his sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. As Catholic News Service explains, typically, a Holy Hour is done in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament; however, a Holy Hour can be done at any time and anywhere — in your home, in a church, or even outside in nature. During a Holy Hour, you can read Scripture, listen to worship music, journal, spend time in contemplation, or simply sit and talk with God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus said to his disciples (Lk 12:39-48): "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." God has given each of us unique talents, resources, and opportunities in life. And with the blessings and gifts that God has entrusted to us, come great responsibility. We are obliged to use these blessings wisely and for the greater good. The passage of the Gospel teaches us that those who have been given much, whether it be wealth, knowledge, influence, or any other form of abundance, are expected to use these gifts in a way that honors God and benefits others. We are called to be good stewards of what we have been given, recognizing that everything ultimately belongs to God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel (Lk 12:35-38), Lord Jesus is calling us to be vigilant for the Second Coming, which will take place "at an unexpected hour." Therefore, we await his arrival in glory with His angels. Come, Lord Jesus! In the Acts of the Apostles, the angel addressed the disciples as were looking up at heaven as they saw Jesus ascending. "Why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." We cultivate our faith to remain vigilant on his arrival, keeping our lamps lighted up. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John Paul II, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today in the reading (Luke 12:13-21), Jesus told the parable of a successful rich man who forgets the importance of serving God first. "Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." Bishop Barron writes: "No matter how good, how beautiful a state of affairs is here below, it is destined to pass into nonbeing. That sunset that I enjoyed last night—that radiantly beautiful display—is now forever gone. It lasted only a while. That beautiful person—attractive, young, full of life, creative, joyful—will eventually age, get sick, break down, and die." The teaching here is that we must redirect our attention to the things meant to be eternal. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John Paul II, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, Sunday, October 22nd, on the Day of the Lord, we remember the charismatic Pope Saint John Paul II, an extraordinary testimony of holiness.In the light of events in the Holy Land, we remember how John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of Muslins and other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. At the same time, his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994.He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church and instituted the Luminous Mysteries. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John Paul II, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: When we are persecuted, the Holy Spirit will guide us in what to say and how to behave. This is the promise of Christ Jesus that we find in today's Gospel (Luke 12:8–12). Divine help is essential for our daily lives, especially as we often become ensnared by false ideas and distractions. It's crucial that we remain vigilant in recognizing the snares and lies of the Devil, which can poison our minds and lead us to speak against the Truth.Jesus said:"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel (Luke 12:1–7), Jesus tells us: "Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." He also instructs us: "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one." In Jesus Christ, we are connected to the very power of God, to that which is here and now creating the universe, as Bishop Barron commented. Through the lens of our faith, we see that have no reason to be worried. As St. John Paul II said to all the world, "Be not afraid!". Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Do we perceive the world through our senses or through faith? Perceiving through our senses can sometimes provide a distorted view of human existence and universal truths. Our primary orientation should be rooted in faith. Faith incorporates reason, as it aligns with the Creator's intellect. Furthermore, faith can lead to unexpected and powerful outcomes. This is why Jesus proclaimed, "Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Luke, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, October 18th, is the Feast of St. Luke, the author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Native of Antioch in Syria and a practicing physician, he was converted by St. Paul, who accompanied him on a considerable part of his missionary journey. Luke's Gospel, which St. Jerome called "Paul's Gospel,” is the Gospel of the Merciful Heart of Jesus. It emphasizes the fact that Christ is the salvation of all men, especially of the repentant sinner and of the lowly. To St. Luke's Gospel, we owe most of our knowledge of Christ's childhood and some precious details about our Lady. He recalled for us the stable of Bethlehem and the details of the hidden life which Mary pondered in her heart. He also preserved some of the most touching of our Lord's parables, for example, those of the lost sheep and the prodigal son, as well as the canticle of the Magnificat. According to tradition, he was an artist, He painted the Blessed Virgin's portrait. St. Luke did not personally know our Lord, and like St. Mark, the author of the second Gospel, he is not included among the apostles. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Luke, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: “Many are invited, but few are chosen,” told us Christ Jesus — as the Gospel of Matthew narrated in last Sunday's reading (Mt 22:1-14). This means that we all, baptized and non-baptized, believers and worldly people, are invited to live up to the glory of God. The Sacred Heart of Jesus full of merciful and forgiving loves reaches everyone. Even the unrighteous are preferred by Christ. That’s how his unfathomable divine mercy works. St. Faustina Marie Kowalska explained it in her powerful diary. But mind you, if we continue rejecting His mercy, we will face His justice, and we might face then eternal damnation, the unbearable flames of hell. It’s not a threat. It’s a consequence of our disobedience and rejection of grace. In Sunday’s reading, Our Lord said: “Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Teresa of Avila, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: One of the saints we honor today is St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a French nun chosen by Our Lord to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart, at a time when Protestantism and the Jansenism heresy tried to separate Catholics from the true faith.Our Lord appeared to her often, usually as the Crucified Christ. In this revelation of the Sacred Heart to the nun, Christ Jesus made known His burning desire to be loved by all men. Margaret Mary communicated Our Lord's wish that the faithful receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month and observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. Through her apostolate of devotion to the Sacred Heart, many sinners have repented and found grace with God. Many pilgrims to St. Margaret Mary's tomb have sought and obtained favors. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, also known as Teresa of Jesus, a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic. Together with her close collaborator, the priest and writer later canonized as Saint John of the Cross, she founded the Order of Discalced Carmelites – “discalced,” meaning barefoot, symbolizing a life of poverty, contemplation, and simplicity. The reform met with fierce opposition but resulted in the founding of 30 monasteries during her life. Her most well-known works include "The Interior Castle" and "The Way of Perfection," both of which are classics of Christian spirituality. In her writings, she focused on the importance of prayer, contemplation, and the mystical experience of God. As a child, Teresa felt captivated by the thought of eternity and the vision of God granted to the saints in heaven.  Teresa had always been accustomed to contemplate Christ's presence within her after receiving him in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Teresa had always bad health. She accepted her dramatic final illness as God's chosen means of calling her into his presence forever. “O my Lord, and my spouse, the desired hour is now come,” she stated. “The hour is at last come, wherein I shall pass out of this exile, and my soul shall enjoy in thy company what it hath so earnestly longed for.” St. Teresa of Avila died on Oct. 15, 1582. She was canonized in 1622, along with three of her greatest contemporaries: St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Philip Neri. In 1970, Pope St. Paul VI proclaimed St. Teresa as one of the first two woman Doctors of the Church, along with 14th-century Dominican St. Catherine of Siena. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Teresa of Avila, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: Refusing to acknowledge our sins from the depths of our hearts is a huge misfortune. Confession of sin is necessary for our own healing and the healing of our society. That’s what makes us truly worthy as human beings. The hatred of war is the mark of the Beast. The angel of darkness wants to divide us as much as possible, even to the point of killing each other. He does everything so we don’t see each other as our sisters and brothers. Our sins brought Jesus Christ and today we are denying Him again by going to war. Demons, in the form of terrorist militants, committed barbaric murder a week ago. They prompted a revenge mindset and as a result of it, innocent civilians will die as “collateral damage” in Israel and Gaza. We have to defend ourselves but cannot behave as indirect collaborators of the power of darkness. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our Lady of Fatima visited the three shepherds for the last time on October 13, 1917, and as promised, she provided a convincing sign about her apparitions. Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia; ages 10, 9 and 7, along with a crowd of 70,000 witnessed how suddenly the clouds separated and the sun appeared between them in the clear blue, like a disk of white fire. They could look at the sun without blinking and while they gazed upward, the huge ball danced and plunged in a mighty zigzag course toward the earth. The crowd was terrified, fearing this was the end of the world. However, the sun reversed course and returned to its normal place. All of this took place in ten minutes. After realizing they were not doomed, the crowd began ecstatically laughing, crying, shouting and weeping. Many discovered their previously drenched clothing to be perfectly dry. The whole phenomenon would be known as “The Miracle of the Sun.” Our Lady asked for prayer and sacrifice to save souls, with particular emphasis on reciting of the Rosary and devotion to her Immaculate Heart. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus sent His disciples two by two to spread the Word and build the Kingdom. Last week, we read about it in the tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel (LUKE 10:1–12 ). “Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.” We do missionary work together, in community. As we belong to one another, we need to gather people around us. We are not meant to live and evangelize alone, unless we freely chose a life in solitude. As apostles of Christ, we walk, support, pray, and challenge one another. We are a missionary Church! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: We read in the Gospel today that one of the disciples asked the Lord to teach to pray just as John the Baptist taught to his followers. And Christ Jesus revealed the key prayer for our Christian pilgrimage on earth (Lk 11:1-4): "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test." When we say “Father, hallowed be your name,” we pray that God might be honored above all. “Your Kingdom come.” We envision among us a kingdom characterized by peace, forgiveness, and compassion.  “Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” Our incapacity to forgive damages our capacity to enjoy a fulfilling life. Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: In wars we see the worse aspect of human beings. We became like wild animals forgetting that life is a free gift from the Creator. This Sunday, when the war in Israel and Palestine broke out, we read on the Gospel the parable of the tenants who refused to give the landowner the fruits of the harvest, to the point of beating and killing servants and even the landowner’s son. At the root of the conflicts, there are always ungratefulness and greediness. Ungrateful men and women fall into the illusion of thinking that they don’t need the divine love nor his salvation. May Mary, whose soul glorifies the Lord, help us to be gratitude and spread the light especially among world leaders. Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, Columbus Day in the U.S., we continue witnessing with sorrow the explosion of violence, and increased hatred and division, in Israel and Gaza, along with the horror and anguish of 130 innocent Israelis kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. There are too many casualties and injured people (over 1,200), which both Israelis and Palestinians have to deal with. The sacred places in the Holy Land, particularly in Jerusalem, are at risk, as well. We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, to inspire world leaders to put an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:Today, Sunday, the Day of the Lord, we pray for the end of violence in Israel and Gaza, after terrorists and evil-doers of Hamas launched an unprovoked attack and took innocent hostages. Our heart is with the relatives of the victims and the kidnapped families who are experiencing hours of anguish and terror. We all have to repent for offending the Creator and recognize the Lordship of Christ, the only way to go to God the Father.  Fake or incomplete conceptions of Divinity, ideologies, and devilish doctrines end up bringing misery and loss of innocent lives. War is a defeat of humanity. The Rosary Network community prays hard for the end of this new war in the Holy Land. We ask for the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary:Today, October the 7th, is the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, a feast instituted by Pope St. Pius V in thanksgiving for the naval victory over the Turks at the battle of Lepanto on this day in the year 1571, a favor due to the recitation of the Rosary.Pope St. Pius V and all Christians prayed the Rosary, which at that time was called the Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This victory saved Europe — and the world — from being overrun by the forces of Islam. All families are invited to rediscover the beauty of this "contemplative and Christocentric prayer, inseparable from the meditation of Sacred Scripture. As Pope Benedict XVI said, "This is the prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary.” Successively, popes have urged the faithful to pray the Rosary to bring down God’s blessing on the Church and His people. Today’s memorial is a festival of thanksgiving for the countless benefits bestowed on Christendom through the Rosary of our blessed Queen, Mary, Help of Christians.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Most of the souls in hell are those who disbelieved that there is a place for the dammed. This is what St. Faustina Kowalska wrote in her diary after having a vision of hell. “I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence.” In October 1936, she was led by an angel to what she called the “chasms of hell,” which she described in her diary as a place of “great torture.” ”Fire penetrates the soul without destroying it — a terrible suffering. “Despite that darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own.” St. Faustina was shown different levels of hell. “There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another,” Faustina recorded in her diary. ”There are special tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings related to the manner in which it has sinned.” The vision of Faustina was meant to save souls, as the divine is giving us yet another chance to stop sinning and seek conversion before it’s too late. In the matter of heaven, hell, and salvation there is not very much room for speculation. The Scriptures are clear in their teaching and furthermore, it has been the unanimous teaching of the church and the witness of saints and mystics that many are damned and few are saved. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Faustina Kowalska, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: One of the saints we honor today is the Polish nun Faustina Kowalska, the apostle of the Divine Mercy. In 1931, Jesus Christ appeared to Faustina as the King of Divine Mercy. He chose her to deliver to the modern world the message of the merciful love of the Divinity for all people, especially sinners. Christ asked her to have a picture painted of Him as she saw him — clothed in white, with red and white rays of light streaming from his heart. The rays represent the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus on the cross. Under the image are the words, "Jesus, I trust in you." The painting of the Divine Mercy soon became a focus for devotion. At first, the sisters in her own convent as well as Church theologians didn’t believe Faustina. She was an uneducated peasant girl after all. Jesus told Faustina that He loved her obedience and that His will would be done in the end. Faustina recorded in her diary the appearances of Jesus. The diary was translated into English and published in 1987 with the title Divine Mercy in My Soul. In addition, the first Sunday after Easter was declared Divine Mercy Sunday. Canonized by St. John Paul II, in 2000, Faustina preached very well the message of Jesus to draw all people into his merciful heart of love. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Faustina Kowalska, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), founder of the Franciscan Order. He was the first person recorded to receive the stigmata — the five wounds of Christ. At the age of 20, he decided to abandon everything for Christ embracing complete poverty and taking the Gospel as his rule of life. Out of humility, Francis never accepted the priesthood and remained a deacon all his life. St. Francis loved all of God’s creatures. He is represented with birds and animals. Many parishes have a Blessing of animals or pets on this day. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Francis of Assisi, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: When we deeply offend the Author of Life, there are two possible solutions, as Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa wrote in his book "The Power of the Cross." The first is the path taken by Judas, who cried. "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood" and then went out and hanged himself (Mt 27:4ff). The other is the path taken by Peter who went out and "wept bitterly" (Mt 26:27) and then, having experienced the power of repentance, showed others the way of salvation and resolutely cried out to the crowd, "Repent!" Many people refuse to confess their sins. Furthermore, they do not feel any sorrow. We read in the Revelation (Rev 9, 20-21): "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent or their murders of their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, October 2nd, is the Feast of the Guardian Angels, a celebration in the Christian tradition that honors the belief in guardian angels. Every human soul has a Guardian Angel who watches over and protects us from both spiritual and physical evil. They guide us to Heaven only if we desire it since they cannot act directly upon our will or intellect, as  St. Thomas Aquinas wrote. The Old and the New Testaments show this truth. The Lord Jesus was strengthened by an angel in the Garden of Gethsemane and an angel delivered St. Peter from prison in the Acts of the Apostles. Christ Jesus makes the existence and function of guardian angels explicit when He says, in today's reading (Matthew 18:10): "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven."  In saying this Jesus points out that all people, even little children, have a guardian angel, and that the angels are always in Heaven, always looking at the face of God throughout their mission on earth, which is to guide and protect us throughout our pilgrimage to the house of our Father. In Heaven our guardian angels, though no longer needing to guide us to salvation, will continually enlighten us. The prayer to the guardian angels is encouraged. It has been present in the Church since at least the beginning of the 12th century: Angel of God,my Guardian dear,to whom His lovecommits me here,ever this daybe at my side,to light and guard,to rule and guide.Amen. St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: "Let us affectionately love His angels as counselors and defenders appointed by the Father and placed over us. They are faithful; they are prudent; they are powerful; Let us only follow them, let us remain close to them, and in the protection of the God of heaven let us abide." This day is an opportunity for believers to reflect on and express gratitude for the guidance and protection we receive from their guardian angels. We view our guardian angels as a source of comfort, guidance, and protection, recognizing and appreciating the role these celestial beings play in our lives. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Guardian Angels, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠October 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Sunday liturgy supersedes the Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873-1897), more popularly known as "the Little Flower." This French Carmelite nun, patroness of all foreign missions and patroness of France, and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope St. John Paul II, died of consumption at the age of 24. The Little Flower attained a very high degree of holiness by carrying out her ordinary daily duties with perfect fidelity, having a childlike confidence in God's providence and merciful love, and being ready to be at the service of others at all times. She also had a great love of the Church and a zeal for the conversion of souls. She prayed especially for priests. Her interior life is known through her autobiography called Story of a Soul. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Pope St. John Paul II in 1994 urged Catholics to make the prayer to St. Michael a regular part of their lives. The prayer, composed by Pope Leo, states: St. 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; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the divine power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. St. Michael the Archangel is there for us in the day of battle, which is every day. In our diocese of Bridgeport, in Connecticut, the prayer is recited at the end of every Mass, per the Bishop's decision. Devotion to St. Michael has been with the Church from the beginning. We invoke him for protection. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Believing in the existence of the spiritual, that Sacred Scripture calls “angels” is a truth of faith. Angels are pure, non-corporeal heavenly spirits, on a higher order than human beings. They do not depend on matter for their existence or activity. The name angel means servant or messenger of God. They are distinct from saints, which men can become. Angels have intellect and will, and are immortal. St. Michael (Who is like God?, in Hebrew) is the prince of the heavenly host. He was the archangel who fought against Satan and all his evil angels. He is the protector of all humanity from the snares of the devil. His name appears in Scripture four times, twice in the Book of Daniel, and once each in the Epistle of St. Jude and the Book of Revelation. From Revelation, we learn of the battle in heaven, with St. Michael and his angels combatting Lucifer and the other fallen angels (or devils). We invoke St. Michael to help us in our fight against Satan; to rescue souls from Satan, especially at the hour of death. He is usually pictured as a strong warrior, dressed in armor and wearing sandals. St. Gabriel (God is my strength) announced to Zachariah the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary, the birth of Jesus. He was the angel chosen by God to be the messenger to announce the mystery of the Incarnation. His greeting to the Virgin, “Hail, full of grace,” has become the constant prayer of all Christian people. St. Raphael (God has healed) is the archangel who took care of Tobias’ blindness on his journey in the Book of Tobit. His mission was as a healer and fellow traveler with the youthful Tobias. He is also identified with the angel in John 5:1-4 who descended upon the pond and bestowed healing powers. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We read last week (Lk 8:1-3) how Jesus was journeying from one town and village to another proclaiming the Good News and being accompanied by the Twelve Apostles and some women. Among them, "Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources." Christ Jesus overturned the social conventions of the rabbis of that time and added female disciples. Furthermore, He spoke to the woman at the well, engaged with the Syro-Phoenician woman, and forgave the woman caught in adultery. And the first witnesses of the Resurrection are women. St. Paul famously wrote that in Christ, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female." In light of the kingdom of God, there are no differences. As Bishop Barron wrote, "Given all of this, can we see these women disciples as forerunners of all of the great women who have followed Jesus over the centuries? Can we see them as prototypes of Teresa of Avila, Joan of Arc, Clare of Assisi, Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Kolkata, Katharine Drexel, Edith Stein, and Dorothy Day?" Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: A friend of a friend, Jeff Smith, who recently passed away victim of cancer at the age of 51, left his friends with this insightful message: “Stop wasting your time searching. Spend your time learning to love others more perfectly and accept the great gifts that Jesus wants to give you.” Jeff also emphasized: “Start acting on the Truth that God has already placed in your heart.” A wise message indeed: learn to love in a more perfect manner! "As we live in God, our love grows more perfect" (1 John 4:17) Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's reading (Lk 8:19-21), Christ Jesus says: 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.' Is he dismissing His own mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary? Not at all. What the Son of God is saying is that our own family should not be our ultimate priority. God is the cornerstone of our lives. Christ Jesus is our mission, without any other attachments. Mind you, by following Jesus, we properly set our values and honor our family—truly loving our wives, husbands, kids, and relatives. This way, we all build the Kingdom of God and walk together to Heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday's parable of a landowner hiring laborers and paying them equally regardless of their amount of work was a demonstration of the unfathomable mercy of God, rather than a reflection on equal rights. Any saint, whether known or unknown, who endeavors to share the love of God with their neighbors, profoundly grasps the essence of this parable. Furthermore, such an individual finds joy in understanding that life is about desiring the good for others. Ultimately, the Lord, who embodies perfect and pure love, illuminates our deficiencies in love. Heaven represents the epitome of love, and our earthly journey is a preparation in terms of love. As St. Catherine of Siena eloquently stated, "The way to Heaven is Heaven." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Padre Pio, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:The prophet Isaiah reminded us that God's ways are not our ways. We have to read through these lenses in today's reading (Matthew 20:1-16A). The Divinity's vision of justice differs from ours. The parable of the landowner who goes out to hire workers at different hours and pays each the same wage shouldn't disturb us.When the owner contends, "Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?", should prompt us to thank God for His goodness and generosity.  Today's vineyard parable should give us new hope and courage. It may be the sixth, ninth, or even the eleventh hour of our life but we can still earn heaven if we listen to God's call and set to work diligently in His vineyard. We just need to be loyal to Him. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Padre Pio, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina (1887-1968), more popularly known as Padre Pio. For fifty years, this contemporary saint was a much sought-after spiritual advisor, confessor, and intercessor at the monastery of San Giovanni Rotundo, in Italy, now a point of pilgrimage. His life was devoted to the Eucharist and prayer. And despite his notoriety, he often said, "I only want to be a poor friar who prays." While praying before a cross on September 20, 1918, Padre Pio received the stigmata. He is the first priest ever to be so blessed. He was able to read the consciences of those going to confession with him. He was reportedly able to bi-locate, levitate, and heal by touch. Padre Pio founded the House for the Relief of Suffering, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year, in 1956. Today there are over 400,000 members worldwide in prayer groups begun by Padre Pio in the 1920s. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Padre Pio, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Grace is given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift, St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians (Eph 4:1-7, 11-13), as we read yesterday in the Gospel. To the holy ones, Christ equips them for building up His mystical body, the universal Church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are provided with the knowledge to spread the Eternal Truth. Consecrated religious people and lay people like us are all urged to live, in Paul’s words, "with humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit." We all share the apostolic mission of building up together the Kingdom of Heaven by evangelizing those who haven’t received the gift of the faith. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Matthew, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the feast day of the Apostle and Evangelist St. Matthew. He had a hateful profession to the Jews, a tax collector for the Roman enemy until he got the call of Christ. One day, while seated at his table of books and money, Jesus looked at Matthew and said: "Follow me." These two words made him rise, leaving his money to follow Christ. Jesus changed the name of the new apostle into Matthew, which means "Gift of God." The Jews were surprised to see Jesus with a publican, a tax collector. The Son of God explained that he had come "not to call the just, but sinners." The Gospel of Matthew was written to convince the Jews that their anticipated Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. Matthew preached in Egypt and Ethiopia and further places East, having a martyr's death. St. Matthew's call from Christ "Follow me" means that we are all called to belong to the family of God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Matthew, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

• September 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET• The Audio Podcast of this Rosary is Available Here Now! Friends of the Rosary: Christ Jesus raised the son of a widow in a city called Nain, as we read in the New Testament yesterday (Luke 7:11-17). In this passage, we see the fear and desperation in this poor widow. At that time there was no social safety net, no insurance, and no guaranteed income for a widow. Without her husband and her only son, she was condemned almost to starvation, unless their neighbors would support her. Jesus’ heart was moved with pity. And then He showed His power and dominion over the living and the dead. It also was an anticipation of His resurrection. The bystanders were fearful, seeing their world turned upside-down. This is also the reaction of the women at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning. As Bishop Barron wrote, "An evangelization that isn’t a little scary is an inadequate evangelization." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: To say “Christ is Lord” means to submit to His lordship, to freely enter into his dominion. It is like saying, in the words of St. Paul, Jesus Christ is my Lord, the very reason for my existence. We live for Him and no longer for ourselves. Today, the radical contradiction is between living for the Lord and living for oneself. And living for oneself means spiritual death. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: It's Christ who lives in each and every one of us. He acts on us. We belong to Him. It's not my mind, my will, or my desires, as our secular society imposes. "It's your life, you decide, you choose, it's all about finding your voice," we hear today. It's excessive self-regarding,  justification, and protection of the ego. Bishop Barron says that "everything in our culture militates against this [our belonging to Christ]. And this is why Christianity is struggling in our world today." The whole Revelation that Christ gave is perfectly well expressed in St. Paul's letter to the Romans (Rom 14:7-9) we read is illuminating: "Brothers and sisters: None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living."   "In many ways, the whole Bible, the whole of revelation, is summed up in this statement. When we live in this little world, we remain stuck in a kind of permanent adolescence; when we live for the Lord, we enter into the adventure of being truly human," explains Bishop Barron. This is the treasure buried in the field. We don't belong to ourselves. We serve something bigger than our little ego and things that satisfy our ego (wealth, pleasures, honors, power). When we discover that God lives within us we come to life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today Sunday's reading (Mt 18:21-35), Christ Jesus illustrates to us the importance of forgiving our brother and showing mercy. Mercy is the characteristic of God, for God is love. And the divine mercy leads to the forgiveness of sins. Through the forgiveness of our sins and the sacrament of reconciliation, we are restored in divine friendship. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday in the New Testament (Jn 19:25-27), we read how Jesus, nailed to the Cross, looked to His mother and the disciple whom He loved. He said to Mary, "Woman, behold, your son," and then to John the Apostle, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour, the disciple took her into his home. In entrusting Mary to John, Christ Jesus was, in a real sense, entrusting Mary to all those who would be friends of Him down through the ages. The Immaculate Mary is the Mother of God and the Mother of Humanity. And as a good mother, she is actively working restlessly for her children. We meet Jesus through Mary. Our Protestant brothers should recognize this scriptural truth, receiving the joy of Mary. Our Queen of all the saints is our "life, sweetness, and our hope," as we say every day in the Salve Regina. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as Our Lady of Seven Dolors, Our Lady of Dolors, or Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, in Spanish. This feast, which dates back to the 12th century, is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, Mother of God. It focuses on Mary's intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. In her suffering as co-redemtrix, Mary reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way to true repentance. The Devotion to the Seven Sorrows refers to the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary, as she stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung. This Memorial Day is after the feast of the Holy Cross to show the close connection between Jesus' Passion and Mary's Sorrows. These are the seven sorrows of Mary: The prophecy of Simeon, (Luke 2:25-35) The flight into Egypt, (Matthew 2:13-15) Loss of the Child Jesus for three days, (Luke 2:41-50) Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary, (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17) Crucifixion and Death of Jesus, (John 19:25-30) The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (deposition from the Cross), (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37) The burial of Jesus, (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47) Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the instrument of our redemption and our glorious sign of victory over evil and all the demons around our lives. As humans, we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross. We belong to Christ. This day is also called the Triumph of the Cross, Elevation of the Cross, or Holy Cross Day. Observed in Rome since the seventh century, the feast commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mount Calvary by St. Helena. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of salvation through Jesus when He was lifted up on the Cross. We identify with Christ on the Cross, taking up His Cross and following Him. Constantly, we made the Sign of the Cross to keep close to God. Our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. Friends, when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God. The Sign of the Cross will help us to fix our mind, soul, heart, body, will, and thoughts to God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We remember today the sixth apparition of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima, Portugal. It took place on September 13, 1917, and this is how Sister Lucia, one of the three shepherds described it in her memoirs [Fourth Memoir (1941-12-08)]: "As the hour approached, I set out with Jacinta and Francisco, but owing to the crowds around us we could only advance with difficulty. The roads were packed with people, and everyone wanted to see us and speak to us. There was no human respect whatsoever. Simple folk, and even ladies and gentlemen, struggled to break through the crowd that pressed around us. No sooner had they reached us than they threw themselves on their knees before us, begging us to place their petitions before Our Lady. Others who could not get close to us shouted from a distance: — For the love of God, ask Our Lady to cure my son who is a cripple! Yet another cried out: — And to cure mine who is blind! — To cure mine who is deaf! — To bring back my husband, my son, who has gone to the war! — To convert a sinner! — To give me back my health as I have tuberculosis! and so on. All the afflictions of poor humanity were assembled there. Some climbed up to the tops of trees and walls to see us go by, and shouted down to us. Saying yes to some, giving a hand to others and helping them up from the dusty ground, we managed to move forward, thanks to some gentlemen who went ahead and opened a passage for us through the multitude. Now, when I read in the New Testament about those enchanting scenes of Our Lord’s passing through Palestine, I think of those which Our Lord allowed me to witness, while yet a child, on the poor roads and lanes from Aljustrel to Fatima and on to the Cova da Iria! I give thanks to God, offering Him the faith of our good Portuguese people, and I think: “If these people so humbled themselves before three poor children, just because they were mercifully granted the grace to speak to the Mother of God, what would they not do if they saw Our Lord Himself in person before them?” Well, none of this was called for here! It was a distraction of my pen, leading me away where I did not mean to go. But, never mind! It’s just another useless digression. I am not tearing it out, so as not to spoil the notebook. At last, we arrived at the Cova da Iria, and on reaching the holmoak we began to say the Rosary with the people. Shortly afterwards, we saw the flash of light, and then Our Lady appeared on the holmoak. — Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Dolours and Our Lady of Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He does not want you to sleep with the rope on, but only to wear it during the daytime. — I was told to ask you many things, the cure of some sick people, of a deaf-mute… — Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe. Then Our Lady began to rise as usual and disappeared." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York   • ⁠September 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we observe the Memorial Day of the Most Holy Name of Mary, inviting everyone to reflect upon all the graces received through the intercession and mediation of the Blessed Mother. This feast originated in Spain in the sixteenth century, in thanksgiving to Our Lady for the battle victory for Christian Europe against the Muslim Turks.The feast of the Holy Name of Mary follows that of her Birthday, as the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus follows Christmas. In accordance with Jewish custom, Our Lady’s parents named her eight days after her birth and were inspired to call her Mary. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is by virtue of her Son’s sovereign authority as Lord of the World. We call Mary Our Lady as we call Jesus Our Lord, and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid, and place ourselves under her protection. In this regard, Pope Benedict XVI wrote about the Most Holy Virgin:“If you follow Mary, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: With tributes, moments of silence, and tearful words, we are remembering today the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Twenty-two years ago, nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field. Evil terrorists, brainwashed by dark ideologies and ideas, killed innocent Americans. The impact of 9/11 is still felt in every corner of the United States. On that day, the vast majority united as one country, one nation, one people, as it should always be. With emotional prayers, we remember all the good people who sacrificed for others in the defense of freedom and truth. United in prayer! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today's society attempts everything in its power to erase the meaning of sin. Sin just seems like another way of behaving. In this context, the necessary Christian correction of our brothers when they fall looks like an extravagance. Christianity seems like just another perspective, and sacraments are perceived as an extremely radical solution. In this Sunday’s Gospel (St. Matthew 18:15-20), we learn about our obligation to encourage erring brothers to give up their sinful ways. We must offer advice and encouragement when it is needed, and correction in private where that is possible. And as active members of Christ's mystical body, we correct with kindness and charity those who fall into sin. Christ Jesus wants us to fulfill this obligation as part of our apostolic mission on earth. We are obliged to help our fellowmen on the road to heaven by giving them a good example of a truly Christian way of living. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus Christ respects our independence and free will but also wants to dwell in us and become the Lord of our lives, encouraging us to be perfect. In last Thursday's reading (LUKE 5:1–11), Jesus climbed into Peter's boat without asking permission. It was an invasion of grace. As Bishop Barron wrote, "When Jesus moves into the house of the soul, the powers of the soul are heightened and properly directed." "This commandeering of nature by grace does not involve the compromising of nature but rather its perfection and elevation." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, all grace is given to men. Our Lady was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. In Mary, Queen of Heaven and of Earth, all human nature is exalted. Her nativity is one of the three birthdays in the Church Calendar: the Birth of Jesus (December 25), the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24), and the Birthday of Mary. All three were born without original sin, although Mary and Jesus were conceived without sin, and St. John was cleansed of original sin while in the womb at the Visitation of Mary. The Blessed Virgin is "Cause of our joy", as it states one of the most beautiful titles in her litany. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: What can we do when we see evil deeds or sins among our friends or family members? We never approve sin, but we must continue to regard sinners as our brothers and do all in our power to guide them back onto the right path to heaven. We can achieve this through a good example and fervent prayer for their conversion. This may not be easy for human nature, but we can be certain that God will grant us the necessary grace and strength to overcome our natural weaknesses and aversions if we strive to act with charity and genuine brotherly concern for our erring fellowmen. By acting in this way, we will not only be assisting a weak brother on the challenging journey to heaven, but we will also be ensuring our own arrival there, for God's generosity knows no bounds. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary:September is the month of Our Lady of Sorrows, Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, in Spanish. The sorrow of the Blessed Mother was immeasurable. It was surpassed only by her love. Her love was even stronger than death. It made her able to support the cruel death of Jesus Christ. The Stabat Mater — a 13th-century Latin hymn written by Franciscan friar and poet Jacopone da Todi — focused on the sorrow of the Virgin Mary during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It proclaimed: "O Mother... make me feel the depth of your sorrow, so that I may weep with you. May I bear in my heart the wounds of Christ; make me share in His Passion and become inebriated by the Cross and Blood of your Son."Let's contemplate Mary's sorrows and ask her for the grace of sharing with her in the Passion of Jesus. This participation should lead us to real compassion, that is, to suffering with Jesus and Mary.  The Fathers of the Church said that the sight of Mary at the foot of the Cross makes the lesson of the Cross less hard and less bitter. Her maternal example encourages us to suffer and makes the road to Calvary easier. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We honor today St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), affectionally called "Mother Teresa. This Albanian nun received the Nobel Prize in 1979 and founded in Calcutta, India, the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, established in 30 countries today. St. Teresa of Calcutta (Kolkata) proclaimed God’s thirsting love for humanity, especially for the poorest of the poor. She was a soul filled with the light of Christ, on fire with love for Him and a burning desire “to quench His thirst for love and for souls.” “God still loves the world and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor.” She started each day in communion with Jesus in the Eucharist and then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him in “the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for.” She was witness to the joy of love, the dignity of every human person, and the value of little things done faithfully and with love. She experienced an interior life marked by moments of deep feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, a “painful night” of her soul. This pain would lead Mother Teresa to an ever more profound union with God. Mother Teresa left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope, and extraordinary charity. Pope John Paul II canonized Mother Teresa for her heroic virtues and miracles. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Teresa of Calcutta, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York    • September 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Reading a scroll of the prophet Isaiah in a synagogue on the sabbath day in Nazareth, where he had grown up, Christ Jesus proclaimed (Lk 4:16-30): "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." The anointed one came to heal and free us from slavery us sin. The infinite, unconditional love of our Trinitarian God toward His children is what fully defines us as humans. Our response as individuals cannot be other than to spread love everywhere tirelessly, the love we have inherited. Rejecting this mission results in death and everlasting darkness. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our human logic is very different from God’s thinking, as we learn in the Gospel today (Mt 16:21-27). That’s why we have to learn the ways of the faith, which initially sound incomprehensible to us. Atheists and godless individuals try to take advantage of our limited understanding. The disciples themselves were shocked when Christ Jesus revealed to them this eternal truth. "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole worldand forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct." We certainly want to abandon ourselves to Christ Jesus knowing that this is the true way to participate in the glory of Heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we are praying the Holy Rosary in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, an area avoided by tourists due to its reputation for drug dealing and violent crime. The Tenderloin is bordered by Geary to the north, Market Street to the south, Taylor Street to the east, and Van Ness to the west. Despite being advised against it, we felt compelled to see firsthand what was happening in this area. We prayed the Joyful Mysteries, asking the Blessed Mother for help and guidance for these poor people, abandoned by society. As you'll observe, we went unnoticed while praying with the Rosary in one hand and a cellphone camera in the other. These individuals are not criminals or dangerous; many are struggling with the effects of fentanyl and other harmful opioids, simply trying to survive while homeless. We recited a heartbreaking Rosary, reflecting on our collective failure to care for our fellow human beings. The homeless and drug addicts in the Tenderloin are enduring an agonizing struggle during their time on earth, suffering an extreme purgatory. We hope and pray that they come first in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord Jesus and His Mother Mary watch over us, saddened by the situation, urging us to respond with merciful love, as the human family we are. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial is on September 15. We also celebrate two more Marian feasts: the Nativity of Mary (September 8) and the Holy Name of Mary (September 9). The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on September 14. The Holy Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Holy Cross, the instrument of our salvation. Also, it thanks God for the blessing of Christ dying on the Cross, which opened the gates of heaven for mankind. Other important memorials we specially like to celebrate at The Rosary Network are:St. Matthew (September 21), St. Padre Pio (September 23), St. Vincent de Paul (September 27), and Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels (September 29). Tomorrow, we will pray the Holy Rosary in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, an area avoided by tourists due to its reputation for drug dealing and violent crime. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠September 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We honor today two saints mentioned in the Gospels who lived in the first-century in Jerusalem at the time of Christ: Saints Joseph Arimathea and Nicodemus. Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy member of the temple council and a secret follower of Jesus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, who defended Jesus’ cause. Saint John even says that it was to Nicodemus that our Lord said, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus prepared Jesus’ body, wrapped it in linen, and placed him in the tomb owned by Joseph. We continue praying the Rosary in San Francisco, California. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 31, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: Our lack of trust in the Savior, Christ, damages His sacred heart, not to mention our own souls. Without faith, there can be no hope, joy, or peace. Why do our hearts continue to remain as stones of unbelief? This thought arises when you observe and pray the Rosary while walking the streets of San Francisco, as we are doing this week. Jesus said to St. Faustina Kowalska: “My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust does — that after so many efforts of My love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, August 29th is the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. The Church celebrated the nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24, and today honors the martyrdom of Christ's precursor and forerunner. Besides our Lord and our Lady, John the Baptist is the only one whose birth and death are thus celebrated. Today's Gospel relates the circumstances of his execution. He had the courage to blame Herod to his face for the scandal of his illegal union with his sister-in-law Herodias, whose husband was still alive. The blessed John suffered imprisonment and martyrdom as a witness to our Redeemer. John shed his blood for the truth of Christ. Paul the apostle said: "You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake." We pray today's Holy Rosary from San Francisco, California. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John the Baptist, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, August 28, the Catholic Church honors St. Augustine, one of the most influential theologians in the history of the Catholic Church. Born in the town of Thagaste (now Souk-Ahras in modern Algeria), Augustine lived a dissolute life of sin up until his conversion — written in the autobiographical brilliant book of Confessions. He also wrote The City of God.  His mother, Saint Monica’s tears and intense prayers, along with the sermons of Saint Ambrose, the bishop and Doctor of the Church, inspired him to embrace the truth of Christ. On a visit to Hippo, Augustine was proclaimed priest and then Bishop against his will. He later accepted it as the will of God and spent the rest of his life as the pastor of this North African town. On August 28, 430, as Hippo was under siege by the Vandals, Augustine died, at the age of 76. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Augustine, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate memorial of St. Monica, which is superseded by the Sunday liturgy. St. Monica (333-387), the mother of St. Augustine, was a Christian, but her husband Patricius was a pagan. Monica's virtues and prayers, converted him, and he was baptized a year before his death. Monica's tears and prayers for his son son were incessant as well. She had the joy of witnessing St. Ambrose baptize Augustine in 387. St. Monica died in Ostia, near Rome, as she and her son gazed at the sea and discoursed about the joys of the blessed. Today is also the feast of the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Franciscan Crown, celebrated on August 27 by most Franciscans, and on the 26th by the Conventuals. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Monica, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we commemorate Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the Black Madonna. It’s traditionally believed that this icon was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a cypress wood panel from a table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth. The painting was discovered by St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine. The icon was then enshrined in the imperial city of Constantinople, where it remained for the next 500 years. Brought to Czestochowa, in Poland in the fourteenth century, the holy image is associated with several miraculous events. Among them is the liberation of Poland from Communist rule. Pope John Paul II visited the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa four times during his pontificate. Today, the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa attracts millions who love and honor Our Lady’s intercession. The holy painting enshrined at Czestochowa has been a lighthouse of hope during centuries of hardship and defeat. It is known as the “Black Madonna” because of the soot residue that discolors the painting. The soot is the result of centuries of votive lights and candles burning in front of the painting. Also, today is the commemoration of Our Lady Health of the Sick, celebrated on the Saturday before the last Sunday of August. This is one of the titles in the Litany to Our Lady of Loretto, and there is also a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Health of the Sick, La Salud, in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, in Mexico. In New Mexico, she is Our Lady of Santa Fe. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Czestochowa and Our Lady Health of the Sick, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Arrogance and pride are our first sins. They led us to the original sin through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. In many ways, we continue in the same manner. Many behave like little gods, deciding what is right and wrong. Consider this week’s reading (Matthew 20:1-16) where laborers hired by a landowner demanded to be paid more money than those who worked fewer hours. The landowner — the Creator of the universe — replied: ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The ways of God are not our ways. His deeds are perfect and eternal. Questioning Him with our impoverished minds and sinful condition is absurd. We should surrender and ask Him to take care of everything! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, August 24th, is the Feast of the apostle St. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel. He was a doctor in Jewish law and a seeker of the truth. As a close friend of St. Philip the Apostle, he had the opportunity to see Christ. He recognized the Savior immediately as the Son of God. On that initial meeting, Jesus uttered the glorious compliment: "Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile!" After the Resurrection, St. Bartholomew was favored by becoming one of the few apostles who witnessed the appearance of the risen Lord on the sea of Galilee (John 21:2). After having received the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost, Bartholomew evangelized Asia Minor, northwestern India, and Greater Armenia. Here, while preaching to idolaters, he was arrested and martyred. The Armenians honor him as the apostle of their nation and they proudly claim they were the first Christian State. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Bartholomew, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Rose of Lima (1586-1617), the first canonized saint in the Americas. Inspired by the example of St. Catherine of Siena, Rose became a Dominican lay tertiary and devoted herself to works of active charity while living a life of extreme austerity. Hers was a life heroic in virtue and penance. Through the practice of penance, she expiated the evils perpetrated by the conquerors in their lust for gold. St. Rose of Lima suffered repeated attacks from the devil, painful bodily ailments, and from her family, scoldings and calumnies. All this she accepted serenely, remarking that she was treated better than she deserved. She experienced the comforting companionship of her holy guardian angel and of the Blessed Virgin. Rose of Lima died at the age of 31, on August 24, 1617, praying, "Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase your love in my heart." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Rose of Lima, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Eight days after celebrating Mary's Assumption into Heaven, we commemorate the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary. This feast is a prolongation of the celebration of the Assumption. Down through centuries, Popes, Doctors, and Fathers of the Church have given authoritative expression to the truth of the Queenship of the Holy Virgin. This title is applied to the Mother of God since she is closely associated with the redemptive work of her Son — "The King of kings and Lord of lords" — and the Mediatrix of all graces. In October 1954, Pius XII, by his encyclical letter of October 11, 1954, following a unanimous desire of the faithful, instituted the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary. The same union of Mary with Christ Jesus is the fountain of the efficacy of her motherly intercession in the presence of the Son and of the Father. Pius IX wrote in his Apostolic Constitution Ineflabilis Deus: "More than all the angels and all the saints has God ineffable freely endowed Mary with the fullness of the heavenly gifts that abound in the divine treasury; and she, preserving herself ever immaculately clean from the slightest taint of sin, attained a fullness of innocence and holiness so great as to be unthinkable apart from God Himself, a fullness that no one other than God will ever possess." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Following yesterday’s story of the pagan Canaanite woman (Mt 15:21-28), who was granted the cure for her daughter because of her deep faith, we continue reflecting on the mystery and power of prayer. Very often our specific requests to God are not for our good. In that case, the eternal God might not grant what would result in our disadvantage. However, if our prayer is sincere and persevering, we shall always receive an answer — one that is better than what we asked for. We shouldn’t doubt God’s mercy. Who are we to question God’s mercy? The earthly death of our loved one ended up bringing out virtues in us that they would otherwise never have had the occasion to practice. We cultivate these virtues for eternal life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Sunday reading (Mt 15:21-28), we see the Canaanite woman as a model of deep-seated faith and trust in Christ’s power and goodness. The Canaanite woman sees God in Jesus Christ (“Lord, Son of David’) and asks for a miracle. She opens herself to Him, insists on the Lordship of Jesus, and her daughter is healed from that hour. “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you wish,” Jesus said to her. Prayer is adoration, thanksgiving, and petition. It is necessary to persevere in our prayers of petition before Christ grants our requests. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On August 19th, 1917, the Virgen Mary appeared at Valinhos, distant about half a mile from the Village of Aljustrel and from the Cova de Iria, in Fatima. That was the fourth apparition. On August 13th, the three shepherds were arrested by the Administrator of Ourém, the district in which Fátima was located. This Administrator or Mayor, Artur Santos, was an apostate Catholic and high Mason. The Blessed Mother asked Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia to return to the Cova da Iria on the 13th and to continue praying the Rosary every day. She promised that in the last month, in October, she would perform a huge miracle. And then looking very sad, she concluded: "Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to Hell because there is no one to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them". Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, Jesus Christ speaks in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 19:3-12) about the mystery and sacrament of marriage. The reading couldn't be more relevant, considering the attempts of evildoers and their collaborators to destroy Christian lawful marriages and families. ”From the beginning, the Creator made them male and female and said: For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate." The Son of God also warns that not everyone is prepared to marry. "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary: Today, along with the Irish people, we commemorate the Memorial of Our Lady of Knock. We celebrate the apparition of Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, the Lamb, and a Cross on an altar on the wall of the parish church in the village of Knock in County Mayo in Ireland, on August 21, 1879. The apparition was described as follows: "Our Lady was wearing a large, brilliant crown and clothed in white garments. On her right was Saint Joseph, his head inclined toward her and on her left Saint John the Evangelist. To the left of Saint John was an altar on which stood a cross and a lamb. Standing only a few feet off the ground, the Blessed Virgin wore a white cloak and was described by witnesses as being incredibly beautiful. She wore a bright golden crown, and appeared to be praying with her eyes looking toward heaven with her arms bent in front of her with her palms facing inward." Fifteen parishioners witnessed the apparition for two hours as they recited the Rosary. Although it was daylight when the apparition began, the weather turned for the worse and it began to rain heavily. However, the area around the apparition appeared unaffected, as the ground remained dry as long as the vision lasted. Our Lady did not speak, and the gable of the church where the manifestation was made was covered with a cloud of light. Saint Joseph also wore white robes and stood on the Virgin’s right. He inclined his head respectfully toward the Blessed Virgin. Saint John the Evangelist wore a miter and appeared to be preaching as he held a book in his left hand. For over 140 years, the Knock Shrine has welcomed pilgrims and visitors to this sacred place, sanctified by Mary's apparition.The Knock Shrine has been officially recognized as an international Eucharistic and Marian Shrine by Pope Francis, through the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization in March 2021. The Rosary comprises the main portion of the devotion. The shrine is therefore appropriately called the Rosary Shrine. Devotion to St. Joseph has always emphasized his role as the protector of the Holy Family. Unique to the Apparition is the presence of the Lamb of God upon the altar, a visual presentation of the gift and mystery of the Eucharist. St. John the Evangelist stands between Our Lady and the altar and Lamb. It is his Gospel that refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God. He appears to be preaching on the Eucharistic altar, Cross, and Lamb that is at the very center of the apparition. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Knock, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Heaven and Earth are two dimensions united by the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. In Our Lord, everything visible and invisible meet. As St. John wrote in his first letter: "We are from God." "Love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." "God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him." God abides in us. In today's reading (Mt 18:15-20), we witness the merging of these two dimensions. Jesus said to His disciples: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by My heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. In 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven." This belief, dated back to the apostles themselves, became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God. In the early days of Christianity, the "Memory of Mary" was celebrated. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God. Centuries later, it would become the feast of the “Assumption of Mary.” From the beginning, it was clear that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated. Mary had died in the presence of the apostles and they buried the body in Jerusalem. But her tomb, when opened later, was found empty. Her body did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. The apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven. It was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The location of the empty tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage. Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot. All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. Her divine motherhood is celebrated both at Christmas and a week later, on January 1st, on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception, on December the 8th, shows her fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. This feast marks the preparation for her divine motherhood. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. It gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Memorial of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe (1894-1941), Polish priest and martyr, is celebrated by the Universal Church. Maximilian Mary Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculate Mary, a movement of Marian consecration that undertook an intense apostolic mission in Europe and Asia. The friars of the Militia of the Immaculate Mary utilized modern printing and administrative techniques to "win the world for the Immaculata". They launched a daily newspaper with a circulation of 230,000, a monthly magazine with a circulation of over one million, and a shortwave radio station. Maximilian was a true "apostle of the mass media" and a ground-breaking theologian. He further developed the Church's understanding of Mary as a "Mediatrix" of all the graces of the Trinity, and as an "Advocate" for God's people. In 1941, the Nazis imprisoned Father Maximilian in the Auschwitz death camp. There he offered his life for another prisoner and was condemned to slow death in a starvation bunker. On August 14, 1941, his impatient captors ended his life with a lethal injection. Pope John Paul II canonized Maximilian as a "martyr of charity" in 1982 and proclaimed him the "Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century." St. Maximilian Kolbe is considered a patron of journalists, families, prisoners, the pro-life movement, and the chemically addicted. Also, today in the evening, the Vigil Mass for the Assumption is celebrated. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Christ Jesus sent His disciples to the lake knowing that they would meet a dangerous storm, as we read today in the Gospel (St. Matthew 14:22-33). He wanted to strengthen their faith and prove his trust and confidence in Christ. He intended to come to them at the right moment, working two miracles — walking on the water and calming the storm. They ended up declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, the Chosen of God. The lesson for everyone is that while we trust in Christ, all goes well, but when our faith weakens we get drowned in the waters of our world. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: With faith, nothing is impossible. Our problem lies in our lack of faith. Christ Jesus conveyed this message to His disciples when they struggled to expel a demon from a possessed boy, as recounted in today's Gospel of Matthew (Mt 17:14-20). He stated: "Amen, I say to you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Jesus urges us through His disciples to exercise our faith. St. Paul reminds us that "we walk by faith, not by sight." We observe the world around us through conventional categories—political, cultural, and economic. We might be driven by instinct. However, by nurturing our faith daily, we can reach a point where the beauty of the Spirit predominates in our lives because the Divine will grant us the grace to perceive it. Instinct and sensory perceptions will unravel, and we will comprehend that we are wired for God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Let’s reflect for a second even from a contemporary perspective what Saint Lawrence presented as the “treasures of the Church” to Emperor Valerian when he was summoned before the executioners. He showed up with a handful of crippled, poor, and sick men, and when questioned, replied that ‘These are the true wealth of the Church.’ (He was immediately sent to his death, being cooked alive on a gridiron.) Christ came to cure the sick — physically and spiritually ill people — and those trapped in sin. In all cases, every one of us is well represented by the sick, the needy, and the marginalized, just like St. Lawrence said. It’s critical to separate sin from sinners, be doctrinally pure, and not fall into the traps of darkness. Sadly, some prelates are becoming confused by our contemporary society’s attempt to erase the distinction between sin and sinners, not being able to avoid infiltration into the universal church. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Lawrence, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Having died a martyr for Christ, St. Lawrence is the patron of deacons, chefs, and firefighters. Around the time of his feast day, the night sky is lit with bright lights, wrote Vatican News. The phenomenon is related to the passing of a meteorite swarm left by a comet. For folk tradition, these lights are “falling stars”, tears St. Lawrence shed during his martyrdom. The testimony of this holy martyr, born in Spain in the first half of the 3rd century, is marked by piety and charity. In AD 258, Emperor Valerian issued an edict: all bishops, priests, and deacons must be put to death. Saint Lawrence, other deacons, and Pope Sixtus II were apprehended. The Pope was killed on 6 August. At first, the emperor offered to spare Lawrence’s life, in exchange for his handing over of "the treasures of the Church." Lawrence is said to have presented the emperor with the sick, the needy, and the marginalized. These, he said, are the treasures of the Church. Four days later, on August 10, Saint Lawrence would be martyred, being burnt on a gridiron. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Lawrence, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Universal Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942), also known as St. Edith Stein. She was born of Jewish parents in 1891 in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland), becoming an influential and brilliant philosopher following her extensive studies at major German universities. Edith Stein was captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of Avila. She would imitate Teresa by becoming a Discalced Carmelite, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. After her conversion to Catholicism, she became a major force in German intellectual life. She was arrested by the Nazi regime in 1942 when she was living in a Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands. Along with all Catholics of Jewish extraction, she was transported by cattle train to the death camp of Auschwitz. Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz on August 9, 1942. Pope John Paul II beatified Teresa Benedicta in 1987 and canonized her in 1998. In the month of August, we celebrate two martyrs of Auschwitz, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. Teresa Benedicta. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Memorial Day of St. Dominic of Guzman (1170-1221), who received the Holy Rosary from the Virgin Mary as a means to combat the destructive heresy of the Albigensian in the twelve century. He crushed the heresy and led many souls to piety and to religious life. The Spaniard priest St. Dominic also founded the Order of Preachers —the Dominicans — in the year 1215. At that time, it was an innovative order since instead of manual labor, as practiced by the Cistercian monks, he required his friars to work with their minds by preaching and teaching. Alongside the Franciscans, the Dominicans became the most powerful Order in medieval times, giving the Church illustrious preachers — St. Vincent Ferrer, Sts. Thomas of Aquinas and Pius V, among others— and contributed immeasurably to maintaining the purity of the faith. St. Dominic, to whom popes and saints have consistently attributed the origin and spread of the holy rosary, had a saint mother, Juana de Aza. During pregnancy, Dominic’s mother dreamed she was carrying in her womb a little dog that held a burning torch between its teeth; and when she had given birth, it set the whole world on fire. St Dominic died at Bologna on August 6, 1221. He was canonized three years later by Pope Gregory IX. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Transfiguration of the Lord — that we celebrated yesterday — is one of the proofs of the divinity of Jesus Christ. This event also shows us what we can be as a reflection of His love: saints. We will all be transformed into the light of Christ for eternity. As the Transfiguration points forward to the sufferings Jesus is about to experience, it is meant to strengthen our faith for the challenges we will endure temporarily in life. It’s a momentary glimpse of heaven to sustain us as we face the challenges of this life. Let’s reflect upon how the divine hand is at work to strengthen us on the road that will bring us into the infinite and endless joy of heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, August 6th is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This commemoration anticipates the glory of heaven, where we shall see God face to face. Three witnesses chosen by Jesus — Peter, James, and John — saw in Mount Thabor in Israel that our Lord’s face and clothes become dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah appear. Moses and Elijah represent the two principal components of the Old Testament: the Law and the Prophets. Moses was the giver of the Law, and Elijah was considered the greatest of the prophets. A cloud  covered Him and a voice from heaven said: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!" On the mountain, the three core disciples saw the glory of God’s Kingdom shining out of Jesus. They also learn that Jesus himself is the complete Word of God. The Catechism explains that Christ’s Transfiguration aims at strengthening the apostles’ faith in anticipation of his Passion: the ascent onto the 'high mountain' prepares for the ascent to Calvary. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the memorial day of Our Lady of Snow (la Virgen Blanca, in Spanish), a feast related to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the illustrious churches in Rome. This feast commemorates the miracle of the snowfall that occurred during the night of August 4-5 in the year 358 on the site where the basilica now stands. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to two faithful Roman Christians, the patrician John and his wife, as well as to Pope Liberius (352-366), asking that a church be built in her honor on the site where snow would fall on the night of August 4-5. The basilica was completed about a century later by Pope Sixtus III (432-440), after the Council of Ephesus in 431 during which Mary was declared to be the Mother of God. Congratulations to all the women named Blanca o Maria Blanca (white, in Spanish). Also today we join in our prayer Pope Francis and all the participants in WYD in Fatima. They all faithfully prayed the Joyful Mysteries. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Snow, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Almost 30,000 pilgrims and 61 bishops from the U.S. are participating in the World Youth Day (WYD) gathering in Lisbon, Portugal. Quoting St. John Paul II, Bishop Robert Barron, one of the key figures of the U.S. delegation, said to the pilgrims: “Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega; he is the king of the new world; he is the secret of history; he is the key to our destiny. He is the mediator, the bridge, between heaven and earth. He is more perfectly than anyone else the Son of Man because he is the Son of God, eternal and infinite. He is the son of Mary, blessed among all women, his mother according to the flesh, and our mother through the sharing in the Spirit of his mystical body.” "It is his name that we proclaim to the ends of the earth and throughout all ages." Bishop Barron — in the picture — invited pilgrims to share with others the real Jesus. "When you preach the real Christ, not a watered-down Christ, it lights a fire in people. and they want to know more." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John Vianney, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As the effects of secularization on belief and practice are deepening, we continue praying along with the participants in the World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, Portugal, this week Pope Francis urged a gathering of bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers in Lisbon to stay in the boat with Jesus and revive their restless enthusiasm for spreading the Gospel. "This is not the time to stop and give up, to drag the boat to shore or to look back," said the Holy Father, acknowledging the discouragement that can be experienced by Catholic leaders in secularizing societies. The pope delivered an encouraging message in his homily for Wednesday vespers, or evening prayer,  gathered in the church of Lisbon’s iconic Mosterio dos Jerónimos. Pope Francis spoke on the importance of adoration, saying Catholics are lost without Jesus. "Priests, bishops, consecrated men and women, laypeople have to recover the prayer of adoration. It’s to be in silence, before the Lord," Pope Francis urged. "Follow the example of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who, despite being involved in so many things in life, never gave up adoration even at times when her faith wavered and she wondered if it was all true or not." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we join in our prayer the hundreds of thousands of young people participating in World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, a faith event that began on August 1 and will last until this Sunday, August 6th. A high number of youngsters witness that true faith is still alive despite the decline in the practice of religion in our secularized world. The high turnout is a sign of hope. Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of August is for World Youth Day (WYD). Pope Francis explained in a promotional video — see it on our rosarynetwork.com website — why he chose the theme "Mary arose and went with haste" for this WYD. "Because as soon as Mary knew she was going to be the mother of God, she didn’t stay there taking a selfie or showing off. The first thing she did was to set out on a journey, in haste, to serve, to help. You too have to learn from her to set out on a journey to help others," he explained in the video. Pope Francis shared that he hopes to see "a seed for the world’s future" in Lisbon. "A world where love is at the center, where we can sense that we are sisters and brothers. We are at war; we need something else. A world that is not afraid of witnessing the Gospel. A joyful world — because if we Christians have no joy, we are not credible, no one will believe us." The video concludes with a prayer: "Let us pray that the World Youth Day in Lisbon will help us young people to set out on the journey, witnessing the Gospel with our own lives." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:Christ Jesus gives us the needed grace and strength to act with charity and brotherly love toward our friends and family members trapped in sin.They might try to confuse us by rejecting any change in their behavior as everything is part of their identity. They rarely are able to see sin rooted in them.We must be very careful and, while looking at them as our brothers, we must never approve of their evil deeds or their sins.It's really challenging to put them back on the right road to Heaven.We can do this by setting a good example, and by fervent prayer for their conversion. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Ignatius of Loyola Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, July 31st, is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Jesuits, the Society of Jesus, and the writer of the book The Spiritual Exercises. In the year 1521, a cannon ball fractured the left leg of Captain Ignatius Loyola, While he was convalescing, Ignatius read about Christ and His saints and turned wholly to God. To equip himself for Christ's service, he acquired a classical and theological education. At Paris he was joined by nine companions from that University, men of different nations, who had taken their degrees in Arts and Theology; and there at Montmartre, he laid the first foundations of the Jesuit order. Ignatius sent St. Francis Xavier to preach the Gospel in the Indies and dispersed others to spread the Christian faith in other parts of the world, thus declaring war against paganism, superstition, and heresy. The Jesuits became the shock troops of the Church in the battle against the spread of Protestantism in Europe, as well as one of the greatest foreign mission organizations that the world has known. St. Ignatius entered Heaven on July 31, 1556. Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam! (To the greater glory of God) Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Ignatius of Loyola Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 31, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our greatest discovery in life should be to find the Kingdom of Heaven. See what Jesus said to his disciples (Mt 13:44-46), as we read this Sunday in the Gospel of Matthew: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,which a person finds and hides again,and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchantsearching for fine pearls.When he finds a pearl of great price,he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus — three siblings living in the town of Bethany outside of Jerusalem. Martha generously offered Jesus hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the Lord. In this household of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship. In the related reading of today (Jn 11:19-27), Christ reminded a critical truth to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: All of the great theophanies in Christ’s life occurred during the course of prayer. After His baptism, for instance, when Jesus was praying the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. Likewise, it was during prayer at night that the transfiguration took place on Tabor. During the Annunciation, it was while Mary was praying that Gabriel delivered his message, and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. On Pentecost, a small community of Christians, including the Holy Virgin and the Apostles, were praying for the coming of the Paraclete took place. Today, the same is true at Mass. Through prayer, we prepare our souls for the advent of the Spirit. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: With heartened hearts, it's impossible to listen and understand the eternal truths. As Jesus said to His apostles, and we read today in the Gospel (Mt 13:10-17):"You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see." "Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." We are invited to cultivate our faith so we will be able to see with our eyes and hear with our ears. The knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven has been granted to us, Jesus said. And mind you: "To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary: Today, July 26th, is the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and also the grandparents of Jesus. In the home of Joachim and Anne the Virgin Mary was educated to be the Mother of God. Joachim was a prominent and respected man who had no children, and he and his wife, Anne, looked upon this as a punishment from God. In answer to their prayers, Mary was born and was dedicated to God at a very early age. Our devotion to Anne and Joachim is an extension of our affection toward our Blessed Mother. The couple early became models of Christian marriage. We, too, owe a debt of gratitude to our parents for their help in our Christian formation — as long as they are able to transmit the faith! The Church invokes this saintly couple as the patron of grandparents. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Sts. Joachim and Anne, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, July 25th, is the Feast of St. James, the Apostle, known as Jame the Greater, to distinguish him from the other Apostle St. James, the Lesser. He is one of those that Jesus called Boanerges, “son of thunder.” With Peter and John the Evangelist, his brother, he was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration, as later he was also of the Agony in the Garden. He was beheaded in Jerusalem in the year 42 or 43 A.D. by order of Herod of Agrippa. Jesus foretold this kind of fate when He prophesied that James and his brother John would “drink of the same chalice” of suffering as Himself, as we read in the Gospel today. St. James is the patron saint of Spain and of pilgrims. In northwestern Spain, he is venerated at Santiago de Compostela, a medieval pilgrimage site that is still very popular today. Since the ninth century, Spain has claimed the honor of possessing his relics. The pilgrimage of Camino de Santiago, “the Way of St. James” — has attracted immense crowds. The pilgrim paths to Compostella form a network over Europe, dotted with pilgrims’ hospices and chapels. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. James the Apostle, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: The eye-opening parable of the wheat and the weed (Matthew 13:24-43) that we read yesterday depicts the challenges of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The Evil doer — the weed — cannot change his wicked nature. The Fallen Angels have been sinning since the beginning. They want to destroy as many souls as possible through sophisticated lies and snares. But the sinner men and women can abandon darkness and change their ways. God gives mankind every chance and every help to do this, up to his last moment of life. It’s due to the unfathomable mercy and forgiveness of Christ. No sinner will be excluded from eternal paradise because of his sins but because he did not repent while he had the opportunity. The divine patience is infinite when dealing with sinners. We must try to imitate the patience God shows toward our brothers. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:This Sunday’s reading is a masterpiece in the Gospel of St. Matthew (13:24-43): "Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear" (Matt 13:40-43).In the parable of the weed and the wheat, Jesus revealed that the weed does not destroy the wheat. It only makes it more difficult for the wheat to grow to maturity. In other words, Christians experience that the evil influence and bad example of sinners make it more difficult to live up to the faith. God doesn’t force anyone to serve Him. And His mercy toward sinners is infinite.  The patience of the farmer in letting the weed grow on until harvest time exemplifies the infinite mercy of God toward sinners.  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the “Apostle to the Apostles”, eyewitness to the Risen Christ, and the first to announce the good news of the Resurrection of the Lord before the disciples. "I have seen the Lord." She stood with Mary at the foot of the Cross and had been by the side of Mary during these agonizing hours. Mary Magdalene was from Magdala, a small fishing town on the Sea of Galilee, and she was known to be a "great sinner," a woman of the streets who heard Jesus speak of the mercy and forgiveness of God and changed her life completely. Our Lord had a special consideration and mercy for this woman, who looked for Him with anguish, suffering, and lacrimas humilitatis, as St. Anselm wrote. She has always been the example of great love and great forgiveness, one of those close to Jesus who grasped the truth of God's love for human beings and spent her life bearing witness to that love. Mary Magdalene is a good lesson for every disciple of Jesus: do not seek human securities and worldly honors, but faith in the Living and Risen Christ. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Mary Magdalene, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: God the Son took human nature so that we might share in the divinity. Representing all men, Christ Jesus gave perfect obedience and reverence to the Creator the Father “even unto death on a cross,” and thus merited sonship for us. God the Father created us with the intention and plan to raise us up so we can meet Him in His eternal joy and glory. The Holy Spirit — the “fruit of divine love” — came from Father and the Son to bring us perfection into the work of our sanctification here on Earth. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Through the Incarnation, we become adopted sons of God. Through Baptism, we become members of Christ's body, His Catholic Church. And through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are made active members of the Church. The Holy Spirit comes to us with his gifts and graces to enable us to work for the whole body of Christ, as we pray in the first Luminous mystery today. We are made true soldiers of Christ in order to save our own souls and help our all men to fight against sin and Godlessness. Advent prepares us for the coming of the Son of God to dwell as a man among us. Lent prepares us for the sufferings endured by Christ during Holy Week on our behalf. Easter is the feast of Christ's triumph over death and the certainty of our triumph and union with Christ in his eternal glory. And Pentecost crowns Christ's work among us. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: If we allow ourselves to be driven solely by our earthly desires and passions, we will experience spiritual death and suffer all kinds of misery and anxiety. However, if we surrender ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit we will overcome the sinful tendencies of human nature. We will find true life and spiritual fulfillment. It’s a call to live virtuously by embracing the fruits of the Spirit. St. Paul wrote about it in this letter to the Romans  (Rom 8:9, 11-13), which we recently read: "Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." "If you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York •⁠ July 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: God wants to hear our prayers. And perseverance in pleading is necessary. It trains us spiritually and makes us more grateful. Also, praying in union with others, being submissive to God's will, has a special efficacy. "If two of you shall agree on earth about anything at all for which they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Mt 18:19). Lastly, our prayer must be rooted deeply in God's holy will. There is no example more moving and convincing than that of Christ Himself during His agony in the Garden. His Father did not remove the chalice from Him. And yet our Savior's prayer was answered. He was given the strength to drink the chalice of His sorrowful passion. Our prayer should selflessly seek the good of the Kingdom of Heaven. If our prayer serves nothing more than one's own selfish interests, it might never be heard. But if prayer seeks to unite us most intimately with God, then we will realize its tremendous power. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus is a tough choice, yet the righteous decision for our soul here on Earth and in Eternity. Christ invites us to put Him at the center of our lives. This doesn't mean that we abandon our families, businesses, identity, or material possessions. All of these things are good but come second. It's a realignment of our existence. In this context, we understand today's shocking reading in Matthew's Gospel (10:34—11:1) when Jesus says: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.I have come to bring not peace but the sword.For I have come to seta man against his father,a daughter against her mother,and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;and one's enemies will be those of his household. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;and whoever does not take up his crossand follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it,and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, July 16th, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The origin of the devotion can be traced back to the 12th century when a group of hermits settled on Mount Carmel in present-day Israel. These hermits eventually formed the Carmelite order, dedicating themselves to a life of prayer and contemplation. The scapular, known as the "Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, became closely associated with this devotion. The faithful often wear the brown scapular as a visible sign of their devotion and an expression of trust in Mary's intercession.According to the Carmelite tradition, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was presented by Our Lady to St. Simon Stock, the then-Father General on July 16, 1251. Our Lady gave St. Simon a scapular for the Carmelites with the following promise, saying: "Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire... It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace."Many popes and saints have strongly recommended wearing the Brown Scapular to the Catholic Faithful. Pope Pius XII  said: "The Scapular is a practice of piety which by its very simplicity is suited to everyone, and has spread widely among the faithful of Christ to their spiritual profit."  According to Church tradition, there are three conditions necessary to participate in this Privilege and share in the other spiritual benefits of the Scapular: wear the Brown Scapular, observe chastity according to your state in life, and pray the Rosary. The scapular is a sign which has been approved by the Church for over seven centuries and which stands for the decision to: - Follow Jesus like Mary:- Be open to God and to his will.- Be guided by faith, hope, and love.- To pray at all times.- To discover God present in all that happens around us. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: At that time, Jesus predicted to his Apostles (Mt 10:16-23): "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved." "Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans." A vast number of martyrs have given their lives for the sake of Christ and the Gospel across history. They haven’t fought with the weapons of the world. As Bishop Barron wrote, "This is the army that stands opposed to worldly armies that do their work through violence, threats, and oppression. They witness to the power and authority of the risen Lord and therefore they are fighters." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Every July 14, the Catholic Church in the U.S. celebrates the feast day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be canonized. Known as the "Lily of the Mohawks," Kateri led a life characterized by virtue and holiness, despite facing numerous challenges and opposition within her tribe. Kateri was born in 1656 in Auriesville, New York, to an Algonquin woman who embraced Christianity and a Mohawk chief who adhered to pagan beliefs. Tragedy struck when she was a child, as a smallpox epidemic swept through her tribe, claiming the lives of both her parents. Kateri survived but was left with visible facial scars and impaired eyesight. Following the death of her parents, her uncle, who had assumed leadership of the tribe, took her under his care. Meanwhile, her aunts began arranging a marriage for her at a young age. In 1667, during a visit by three Jesuit priests to her tribe, they spoke to Kateri about Christ while staying in her uncle's tent. Although she did not explicitly request baptism, she developed an intense belief in Jesus. She also recognized her calling to dedicate herself as a consecrated virgin, forging an intimate bond with God. Despite facing opposition from her tribe, who mocked her faith and ostracized her for refusing the arranged marriage, Kateri tenaciously held onto her beliefs. At the age of 18, when Father Jacques de Lamberville returned to the Mohawk village, she expressed her desire to be baptized. Recognizing the increasingly perilous environment within the Mohawk village, plagued by violence and debauchery, Kateri decided to flee to the town of Caughnawaga in Quebec, near Montreal. There, she deepened her holiness and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. In Caughnawaga, Kateri spent the final years of her relatively short life practicing rigorous penance and maintaining a constant state of prayer. She attained a profound mystical union with God, and numerous miracles were attributed to her even during her lifetime. Kateri passed away on April 17, 1680, at the age of 24. Witnesses reported that within minutes of her death, the smallpox scars on her face miraculously vanished, and she radiated a remarkable beauty. Devotion to Kateri emerged immediately after her demise, and her enshrined body in Caughnawaga attracts many pilgrims each year. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1980, and she was later canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On July 13th, 1917, the Most Holy Virgin Mary appeared to the three shepherd children – Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta at Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal. She showed them a vision of Hell and revealed that God wishes to be a great devotion the Mary’s Immaculate Heart to save souls from Hell. The three children were taught by Our Lady to pray the sacrifice prayer, especially when making sacrifices: “O Jesus, it is for the love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” While saying the last words of this prayer, Our Lady opened her hands and beheld the Vision of Hell which, according to Lucia, they could have died in fright if not for the splendor, radiance, and beauty of Our Lady. This vision assures us that hell does truly exist and that the souls of poor sinners go there. Our Lady then told the children: “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: As we read today in the Gospel (Matthew 10:1–7), Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them to make this proclamation: "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand." With these powerful words, Lord Jesus announced the nearness of God’s reign and invited us to enter into a relationship with Him. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a distant reality. It’s the arrival of God's kingdom on earth through the person of Jesus Christ so we live in communion with Him and with one another. It’s embracing the love and mercy of God and starting a new way of life, one characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It’s a new era of salvation, where God's love and grace are manifested in a profound and transformative way. To embrace Jesus as Our Lord and Savior and live according to His teaching, we have to repent first and turn away from sin. We seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that through our faith and actions, we can bring about the presence of the Divinity in our lives and in the world around us. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Benedict, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York •⁠ July 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. Benedict of Nursia (480-547), who created Western monasticism. This sixth-century saint would greatly affect spiritual and monastic life in Christendom for centuries to come. He wrote his famous Benedict Rule prescribing common sense, a life of moderate asceticism, prayer, study, and work, and community life under one superior. It stressed obedience, stability, and zeal, and had the Divine Office as the center of monastic life. His holiness, wisdom, and austerities attracted many monks who vowed to seek God and devoted themselves to work and prayer. While ruling his monks (most of whom, including Benedict, were not ordained), and organizing them into monastic communities, he counseled rulers and Popes and ministered to the poor. Seeking first of all the kingdom of God, he knew that when the believer enters into a profound relationship with God he cannot be content with living in a mediocre way, with a minimalist ethic and superficial religiosity. St. Benedict died at Monte Cassino, Italy, in 547. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Benedict, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: God always answers our prayers as long as they are intended to bring good things for us. However, our prayers may not be heard due to our personal disposition, our lack of faith, love, and humility. Whenever Christ performed a miracle, He demanded faith as a prerequisite. On one occasion the apostles could not heal a possessed body; to their queries, Jesus said, "Because of your little faith; for amen I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: Remove from here, and it will remove. And nothing will be impossible to you" (Mt 17:19). Our lack of faith and love are certainly huge obstacles. If we ourselves neither give nor forgive, we can expect no favors from God.We continue praying the Rosary from the city of Pamplona, in Spain, in the midst of the San Fermin festival. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: God chooses little ones and prepares them to be saints. Lord Jesus reveals himself to the humble of heart and childlike in spirit, those who approach God with simplicity and openness. As Jesus exclaimed at the time — and we read in the Gospel today (Mt 11:25-30): "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones." The "wise and learned" refers to those who rely solely on their own intellect and knowledge, thinking they have all the answers. Meanwhile, the humble are willing to learn and be guided by God. Jesus praises the Father for His divine plan of revelation, which is not limited to the intellectual elite but is accessible to all who approach Him with childlike faith. It is a reminder that true understanding of God's mysteries comes through a relationship of trust and dependence on Him. As faithful Catholics, we are invited to approach God with humility, acknowledging that it is through His grace that we come to know and understand His truths. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: At the Rosary Network, we try to pray fervently and perseveringly. We ponder Christ's words: "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives." We might have doubts concerning these words, yet we place our needs before God in prayer. Lord Jesus knows better what we truly need and when is the right time. Petition is the key to God's fatherly heart. Petition opens up the treasures of divine mercy. Christ said: "If you, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"We pray today's Holy Rosary from the city of Pamplona, Spain, internationally known for the San Fermin festival and its running of the bulls. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In yesterday’s main reading of the Gospel (Mt 9:1-8), Lord Jesus healed a paralytic and forgave his sins. The scribes, harboring evil thoughts, went against Jesus. Christ wants to open a better life to us by liberating us from the slavery of sin. God knows our potential and wants us wise and joyful. Sin is our rejection to live according to God’s purpose and will. Sin paralyzes us. We become unable to move. After saying to the paralytic that his sins were forgiven, Jesus said, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” As Bishop Barron wrote, ”First comes the forgiveness of sins, and that is a liberating power in us. Now I can live for the future.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: Pope Francis’ prayer intention for July refers to the Eucharistic celebration, with the elevation of the Host during transubstantiation — or the moment the bread becomes Christ’s body. "Let us pray that Catholics place at the center of their lives the Eucharistic celebration, which transforms human relationships and opens up an encounter with God and their brothers and sisters," said the Pope on July 3. "If you are the same at the end of Mass as you were at the beginning, something is wrong." "In the Eucharist, it is Christ who offers himself, who gives himself for us. He invites us so that our lives may be nourished by him and may nourish the lives of our brothers and sisters." The Eucharist is an encounter with the risen Jesus. We pray today's Rosary in the streets of Madrid, Spain. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood. We worship the Blood which the Lord shed for us on Calvary. By the words of Consecration the Blood of Christ is present on our altars. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress of the thirteen British colonies declared their independence from British rule. Since then, the United States has annually celebrated its independence on this day. The Declaration of Independence, signed that day in Philadelphia, stated: “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…” While Independence Day is a national holiday, the Catholic Church in the United States also recognizes it as an Optional Memorial. Therefore we pray for the country while revering to the freedoms we enjoy. We give thanks to the Lord for the birth of this Christian nation and ask Him to preserve the faith and rid the U.S. of evil. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the faithful celebrate the Feast of St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles.Thomas, who at first did not believe, saw the Man Christ, touched him, and acknowledged His divinity with the words: “My Lord and my God.” Pope St. Gregory the Great made the following reflection: “Thomas’ unbelief has benefited our faith more than the belief of the other disciples; it is because he attained faith through physical touch that we are confirmed in the faith beyond all doubt. Indeed, the Lord permitted the apostle to doubt after the resurrection; but He did not abandon him in doubt. By his doubt and by his touching the sacred wounds the apostle became a witness to the truth of the resurrection.” Thomas suffered martyrdom in Calamina (near Madras in India), after he had converted numerous tribes to Christianity. He was pierced with lances at the king’s command. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Thomas, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We read today in the Gospel of Matthew (10:37-42): Jesus said to his apostles: "Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up their cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Sounds a little harsh, right? Not really. Christ should always come first. Nothing is more valuable in our lives than Our Lord. With Christ, we gain the wisdom to graciously handle our relationships with our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and all family members. It's our job to sanctify every aspect of our lives. And when Christ guides our existence, we succeed with our families. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Church in the United States celebrates the Memorial of St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784), the 18th-century Franciscan missionary who brought the true faith to the people of North America’s west coast. Junípero Serra, patron Saint of California, founded 21 missions and converted thousands of Native Americans. The first mission founded, after the nine-hundred-mile journey north, was San Diego (1769). Other missions followed: Monterey/Carmel (1770); San Antonio and San Gabriel (1771); San Luis Obispo (1772); San Francisco and San Juan Capistrano (1776); Santa Clara (1777); San Buenaventura (1782). Twelve more were founded after Serra’s death. His zeal was fed by prayer each night, often from midnight until dawn. St. Junípero Serra baptized over six thousand people and confirmed five thousand. He brought the Native Americans not only the gift of faith but also a decent standard of living. He won their love, as witnessed especially by their grief at his death. He was buried at Mission San Carlo Borromeo, Carmel, and was beatified in 1988. He was canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis during his visit to the United States. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Junípero Serra, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the universal Church honors the nameless followers of Christ brutally killed by the wicked Emperor Nero in Rome. We celebrate the memorial of the first martyrs of the Holy Roman Church. The historians Tacitus and St. Clement of Rome tell of a night of horror (August 15, 64 A.D.) when in the imperial parks a great multitude of Christians was made into living torches to light the road for Nero’s chariot. Many others were killed by crucifixion or by feeding to the wild animals in his circus. These “proto-martyrs” of Rome were the first Christians persecuted en masse by Emperor Nero, before the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. Threatened by an army revolt and condemned to death by the senate, Nero committed suicide in A.D. 68 at the age of thirty-one. Today, the site of Nero’s Circus, also the location of St. Peter’s martyrdom, is marked by the Piazza dei Protomartiri Romani (Square of the Roman Protomartyrs) in the Vatican next to St. Peter’s Basilica. These martyrs were called the “Disciples of the Apostles” and their firmness was a powerful testimony that led to many conversions in the early Roman Church. The blood of martyrs has always been the seed of Christians. Martyrs mean victory over death and sin. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the two great apostles who are the rock on which the Church is built.Both Saint Peter and Saint Paul were martyred for their faith. Their deaths are a reminder of the cost of following Christ, but they are also a source of inspiration for Christians today. Sanctified by their martyrdom, they make Rome — then the capital of the Empire — the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel. St. Peter was crucified upside down under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the Basilica of St. Peter's.Saint Peter was a fisherman from Galilee who was called by Jesus to be his disciple. He was the first pope and is considered the first among the apostles. St. Paul was beheaded in Rome's Via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name.Saint Paul was not one of the twelve apostles, but he was a devout Jew who persecuted Christians before his conversion on the road to Damascus. After his conversion, Paul became one of the most important figures in the early Church and was responsible for spreading the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Down the centuries Christian people in their thousands have gone on pilgrimage to the tombs of these Apostles.The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a major feast day in the Catholic Church. It is celebrated with special liturgies, processions, and feasts. In many churches, the relics of Saint Peter and Saint Paul are displayed for veneration. The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a time to remember the importance of these two apostles and to reflect on their legacy for the Church. It is also a time to reflect on our own faith and commitment to Christ. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Saints Peter and Paul, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: There have always been false prophets. In our age, many of them try to invert the truth by presenting a twisted reality. They proclaim as right what is simply wrong. It is a direct denial against the Holy Spirit, a serious sin. We see this, especially regarding matters of life, family, and marriage. Today's reading (Mt 7:15-20) addresses how the false prophets are identified: Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits, you will know them." "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits, you will know them." Today, we continue praying the Rosary in the streets of Philadelphia. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today’s reading in the New Testament (Mt 7:6, 12-14) warns us that road to eternal damnation is wide while the gate of Heaven is narrow. As Jesus said to his disciples: "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many." Our Lord revealed to us that the pathway to eternal life is constricted, and “those who find it are few. A priest friend of ours says that 'being a priest is a tough job. But it is worth it. We pray today's Holy Rosary from the streets of Philadelphia. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠June 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, one of the optional memorials refers to St. Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975), the Spanish saint who founded the Opus Dei organization and opened a new path of holiness: sanctification by performing ordinary work and daily duties with a Christian spirit. Canonized as a saint on October 6, 2002, St. Josemaría Escrivá helped the faithful in all walks of life to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world in the fulfillment of the Christian's ordinary duties. St. Josemaría Escrivá touched through Opus Dei countless lives. After his death, thousands of people, including more than a third of the world's bishops, sent letters to Rome asking the Pope to open his cause of beatification and canonization. His beatification by Pope John Paul II on May 17, 1992, in St. Peter's Square in Rome, was attended by approximately 300,000 people. John Paul II said of him: "St. Josemaría was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness. It could be said that he was the saint of the ordinary." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Josemaría Escrivá, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In the Gospel today (Mt 10:26-33), Jesus said to the twelve apostles: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” The soul, which puts us in contact with the living God and connects us with the divine power, lasts forever. It‘s our place of safety. Meanwhile, the body is temporary: it passes. The saints, especially the martyrs, got their fears in the right order. They feared God but not the wickedest people around them. They worried about what God wanted them to do. They didn’t have an easy life. They experienced threat and persecution, and the Evil One was attacking them. They feared no one, finding courage in the struggle. And now they enjoy the glory of Heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Precursor or Forerunner of the Lord. “Amongst those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist,” Jesus said (Matthew xi, 10-12). Ordinarily, the Church observes the day of a saint’s death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven after ending the trials of this life and gloriously triumphing over the world. To this rule, there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and St. John the Baptist. Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin, and John the Baptist was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother Elizabeth. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth. The Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through John the Baptist, who represented the Old Covenant and the Law. John, who was born in a town of Judea, would precede and recognize the Redeemer instantly. The birth of John is observed on the day of the summer solstice, six months earlier than the nativity of Jesus on December 25 at the time of the winter solstice. In a sense, then, we are celebrating Christ’s incarnation today. Christmas is a “light” feast, the same is true today as John’s Fire symbolizes Christ the Light. We Christians are the light of the world and we are united in reverence and love for this prophet-saint whose life was an incomparable example of both humility and courage. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 719, states that John the Baptist is “more than a prophet” (Lk 7:26). In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He is the “voice” of the Consoler who is coming (Jn 1:23; cf. Isa 40:1-3). As the Spirit of truth will also do, John “came to bear witness to the light” (Jn 1:7; cf. Jn 15:26; 5:35). “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God…. Behold, the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:33-36). Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John the Baptist, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In yesterday’s Gospel (Mt 6:7-15), Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer, which is on our lips and in our minds several times a day. The prayer asks that the Father’s will be done “on earth as it is in heaven,” so that He will reign here below as well. It’s a matter of heaven and earth coming together so that our human world will be filled with the knowledge and merciful love of God. It’s not about escaping from earth; it’s about reconciling earth with heaven before the second coming of the risen Christ. To achieve this goal, we all collaborate in building the Kingdom here below as we store treasures in heaven, as the Lord Jesus is telling us in today’s reading. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We remember today St. Thomas More, Chancellor of England and saint of God beheaded in the Tower of London in 1535. Thomas More was an intensely spiritual man, literary scholar, eminent lawyer, gentleman, and father of four children. Few saints are more relevant to our time. We honor his life and martyrdom. Thomas More refused to approve King Henry VIII's divorce and remarriage and establishment of the Church of England, breaking with Rome and denying the Pope as the head. He decided not to support the King's divorce from Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Nor he didn't acknowledge Henry as the supreme head of the Church in England. His belief that no lay ruler has jurisdiction over the church of Christ cost Thomas More his earthly life. He did not compromise his moral values in order to please the King! Four hundred years later, in 1935, Thomas More was canonized as a saint. In 2000, Pope John Paul II named him patron of statesmen and political leaders. Today, we also celebrate the feast of two bishops, John Fisher and Paulinus of Nola. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Thomas More, Pray for Us!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠June 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our Father in Heaven, who sees what is hidden, repays us for everything we do silently for others, Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18). When we give alms, pray, or fast, we shouldn’t seek people’s praise or approval. As Jesus said to his disciples, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order for people to see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” How often are we trapped in the pursuit of pleasing the world around us, seeking praise and honors? That might comfort us for a moment, but it won’t last. As we contemplate the third Glorious Mystery that we pray today, we strive to live with and for the Spirit of Truth. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: To aim for perfection, in imitation of Jesus Christ, we have to pray for sinners and enemies, as Our Lord said to his disciples, and we are reminded today (Mt 5:43-48): “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Heavenly Father.” The Most Holy Virgin Mary revealed to us in Fatima that many souls are lost in Hell because there is no one who prays for them. The Divine power is built on love, not only for the faithful and the righteous but also for everyone. The mercy of Christ reaches anyone, especially the greatest sinners. Mind you, we love the sinners but we reject their sin—and any sin at this point. When we interact with them, we have to graciously make it clear that sin destroys every soul. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Reflecting upon the Gospel of yesterday (St. Matthew 9:36, 10:8), we realize that through the sacrament of Baptism, we were called to be apostles by preaching the message of Christ. In imitation of Jesus, we have to show compassion for sinners while rejecting sin. When Jesus saw the crowd “he was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Mind you, among these people there were also tax collectors who cheated, robbers, murderers, adulterers who violated their marriage vows, and nominal believers in God who never went to the temple. Yet Jesus, who read their minds, had pity on them, for He saw that most acted out of ignorance. Christ said the harvest was plentiful and He needed more harvesters. The Lord isn’t asking us to give up our present occupation or to leave home and family to become priests or missionaries. The work we can do and which he is asking us to do is on our very doorsteps. In some cases, it is inside—in our own homes. And the first movement towards this apostolate to our fellow men is to show a good example of a truly Christian life! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Sunday main reading (Matthew 9:36—10:8), we see how “Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for the crowd because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Jesus sent out his twelve apostles instructing them to proclaim that “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, the Church is apostolic, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, “to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth.” “The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate.” To Jesus through Mary! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Saturday after the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and one day after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Immaculate Heart of Mary signifies her pure love for God, her maternal love for her Divine Son, and her motherly and compassionate love for her sinful children here below. Her Holy Heart reflects her interior life, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections.In 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception—the truth that Mary, through a special grace, was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception, as the Angel Gabriel referred to her at the Annunciation as full of grace. God wanted to prepare a worthy vessel —the true Ark of the Covenant— for the reception of his Word. As St. Augustine said, “Mary cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption.” Refuge of Sinners, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a source of numberless graces today. To Jesus through Mary! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Friday after the Second Sunday of Pentecost, the universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This powerful devotion points to the Sacred Heart as the fountain from which God’s love pours into our lives. It highlights Jesus’ infinite love for each of us during his life, Passion, and death on the Cross. It’s the fullness of love poured into the world. In the late 17th century, a cloistered French nun, St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque, received several private revelations of the Sacred Heart. Benedict XVI wrote in 2006: “By encouraging devotion to the Heart of Jesus, believers open themselves to the mystery of God and of his love and to allow themselves to be transformed by it.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church stresses, “Jesus Christ has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation (Cf. Jn 19:34), is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings without exception.” As Bonaventure said, “The Sacred Heart nourishes us without fail.” To Jesus through Mary! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: While we prepare for the feast day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus tomorrow, we are invited to reflect on the mystery of forgiveness through the reading in the Gospel today (Mt 5:20-26). "Go first and be reconciled with your brother," Jesus commanded his disciples. To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we certainly have to reconcile with one another. We must forgive everyone before entering into prayer. Lack of forgiveness blocks the flow of God's grace within us. We do not allow God's power, love, and true life to reach us. And yes, we might feel that we cannot forgive because some injustice has been done to us, and we resent it. As Bishop Barron wrote, "A good cure for this feeling is to kneel before the cross of Jesus." "What do you see there? The innocent Son of God nailed to the cross—the ultimate injustice. What does he do? He forgives his persecutors. Meditate on that, and your sense of being treated unjustly will fade away." To Jesus through Mary! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As faithful people, our light must shine for folks around us, Lord Jesus told us (Mt 5:13-16): "Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." We're His eyes, hands, and feet of Jesus, his committed disciples building the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. Through Baptism, we acquired the apostolic mission of bringing the true faith to the world. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house." We are entrusted with the responsibility to represent Jesus! To Jesus through Mary! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua, we also celebrate the Second Apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, in June 13, 1917. In 1208, the Most Holy Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic and gave him the Rosary to achieve victory over a raging heresy. Seven centuries later, Our Lady of Fatima, asked the three shepherds children to recite the Rosary daily. She added a prayer for poor sinners after each one of the mysteries: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Take all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need." In the apparition of June 13, Our Lady spoke for the first time about her Immaculate Heart. She said to Lucia: "Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart.” "I will be with you always, and my Immaculate Heart will be your comfort and the way which will lead you to God." Years later, Lucia saw in a vision that in front of the palm of Our Lady's right hand was a heart encircled surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce and offend Her at every moment by blasphemies, ingratitude, and sins. "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” To Jesus through Mary! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us!St. Anthony of Padua, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: Today in the New Testament, we hear Jesus’ passage of the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12). Our Lord went up the mountain not to receive the Law, as happened with Moses in the Old Testament. Jesus turns the universe upside down with the Beatitudes, a title that stems from the Latin noun beātitūdō, meaning “happy”, “lucky,” or “blessed.” When He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” it means, How lucky you are if you are not addicted to material things. It’s all about realizing that our deepest desire is for God, and not for temporarily comforting things. The blessed ones are the weak ones, those who are not exalted by their arrogance of power, money, or selfishness. Christ Jesus offers a new way, opposite to the worldly, momentary, and imperfect happiness, but the true, everlasting joy: the one we achieve by carrying and following the Cross. Mt 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.Blessed are they who mourn,for they will be comforted.Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the land.Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they will be satisfied.Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy.Blessed are the clean of heart,for they will see God.Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called children of God.Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute youand utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.Rejoice and be glad,for your reward will be great in heaven.Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, 60+ days after Easter Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (Body and Blood of Christ), the commemoration of the institution of that sacrament—the fifth Luminous mystery. In many parishes, there is an Eucharist Procession today. This Solemnity is a commemoration of the extraordinary act of love for us that our Divine Lord performed on the night before he died. He was the sacrificial victim that won eternal life for men. As St. Paul wrote in this first Epistle to the Corinthians, which we read today Sunday (1 Cor 10:16-17), we Christians take part in the real sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, in communion with God. As a sacrament, his "flesh" and "blood" are heavenly food, the Bread of Life (Jn 6:51-58). Through his divine power, he left to his Church, to his followers, the power to re-present again and again the sacrifice of his human nature. As we read in the Gospel, not only the incredulous Jews, but even many of his disciples drew back. Jesus said to the twelve: "Will you too go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."With the feast of Corpus Christi, the Catholic Church tries to proclaim and increase the faith of believers in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Today's Mass was composed by St. Thomas Aquinas upon the request of Pope Urban IV in the year 1264. It's a classic piece of liturgical work. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: While we prepare for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, tomorrow Sunday, June 11, we read in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 8:2-3; 14-16) how God provided a special food called “manna” to the Chosen People in their journey from Egypt to Palestine through the vast desert of Sinai. This manna, as well as water that burst forth from the rocks at the command of Moses, nourished and sustained the Jews during their forty years of journeying in the desert. This miraculous food from Heaven was a symbol that showed how our divine Lord sustained and nourished them spiritually in their walk toward the eternal and promised land. Lord Jesus himself referred to the “manna” given by God to their ancestors in the desert and revealed that He is now the true bread from heaven (Jn 6:31ff). Today, we Christians rejoice by taking part in the Holy Mass, the real sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, and being in communion with God. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, we commemorated Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces. Jesus Christ is the Author of all graces, and Mary mediated to the world when she agreed to be the human mother of God. Mary, Advocate for people of God and Mother of Jesus as Co-redemptrix, takes the petitions of her earthly children, especially in times of difficulties, and brings them through her maternal intercession before her Son. The Mediatrix performs this task in intimate union with the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier. Vatican II referred to Mary as a "mother to us in the order of grace " (Lumen Gentium, n. 62). Several twentieth century popes taught the doctrine of Mary as Mediatrix of all graces, quoting the words of St Bernard: "It is the will of God that we obtain all favors through Mary." In the Old Testament, the Queen Mother brought the petitioned needs of the people of Israel to the throne of her son the King (cf. 1 Kings 2:19). Now Mary is the new Queen Mother and Advocate in the new Kingdom of her Son, Christ the King. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠June 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel, the Lord says the first commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mk 12:28-34) “The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love is not primarily a feeling or an instinct. It is the act of willing the good of the other. It is a radical self-giving, living for the sake of the other. To love is to move outside of one’s egotism. It represents participation in the love that God is. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

• June 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET• Audio Podcast of this Rosary is Available Here Now! Friends of the Rosary: In today's reading (Mark 12:18-27), Jesus confronts the Sadducees and discusses Heaven, where life will be abundant, stating that "God is not the God of the dead but of the living." In eternal life, we will be with our glorified bodies, "Like angels in Heaven." As Bishop Barron writes, "Heaven is a place where our bodiliness will be so rich and so intense that we will be able to relate to all those around us in the most intimate and powerful way possible. And there we will be fully alive." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Why did God send His only Son, who would even die on the Cross? It has nothing to do with the erroneous interpretation of a God angry at sinful humanity, who demands a blood sacrifice to appease His anger. This is what a pagan divinity would do, but not our Holy God. In Sunday’s reading (JOHN 3:16-18), we find the answer to why God gave us His Son. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” The Father sent the Son out of love to teach us that the answer is the way of merciful love, regardless of all the trials and threats we experience in life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠June 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday’s solemnity drew our attention to the mystery of the Trinity — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The sublime truth of the Trinity is ageless. Its power to transform souls has illuminated the hearts and minds of saints over time. St. Teresa of Ávila wrote: “The three Persons are distinct from one another; a sublime knowledge is infused into the soul, imbuing it with a certainty of the truth that the Three are of one substance, power, and knowledge and are one God.” St. Catherine of Siena: “Eternal Trinity! You gave us not only your Word through the Redemption and in the Eucharist, but you also gave yourself in the fullness of love for your creature.” St. John Paul II: “A great mystery of love, an ineffable mystery, before which words must give way to the silence of wonder and worship. A divine mystery that challenges and involves us, because a share in the Trinitarian life was given to us through grace, through the redemptive Incarnation of the Word and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” St. Faustina Kowalska: “When One of the Three Persons communicates with a soul, by the power of that one will, it finds itself united with the Three Persons and is inundated in the happiness flowing from the Most Holy Trinity, the same happiness that nourishes the saints. This same happiness that streams from the Most Holy Trinity makes all creation happy; from it springs that life which vivifies and bestows all life which takes its beginning from him.” St. Francis de Sales (from a consecration prayer to the Trinity): “I vow and consecrate to God all that is in me: My memory and my actions to God the Father; My understanding and my words to God the Son; My will and my thoughts to God the Holy Spirit.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Solemnity and sublime truth of the Most Holy Trinity. The dogma of faith in the Blessed Trinity — which was not revealed to the Jews of the Old Testament — is a mystery on which everything in Christianity is based. It’s a prolongation of the mysteries of Christ. There is one God and in this one God there are three Divine Persons; the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one, eternal, incomprehensible God. The Father is not more God than the Son, neither is the Son more God than the Holy Spirit. The Father is the first Divine Person; the Son is the second Divine Person, begotten from the nature of the Father from eternity; the Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, proceeding from the Father and the Son. All three Persons contributed to and shared in the work of redemption. The Father sent His Son to earth, for “God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son.” The Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, became man and died for us. He redeemed us and made us children of God. After Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit became our Teacher, Leader, Guide, and Consoler. The mystery of the triune God is a synthesis of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus said to the seventeenth-century nun and mystic St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: “Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you, My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth.” The Devotion to the Sacred Heart calls for a fundamental attitude of conversion and reparation, love and gratitude, apostolic commitment, and dedication to Christ and his saving work. In the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus gave these twelve promises to those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life. I will establish peace in their families. I will console them in all their troubles. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy. Tepid souls shall become fervent. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection. I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored. I will give priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart. A plenary indulgence is granted if it is publicly recited on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • June 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The God’s Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost, this year on June 16th. The devotion to the Sacred Heart remains as one of the most widespread and popular in the Church, regardless of the attempts of our secular society to discredit this practice and impose weird ideological alternatives. In the light of the Scriptures, the term "Sacred Heart of Jesus" denotes the mystery of Christ, the totality of his being: the Son of God, uncreated wisdom, source of salvation and sanctification of mankind, and infinite divine-human merciful love. Also, according to this devotion, the first Friday of each month was designated by Jesus himself as consecrated to honoring his Sacred Heart, to increase our love for him, and to make reparation for past and present offenses against his love. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠June 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest. The feast focuses firstly on Jesus’ Priestly Office as He is considered the model for believers, and for the clergy in particular, with priests acting In persona Christi (“In the person of Christ”). The laity is thus urged to pray that priests would be more like Christ, the compassionate and trustworthy high priest (Hebrews 2:17), ever-living to intercede for humanity before The Father (Heb 7:25). The entry from the Roman Martyrology (2005) reads: The Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Eternal High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek. In him, the Father has been well pleased from before all time. As a Mediator between God and human beings, fulfilling his Father’s will, he sacrificed himself once on the altar of the Cross as a saving Victim for the whole world. Thus, instituting the pattern of an everlasting sacrifice, with a brother’s kindness he chose, from among the children of Adam, men to augment the priesthood, so that, from the sacrifice continually renewed in the Church, streams of divine power might flow, whereby a new heaven and a new earth might be made, and throughout the whole universe there would be perfected what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the human heart. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠June 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This episode — the Second Joyful Mystery — recalls great truths and events: The visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth shortly after the Annunciation; the cleansing of John the Baptist from original sin in the womb of his mother at the words of Our Lady's greeting; Elizabeth's proclaiming of Mary—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—as Mother of God and "blessed among women"; Mary's singing of the sublime hymn, Magnificat: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me, and holy is His name" (Lk. 1:46). Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 31, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: St. Paul VI, at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in 1964, declared the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church, establishing that “all Christian people, the faithful as well as the pastors, should further honor and invoke the Mother of God.’ Decades later, Pope Francis promoted this devotion in order to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety.” Saint Augustine and Pope Saint Leo the Great both reflected on the Virgin Mary’s importance in the mystery of Christ. “Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church,” wrote St. Augustine. St. Leo the Great indicated that “Mary is at once Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church.” The fathers of the Church have always highlighted the divine motherhood of Mary and her intimate union in the work of the Redeemer. Mary was depicted at the foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25). “There she became the Mother of the Church when she accepted her Son’s testament of love and welcomed all people in the person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto life eternal,” wrote St. Paul VI. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Thou Holy Spirit, Come!Mary, Mother of the Church, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, a feast connected to the Feast of Pentecost. The Blessed Mother was present in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and the birthday of the Church took place. Just as Mary was in every major moment in the life of her divine son, so, too, is she there for every moment in the life of the Church. She is also at every single Mass. Like every good mother, Mary is always with her children. That is what we celebrate today. Let’s give thanks to God for the great gift of our Blessed Mother. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Thou Holy Spirit, Come!Mary, Mother of the Church, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: And when the days of Pentecost were drawing to a close, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire, which settled upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign tongues, even as the Holy Spirit prompted them to speak (Acts 2, 1-4). Today is Pentecost Sunday, one of the great feasts of Christianity and the end of the Easter Season. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, upon the Apostles and Disciples and the birth-day of God’s Church, with the gift of faith for all nations and the fullness of grace. Pentecost was an important feast in the Jewish calendar and was primarily a feast of thanksgiving to God for the harvest. The Apostles had already received the Holy Spirit on Christ's first appearance to them after his resurrection (Jn 20:22). But on Pentecost day the descent of the Holy Spirit, with the gift of tongues, was a public manifestation intended to amaze the crowds of local and foreign Jews who thronged Jerusalem on the festive occasion. From this day forward the apostles would be men dedicated to one purpose: to bring the good news, the Gospel of Christ, to the world. The divine power of the Holy Spirit was very evident in the infant Church. This was necessary to prove to the pagans that the Christian religion was from the real God who controlled all things. The God of the Christians had real powers and they were distributed freely by the Holy Spirit when occasion demanded. The anniversary of the public manifestation of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles marks the infinite love of God for us, his Chosen People of the new covenant. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! Come, Thou Holy Spirit, Come! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Now, in the time between Ascension and Pentecost, we are invited to be living embodiments of Jesus as He is of His Father. It means that we must share his joy by abiding in His love. How do we abide in His love? He tells: “If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love, as it is by keeping my Father’s commandments that abide in His love.” Jesus entered heaven as our pioneer. The Ascension is not different from the Resurrection, rather we are asked to dwell on a partial aspect of the Resurrection. It means essentially that Jesus is with His Father—in the glory of the Father. To enter into this mystery, we receive His life and live by it, through the mystery of Pentecost. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: It was written that Christ, who was sinless, would suffer hardship and pain before entering into his glory. In imitation of Him, we too must suffer, accepting the suffering and trials of human existence. This way, we will cleanse our sins and enter into the life of glory. We should be glad of the opportunity to make some atonement for our past offenses, by willingly accepting the crosses the Father sends us. These crosses are signs of God’s interest in our true welfare. Through the Ascension of Christ to His Father, we got the assurance that if we do our part here on Earth true, supernatural life, in the love of God, awaits us. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Last week, during one of the readings from the Gospel of John (John 15:18-21), Jesus Christ warned us to anticipate persecution. Simultaneously, He encouraged us to get our fears in the right order: “Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” “Instead, fear the one who can destroy both the soul and body in Gehenna.” Mind you, the body passes, but the soul, which connects us with the living God, lasts forever. As humans, we are united with the Creator of the Universe, and in Him, we find rest and a place of safety. Take, for example, the saints and martyrs who were never afraid of even the wickedest people. Instead, they feared God. In this way, they experienced a life free from worry, threats, and persecution. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Lord Jesus does want us to stay and fight in the world for the truth, as the Church exists for the world. The Son of God knows that we fall into temptation and sin, and He asks the Father for help so that we can avoid the Evil One. In today's Gospel (Jn 17:11b-19), Jesus Christ, lifting up His eyes to Heaven, prayed saying: "I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth." "As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel (Jn 17:1-11a), Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and talked to the Father: “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you.“ “I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.” “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.” God and humanity, heaven and earth, came together in Jesus. He revealed God’s will and purpose to Earth. The bread of life came to unite us, invite the poor to the table, heal the sick in body and heart, and embody the path of forgiveness and love. As Bishop Barron wrote: “In his Passion and death, Jesus brought heaven all the way down into the world. He carried the divine light into the darkest places of the human condition—hatred, cruelty, violence, corruption, stupidity, suffering, and death itself—and thereby transformed them. And the proof that heaven is able to transform earth is, of course, the Resurrection.” “Now we know that cruelty, hatred, violence, fear, suffering, and death are not the most powerful forces in the world. Now we know that the divine love is more powerful. God’s kingdom has, in principle, broken the kingdoms of the world, which thrive upon, and in turn produce, those very negativities.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: "Take courage, for I have conquered the world," Lord Jesus told the disciples, as we read today in the Scriptures (Jn 16:29-33). The Evil One seems to be reigning in the world with snares and tricks, given what we see in the news and around us, in our families and communities. The Father of Lies never rests in his goal of devouring souls and making people miserable. But we are people of God, and in Him, we find peace. Jesus is the good shepherd, and we lack nothing when we trust in Him. Our sinful nature in a fallen world results in a lack of wisdom and knowledge. We invoke the Blessed Mother Mary to bring us to her divine Son by praying today's Joyful Mysteries. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, one week before Pentecost, we observe the Solemnity of the Ascension in many U.S. dioceses and many countries around the world. This feast commemorates the triumphant Ascension of Lord Jesus into heaven, according to Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2. By ascending into His glory, Christ finished the work of our redemption. The Ascension is the completion of the Easter mysteries of Jesus’ life, passion, death, and resurrection, and it is the final step before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we observe the feast of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. This celebration was established on the first Saturday after Ascension Thursday. Mary gathered the apostles together in the Cenacle. She comforted and assisted them in prayer, and they all received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The Queen of Apostles occupies a central position in God's plan of salvation. Mary's devotees will never be without grace; in any danger, in every circumstance, they will always have the means to obtain every grace from God. Because the Blessed Mother occupies the most important position in God's plan of salvation, all of humanity should pay homage to her. Whoever spreads devotion to the Queen of Apostles is an apostolic benefactor to the human race because devotion to Mary is a treasure. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The death of a beloved family member or friend is one of the saddest events imaginable. It's a cause of sorrow and tears. This is a natural feeling as we are still earthly beings. But death is not the end; it is, rather, the beginning. Yesterday's feast—the Ascension of our Lord in his human nature—to his Father's and our Father's home is a joyful confirmation that life is eternal. We will all rise from the grave with new, glorified bodies and ascend to heaven, as Christ did. There, we'll begin our true life of eternal happiness. We have the certainty that our beloved ones have gone to their true life and will be there to meet us when our turn comes. This thought, always at the back of our minds, consoles, and comforts us. All human beings want to live on forever with our dear ones. Death breaks that continuity, but only for a little while. That break precedes a new life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

• May 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET• Audio Podcast of this Rosary is Available Here Now! Friends of the Rosary: Today, in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, Philadelphia, and the State of Nebraska is observed the Solemnity of the Ascension while other provinces have transferred this solemnity to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 21. The Feast of the Ascension, on the fortieth day after Easter Sunday, commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven, according to Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2. At the end of His earthly life, Jesus ascended triumphantly into heaven. And by ascending into His glory, Christ completed the work of our redemption. Tradition designates Mount Olivet near Bethany as the place where Christ left the earth. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Preceding the feast of the Ascension, that in some countries is celebrated tomorrow, there were the three Rogation Days in the old calendar. Rogation comes from the Latin word rogare, which means to supplicate or ask. The purpose of Rogation Days is to beg God for His mercy, to turn away His anger, and to ask Him to bless the fruits of the earth while protecting us from natural disasters. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on the nature of true prayer and how to pray fervently and perseveringly. In the Gospel, Christ's words were: "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives..." The petition is the key to God's fatherly heart as it opens up the treasures of divine mercy. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Universal Church commemorates several saints today: St. Ubaldus, St. Brendan, St. Honoratus of Amiens, and St. Simon Stock. The sacrifice and the blood of saints and martyrs keep the faith and the eternal truth alive. One of the saints is Simon Stock (1165-1265). He was a hermit member of the Carmelite order. On July 16, 1251, St. Simon Stock had a vision of Our Lady, who gave him the Brown Scapular and promised final perseverance in grace to those who wear the brown scapular and remain faithful until death. This vision led to the widespread devotion to Mary over the next centuries of wearing this scapular in her honor. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Simon Stock, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We honor today the holiness of St. Isidore the Farmer (1070-1130), a twelfth-century Spanish day laborer and farmer who, although working many hours a day, never failed to attend daily Mass and spend time praying before the Holy Eucharist. He married a maid-servant, a good Catholic young woman as simple and upright as himself, who also became a saint, Maria de la Cabeza. They had one son who unexpectedly died as a child. They were both known for their love of the poor and their willingness to help their neighbors. St. Isidore the Farmer — San Isidro Labrador — died on May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 alongside Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as “the five saints.” In 1947, St. Isidore the Farmer was proclaimed the patron of the National Rural Life Conference in the United States. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Isidore the Farmer, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: God is pure love; that is His essence. And He desires for us to emulate Him by demonstrating love to one another. In order to participate in the divine community of love, we must be devoted followers of Jesus Christ. To become His disciples, we must obey His commandments. As He told His disciples, which we read in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 14:15-21): “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” When we remain faithful, the Spirit of Truth will reside within us, and Jesus Himself will reveal Himself to us. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On May 13, 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three poor shepherd children — Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. Today is also the traditional commemoration of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, to honor her relationship to the Holy Eucharist and place her before us as a model in our duties and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. The message of Fatima is a call to conversion of heart, repentance from sin, and a dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially through the prayer of the Rosary, works of penance, and recourse to her Immaculate Heart. On October 13 Mary said: “I have come to exhort the faithful to change their lives, to avoid grieving Our Lord by sin; to pray the Rosary. I desire in this place a chapel in my honor.” In the summer of 1916, an Angel appeared to three shepherds several times and taught them a prayer to the Blessed Trinity. Further apparitions of the Virgin took place on June 13, July 13, August 19, September 13, and October 13. In the last apparition, the woman revealed her name in response to Lucia’s question: “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” She called again called for prayer and penitence. On that day a celestial phenomenon also took place: the sun seemed to tumble from the sky and crash toward Earth. As at Lourdes, the “apparitions” of Fatima have brought crowds of visitors. Pilgrimages, which began in the summer of 1917, have experienced growing success. Popes have shown exceptional favor toward Fatima, Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francisco, in particular making a visit to the shrine in Fatima. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In the Gospel today, Jesus calls us his friends. He said to his disciples (Jn 15:12-17): "I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another." In Jesus, we have an eternal friend. The first Christians saw in the dying and rising of Jesus that we killed God, and God returned in forgiving love. The Son of God saw us at our very worst and loved us anyway. We have been drawn into a life of friendship with God. "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus shares the same divine nature as the Father. The relationship between the Father and the Son is one of perfect love and unity — and through the Son that we are able to know the Father and receive His love and mercy. In today's Gospel (Jn 15:9-11), Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love." We abide in the love of Jesus. We are invited to have the same communion of love with Jesus that He has with the Father. Through our baptism (the first Luminous Mystery that we pray today), we are united with Christ and become members of His body, the Church. This means that we are called to share in His divine life and love and to participate in His mission of bringing salvation to the world. Through prayer, the sacraments, and a life of charity, we can deepen our relationship with Jesus and grow in our communion of love with Him and with the Father."I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: “The impossibly good news is that Jesus and the Father have invited us to participate in the life that they share, to enter fully into their coinherence,” wrote Bishop Barron reflecting on this Sunday’s reading (JOHN 14:1–12) when Jesus revealed the mutual indwelling—the coinherence—of the Father and the Son. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places,” Jesus said to his apostles. The “house” of the Father is Jesus’ own life. The love between the Father and the Son—which is called “the Holy Spirit”— is shared with the human race — and we can participate in it! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s reading (Jn 14:27-31a), Jesus promises his Second Coming. "I am going away and I will come back to you." Christ also said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." Christianity is a religion of salvation and fulfillment, but it's also a religion of waiting. We stay vigilant while Christ comes again. And we wait avoiding any anxiety and distress. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Universal Church celebrates the feast of the apparition of St. Michael on the summit of Monte Gargano (Castel Sant' Angelo), on the Adriatic coast of Italy in the sixth century, where a sanctuary was built. We may also mention his apparition, among others, in Rome to Saint Gregory the Great; and in France's Mont-Saint-Michel — a famous pilgrimage site today — to Saint Aubert, bishop of Avranches. The Archangels — among them, Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are the distinguished ones — are heavenly spirits who help the Divinity to dispense His providence in our world. They have the power of moving at will from place to place. Saint Michael, whose name means Who is like unto God?, is the prince of the faithful Angels who opposed Lucifer and his followers in their revolt against God and His holy Church. Of all the angels, none is accorded greater veneration than St. Michael. Saint Michael is the patron of the Church on Earth and our special protector against the demon’s assaults and stratagems. Also, the feast of St. Michael is celebrated on September 29th. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Michael, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET   

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus said to his disciples (Jn 14:1-12): “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” As faithful Catholics, we are called to trust in Christ completely, even in the midst of difficult and troubling circumstances. Jesus reminds us that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that by placing our faith in Him, we will find peace and comfort. He also reassures us that He is going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house and that He will come back to take us with Him. By trusting in Christ, we will find hope, peace, and eternal life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Holy Rosary from a Marian apparition place near Madrid: Prado Nuevo, in El Escorial. A visionary and mystic Amparo Cuevas received the visit of Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, Our Lady of Sorrows, in May of 1997. The Holy Virgin insisted on the need for Prayer, Penance, and Sacrifice. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries today. This Rosary was recorded last Friday, April 28th, during the 18-month funeral mass anniversary of Maria Blanca in Greenwich, Connecticut. On this day, we reflect upon the Sorrowful Passion of Jesus Christ, and how He emptied himself for our Salvation. As He said to his disciples — and we read in the Gospel today (Jn 14:1-6): “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places. If there were not,would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: As we read yesterday (Jn 14:6-14), Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." "The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves." "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." St Paul referred to Jesus as the “icon of the invisible God.” Neither the words nor the deeds of Jesus are "his own." They are received from the Father. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠May 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Feast of Sts. Philip and James the Less, two of the twelve apostles of Christ. Immediately, Philip began to convert others, finding his friend Nathaniel (St. Bartholome) and telling him that Jesus was the one whom Moses and the other prophets had foretold. Christ declared to St. Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…I am the Father and the Father is in me” (Jn 14:8, 11). James the Lesser is called “Lesser” because he was younger than the other Apostle by the same name, James the Great. He was a cousin of Our Lord. He is often called St. James the Less because of St. Mark’s reference to him as “the younger” (Mk 15:40). As bishop of Jerusalem, St. James wrote an Epistle of the New Testament. These apostles suffered and were persecuted, and now they rejoice in heaven. Like them, we too must have confidence in God and not be troubled by our adversities. In our Father’s house, there are many mansions, and if we follow the way indicated by Him, Christ will come at the end of our life and take us to Himself. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! Sts. Philip and James, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: St. Faustina wrote: "Suffering is the greatest treasure on Earth. It purifies the soul. In suffering, we learn who our true friend is." We suffer in the light of our faith. Our faith is the precious gift we have received from Heaven so we can understand the mystery of suffering. With Christ, we carry our own cross — or crosses — and with Him, we enter the glory of eternity through the resurrection of the body. Let us not complain, but instead rejoice silently in our pain. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • May 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the memorial day of St. Joseph the Worker. On this day, we see human labor in the light of faith. Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1955 to give all workmen a model and protector. We honor the chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, in the month dedicated to the Blessed Mother. St. Joseph offered his daily work to God with patience and joy, becoming an example to all laborers. He provided for the necessities of his holy spouse and the Incarnate Son of God. Leo XIII rightly wrote:“Workmen and all those laboring in conditions of poverty will have reasons to rejoice rather than grieve since they have in common with the Holy Family daily preoccupations and cares” Pope Pius XII expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labor and would bring a spiritual dimension to labor unions. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Joseph, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday. Christ Himself is the Good Shepherd, who knows each one of His sheep and gives His life for them. He said: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  (John 10:27) The Divine Shepherd was willing to sacrifice everything for his sheep. He did not let suffering, persecution, or rejection deter Him from His responsibility of caring for us in a complete way. No matter what "wolf" comes our way, we must know of the perfect love of Jesus Christ. He also wants us to return this gift to Him by offering this same unwavering commitment to one another. Let's reflect, today, on how well we imitate the Good Shepherd. Let Him shepherd us so that we may shepherd others by being instruments of his deep love and commitment. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Virgin and a doctor of the Church, along with Teresa of Avila and a very influential saint. Pope John Paul II proclaimed her patron saint of Europe. She is also the patron saint of journalists, media, and nursing. St. Catherine of Siena was an extraordinary laywoman in the Middle Ages. Her continual appeals for civil peace and reform of the Church make her one of the leading figures of the fourteenth century. She journeyed to Avignon and persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. She made peace between worldly princes. The heads of Church and State bowed to her words. St. Catherine of Siena acquired great influence through her life of prayer and extraordinary mortifications as well as by the spread of her spiritual writings. A tertiary of the Dominican Order, she was favored with visions of Christ from the age of seven. Unbelievable were her austerities, her miracles, her ecstasies. The reputation of her sanctity soon spread abroad; thousands came to see her, to be converted by her. The priests associated with her were unable to accommodate the crowds of penitents. She was a helper and a consoler in every need.St. Catherine of Siena died at age 33 in Rome, and most of her body is buried there at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica. Saint Catherine of Siena is remembered as a powerful example of faith, humility, and selflessness, and is revered by Catholics around the world as a model of holiness and devotion to God. Her feast day is celebrated with special Masses and other devotions in many Catholic churches. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: Today, April 28th, the Universal Church celebrates the memorial day of Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, a 17th-century saint who is revered for his intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially through the Holy Rosary. "Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect way of approaching Jesus," he wrote. In this spirituality, he preached the total consecration to Jesus through Mary and the fidelity to the Cross. He wrote: "The Incarnation of the Word is for him the absolute central reality." Born in Montfort, Brittany (France), in 1673, this priest and poet took the name Marie at his confirmation. St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort formulated the prayer of entrustment to Our Lady, "Totus Tuus ego sum," which means, "I am all yours." The late Pope John Paul II took the phrase "Totus Tuus" as his episcopal motto. Another motto of this saint was "God Alone", repeated over 150 times in his writings. A gifted preacher, he often drew crowds of thousands to hear his sermons in which he encouraged frequent communion (not the custom then) and devotion to Mary. But he also met with opposition, especially from the Jansenists, a heretical movement within the Church that believed in absolute Predestination, in which only a chosen few are saved, and the rest damned. Much of France was influenced by Jansenism, including many bishops, who banished St. Loius Marie from preaching in their dioceses. He was even poisoned by Jansenists in La Rochelle, but survived, though he suffered ill health after. While recuperating from the effects of the poisoning, he wrote the masterpiece of Marian piety, "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin," which correctly prophesied it would be hidden by the devil for a time. His seminal work was discovered 200 years after his death. The book became a classic explanation of Marian's devotion and the basis for the consecration to Mary. Louis Marie de Montfort also wrote another masterpiece, The Secret of the Rosary. [PDF, free Download] He founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary (for priests and brothers) and the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, who cared especially for the sick in hospitals and the education of poor girls. On this special day, we will celebrate at 7:00 pm in St. Catherine of Siena Parish, in Greenwich, Connecticut, a Holy Mass for the eternal rest of María Blanca Gonzalez de Amigot, Blanki. At 6:30 pm it will take place the Holy Rosary – today the Sorrowful Mysteries. María Blanca went to the Father on October 28, 2021, eighteen months ago today. The Amigot Gonzalez family invites everyone to the event.  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:At that time, Jesus revealed to the crowds (Jn 6:44-51) that He was — and He is — the bread of life."I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world."Indeed, when we take the living bread of Christ we become alive in a way that we were not before. This is why Jesus says that He is the bread that comes down from heaven.As Bishop Barron wrote, "Heaven is the realm of God, and therefore it is a realm of love.""What is the Eucharist, this heavenly food, but a participation in the love between the Father and the Son? In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and the sacrifice of Christ is the fullest expression of the love of the Father and the Son." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 16:15-20) we were given a laconic account of the Ascension: "Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God." The Evangelist suggests that now Jesus is the King of Kings on his throne in Heaven. Bishop Barron explains: “This means that Jesus is directing the things of earth from his place in heaven. Don’t think of this spatially, as though heaven were a long way away. Think of heaven as a dimension that overlaps with earth, that impinges on earth. And this is why the Ascension forces us to come to grips with a key question: Whom do we finally obey? Whom do we finally serve? Who, finally, is the king of our life? We legitimately obey all sorts of figures—political, cultural, artistic, etc.—but there is always an ultimate king, someone (or something) from which we take our definitive marching orders.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Feast Day of St. Mark, the Evangelist, the author of the second Gospel. He was baptized and instructed by St. Peter. Mark accompanied Paul on his missionary journey. Later, he became the companion and secretary of St. Peter in Rome. The Gospel of Mark, written in the year 50 A.D., narrates St. Peter’s preaching about the Our Lord and emphasizes the miraculous power of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of St. Mark, the shortest of the four, is a Roman Gospel, originated in Rome and is addressed to Romans, that is, to Western Christianity. Mark preached in Egypt, especially in Alexandria, where he was a bishop and died as a martyr. His relics were transferred from Alexandria to Venice, where a worthy tomb was erected in St. Mark's Cathedral. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Mark, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Amid the difficulties and struggles, we understand that our main mission, as followers of the Word is to help build the Kingdom of Christ on Earth. Amazingly, the Author of Life has trust in us. St. Teresa of Avila explained it very well: “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks the world with compassion. Yours are the feed with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body. Christ has no body now but yours.” Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:As St. Paul explains in the second reading (1 Pt 1:17-21) today we’ve been ransomed from our ungodly conduct with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The spotless unblemished lamb of God emptied himself and suffered death on the cross as a ransom for many. It’s difficult for our narrow minds to understand this mystery. Think in this episode of a life of a martyr, St. Maximilian Kolbe. In Auschwitz, in front of the evil nazis, we exchanged his life for a family man who was about to be executed.Maximilian Kolbe’s martyrdom was a perfect human example of sacrificial love, in imitation of the crucified Jesus. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: During Easter, we continue to reflect upon the meaning of the Resurrection of Christ. Sin entered the world through the disobedience to God by Adam and Eve, our forefathers. Their arrogance and pride brought us to sin. That was at that time, but today we continue offending and insulting the Author of Life. After sending many prophets, the Father sent His own beloved Son. Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, destroyed our sins and conquered death through His infinite merciful love and His own sorrowful passion and death on the Cross. Three days later, Jesus was resurrected. He opened the way to eternal life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: With His death, the Son of God destroyed our death. With His Resurrection, Christ restores our life. Easter means sin destroyed, death overcome, and everlasting divine life for mankind. Our body will be resurrected in a gloried way so we enjoy the promised immortality. With this certitude, hope and joy should be our hallmark. Easter is about the joy of the Resurrection. It's also a fulfillment of the promise that Christ will come again with glory to take us with Him into the Kingdom of Heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today's reading (Jn 3:31-36) includes a definition of the universe and the way humans should behave:   "The one who comes from above is above all.The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.But the one who comes from heaven is above all.He testifies to what he has seen and heard,but no one accepts his testimony.Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,but the wrath of God remains upon him." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠• Audio Podcast of this Rosary is Available Here Now!

Friends of the Rosary: Today’s reading is essential to understand the mystery of the divine creation. The Gospel of John (Jn 3:16-21) explains this in breathtaking way: "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As we learn this Easter, our destiny is everlasting life. We came from the Father and to the Father we will go after being tested and purified on Earth. Crucified and Risen Jesus reconciled us through his precious blood to the Father. The Lamb of God who alone is without sin emptied himself into a death on a cross as a ransom for the sins of mankind. The Prince of Life, who died, was risen, and reigns immortal, obtained for us new everlasting life, in the company of the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the angels, archangels, the Communion of Saints, and our loved family relatives and friends in Heaven. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Despite mankind crucified God, He returned in the form of Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit, as we are seeing in the New Testament this Easter season. The nature of God is love. The world needs to understand and accept the Divine Mercy. Why? Because the Divine Mercy is a powerful reminder of God’s love and forgiveness, and it encourages us to trust in his mercy and to show mercy to others. God is always there to forgive us and show us mercy. We just celebrated one of his greatest acts of mercy: the sacrifice of his only son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on this Sunday of Divine Mercy solemnity, we meditate upon the mystery of God’s merciful love. The Divine Mercy devotion to Jesus Christ emphasizes his infinite love and mercy toward sinners. In 1931, St. Faustina Kowalska had a vision of Jesus. He appeared before her as the “King of Divine Mercy”, wearing a white garment and with two rays of light shining from his heart. Jesus told Polish nun St. Faustina to paint an image of him as he appeared before her, with these words below: Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus then asked her to have the painting blessed on the first Sunday after Easter and to celebrate that day as the Feast of Mercy. He also asked St. Faustina to serve as an example of God’s mercy for all of mankind. On May 5, 2000, five days after the canonization of Saint Faustina, the Vatican decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. In her Diary, St. Faustina, the mystic of the twenty century and apostle of the Divine Mercy, wrote what she heard from Jesus: “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners.” “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.“ “My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.” “Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy.” “My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice.” “From all My wounds, like from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about My mercy.”  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Mark the Evangelist narrates in today’s reading (Mk 16:9-15) that Jesus appeared to the Eleven apostles when they were at the table and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart "because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised," that is, Mary Magdalene and the two disciples walking to Emmaus. Jesus said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." Happy Easter! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel reading (Jn 21:1-14), Jesus Christ was revealed to his disciples for the third time after being raised from the dead. It was at the Sea of Tiberias that Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, John, James, and two more disciples not named in this passage went fishing. In the beginning, they didn’t realize that it was Jesus. Later, when they saw the abundance of the catching, they recognized the Lord. Jesus came over and broke the bread. Twenty centuries later we reflect on this passage and we delight in the ways the risen Christ revealed. It encouraged us to proclaim our faith in Christ. Happy Easter! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!+ Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today’s reading (Lk 24:35-48) presents Jesus Christ standing in the midst of the disciples, saying “Peace be with you,” and showing them his wounded hands and feet. He also opened their minds to understanding the Scriptures, "Everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." Happy Easter! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 24:13-35), we read about the Emmaus event, where two men encountered Jesus Christ after his resurrection. During the encounter, Jesus explained to the men how the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in his death and resurrection. The Emmaus Road story is an example of how Jesus heals and reveals himself to his followers. The Walk to Emmaus Movement, a three-day spiritual retreat, was also inspired by this event. Happy Easter! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is Tuesday in the Octave of Easter, a period of eight days starting from Easter Sunday and ending on the Sunday of the Divine Mercy. During this time, the faithful celebrate the Resurrection and everlasting life and reflect on its significance for our faith. Each day of the Octave is considered by the Church a solemnity. We rejoice in the victory of Christ over sin and death and we renew our commitment to follow the Son of God as His humble disciples. Happy Easter! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who met Jesus on their way to the tomb, we overjoy with the risen Christ. God resurrected His son, inspiring us to be witnesses of the Good News that eternal and true life awaits us.  Our hearts should be filled with joy and gratitude this Easter of 2023. We are faithful and courageous ambassadors of the risen Christ.   Through baptism, confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist, we are adopted children of God. And if we shared his sorrowful Passion, we will enjoy his Resurrection and the glory of Heaven.   All these are mysteries that only through the divine gift of faith can be understood.   Happy Easter! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus is risen. He is risen, indeed! Today, on the solemnity of Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, we celebrate God’s unconditional love for all of humanity and the hope of eternal life that He offers to us. And our hearts are filled with joy and gratitude for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, we are called to proclaim the love and mercy of our Savior. Like the three women upon seeing the empty tomb and hearing of the Resurrection, we should be running to share the Good News inviting everyone to encounter the love of God in Christ and his Church. Happy Easter! Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is Holy Saturday, from its official liturgical name Sabbatum Sanctum. It’s a sacred day of the Lord's rest after His victorious battle against Evil and sin. Christ is in the tomb and the faithful sit near to mourn. Jesus' enemies are still furious, attempting to obliterate the memory of the Lord through lies and slander. The body of the Church is represented in the Virgin Mary, as she waits near the Lord's grave keeping vigil. Mary is awaiting, in faith, the triumph of her Son over death and His resurrection. Today, there are no liturgies until night with the celebration of the Easter Vigil. On this sacred night, we remember that our Lord Jesus Christ passed over from death to life. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the faithful mourn the death of Christ Jesus. We observe the "Celebration of the Lord's Passion." It's a sad, solemn day of mourning, spent in fasting, abstinence, and prayer. We try to find ways to slow down and practice contemplation by participating in the devotions and liturgy, while we restrict ourselves from outside entertainment, TV, music, and social media, as a way to avoid distractions from the spirit of the day. Families can gather to pray the rosary, Stations of the Cross, the Divine Mercy chaplet, and meditative reading and prayers on the passion of Christ. The title for this day varies in different parts of the world: "Holy Friday" for Latin and Spanish nations; "Good Friday" for Anglo and Dutch countries as a variation of the term "God's Friday." According to the Church's tradition, during the liturgy, the sacraments are not celebrated on Holy Friday nor Holy Saturday. The altar is completely bare, with no clothes, candles, or cross. The service is divided into three parts: Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. The liturgy starts with the priests and deacons going to the altar and prostrating themselves in silent prayer. We hear the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah (52:13-53:12), Psalm 30, "Father, I put my life in your hands," the Epistle to the Hebrews, 4:14-16; 5:7-9, and the Gospel Reading is the Passion of St. John. Ten intercessions conclude the Liturgy of the Word. For the Church For the Pope For the clergy and laity of the Church For those preparing for baptism For the unity of Christians For the Jewish people For those who do not believe in Christ For those who do not believe in God For all in public office For those in special need In the second part of the liturgy we venerate and kiss the wooden cross "on which hung the Savior of the world." In part three, the Blessed Sacrament is brought to the altar from the place of reposition. The Our Father and the Ecce Agnus Dei ("This is the Lamb of God") are recited. The congregation receives Holy Communion. During this Holy Friday, we take time to look at a crucifix, whether in our church or home, thinking of its significance. On the cross is the savior of the world. Christ died so we might be forgiven and set free to live. The love of Christ is shown on the cross, to set us free, enjoying the freedom of being a child of God. By the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. For by your Holy Cross, you have set us free. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

• April 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET• Audio Podcast of this Rosary is Available Here Now! Friends of the Rosary: Today is Holy Thursday of the Sacred Triduum, commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his apostles. During the evening’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper, we observe the institution of the priesthood and Holy Eucharist, the mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus. The Mass includes the Washing of the Feet. With this gesture, we imitate Christ’s humility. We also recall the Agony in the Garden and the arrest and imprisonment of Jesus. The altar is stripped bare, crosses are removed or covered. After the Communion Prayer, the Holy Eucharist is carried in procession through Church and transferred into a side chapel. The hymn Pange Lingua is usually sung at this time. Most churches are open for silent adoration, as there is a tradition, particularly in big cities with many parishes, to try and visit seven churches and their altar of repose during this evening. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, Wednesday of Holy Week is traditionally known as Spy Wednesday, because we remember the treachery of Judas Iscariot, who made a bargain with the high priest to betray Jesus for thirty silver pieces, as we read today in the New Testament (Matt 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:1-6). This day ends the official Lenten period. Tomorrow, we will enter into the Holy Triduum, the three liturgical days of the Holy Week: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Also, today is the optional memorial of a great holy man, St. Vincent Ferrer.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET  

Friends of the Rosary: During his Palm Sunday homily in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis expressed that Jesus willingly took on the pain and abandonment of his Passion and Crucifixion to be with us in our times of sorrow and difficulty. No matter the circumstance of our abandonment, Jesus is by our side. We can find the Crucified in the individuals who are forgotten, unseen, hidden, dismissed, sick, unborn, disabled, lonely, or elderly. Pope Francis urged us to open our hearts and eyes to those who feel abandoned, in keeping with Jesus' example of abandonment. Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, marks the start of Holy Week. This week culminates in the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, and concludes with the celebration of Christ's Resurrection beginning at the Easter Vigil. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today’s reading (Jn 12:1-11) presents two noteworthy characters who play opposite roles in the Lord’s passion and typify man’s relation to Christ: Mary of Bethany and Judas. Mary anoints the feet of her Savior for His burial and dries them with her hair. Judas resents her action and resolves upon his evil course. Judas the Iscariot, one of the disciples, and the one who would betray Jesus was presented as a thief as he held the money bag and used it to steal the contributions. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we commemorate Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, die, and rise again. It’s the celebration of our Lord’s paschal mystery after Lent’s five weeks of preparation through works of charity and self-sacrifice. At that time, a huge crowd assembled put their cloaks or branches on the ground, and waved palm branches, acclaiming Christ as the King of Israel, the Son of David. On today’s solemn Mass, there is a special entrance at the beginning. We wave our palm branches and sing as the priest enters the church: Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel. The gospel reading presents the entrance into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; John 12:12-16; Luke 19:28-40). The priest, wearing red vestments, explains the solemnity of Holy Week and invites us to take full part in the celebration. The palms distributed at Mass are blessed, so they are sacramentals. We unite with Christ in his Sorrowful Passion and suffering on the cross, so may we share his resurrection and new, perfected life in Heaven with the Communion of Saints. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • April 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Catholic Church invites us to live in spirit Christ’s Passion and Death. In today's Gospel (Jn 11:45-56) we hear the death sentence passed onto Jesus by the High Priest and the Council.Tomorrow, we will observe the Solemnity of Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, during which we will commemorate Christ's entry into Jerusalem. It's the beginning of Holy Week. Following the Jews' example we proclaim Christ as a Victor. Hosanna to the Son of David! Jesus, the sign of contradiction, acclaimed by some and reviled by others, underwent His Passion, the punishment for our sins.  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠April 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Fridays of Lent have a penitential quality. Today, one week before Good Friday, we reflect on the Sorrowful Passion of Jesus Christ. We see Jesus in the Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) episode, when Pontius Pilate presented Our Savior crowned with thorns to the crowd before his crucifixion. In our society, we prefer to have our heads crowned with laurels. We are impatient and demanding. And reject any idea of salvific suffering. We say that suffering and pain must be eliminated. Our faith is weak, and we flee from the Cross instead of holding it as Jesus did. Are we one in spirit with Christ? Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 31, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: What we do in our earthly life has an echo in eternity. Often, we behave following our pure instinct without further thought. Cultivating holy moments, living joyfully, and loving one another stays with us for eternity. An extraordinary example of this is the legacy of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. What she did will stay forever. What matters are the very small acts of charity and love we offer to God. The Divine uses those gestures to change the world. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York   • March 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET⁠

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s reading (Jn 8:31-42), the Lord Jesus explains how we can be truly free. "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The Jews were arguing that they were sons of Abraham. Jesus replied: “I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me,because my word has no room among you.” In other words, only if we are faithful servants of Lord Jesus, we will be free. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: With humility and merciful love, on this Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, we pray today’s Holy Rosary from Cambridge, Massachusetts. All of our dysfunction, cruelty, and sins are revealed on that cross. As Bishop Barron writes, on the cross of Jesus, we meet our own sin, but we also meet the divine mercy that has taken that sin upon himself in order to swallow it up. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In yesterday's reading (John 11:1-45) about the extraordinary miracle of Lazarus' resurrection, the sisters Martha and Mary asked the Lord Jesus, "Master, the one you love is ill." When Jesus heard this, He said, "This illness is not to end in death but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Through His extreme humility and merciful love towards us, the Son of God defeated not only our sins but also death. His resurrection taught us that what we call death is a transition into a perfected life in eternity. This changes our limited concept of human existence. Here on earth, everything is imperfect, even our love and dedication to our spouses, children, and families whom we cherish. For example, my wife Maria Blanca loved me with her entire mind and heart, but now she loves me with her eternal and perfected soul without any limits. Today's Rosary was recorded last Saturday on the Solemnity Day of the Annunciation at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This fifth Sunday of Lent is the final Sunday of Lent before the beginning of Holy Week. When parishioners go to Mass today, they will see that their church might have covered crosses and images. They will remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. And today, the Catholic Church invites us to turn our attention to the reality of the painful human experience of the death of a loved one. For believers, death on this earth is a transition into a more perfect life. In the Gospel, we hear the great miracle of Jesus’s gift of life to his friend Lazarus when He raised him from the dead (John 11:1-45). Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”In the raising of Lazarus, we witness Jesus’s divinity and we also see his human side weeping for his friend. Lazarus became a sign of hope and conversion. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. We commemorate the great mystery of the Incarnation, the most sublime event in history when God assumed human nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary. It was at the hour of midnight when the Most Holy Mary was alone and absorbed in prayer that the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her. The Archangel asked her, in the name of the Blessed Trinity, to consent to become the Mother of God. Mary bowed and gave her fiat — 'be it done’ — by saying to the heavenly messenger: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word." As so many fathers of the Church remarked, the obedience of Mary, the second Eve, repaired the disobedience of the first Eve. The eternal Son of God began His human life in the chaste womb of Mary. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our lives are being overrun by noise and distractions. To that, we add our self-centered lifestyle. The secular society we inhabit encourages us to reconnect with ourselves and follow non-sense practices that ultimately lead to misery. We are promised a fulfilling and purposeful life. But the reality is often the opposite. These empty promises, or even outright lies, along with our own distractions, prevent us from truly experiencing life to the fullest. It is time to redirect our focus toward the only one who offers an abundant life, the Lord Jesus, whose heart burns with passion for us. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This Sunday, we read from the Old Testament (1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a) about how the Lord encouraged Samuel not to judge people based on their appearance. “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.” In our modern society, people who embody behaviors opposite to those of the Holy Spirit are often portrayed as role models. However, they may not inherit the kingdom of God. Let’s live in Christ. As St. Paul wrote, let us be imitators of God, as beloved children. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s powerful reading (John 5:17-30), God speaks through His Son, urging humanity to abandon all doubts and offenses against the Creator. The Lord Jesus said: “Whoever does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent Him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has passed from death to life.” Life itself is Jesus Christ. Without Him, we are like zombies, spiritually dead, miserable, and damned for eternity. It is God who has spoken. Humanity must repent and stop sinning for its own benefit. Although darkness threatens us, the light of the Father is much more powerful. With humility and love, we embrace our cross. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Saint Joseph, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Not many people in the Scriptures are presented as “a righteous man,” as St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the guardian of the Redeemer. Joseph, son of David, was one of us. He was born with the original sin. Later, he would be fully transformed by the grace of God. An angel of the Lord told him that Mary would bear a son, Jesus and that he would “save his people from their sins.” Blessed St. Joseph, a happy man was given not only to see and hear God. Whom, many kings longed to see — and saw not, and hear not. But also to carry Lord Jesus in his arms, clothe Him, and guard and defend Him. Today, we make three years since we started to pray online, in a group, our daily Rosary. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Saint Joseph, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, guardian of the Redeemer, and our spiritual father. As we say in the prayer, to him God entrusted His only Son, in him, Mary placed her trust, and with him Christ became man. He played a critical role in God’s plan of salvation from sin for humanity. Demons flee when they see St. Joseph. Along with Mary and her Holy Rosary, and St. Michael the Archangel, we cannot have better protection. Descendant from the royal house of David, St. Joseph, an ordinary manual laborer, was an extremely humble and silent man. No words of his are recorded in the Gospels. He faithfully fulfilled his high trust of protecting and guarding God’s greatest treasures upon earth, Jesus and Mary. He trustworthily witnessed the Messiah’s virgin birth. He died before the beginning of Christ’s public life, surely in the arms of Jesus and Mary. He has been universally venerated since the fifteenth century. He is declared patron and protector of the universal family of the Church. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! Saint Joseph, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:This Fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday, for the word laetare, rejoice in Latin. It’s a foretaste of Easter joy. Today, when we are in the middle of Lent, a meaningful joy born of our fruitful life in Christ should come among the faithful. The Gospel’s reading (John 9:1-41) narrates the healing of the ‘man born blind’. It is the passage from the darkness of sin and error to the Light of God, who is the Risen Christ.The Solemnity of St. Joseph is usually celebrated on March 19 but has been transferred to March 20 since the liturgy of the Lenten Sundays takes precedence.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Joyful Mysteries from St. Michael the Archangel Parish, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Fr. Richard Murphy leads the Holy Rosary. In the reading today (Lk 18:9-14), Lord Jesus says: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Son of God addressed the parable of two people who went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee prided himself on being the perfect religious practitioner. The tax collector was ashamed of his sins and asked mercy from the Lord. The Divinity loves people humble in spirit and who ask for mercy. The arrogant are far from the Kingdom. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We honor today St. Patrick, the fifth-century bishop and saint who brought Christianity to Ireland, converting the whole country from their pagan gods to the one true faith. And Ireland, despite being a small country, has played a large role in spreading Christianity throughout the world. In his attributed autobiography, called Confessions, and written in all humility, St. Patrick said: “I am greatly God’s debtor, because he granted me so much grace, that through me many people would be reborn in God, and soon after confirmed, and that clergy would be ordained everywhere for them, the masses lately come to belief, whom the Lord drew from the ends of the earth, just as he once promised through his prophets: “To you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited naught hut lies, worthless things in which there is no profit.” And again: “I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the uttermost ends of the earth.”  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In the Gospel today (Lk 11:14-23), Christ Jesus says: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." The Son of God is crystal clear. Whoever does not help Him in His mission to gather citizens into His kingdom is guilty of scattering them. That means that the Pharisees, in their conspiracy to destroy Jesus, have put themselves against the Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God. With Satan, they stand against the work of God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Only the living water of the Holy Spirit — that graciously descends upon the faithful, as we learn in the third Glorious Mystery today— can quench man’s thirst for the infinite, as Benedict XVI once said. Man is able to give affection and care to his fellow humans but never endless joy and peace since these fruits belong to the Divine. As John the Evangelist said — and we read today, (Jn 6:63c, 68c) “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: A self-centered mentality distances us from God, and this separation causes dissatisfaction. To receive God’s gifts of joy, peace, and love, we must approach Him with humility and give ourselves to Him. Our secular society encourages us to focus on connecting and reconnecting with ourselves — and we see that in practices like yoga and mindfulness. Results fall short. Happiness can only be given by the One who possesses it, and man does not possess it. Mankind can try as many ideas and theories as he wishes. But Jesus Christ alone is the fount of life and happiness. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We are given the gift and the grace of the Christian faith to persevere in spite of adversity. Christ is the living water; the only one who removes our thirst. Everything else is secondary. Looking elsewhere for solutions is a mistake. The life of the Samaritan woman (St. John 4:5-42) at the well changed completely when she discovered Jesus Christ. The woman had “five husbands” and she lived with another man. She represented the existential dissatisfaction of one who does not find what he seeks. Anyone without Lord Jesus is inevitably destined to dissatisfaction. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the faithful marvel at the dialogue between Jesus Christ and the Samaritan woman (John 4:5-15, 19-26, 39-42). We see the humanity and divinity of Jesus, full man and full God, in full display. Jesus tells her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, `Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." Jesus, the bread of life and the living water, reveals His glory to the Samaritan woman, and through her to all of us until the end of times: "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The Samaritan ends up recognizing Jesus as the “Savior of the world,” and many believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The story of the Prodigal Son is featured in the Gospel today (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32). It’s the story of each human life: God’s mercy stands on one side and the unfaithfulness of man on the other. “Father, I have sinned.” Penance alone can save us. Our Father welcomes us with mercy. The sin and its eternal punishment are forgiven. The Father receives us again as His children and celebrates a joyful banquet with us at Holy Communion. The story of the Prodigal Son is an urgent call to repentance, self-examination, and conversion. Our God is prodigal. His very nature is to give, the God who simply is divine love. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Mankind's resistance to God’s goodness and grace is evidence that we are still affected by the original sin. The parable of the landowner who planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants (Matt 21:33-46) — that we read today — highlights the unfortunate reality of our fallen world, which is controlled by the Evil One. Despite the Father's desire to save us from our sins, we continue to reject His offer of salvation. Sin continues to destroy us both now and forever. Our resistance to God's plan is rooted in our aversion to the Cross. We often prefer a life filled with pleasures. We fail to comprehend the concept of salvific suffering. Accepting the Cross is the key to living a fulfilled life on earth. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The contemplation of the Transfiguration, which we meditate on today, reveals to us what will happen when we leave this earthly life and behold Christ in His glory, welcoming us into His everlasting, glorious kingdom. As we approach April 9th, the solemnity of the Resurrection, we are reminded that the end of our earthly journey is the resurrection, which is a gateway to a magnificent life with the risen Jesus. The Cross is the portal to eternity. Christians who embrace their crosses with a willing heart understand the true value of life, having surrendered themselves to know the value of their lives. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus Christ provided us through the mother of the sons of Zebedee — John and James — an important rule of life, as we read today (Mt 20:17-2): "Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." This is in line with what He spoke to the apostles on the reading of Tuesday (Mt 23:1-12): "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." To believe in God is to live with the attitude of humility. Humility Veritas, humility is truth.Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus Christ spoke at that time about the hypocrisy of the scribes and the Pharisees (Mt 23:1-12). “Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen.” Friends, like the scribes and Pharisees, we can lead our lives to please the world. In fact, most people are more concerned about what others say or think than what pleases God. However, true life is based on serving and glorifying the Divine. As Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: St. Philip Neri provides us with insight into how the mind of God operates: “Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength.” In essence, this means that we must first place our trust in Christ Jesus. Secondly, we must listen to Him both in prayer and through His actions. Finally, we must embrace the challenge that He presents to us and go into battle with the knowledge that we are supported by Divine intervention. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On this second Sunday of Lent, the three principal apostles — and all of the faithful today — had a vision of Christ in His glory during the episode of the Transfiguration (St. Matthew 17:1-9). It was given in order to strengthen to face the trials and the temptations. On this second Sunday of Lent, the three principal apostles — and all of the faithful today — had a vision of Christ in His glory during the episode of the Transfiguration (St. Matthew 17:1-9). It was given in order to strengthen us to face trials and temptations. For the very same reasons, this view of Heaven is given to encourage us and persevere in the conversion path of Lent. It also reminds us that the joy of the Resurrection and Easter is closer. St. Paul reminded us that if we are sharers with Christ in his sufferings, we shall be sharers with Him in His glory. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The invitation to conversion that the Church insists on this Lent is an incentive to return to God, embracing the merciful love of the Father and the Son. Converting means entrusting oneself fully to the Lord. Receiving the gift of accessing God's infinite goodness is divine grace. We cannot accomplish anything by ourselves. As St. Paul wrote (Phil 3: 12), "to convert is to let oneself be won over by Jesus and to return with him to the Father." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In baptism, when we became members of the mystical body, we were marked with the seal of the cross. In the first luminous mystery of today, we signify that we are partakers of the Crucified. During this Lent, we learn by faith the virtue of the Cross. The remembrance of the Cross of Jesus is a very efficacious reflection against temptations. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil and cast out wickedness and sin by his death upon the Cross. We embrace the Cross as our way of salvation. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Before the joy and glory of Easter, we have first to go through forty days of the Lent journey. It’s a time to recover our real self and more real life, so we will be better prepared to share Christ’s glory. Christ preached penance and prayer to enter the Church. Our world is drowning in sin and vice and it needs to confess its sins and obtain forgiveness. This is what happened to the Ninevites, as Jesus reminds us in the Gospel today (Lk 11:29-32). The people of Nineveh did penance at the preaching of Jonah the prophet and obtained divine mercy and pardon. An entire city — a New York of ancient times — repented. Nineveh is a model for Lent. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • March 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: It's not about the number of words in prayer. It's about the quality of prayer. Jesus encouraged us — as we read today in the Gospel (Mt 6:7-15) — to pray faithfully, and silently, because "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Prayer is a humble exercise of self-recognition of our fragility.  We ask the Lord to help us to express ourselves with silent love every time we don't know what to say in prayer. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Adam’s temptations in the Garden of Eden are the same that we face today. He wanted to be like God. He also wanted power and pleasure. The Devil offered him appealing ways. Later, in his forty days in the desert, Jesus Christ faced temptations in flesh and spirit, rejecting them by following the Word of God. Jesus, the new Adam, proposed to us a new life plan based on service and love for one another. That’s the revolution that Jesus brought: humility, charity, worshiping God, hope, and joy. Lent is a time for grace and renewal. “We abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against our soul,” as St. Peter described in his second letter. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the first Sunday of Lent, we reflect upon the temptations that Jesus Christ suffered in the desert. Matthew the Evangelist (Mt 4:1-11) described how the devil approached Our Lord: “At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply, "It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone. "Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve." Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: In the Gospel of Matthew (9:14-15), people ask Jesus why his disciples do not fast. He says that as wedding guests they will not fast while he, the Bridegroom, is with them. But “the days will come,” He says, “when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Bishop Barron explained that “we fast because we have a hunger for God, which is the deepest hunger.” We’re meant to feel hunger so that it can direct us toward God. “If we allow the superficial hunger of our lives to dominate, we never reach the deepest hunger.” “Fasting is a way of disciplining the hunger for food and drink. It is a way of quieting those desires by not responding to them immediately so that the deepest desires emerge. Unless you fast you might never realize how hungry you are for God.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Forty Days of Jesus Christ in the desert is an invitation to step aside from our ordinary rhythm of life in order to be more open to the Holy Spirit. The goal is to convert ourselves by walking with Christ with the sorrows and temptations of life. This ancient tradition of the Church set this "stepping aside" practice as a primary characteristic of Lent. And in this season of Lent, the three practices of almsgiving, fasting, and intensified prayer (along with reflection and spiritual readings) go together. Overall, we pursue a deeper encounter with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, Thursday after Ash Wednesday, at the beginning penitential season that precedes Easter, we reflect upon the Forty Days of Christ in the desert. Lent is a pilgrimage. It’s a pilgrimage of conversion through repentance and the forgiveness of sins. The baptized require liberation from sin: from the bad habits that enslave us and impede our friendship with Christ. We have to undergo a “second baptism,” and thus meet once again the mysteries of God’s mercy and love. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, Ash Wednesday, is the beginning of Lent, a season for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in remembrance of the Forty Days of Jesus Christ’s penance in the desert. The faithful solemnity observe the redemption of the human race by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a central act of history, The beginning of Lent is marked by the symbol of ashes, which is used in today’s mass. The blessed ashes are imparted on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, and fasting. The priest says, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” [Mark 1.15]. The act of putting on ashes symbolizes fragility and human mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. The sacramental of the ashes is made from the palms used at the previous Passion Sunday ceremonies. The Catholic Church retains the use of ashes to symbolize the attitude of internal penance to which all the baptized are called during Lent. Regarding abstinence and fasting, we observe: Abstinence from eating meat is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent. This applies to all persons 14 years of age and older. Fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday applies to all Catholics who have completed their eighteenth year to the beginning of their sixtieth year. A person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, we honored Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of three children of Fatima, along with Lucia Santos. In 1917, the three shepherds saw the Blessed Virgin Mary at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. They were asked by the Virgin to learn to read and write and to pray the rosary “to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.” The brother and sister Francisco, 11, and Jacinta, 10, were the youngest non-martyrs to be canonized in the history of the Church. During the first apparition, which took place May 13, 1917, Our Lady asked the three children to say the Rosary and to make sacrifices, offering them for the conversion of sinners. The children did, praying often, giving their lunch to beggars, and going without food themselves. They offered up their daily crosses and even refrained from drinking water on hot days. In October 1918, Francisco and Jacinta became seriously ill with the Spanish flu. Our Lady appeared to them and said she would take them to heaven soon. Bed-ridden, Francisco requested his first Communion. The following day, Francisco died, April 14, 1919. Jacinta suffered a long illness as well. She was eventually transferred to a Lisbon hospital and operated on for an abscess in her chest, but her health did not improve. She died on Feb. 20, 1920. Francisco and Jacinta died offering their suffering for the conversion of sinners, peace in the world, and the Holy Father. Her cousin, Lucia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun and was still living when Jacinta and Francisco were beatified in 2000. Sister Lucia died five years later. It was on May 13, 2000, on the 83rd anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima when Pope John Paul II beatified Francisco and Jacinta. We learned that even young children can become saints! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Sts. Francisco and Jacinta, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: God the Father created the human race in His image and after His likeness. Humankind is the crown of God’s creation. But, as Genesis 11, described humans rebelled against God, and we fell into sin. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, restored through His precious blood and laying down His own life, the Divine grace towards humanity. Since then, we are temples of the Holy Spirit, and Mary is the Spouse of the Spirit. St. Paul reminded this privilege in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 3:16-23). He wrote: “Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's Sunday reading (Mt 5:38-48), Jesus Christ instructs us to pray for those who persecute us. “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect," He said. It’s not just about loving our family members and friends who love us. It’s about knowing that as children of God and members of the human family, we should strive to be icons of Jesus Christ. When faced with people who try to impose their ungodly secular values on us, we respond with prayers. We don’t ignore their silent pain and suffering—they are far from God. On the contrary, we help them by trying to bring them to the eternal truth, as much as they are open to it. If they are not open, we pray for them. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: As Christians, we are surrounded by the enemies of the faith, some of them unknowingly and others knowingly. Jesus’ words to his disciples were revealing: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep among wolves.” (Mt. 10:16). St. John Chrysostom, the fourth-century father of the Church, reflected upon it: “As long as we are lambs, we will conquer, and even if we are surrounded by many wolves, we will overcome them.” However, we have our Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who recognizes his lambs and protects them from the wolves. Our temptation could be to fall into worldliness to become relevant and please the rulers of our secular society. As Pope Francis said Wednesday, “Christians are called to bring the Gospel into the world without becoming worldly.” “For the Church, falling into worldliness is the worst thing that can happen,” the Pope said. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church honors the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They were seven noble Florentines who in the thirteenth century (1240), in the midst of a civil war, and disregarding their wealth and birth status, founded together a community with a special purpose: Cultivate the spirit of penance and meditate on the passion of Christ and Mary’s Seven Sorrows. The Blessed Mother appeared to each of them individually and urged them to begin a more perfect life. They accomplished great things and benefited millions by arousing devotion to the Mother of Sorrows. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We receive every day as a gift from God, trying to glorify Him. We should not be consumed by anxiety about the future. Jesus taught us to let go of our worries, as the future will take care of itself. Meanwhile, St Francis of Sales wrote: “My past doesn't worry me; it belongs to God's mercy. My future doesn't worry me yet; it belongs to divine providence. What worries me and demands of me is today, which belongs to God's grace and the surrender of my heart.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: To our brothers trapped in the sin of sexual immorality — which the evil one actively promotes in our society — we want to encourage to abandon their slavery and quit their unclean state by asking the grace of God through the Most Holy Mary. There is a cure for this disease. Any sincere penitent can see their sins washed away and achieve a new, rewarding spiritual life. The merciful Heart of Jesus Christ is our refuge. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Church honors a great saint and martyr, the third-century priest and bishop St. Valentine of Rome. At that time, Rome’s Emperor Cesar Claudius had issued a decree forbidding marriage, believing that single young men made better soldiers than married men. Valentine defied this decree and urged young lovers to come to him in secret so that he could join them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius Claudius ended up condemning Valentine to death. The saint was beaten and beheaded under Caesar’s mandate. Valentine would become then the patron of engaged couples. What matter to highlight this Valentine’s Day is that marriage is a sacrament. It means that husbands and wives help one another to go to Heaven under the grace of God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Valentine, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Paul and the apostles spoke about God’s wisdom, which is “mysterious, hidden.” It was “predetermined before the ages for our glory.” We read this yesterday in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian (1 Cor 2:6-10). The thirteenth apostle said that if the rulers of that age had known the wisdom of God, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” “As it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Gospel, we learn about the divine mercy of Jesus for suffering humanity. We all need Christ's compassion because of our inclination to sin and because of the many times we, unfortunately, give in to that inclination. Nothing but the mercy of God can save us from our own dysfunctions. But, mind you, that mercy is available, if only we ask for it. Like the leper in today's Gospel reading, he must firmly believe in the power and the mercy of Jesus. "If you will, you can make me clean," was his approach to Jesus.  Faith and confidence are the virtues we need to understand eternal truths. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate the Memorial Day of Our Lady of Lourdes today, marking the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858. Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared eighteen times to fourteen-year-old very poor shepherdess Marie Bernade Soubirous, St. Bernadette, in a grotto in Lourdes, France. On March 25, on the feast of the Annunciation, the Most Holy Virgin said to St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." Since then Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and many cures and conversions have taken place. The message of Lourdes is a call to personal conversion, prayer, and charity. Today, February 11, we also celebrate the World Day of the Sick, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II thirty-one years ago. The Church considers it appropriate to celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick on this day during a Mass or Liturgy of the Word. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is only to be given to "those of the faithful whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age." This Sacrament must not be given indiscriminately to all who take part in Masses for the sick. February 7-14 marks National Marriage Week. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We continue to ask for the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the 23,000 victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, their families, friends, and all those injured. The chaos in the region is making it very difficult for aid to arrive, and people are desperate. In today’s Gospel (Mk 7:31-37), the apostles witnessed Jesus healing a deaf man, allowing him to both hear and speak. “Ephphatha!” Jesus exclaimed, meaning “Be opened!” At once, the man’s ears were opened and his speech impediment was removed, enabling him to speak clearly. “He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak,” the apostles marveled. This serves as a metaphor for all of us, reminding us to listen to the Eternal Word and have the courage to speak the truth. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: While we continue praying and asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the thousands of victims of a deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria, we reflect upon the reading of today's Psalm. It proclaims (Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5): Blessed are those who fear the Lord. The word "fear" does not mean being afraid of God. It's more of a deep sense of respect, reverence, and worship for God. To "fear the Lord" is considered to be a good thing. The phrase "blessed are those who fear the Lord" means that those who hold God in high regard and live according to His ways will be blessed, considered joyful and hopeful. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Following Pope Francis, we ask for the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the thousands of victims of a deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria. "Let’s pray together so that these brothers and sisters can move forward from this tragedy. And we pray that Our Lady will protect them," the Pope on Feb. 8. A series of large earthquakes in parts of Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 created massive destruction and killed an estimated 12,000 people, according to the latest available estimates. "With deep feeling, I pray for them and express my closeness to these peoples, to the families of the victims, and to all those who suffer because of this devastating natural disaster," the Pope said. “I thank all those who are working to bring assistance and encouragement to them,” he added, “and solidarity to those areas, in part already tormented by a long war.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We continue to pray for the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, with a death toll surpassing 5,400. This disaster, one of the deadliest this century, highlights the importance of coming together to support and comfort those affected. It also highlights the need for the world to convert to Jesus Christ. The passion and sacrifice of Jesus as shown in his crucifixion — and as we reflect upon the Sorrowful Mysteries that we pray today — demonstrates the depth of love and suffering. Jesus, as the crucified and resurrected, offers hope for eternal life. Seeking guidance and comfort in faith can provide solace and understanding. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Rosary for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. –– As followers of Jesus, we understand that we are meant to be a source of light to others. When Jesus reigns in our hearts, we bring joy to the Crucified Jesus. However, being human, we experience weakness and fluctuations in our spiritual journey. In moments when we don't feel Jesus close, we turn to prayer and penance to strengthen our faith. But this is not always enough to regain God's grace. The answer lies in serving others, as the Prophet Isaiah reminded us in the first reading (Is 58:7-10). "Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!" Our faith and charity must work together, as we learned in today's second Joyful Mystery. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Christ made us the light and the salt of the world, so we shine before others and glorify our Heavenly Father. This is what Jesus said to his disciples as we read in the Gospel today Sunday. However, we will be useless if we don’t fulfill our mission and reject the grace of God. If the salt loses its taste or the light gets dark, it won’t be good for anything. In other words, we can be children of God or children of the Evil Doer. We’re with Christ or against Christ. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This week, during the celebration of the Presentation of the Child Jesus, which is the fourth Joyful Mystery we pray today, we saw how the prophet Simeon witnessed God’s light, revelation, and glory through his eyes. Simeon also foretold to Mary (as written in Luke 2:35) that a sword would pierce her heart, “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Mary, the mother of Jesus, was aware of our weaknesses and sins then and still is today. She participates in the eternal mission of healing and redeeming us from our sins. Sin destroys our connection to divinity and makes us unhappy and miserable. We can be lost until we ask for forgiveness, repent, and make amends in our lives. The Most Holy Virgin understands all of this and as the perfect mother, she offers her maternal help. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On this day, February 3rd, the Catholic Church gives a “Blessing of the Throats” in honor of St. Blaise (or Blase), a fourth-century physician, bishop, and martyr from Armenia, traditionally venerated due to many cures attributed to him. From the eighth century, St. Blaise has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with diseases of the throat. Today, on his feast day, it is customary to bless the throats of the faithful with two candles tied together with a red ribbon to form a cross. The rite of the blessing of the throats takes place before or after Mass. The priest or deacon places the candles around the throat of whoever seeks the blessing, using the formula: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you free from every disease of the throat, and from every other disease. In the name of the Father and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen.” Thrown into prison and arrested for his holiness, Blaise healed fellow prisoners, including saving a child who was choking on a fish bone; this led to the Blessing of Throats on Blaise’s feast day. Blaise also had the reputation for curing sick and wounded animals. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Blaise, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Catholic Church celebrates today the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This is another “epiphany” celebration as the Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus. It concludes the celebration of the Nativity with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon – that we read in the Gospel today (Luke 2:22–40). These events now point us toward Easter. The Feast is popularly known as Candlemas Day since the blessing and procession of candles are included in Mass. Imitating Jesus, consecrated men and women are to be the Light of the World. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Last week, we celebrated the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Bishop and Doctor of the Church. All saints, whether they have been canonized or not, serve as examples for the faithful. Through their holiness, they have impacted the lives of millions of people. However, some saints may resonate more with individuals depending on their personal circumstances and experiences. St. Francis de Sales was characterized by his strong love for God and souls. His kindness, wisdom, and teachings led to thousands of conversions and guided individuals in their spiritual journeys. He successfully brought back more than 70,000 individuals who had strayed from the faith due to Protestantism. He was the founder of the Order of the Visitation and the author of the Treatise on the Love of God and the Introduction to the Devout Life, which, along with the Imitation of Christ, is widely considered a model for Christian perfection. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • February 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. John Bosco, an Italian priest (1815-1888) who was also known as Don Bosco. He founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians) and the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, which is also known as the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Auxiliatrix. St. John Bosco was a gifted educator, innovator, and leader, who was known for his authentic religiosity, reasoning, kindness, and love for young boys and girls. During that time, Italy’s nationalist movement made life difficult for religious orders, and its anti-clerical attitudes even led to assassination attempts against Don Bosco. However, such hostility did not stop the Salesians from expanding in Europe and beyond. By the end of Don Bosco’s life, they were helping 130,000 children in 250 houses. Don Bosco stated, “I have done nothing by myself. Our Lady has done everything” through her intercession with God. St. John Bosco passed away in the early hours of January 31, 1888, after conveying a message, “Tell the boys that I shall be waiting for them all in Paradise.” Don Bosco was canonized 44 years after his death and was named “teacher and father to the young” by Pope John Paul II. He is considered the patron saint of young people, apprentices, and Catholic publishers and editors. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Don Bosco, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 31, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Beatitudes we read in the New Testament yesterday turn our value system upside down, which is great. We don't want the Kingdom of Heaven organized with flawed human logic. God does not measure success as we do. He values charity, mercy, and gentleness, and his creation is run by perfect love. Humans were created from love, and love is the foundation of truth. The poor in spirit are vulnerable, persecuted, and rejected by society. Being a follower of Christ constantly challenges us, and we may not always understand what is happening. What matters most is having faith and trust in Jesus Christ. At this moment, we belong to the Kingdom of God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 30, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today's Sunday reading is taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew 5:1-12a. Those who experience all kinds of injustices, insults, adversities, and sufferings in the name of Jesus come first in the eyes of the Divinity. They inherit the Kingdom of God on earth and eternal rewards in Heaven. In His sermon of the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12a), which we read this Sunday, Jesus Christ said to the crowd: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." This is how the mysterious merciful love of God works. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 29, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), one of the greatest writers and theologians of all time. This 13th-century theologian showed that the Catholic faith is in harmony with philosophy and all other branches of knowledge. He showed that “both the light of reason and the light of faith come from God, hence there can be no contradiction between them.” His most important work, the Summa Theologiae, has been standard for centuries, even to our own day. Thomas Aquinas combined a deeply speculative mind with a life of prayer. Reputed as great already in life, he nevertheless remained modest, showing a childlike simplicity and goodness. In December 1273, the scholar proclaimed that he could write no more, following a mystical experience in which he said he had “seen things that make my writings look like straw.” Nearing death, he made a final confession and asked for the Eucharist to be brought to him. In its presence, he declared: “I adore you, my God and my Redeemer… for whose honor I have studied, labored, preached, and taught.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 28, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As Christians, we are witnesses of the light of Jesus. Putting in practice the virtue of moral courage to bring the Light to the world pleases Divinity. It’s not an easy task given the rejection in our secular society. But we should always choose the uncomfortable truth rather than playing with the world. As Jesus said to his disciples (Mk 4:21-25), “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 27, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of the conversion of St. Paul. His soul-shaking experience on the road to Damascus has a parallel in our life. It’s the conversion of Baptism, the first Luminous mystery that we pray today. With baptism, Christ comes to dwell in us. It was a day of grace that our souls mostly experience when we were infants. We were then unaware of the gift received, but for adults who receive this sacrament is a total conversion into a Christian life, a complete reversal of their manner of life. Think, for example, of saints like St. Augustine. With baptism, we should include our gratitude to God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 26, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Feast Day of the Conversion of St. Paul. This historical event was a turning point in Christianity: from persecution to expansion. On his way to Damascus to make new arrests of Christians, Paul he was suddenly converted by a miraculous apparition of Our Lord. From a fierce persecutor, he became the great Apostle of the Gentiles. His conversion, which took place about five years after our Lord's death, was due wholly to divine intervention. Paul refers to it frequently in his epistles, always with the deepest emotion and gratitude. A qualified scholar and Roman citizen from birth, he made three missionary journeys in Asia Minor and southern Europe and wrote at least fourteen Epistles. He was beheaded in Rome around 66 A.D., and his relics are in the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Paul, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 25, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In yesterday’s reading (Mk 3:22–30), we witnessed a shocking scene: scribes accusing Jesus of driving our demons by Satan. The Author of Life accused by leaders of the instructional church of that time. Two of the names of the Devil in the Bible are “the accuser” and “the scatterer.” We see that in this story. The accused victim Jesus responded with parables and reminded: “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” With Evil and his collaborators, it's better never to engage in a conversation. They are trapped by darkness and they aren’t ready to accept any light. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 24, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we celebrate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Parishes, schools, and religious formation programs may celebrate the Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life. It’s an opportunity to highlight the dignity of human life. Our society must abandon the sinful solution of abortion and build a culture of life, which benefits all of us. Only the Master of Lies would lose. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 23, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to ask to receive the gift or the true conversion of our hearts, so we treasure Christ as the only Light to follow. Christ is the only one that dispels the darkness of sin within and around us and frees us from obscurity. God gets involved in human history and manifests Himself as ‘The Light’ that disperses the darkness. In God’s light everything assumes a new significance, the definitive meaning. We receive abundant joy and great rejoicing, as the prophet Isaiah said (Is 9:2). Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 22, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jonathan Roumie, the American actor known for his role as Jesus in The Chosen, a crowd-funded television series about the birth of Christianity, participated in the March for Life 2023. He delivered a powerful speech, setting an example for Gen Z and Gen Alpha generations. He showed a huge sense of humility, commitment, and surrender. As his main advice for Christian life, Jonathan Roumie encouraged everyone to pray the Holy Rosary. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 21, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary:   The human-like text generator Chat GPT, based on AI (Artificial Intelligence), released in November 2023, is shocking the planet. Yesterday, we asked this chatbot about the Sorrowful Mysteries, and it did a pretty good job. [See the Q&A on the website.]  Human technology like AI-based Chat GPT is a part of God’s creation and can bring us closer to the Author of Life.   No technology, even the most powerful AI, can replace the Creator of the Universe — who encompasses everything — and His offspring, the human race.   Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You!   + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 20, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Divinity wishes to shape the heart of every one of us until it is attuned to the heart of Christ Jesus. Through grace, trials, and opportunities, God works like a potter until He gets our souls fully cleansed and ready for eternal joy. "You belong to me, you belong to them," our Lord whispers to us. "You are under the protection of my hands. You are under the protection of my heart. Stay in my hands and give me yours." Through our daily Holy Rosary, we are nourished into God's eternal truth. The Rosary of Mary is the nourishment of the presence of God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 19, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Through John the Baptist, we are offered an eloquent example to imitate, so we can also become Christ’s witnesses. Along the way, in our spiritual journey, we will need to cultivate through prayer and study our knowledge of Jesus Christ and our holy religion. In addition, we will need to put into practice a sacramental and ecclesial life. Edifying friendships are required as well. Many of the fashionable ideas and proposals from our secular society can be avoided. Spending too much time on social media seems to be a toxic habit. By cultivating the virtues of the Rosary we will achieve a greater friendship with Jesus and Mary. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 18, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Memorial Day of St. Anthony, St. Paul is inviting us in his letter to the Hebrews (Heb 6:10-20) to be patient. Through faith and patience, we inherit the promises of Our Lord. God's ways are not our ways and He operates very differently to human times. Also, He always fulfills His promises. The fruit of the mystery of the Carrying of the Cross is patience. After patient waiting, as Abraham, and as all and every saint, we will obtain the divine promises. Always at the right time! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 17, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, in the Gospel, John the Baptist saw and testified that Christ is the Son of God. (Jn 1:29-34) “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.” This way, John the Baptist gave witness to the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ baptism. “He [Jesus Christ] is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” With the Baptism, we all Christians are drawn out of this fallen world into a new world. It’s the sacrament of our birth in the spiritual life. The Eucharist and the other sacraments nourish our life in communion with Jesus. We pray today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, the Joyful Mysteries. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 16, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's Sunday reading (Jn 1:19-34), John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." From ancient times in Old Testament, the lamb was the sacrificed animal that represented the sins of the people. It was an innocent creature sacrificed for God. Jesus Christ the Messiah offered Himself as the eternal lamb to sacrifice out of love for the human race and its sins.  The Lamb of God continues to be present in the Eucharist today. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 15, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: How important is it to be grateful? Let’s highlight what a wise and holy man like Benedict XVI wrote in his spiritual testament at the late hour of his life: "I thank God Himself, the giver of all good gifts, who has given me life and guided me through all kinds of confusion; who has always picked me up when I began to slip, who has always given me anew the light of his countenance." "In retrospect, I see and understand that even the dark and arduous stretches of this path were for my salvation and that He guided me well in those very stretches." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 14, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: St. John wrote in his first letter (1 Jn 3:7-10), as we read last week, “whoever sins belongs to the Devil because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.” The person who acts in righteousness belongs to God. “No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.” So in this life, there are children of God and children of the Devil — the righteous and those who sin. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 13, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Fear can be a dangerous feeling for our faith. It can easily push us into sin. The mysterious force of evil tries to multiply our fears. St. Paul explained very well in yesterday’s reading (Heb 2:14-18) that Jesus destroyed through his own crucifixion the Devil who has the power of death. Our Lord freed those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. “Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested,” wrote St. Paul. Also, let’s remember what Jesus said: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32). Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 12, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Pope Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI left a spiritual testament, dated August 29, 2006, which the Vatican released this week. His central message was summarized in this sentence: “What I said earlier of my compatriots, I now say to all who were entrusted to my service in the Church: Stand firm in the faith! Do not be confused!” This is the entire text: My Spiritual Testament When, at this late hour of my life, I look back on the decades I have wandered through, I see first of all how much reason I have to give thanks. Above all, I thank God Himself, the giver of all good gifts, who has given me life and guided me through all kinds of confusion; who has always picked me up when I began to slip, who has always given me anew the light of his countenance. In retrospect, I see and understand that even the dark and arduous stretches of this path were for my salvation and that He guided me well in those very stretches. [More at https://rosarynetwork.com/january-11-2023-holy-rosary-glorious-mysteries/ ] Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 11, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The fifth sorrowful mystery, that we pray today, includes the final words spoken by the Lord on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46). It was a ceaseless self-entrustment into the hands of his Father, as Pope Francis remembered in the funeral mass of Benedict XVI. The Son of God — and our brother Jesus Christ — allowed himself to be shaped by the Father’s will, even to the death of the Cross. Everyone’s cross is heavy. Our Father trusts us and knows that we can handle that burden. He wants to receive us fully purified, cleansed from our sins. My wife Maria Blanca used to say that it was better to suffer a purgatory on earth than later before accessing Heaven.  Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 10, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which we celebrate today, at the end of Christmas, commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist. This is the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord. The past, the present, and the future are made manifest in this epiphany. At the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, God appeared in three persons. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him, He was proclaimed the "Beloved Son" of the Father, and the heavens were opened. The Son of God, who was absolutely sinless, freely humbled Himself at the hand of the Baptist. He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world and buried them in the waters of the Jordan. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes baptism as the “basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit ... and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.” With baptism, we receive the grace of becoming a Christian. And heaven is opened to us. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 9, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In this Solemnity of the Epiphany Day, we read (Mt 2:1-12) that three Magi from the East, guided from a start at its rising, arrived in Bethlehem of Judea to pay homage and adore the newborn Jesus. They were overjoyed on entering the house and seeing the child with Mary his mother. "They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way." Exactly the same way we offer gold to the Lord to signify that there is nothing more precious than Him. Frankincense to say that only with Him our life can be elevated. And myrrh to ask that He heals our neighbors, friends, and family members who are suffering. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 8, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: At the end of our life, we are going to be remembered for our humility, kindness, and love for Jesus and Mary. We are seeing this in the beloved Pope Benedict XVI, one of the greatest biblical theologians and intellectual minds of the last century. Pope Benedict was a gentle soul who put Jesus Christ’s friendship at the center of his life. And leading men and women to friendship with Jesus was the purpose of his life. “Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is,” he said. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 7, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In various regions and countries, today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. In the United States and other places, this solemnity is assigned to this Sunday. On this day, we also reflect on the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI, whose funeral mass was celebrated in St. Peter Square, in Rome, yesterday. Particularly, we'd like to highlight his devotion to the Rosary. He recited it each morning and used to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ. He was buried with his Rosary in hands. In a general audience at St Peter’s Square on May 1, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said: • "The Rosary is the prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary.” • “We desire to welcome the Virgin’s maternal request, committing ourselves to say the rosary with faith for peace in our families, in countries, and in the whole world.” • “The rosary is a means given by the Virgin for contemplating Jesus and, meditating on his life, for loving and following him always more faithfully.” • “Dear young people, I invite you to value this traditional Marian prayer which helps us to understand better the central moments of salvation realized by Christ. • "Dear sick people, I exhort you to turn with confidence to the Virgin, through this exercise of piety, entrusting all your needs to her." • "Newlyweds, make the praying of the rosary in the family a moment of spiritual growth under the maternal gaze of the Virgin Mary." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 6, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, while we pray for the eternal rest of the soul of Pope Benedict XVI and we enjoy the scenes from the funeral mass in Rome, we celebrate the Memorial of St. John Nepomucene Neumann, bishop (1811-1860). John was born in Bohemia (current Czech Republic). While in the seminary he felt the desire to help in the American missions. After coming to the United States he was ordained in New York in 1836. Entering the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in 1840, he worked in establishing parishes and parish schools. In 1852 he was consecrated Bishop of Philadelphia and prescribed the Forty Hours devotion. In Rome, he participated in the Proclamation of the Dogma of our Blessed Mother's Immaculate Conception. Bishop Neumann died at 48 years of age. Completely exhausted from all his apostolic endeavors, he collapsed in the street on January 5, 1860. He was beatified in 1963. He is buried beneath the altar of the lower Church in St. Peter's Church in Philadelphia. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. John Neumann, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 5, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, day eleven of Christmas, the universal church celebrates in the USA and Canada the memorial of a New York-born, nineteenth-century saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821). After her husband’s death from tuberculosis, she, who was a mother of five children, converted to Catholicism and founded the American Sisters of Charity, a community of teaching sisters which began Catholic schools throughout the United States. She was the first native-born American to be canonized as a saint. She wrote nicely about the Divine Will: “The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly to do it in the manner He wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is His Will.” “Let His Will of the present moment be the first rule of our daily life and work, with no other desire but for its most full and complete accomplishment. Help us to follow it faithfully so that doing what You wish, we will be pleasing to You.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 4, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today, on the 10th day of Christmas, the Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. In addition, the month of January has traditionally been dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This feast invites us to sing the glory of Jesus, whose name means Savior. January has traditionally been dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The name of Jesus means Savior. It’s also a name of gladness, hope, and love. Anyone that prays to the Father in the name of Jesus may hope for every grace he asks for. "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 3, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: God sent his own Son born of a woman and placed the Holy Spirit into our hearts. This way, we all received adoption as sons, so we are never slaves of sin and the Evil One. St. Paul explained these mysteries in this letter to Galatians (Gal 4:4-7), which we read yesterday. Also, in the second reading yesterday, Paul revealed (Heb 1:1-2) how God speaks. “In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.” Meanwhile, Mary kept all the mysteries in her heart, reflecting on them, showing us how is to be the perfect servant of God in all humility and wisdom. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 2, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, day eight of Christmas is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, the Octave Day of Christmas. We also sanctify in Christ the New Year’s Day. The Word took our human nature from Mary. The title “Mother of God” goes back to the third or fourth century. However, the Greek term Theotokos (“The God-bearer”) was officially consecrated as Catholic doctrine at the Council of Ephesus in 431, thus becoming the first Marian dogma. This Catholic doctrine is based on the doctrine of Incarnation, as expressed by St. Paul: “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). On this day the Catholic Church also celebrates the World Day of Peace, a tradition established by Pope Paul VI and confirmed by Pope John Paul II. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • January 1, 2023, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95 on December 31, 2022. His passing was announced this morning by the Vatican Press Office. "With sorrow, I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican." On Wednesday, December 28, pope emeritus received the anointing of the sick. Pope Francis will preside at Benedict XVI’s funeral on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 9:30 am in St. Peter’s Square. From Monday, January 2, the funeral chapel will be open in St. Peter’s Basilica. Joseph Ratzinger, who would become Pope Benedict XVI, was born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany. On Tuesday, April 19, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 265th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, selecting the name Benedict XVI. Benedict XVI Authored Three Encyclicals: Deus Caritas est (December 25, 2005) – On Christian Love Spe Salvi (November 30, 2007) – On Christi Hope Caritas in Veritate (June 29, 2009) – On Integral Human Development In addition to his Papal letter, exhortations, message, and homilies, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI authored more than 60 books, including the widely read and highly praised three-volume “Jesus of Nazareth” series on the life and teaching of Christ. He was behind the preparation of the new the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the six years of intense work (1986-92). On Friday, April 8, Cardinal Ratzinger presided at Holy Mass in St Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II. "If you follow the will of God, you know that in spite of all the terrible things that happen to you, you will never lose a final refuge. You know that the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One that loves you.” ― Pope Benedict XVI “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” ― Pope Benedict XVI “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness” ― Pope Benedict XVI Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 31, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Sixth Day of Christmas is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The feast institutes and promotes the Holy Family as the model of all Christian families. God willed to be born and to grow up in a human family. His encounter with humanity was through a family. During His life in Nazareth, Jesus honored the Virgin Mary and righteous Joseph, being subject to their authority during His infancy and adolescence time (Luke 2:51-52). In this way, He made evident the primary value of the family in the education of a person. Let’s invoke the protection of Mary Most Holy and of St. Joseph for every family, especially for those in difficulty, so they become the living image of the love of God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 30, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Merry Christmas! The Rosary has proven to be a miraculous force for protecting the faithful and bestowing them extra graces. Many saints across history, including Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio, and Lucia of Fatima, have also recognized the rosary as the most powerful weapon in fighting the spiritual battles we face in the world. Spiritual warfare is real and presents a danger, as St. Paul told us: “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:11–12). “The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin … If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors,” Pope Pius XI said. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 29, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Merry Christmas! Today, the Fourth Day in the Octave of Christmas, the universal Church celebrates the Feast of Holy Innocents, Martyrs, and the glory of these innocent victims. We honor these small children of the neighborhood of Bethlehem mass-murdered by the wicked King Herod. These sacrificed lives bear witness to Christ who was persecuted from the time of His birth by a world that would not receive Him. The Holy Innocents saved the Child Jesus from death by the shedding of their own blood. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Holy Innocents, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 28, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Merry Christmas! Today is the Feast of St. John Apostle and Evangelist. St. John, the son of Zebedee and brother of St. James the Great, become the beloved disciple of Jesus. He wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the Book of the Apocalypse or Revelation. St. John was present with Peter and James at the Transfiguration of Christ and witnessed His agony in the Garden. At the Last Supper, he leaned on the Master’s breast. At the foot of the cross, Jesus entrusted His Mother to his care. He was the only one of the Apostles who did not forsake the Savior in the hour of His Passion and Death. John’s pure life kept him very close to Jesus and Mary for years to come. St. John described in his Gospel the pre-existence of the Word, who by His Incarnation became the light of the world and the life of our souls. He was later exiled to the Island of Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse, but afterward returned to Ephesus to take care of the Holy Virgin. St. John died in peace at Ephesus, at the age of ninety-four years old. “My dear children, love one another,” was the message of his preaching. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. John, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 27, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Merry Christmas! Today is the feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, stoned outside of the city wall of Jerusalem two years after the death of Christ, during the first persecution against the nascent Church. His story of sacrificial love, narrated in the Acts of the Apostles, emphasizes the paralleled with Jesus’ trial. He was the first to follow in the steps of Christ with martyrdom. Like the Messiah, the died forgiving and praying for his executioners (cf. Acts 7:60). St. Stephen was “filled with faith and with the Holy Spirit” and “full of grace and strength, and he showed himself as a man of God, radiating divine grace and apostolic zeal. By establishing his feast on the day after Christmas, Holy Mother Church draws a close comparison between the disciple and the Master. We are indicated that to be a witness, an apostle, is to be a martyr, in imitation of Christ. The day of death, the day of martyrdom is the passage to immortal life. St. Stephen is usually pictured in deacon’s vestments, holding the symbol of martyrdom, a palm branch. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Stephen, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 26, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad! Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Birth of Jesus Christ. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." The Son of God became man to give us the divine life which is eternally in the Blessed Trinity. Christmas time, the festival of joy, begins on the night of December 24 and ends on the feast of the Baptism of Christ. The longings of the patriarchs and prophets were fulfilled. With the shepherds, we hurry to the manger and adore the Incarnate Son of God, who for us and for our salvation descended upon earth. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 25, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Merry Christmas! Advent has reminded us of the light soon to make its way into the world to dwell among us. Christmas is about the coming of the light into our darkness. God comes to us in a variety of ways: in the living word, in the Eucharist and the sacraments, in the carols, in the nativity scenes, and in the presence of family and friends. Every Christmas we are reminded that Divinity came in the person of Jesus, breaking into human history. With what purpose? To heal us from our sins and let us know the depth of his love for us. Let's faithfully celebrate Christmas Eve dinner with our families and friends, remembering and hosting if possible those who are struggling in our society. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 24, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Almost about to enter the Christmas season, the Catholic Church celebrates today the Antiphon or chant of O Emmanuel, God Is With Us. God reveals through the human heart of Jesus that He wants to be one of us, with all our weaknesses and suffering, in every phase of our life. He wishes to dwell within us and experience how hard is to be a man. God's only-begotten Son is about to be born in time. For the salvation of men, He comes down upon the earth and is conceived by the Holy Ghost in a virgin. He wills to share our poverty and pray, and suffer with us. He even takes our place on the cross, He remains with us in Holy Communion, in our daily Mass, and in our tabernacles. At some time in the future, He will still be God with us in His beautiful heaven. All this He has done for us even though we have repeatedly turned our back on Him. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 23, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In this fourth week of Advent, we continue reflecting upon the revelations from Jesus to the mystic Luisa Piccarreta. These revelations revolve around the excesses of Christ’s love for humanity. Jesus’ Divinity forms the most intimate union between the Eternal Word and the creatures. Conceived in the Womb of His Mother, Christ Jesus delights in our company and wished to live in constant and mutual love with us. God is unconditional and infinite love in action. If we were convinced of this truth our life would never be the same. Jesus said: “Poor me! In exchange for my love, I receive constantly only sorrow and pains! In fact, a number of my creatures do not even want to listen to my word of eternal Life and some avoid my company. Others escape from my love; others go away from me; others turn a deaf ear and so silence me. But it is not all: because there is also those who despise me and offend me directly. The first ones have no attention for my goods and my Kingdom; and for my kisses and my caresses, I only receive in return indifference and forgetting. Then, this game that I wanted to play with my creatures becomes silence and indifference. The others - and it is the majority - prevent me from spreading on them the love of my heart and make me shed tears. Thus, not only my love does not find comfort, but it is turned and mocked, despised and offended.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 22, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Jesus Christ conceived in grace all the human creatures so that we can grow with Him in wisdom and truth. That is why Christ loves us so much our company and wishes to live in constant and mutual love with us. This is what Our Savior said to the Italian mystic and Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta (1865–1947) Luisa Piccarreta, as we learn in her Novena. Jesus also said to her: "I also wish to let them know that I came down to earth only to make them really happy. Then, I really want to be with them as a younger brother, to make me loved by them, to obtain from them an answer full of generosity and to restore to each all my goods and my Kingdom, at the price of the biggest sacrifices until even of my death so that they have the life." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 21, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Italian mystic and Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta (1865–1947), also known as the “Little Daughter of the Divine Will” [in the picture],  wrote a Novena before Christmas Day with revelations received from Jesus Christ. During the fourth day, Luisa Piccarreta described how the consuming love of Jesus Christ is bringing to him the weight of people’s sins and weaknesses. “Love made me carry the burden of each one of these souls,” said the Son of God to her. “After having conceived their souls in myself, I also conceived the pains and the reparations that each of them owed to my Father of heavens.” “Observe, closely, my small head, it is surrounded with a crown of thorns that pierces it cruelly and makes flow from my eyes plentiful and bitter tears.” “My daughter, this crown of thorns is no other than the cruel crown that the creatures make me carry by their spirit filled with bad thoughts. Oh! How much they make me suffer!” “My daughter, do you know why I am constantly crowned with thorns and crucified? It is because humanity does not stop plotting immoral intentions and committing depravity acts, all things that take non-stop the shape of nails and thorns, piercing my temples, hands, and feet.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 20, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s reading (LK 1:5-25) we learn about another critical intervention of Divinity in human history. The Angel Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father, the priest Zechariah. The mother Elizabeth would give birth to the greatest prophet ever. John, cousin of Jesus Christ, would be the second human being born without sin, as he would be filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb. It’s important to note that God intervened after the insistent prayer of Zechariah and Elizabeth. The key characteristic of humans is freedom. The Author of Life gave us free will, so we can choose our destiny. God will participate in our personal history only if we insist on prayer. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 19, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Sunday — the fourth of Advent — we see how an angel of the Lord appeared to St. Joseph, in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1:18-24). This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. The Divinity had to intervene because otherwise, Joseph would had divorce him. God was then with Joseph and today is with us, as we especially learn in this season of Advent. In the end, we humans need to experience supernatural interventions, as we are weak and inconsistent. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 18, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We read today (Matthew 1:1-17) about the genealogy of Jesus, the forty-two generations that stretch from Abraham to Christ. It means that the Word Incarnated dwelt among our dysfunctional human family. In the list of the ancestors of Jesus, we see a bit of everything: from Ruth, who was not an Israelite but a Moabite to Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho. Not a genealogy of saints certainly! Jesus shows His merciful love to people who are sunk in sin — all of us! The Son of God knows about our struggle and His approach is through love and mercy. This is the good news of Advent and Christmas: the Divinity pushing into our sinful family with the mission of rescuing us and giving us an eternally joyful life. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 17, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Everything we do, knowingly or unknowingly, is for the Glory of God. Then, the Glory of God is reflected in us. We should understand that we are united forever with the Holy Mighty One. Nothing can separate us from Jesus Christ: not the Evil Doer, nor the flesh, nor the world with its tricks and lies. Not even our own unspeakable sins! The Holy Trinity gave us eternal life so we build together the Kingdom of Heaven here on our temporary life on earth and in the upcoming everlasting life. Humans talk about death, but there is no death for faithful people. Life is eternally uninterrupted. Our loved ones in Heaven can testify about it — my beloved and eternal wife Maria Blanca in my case [in the picture above, along with the Rosaries she left to myself and my son 53 days after passing away]. Today, when we make one-thousand days by praying the Rosary of Mary in this community, we heartily thank Our Blessed Mother and Her Divine Son for the privilege and joy of giving us the grace to invoke daily the Heavens, and even talk in their holy name. Such is the gracious Will of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, along with the angels and the Communion of Saints. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 16, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This week, we celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe. This feast highlights, as Archbishop Jose Gomez, said that “who we are, the dearest sons and daughters of God Our Lord.” We remember the words she addressed to St. Juan Diego: ‘Am I not here, I, who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and shelter? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?’ “When we look into her eyes, we experience the love she has for each one of us, for our families, the Church, and the society in which we live,” Archbishop Gomez said. “Mary of Guadalupe opens her arms with tenderness and compassion and embraces us all with motherly love.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 15, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: December 14th is the memorial of St. John of the Cross, the 16th-century Spanish, Carmelite priest and Mystical Doctor of the Church. He reformed the Carmelite order together with St. Teresa of Avila, and wrote the classic spiritual treatise “The Dark Night of the Soul.” During his religious life, he was mistreated, humiliated, and incarcerated, but these trials brought him closer to God by breaking his dependence on the things of this world. As Pope St. John Paul II, who wrote a doctoral thesis on the saint’s writings, said he was a “master in the faith and witness to the living God.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. John of the Cross, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 14, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we venerate a popular Sicilian Martyr and Virgin of the third century that is a living symbol of the light of Advent amid the darkness of the world. St. Lucy prepared herself for the reunion of the Lord like few people across history. St. Lucy made a vow of virginity and distributed her wealth to the poor. She was martyred for defending her virginity. She was tortured with her eyes taken out and a fire was built around her. But God protected her and she stood immovable. She was finally put to death by the sword. Her name appears in the second list in the Roman Eucharist Canon. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Lucy, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 13, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On December 9, 1531, the Blessed Mother appeared, in her glorified body, to a poor Indian convert named Juan Diego in Tepeyac, a hill of Mexico City. The Mother of God left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle — the tilma— of Juan Diego as a sign for the bishop. The tilma has proved to be ageless, showing no sign of decay after over 470 years. To this day it defies all scientific explanations of its origin. This miraculous image is kept in the shrine built in her honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1910, Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the Patroness of Latin America. In 1945 Pope Pius XII declared Her to be the Empress of all the Americas. An incredible list of miracles, cures, and interventions is attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Each year an estimated 10 million people visit her Basilica, making her Mexico City home the most popular Marian shrine in the world, and the most visited Catholic church in the world after Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 12, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. The term Gaudete means "Rejoice." We light the rose-colored candle of Advent and emphasize our joy as Christmas draws near. We the faithful await the feast of the Lord's Nativity while praying to receive the joy of our salvation in Jesus Christ and share the glory of His Kingdom here on Earth. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 11, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto. The title of Our Lady of Loreto refers to the Holy House of Loreto, the house in which Mary was born, and in which the Word was made flesh at the Annunciation. Tradition says that angels transported the little house from Palestine to Loreto, in Italy where it has been for centuries. Since the 14th century, this shrine in Loreto is one of the most famous shrines of Our Lady in Europe. Popes and the faithful have always held the Shrine of Loreto in special esteem. A replica of an ancient statue of Our Lady is found there, one of the "Black Madonnas." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Loreto, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 10, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today we remember Juan Diego, the Mexican saint who received a visit from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Cuautlitlán, today part of Mexico City. When he was 50 years old he was baptized by a Franciscan priest, Fr. Peter da Gand, one of the first Franciscan missionaries. On December 9, 1531, when Juan Diego was on his way to morning Mass, the Blessed Mother appeared to him. Our Lady asked him to go to the Bishop and to request in her name that a shrine be built at Tepeyac, where she promised to pour out her grace upon those who invoked her. The Bishop, who did not believe Juan Diego, asked for a sign to prove that the apparition was true. On December 12, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac. Here, the Blessed Mother told him to climb the hill and pick the flowers that he would find in bloom. He obeyed, and although it was wintertime, he found roses blooming. He gathered the flowers and took them to Our Lady who carefully placed them on 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. Juan Diego lived the rest of his life as a hermit in a small hut near the chapel where the miraculous image was placed for veneration. Here he cared for the church and the first pilgrims who came to pray to the Mother of Jesus. Much deeper than the exterior grace of having been chosen as Our Lady's messenger, Juan Diego received the grace of interior enlightenment and from that moment, he began a life dedicated to prayer and the practice of virtue and boundless love of God and neighbor. He died in 1548 and was buried in the first chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. He was beatified on May 6, 1990, by Pope John Paul II in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Guadalupe, Mexico City. The miraculous image, which is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shows a woman with native features and dress. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Juan Diego, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 9, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a holy day of obligation in the United States. Our Lady was immaculately conceived as it was defined by the solemn dogma proclaimed by Blessed Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854. “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” —Catechism of the Catholic Church. Mary was the first soul saved by the Holy Trinity, for her sins were washed clean before his birth, making her a worthy vessel to carry the Son of God. At the Annunciation, we find out about Mary’s yes, her fiat to God, but the story of salvation history started earlier, with her Conception without sin. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Immaculate Conception, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 8, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We asked ChatGPT, the latest breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence, a phenomenon these days, about the Rosary.  Explain the Mysteries of the Rosary, was the question. The answer of this tool — created by an Elon Musk San Francisco - based OpenAI company — wasn’t bad!   "The Rosary is a popular devotion among Catholics, which involves the repetition of prayers, called "Hail Marys," while contemplating the life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary are specific events in the life of Jesus and Mary that are meditated upon during this devotion. There are four sets of Mysteries, which are divided into three categories: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. The Joyful Mysteries focus on the events of the Incarnation, including the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Nativity. The Sorrowful Mysteries focus on the Passion and death of Jesus, including the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, and the Crucifixion. The Glorious Mysteries focus on the resurrection and glorification of Jesus and Mary, including the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Assumption. These Mysteries provide a framework for contemplation and prayer for those who recite the Rosary." We also asked who created the Rosary and the answer was disappointing, as there was no mention of Our Lady of the Rosary... [Read the entire story at rosarynetwork.org] Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 7, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century bishop born in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), one of the most popular saints honored in the Western world, and known as Saint Claus in the U.S. But the story of Saint Nicholas came to America in a distorted fashion, brought by the Dutch Protestants. Popular legends portrayed St. Nicholas as a North Pole jolly magician and a wonder worker who brings happiness to small children. Our present-day conception of Santa Claus has grown from this version, boosted by the marketing of Coca-Cola and other big corporations. As a result of it, the memory of St. Nicholas or St. Claus is associated with a jolly, white-bearded man who captivates children with promises of gifts on Christmas Eve. However, Catholics should think of Nicholas as a saint who practiced both the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. He was generous, strove to help the poor and disadvantaged, and worked tirelessly to defend the faith. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 6, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We also pray today’s Rosary in Madrid, Spain. In addition to the Christmas tree, during the Advent and Christmas seasons, we enjoy the nativity scenes — belenes, in Spanish. These nativity scenes reflect the wonder of the divine littleness — God making himself small, not born in the splendor of a palace but in genuine poverty, on a stable. For what? To be closer to each of us by highlighting the virtue of surrendering and humility. As Pope Francis recently said, "simple and familiar, the nativity scene recalls a different Christmas from the consumerist and commercial one." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 5, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the Second Sunday of Advent, we read about the preaching of John the Baptist on the desert of Judea (Mt 3:1-12) His main message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Many followed his request and were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. Others refuse to follow the truth. To them, the warning was clear: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” The love of God is infinite and unconditional. And Jesus chose us first. However, we need to take his invitation to eternal glory and joy very seriously. Because either we are with Christ or against Him. And rejecting the Author of Life is the worse imaginable pathway we can take, as it leads to everlasting torment. We pray today's Rosary in Madrid, Spain. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 4, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we honor St. Francis Xavier, the greatest missionary after St. Paul the Apostle. Born in Navarre, Spain, in 1506, to a noble Basque family, he gave his life to bring the Good News to people who had never known Christ, mostly in western India, the coast of China, Malaysia, the Island of Mindanao, Japan, and other parts of Asia. He loved the poor, and the sick, and showed great joy in service. He was known for his long hours of hard work. Some days, he baptized so many that at night he could not raise his arm from fatigue. In Paris, he became one of the seven founding members of the Jesuits, along with his friend St. Ignatius of Loyola, also born in the Kingdom of Navarre. He died ill of a fever, praying with his eyes fixed on his crucifix. He was buried in a shallow grave and his body was covered with quicklime, but when exhumed three months later it was found fresh and incorrupt. It was taken to Goa where it is still enshrined. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Francis Xavier, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 3, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In this month dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, we reflect upon the mystery of Mary, the most perfect human being ever created. St. Irenaeus compares the virginity of the pure earth from which Adam was drawn to the virginity of the immaculate humanity of Mary, from which the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, was drawn. “He who is the Word, recapitulating Adam in Himself, rightly receive a birth, enabling Him to gather up Adam [into Himself], from Mary, who was as yet a virgin.” (Adversus hereses III, 21:). The Blessed Mother was created in purity and integrity, miraculously preserved from the contamination of original sin, as she gave birth to Christ the Word. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 2, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854. "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." Mary, full of grace, reflects the fullness of the mystery of God’s grace, as the Archangel Gabriel announced to her. The Immaculate was predestined from eternity to be the Mother of God. Mary, the new Eve, untied the knot bound by the first woman by her disobedience. As Eve was created in purity and integrity, also the new Eve was miraculously preserved from the contamination of original sin because she had to give humanity the Word, who was incarnated for our ransom. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • December 1, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On November 30th, Catholics worldwide celebrate the feast of St. Andrew, apostle and martyr. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida, a former disciple of John the Baptist, and the brother of Peter. He was the one who introduced his brother Peter to Jesus, saying, “We have found the Messiah.” Overshadowed by his brother, Andrew nevertheless appears in the Gospels as introducing souls to Christ. Today, St. Andrew’s feast is a signal of the beginning of Advent. After Pentecost, Andrew took up the apostolate on a much wider scale, spreading Christianity in Russia and Asia minor. He was crucified by the Romans in Patras in southern Greece on an X-shaped cross, which is now his distinctive symbol as well as the symbol of Scotland, of which he is the patron. This type of cross has long been known as “St. Andrew’s cross.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Andrew, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 30, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: This Sunday, November 27, in addition to the First Sunday of Advent, was the feast of the Miraculous Medal, which represents the coming triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On November 27, 1830, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Laboure in a small chapel in Paris. Our Lady was clothed all in white. She was standing on the earth. Under one of her feet was the head of a green serpent, representing Satan. In her hands, she held a golden ball surmounted by a cross, which represented the world. From rings on her fingers, rays as symbols of graces were emitted. These rays were shed upon those who ask for them. The Holy Virgin asked St. Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, to have a medal struck after this model. And promised: “All who wear the medal will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for those who wear it with confidence.” Since then, so many miracles have occurred for those who wore the medal. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 29, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Advent is an opportunity to grow in grace by cultivating the virtue of humility, in imitation of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, as we learn in the first Joyful Mystery. We await the coming of Christ, either at Christmas, in His Second Coming, or when He calls us to the House of the Father. We adopt the attitude of the Centurion, as we read today in the Gospel of Matthew (8:5-11) when he pronounced these eternal words: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof: only say the word and my servant will be healed." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 28, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the First Sunday of Advent and the start of the new Liturgical Year, which means a renewed commitment to the faith by all who follow Christ. It’s an awakening in our Christian life, remembering that the one true God is coming today. In the Season of Advent, we reflect upon and welcome the mystery of the Word Incarnate. The true light enters into the world through the immaculate womb of Mary. Our sinful daily lives get illuminated. It’s a time of joy. Advent is also an invitation to abandon any indifference and distraction and seek only to do God’s work and be vigilant because His second coming might happen at any moment. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 27, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our secular society pushes us to avoid any silence, solitude, and prayer and encourages us to jump into the social scene, with all the noise and worldly values. This invitation keeps us often separated from the eternal truth. For spiritual growth and healthy meditation and reflection — never mindfulness — we need some detachment, as we learn in the third joyful mystery of today. This is how we try to merge with the purity and perfection of God and His merciful love. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving. Being forgiving and thanksgiving is a sign of wisdom and hope. As John said in Revelation 7:12, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” In truth, we should live in a state of gratitude to the Lord, seeing God in everything. Recognizing His gifts and sharing them everywhere. As one Palms (95:2) says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 25, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the fourth Thursday in November, is Thanksgiving Day, a U.S. annual celebration. Families getting together, counting their blessings, and showing gratitude to the Lord is great. As G.K. Chesterton said, "Thanks is the highest form of thought." Although is not on the Church calendar, let's celebrate a Catholic Thanksgiving. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 24, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As we prepare for the Advent season that will start next Sunday, we reflect upon the Kingship of Christ, whose solemnity was last Sunday. God the Father bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion. Christ is the Head of the Church, which the powers of darkness cannot destroy — despite its countless attacks in the last two-thousand years and increasing hostility today. Moreover, a truth that we need to take very seriously is the kingship of Christ upon each and every one of us. And if that is so, let’s keep an exclusive space for Jesus in our room; not in another room of the house. When you go to sleep keep an empty chair and put there Jesus, so He is with you at the end of the day, at night, and at the beginning of the next day. It’s a huge commitment but this is to make Christ the king of our life. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 23, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Cecilia, a virgin and martyr in the 3rd century. St. Cecilia is one of the most famous and venerated Roman saints. Cecilia led a life of prayer and meditation. She was a witness of purity and praise, an example of a life lived in the world but not of the world, and of fidelity to Christ that is not afraid even of death. In 1599 her grave was opened and her body was found in a coffin of cypress wood. It lay incorrupt. Since the Middle Ages, Cecilia has been honored as the patron of Church music. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Cecilia, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 22, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, brought her infant daughter to the Temple. Mary was offered to God in the Temple by her grateful, aged parents when she was three years old. This was done to fulfill a vow that Anne had made when an angel appeared to her, telling her that she would become the mother of a child who “will be spoken of throughout the entire world.” According to the Protoevangel of St. James (ch. 4:1ff), she received her nourishment from the hand of an angel. In the East, where the feast, celebrated since the eighth century, is kept as a public holiday, it bears the name, The Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple. In Rome, it was introduced in the sixteenth century. Each of us, as members of the Church, can imitate Mary in this mystery. God has called all of us, in our baptism, to dedicate ourselves to lives of service through our work and prayer. And Mary, as the icon of a perfect disciple, is the model of obedience to God’s will. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 21, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, formerly referred to as "Christ the King”. This feast was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to an unfaithful way of life that leaves God out of man's thinking and living and organizes life as if God did not exist. Today’s solemnity proclaims Christ's royalty over individuals, families, societies, governments, and nations. Christ is the Creator of the universe and hence He wields supreme power over all things; "All things were created by Him". Make no mistake: He made us His property and possession. And we, in all humility and gratitude, rejoice for His dominion. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 20, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: After the big tribulation, announced in the Book of Revelation (Rv 11:4-12), as we read today, the Heavens will be open again, and Our Trinitarian God will come to rescue the faithful and bring them with Him. These things will happen, as written, regardless we see them or not. The Enemy of Christ is operating on earth in a big time today. One of his cheats is to persuade a majority of people that he doesn’t exist and Hell is not real. Through the gift of faith, we are conscious of the enormous spiritual battle for the souls happening now. In this war against the Father of the Lies and the destroyer of humanity, we hold an extremely powerful weapon, the Holy Rosary of Mary. Maybe only in our next life, we will understand the significance of praying daily the Rosary and fully trusting in Mary’s intercession. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 19, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on Memorial Day dedicated to the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome, we pray and meditate upon the Sorrowful Mysteries from Orlando, Florida... From another resort today! Do we realize how blessed we are to have faith? We notice it when we see a relative or friend around us who is struggling because of a lack of faith. God is treating us very well giving us divine wisdom. He wants us to share it, always highlighting His merciful love. The sacred heart of Jesus Christ is burning for humanity. His suffering, like all the saints', is intense, because many among us — ungrateful people — reject the eternal truth and joy. The Evil Doer is cheating us saying that the Holy Trinity doesn't care. It's the opposite. Satan is the master of lies. By reflecting upon the mysteries of the Rosary we discover that our destiny is to join God while syncing our souls with Him here on earth. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, Orlando, Florida • November 18, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We also pray the Luminous Mysteries Rosary from a Walt Disney resort in Orlando, Florida. How many gifts have we received from God? Life, talents, soul. Everyone has many talents. We are meant to grow them for our own food and the glory of God — which is the same! Faithful are called to make good use of talents, as we learn in the reading yesterday (Luke 19:11-28).  Jesus likes that we take risks on investment as a model for our spiritual life. God is pure love. He exists in gift form. If we want to succeed we should give ourselves away.  This way we will multiply our spiritual richness on earth, being prepared for eternal life! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 17, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Rosary from a Disney resort in Orlando, Florida. Being a man of prayer is a huge accomplishment. Jesus Christ was a man of prayer, and so were the apostles, prophets, and saints. None prayed to be seen or take credit. The holy people of earth pray to be conformed to God. The Divinity knows already what we need. It’s hilarious to think that we are informing or instructing Him. And it’s equally useless to compose sophisticated phrases to come to Him and merely repeat them. We pray in supplication to be made intimate with Him. We detail as much as we can our faults, errors, and sins asking for forgiveness, and we try to identify our gifts and our successes in a thanksgiving prayer. The goal is to sync our soul with the Author of Life. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 16, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: At that time, Jesus said (Jn 17:20-26) to His Father, "The world does not know you." Also, He asked (Lk 18:8) "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Two thousand years later, a vast part of the world continues showing the same ignorance. Men and women continue finding solutions to their happiness in the wrong sources — namely, pleasures, money, and honors — rejecting the eternal truth. Like then, the root of the problem is our pride and arrogance which leads us to behave like small Gods, implementing solutions that make us unhappy and addicted. Only in our Trinitarian God, we will find the joy and peace we are looking for. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 15, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Through the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1–8) — that we read last Saturday — Jesus Christ exhorts us to pray with persistence. This command is everywhere in the Old and New Testaments. The Son of God’s teaching is clear: “Knock and the door shall be opened to you; seek and you will find; ask and it will be given to you.” Why persistence is so critical? The Lord wants to be sure — and we want to be sure of what we ask. Things shouldn’t come up too easily. St. Augustine said that God sometimes delays in giving us what we want because He wants our hearts to expand and be ready when it comes. Grace arrives at the right time. Never give up in prayer! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 14, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In yesterday’s reading (Jn 17:20-26), Jesus Christ stated what was the goal of His prayer: “I pray not only for these but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” All be one. That’s the destiny of the human race: to become one with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That’s perfection, that’s all love, everlasting joy for the glory of God. The Rosary of Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, sets our pathway for eternal glory, in the companion of the angels, saints, and our beloved family members, and friends. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 13, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: How often the homilies we heard on Sundays are uninspiring? Most importantly, why is that? A top Italian theologian and Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa said that pastors in parishes deliver soft messages to avoid any conflict. The problem is that a tailor-made doctrine is mostly useless. Faithful people want to hear — and see it in practice — the message of Jesus Christ. And this message is far from being soft, as we read yesterday in the Gospel (LK 17:26-37). Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.” The call to live as a witness of Christ is pretty radical and it doesn’t fit at all with today’s secular society. In Mark 8:34-37, He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 12, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Through the Rosary, we go through every stage of Jesus' and Mary's earthly life. The Holy Spirit uses our minds to sync ourselves with the immaculate heart of Mary. With the meditation of the Rosary, we empty our minds by filling them with the virtues of Christ the Lord and the Blessed Virgin. Through the Hole Rosary, the love and the power of Jesus Christ and His beloved Mother come unto us, touching our wounds and healing them. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 11, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Rosary from Brooklyn, New York. When we pray for the holy souls in purgatory, we also nurture our expectation of heaven and the union with God. It's also important to reflect upon the fact that when we pass away all our earthly successes, achievements, and gains, along with prestigious titles and honors, will vanish. We will be examined in terms of love — how much did we help and loved others and worship the Holy Trinity. In the divine tribunal, the only thing that will count will be, as Pope Francis recently remembered, "mercy toward the poor and discarded: ‘Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 10, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As we celebrate the month dedicated to All Souls in purgatory, we wonder about what special merits we will need to demonstrate on the final judgment of God before the Resurrection. We certainly don’t want to arrive into the judgment day hands-empty. The possibility that Jesus Christ tells us “I don’t know you” scares us deeply. So, what to do? Well, to be welcomed into Paradise we need to love others. Why? Because God is love. As St. Matthew described in the scene of the last judgment, those who fed the hungry, received the stranger and visited the prisoner are welcomed into God’s kingdom. But those who neglected to care for others are sent into “the eternal fire.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 9, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On each Rosary we start our petitions asking for us, God’s people, who are one Body in Christ, as St. Paul reminded us in the letter read last Friday (Rom 12:3-13). As part of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic and Apostolic Church, we all play different functions. There is the hierarchy, the priests, the consecrated, and the laypeople. No one is above each other because we all are children of God. When we arrive in Heaven, we will see that the earthly differences in status mean nothing. Everyone is called to holiness. For almost nineteen centuries, the dominant thought was that only religious people could be saints. Now, we know that anyone can be a saint. As we dwell on Earth, and per the wisdom of the Catholic Church, the doctrine gets enlightened. And we rejoice by knowing that holiness is at hand and through Baptism, we’ve entered the Mystical Body. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 8, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The truth of the Resurrection and life everlasting, which is central to our faith, has few mentions in the Old Testament. Moreover, many followers of the Law of the Prophets believed that the end of earthly life was the end of our human existence. Only a few passages sensed that the Resurrection was part of the history of salvation. Yesterday, in the first Sunday reading, in the book of Maccabees (2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14) we heard about it. Heroically, seven brothers accepted martyrdom. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: “You are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever." And he added, in a serious warning to the wicked who tortured and maltreated them, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 7, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s reading (Lk 20, 27-38), Jesus Christ gives us a clue about how life in Heaven will be. He reveals that souls “can no longer die, for they are like angels.” Today’s society has missed the horizon of eternity. We tend to forget that our earthly life is temporary and that true life takes place in Heaven, with the Communion of Saints, in the New Jerusalem, united with Jesus Christ. Our God is a living God. He is not a God of the dead. With Christ, we all have been resurrected, as we learn in the first Glorious Mystery. Our earthly valley of tears will soon go away. Eternal joy awaits us. We must continue the fight against sin and evil, pursuing the crown of Glory. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 6, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In the second Joyful Mystery, Mary chanted the Magnificat (Lk 1:14), the greatest of all chants. "My soul magnifies the Lord," the Most Holy Virgin said.  That's exactly what She does through the Rosary — her Rosary!  Magnify means to "make larger", and that's what Mary does in our lives: She makes Her divine Son larger and more real than we ever imagine. We pray today's Rosary on the streets of Stamford, Connecticut. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 5, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

Friends of the Rosary: It’s easy to love people who are friendly and likable. But what about loving those who offend and insult us? Dismissing them, arguing that they reject the faith and the love of God, is an excuse. These folks are suffering immensely and they deserve our help. In truth, anyone who doesn’t live for the Divinity and for helping their neighbors is a really damaged person. To them, we need to show our merciful love, simply by behaving as witnesses of Jesus and Mary and without expecting anything in return, nor even a small gesture of gratitude, nor a thankful world. If there is an opportunity for dialogue — and they open themselves for a conversation, — we’d need to stay strong and calm, explaining to these troubling people that sin damages all of us. We love the person but we reject sin. We put into practice the virtue of fraternal correction. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York — Happy Birthday, Maria Blanca! We love you and we know that you are interceding for us from the Communion of Saints! • November 4, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

Friends of the Rosary: November is the month dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. These souls are holy because they belong to people who passed away in God’s grace and friendship and they are in the previous step to receive the crown of eternal glory and joy. Now, these souls are in a purifying suffering stage before they achieve complete holiness. The good news is that these souls will go to Heaven contrary to the souls of unrepentant sinners who will be punished with eternal damnation and the horrific fire of Hell. On the month of November, we, the Church Militant, those on earth, striving to get to heaven, pray for the Church Suffering — those souls in Purgatory. We also rejoice and honor the Church Triumphant — the saints, in heaven. And we ask for the Saints' intercession for us. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 3, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Commemoration of All Souls’ Day, also known the All the Faithful Departed. After celebrating the feast of All Saints, today we pray for all who are in the purifying suffering of Purgatory awaiting the day they will join God in His heavenly glory, along with the company of saints. On departing from the body, souls are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins or have not fully atoned for past transgressions. Therefore, they are debarred from the Beatific Vision. The faithful on earth can help them through prayers, almsgiving, and the sacrifice of the Mass. This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this mystery: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death, they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! • November 2, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the first of November, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. This feast was instituted to honor all of the saints — both canonized and uncanonized, both known and unknown — now in Heaven enjoying the beatific vision of God. Among the saints in heaven are some whom we have known, including many relatives (María Blanca, in my case). All lived on earth journeys like our own. They were baptized and faithful to Christ's teaching. They have departed before us to the heavenly home. From there they are calling on us to follow them. We all have this universal call to holiness, intended to join the saints in heaven. For that, we follow in Jesus Christ's footsteps, seeking the will of the Father in all things and devoting ourselves to the glory of God and the service of our neighbors. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "the perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity—this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels, and all the blessed—is called heaven." "Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness." The Gospel of the Beatitudes, read today, while it shows their happiness, shows the road the saints followed. And the feast of All Saints inspires us with tremendous hope. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! All Saints, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • November 1, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

Friends of the Rosary: Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 1, is the solemnity of All Saints; and on Wednesday, November 2, is All Souls Day — in Spanish, el Día de Los Fieles Difuntos. Today is the Eve of All Saints, commonly known as Halloween, which has Catholic ties. In England, saints or holy people are called “hallowed,” hence the name “All Hallows’ Day.” The evening before the All Saints feast became popularly known as “All Hallows’ Eve” or even shorter, “Hallowe’en.” Halloween evening marks the beginning of the observance of All Saints Day, with vigil masses everywhere. All the demonic and witchcraft incorporated into Halloween have no place in a Christian celebration. If we talk about death, it’s because we prepare our souls for earthly departure and also because we think about the Poor Souls in Purgatory, especially on All Saints Day. Overall, on Halloween, we reclaim the celebration of All Saints, canonized and uncanonized. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 31, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

• Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

Friends of the Rosary: We should try to find Christ Jesus in all things. Mostly, because He alone is the giver of true peace and lasting happiness. Too much love for earthly things draws people away from joy and wisdom. We’re in the business of bringing souls to the Father, starting with our own souls. As Christians, we are reminded of this eternal truth. Or, as we read today Sunday (Lk 19:1-10), “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 30, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Video: Oct 28, 2022 – Mass for María Blanca at St. Catherine of Siena, Greenwich, Connecticut

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries recorded at St. Catherine of Sienna, in Greenwich, Connecticut, prior to the funeral mass for María Blanca, Blanki.  A group of friends of María Blanca, including Fr. Miguel Bernal, participated faithfully in the prayer of the Rosary. As Fr. Miguel said during his homily, "the largest source of unhappiness is trying to find life without God." "For Maria Blanca, the entire earthly life was living and dying for God," he added. "And now, Maria Blanca lives eternally — that's what we celebrate as Christians today." "Now we have someone — Maria Blanca — enjoying the presence of God and who is interceding for us," Fr. Miguel said. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 29, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on the feast day of the apostles St Jude Thadeus and Simon the Zealot, we remember María Blanca, Blanki, a courageous woman, wife, and mother of three who offered her extreme pain in the hospital for the conversion of souls. She was a gift of God to those who knew and met her. For myself and my family, she was the center of our lives. Today, we feel what she is waiting for us in eternity while encouraging us to enjoy a faithful life in the service of Jesus and Mary. In the last year since her departure on October 28, 2021, we have received countless graces from the Divinity. The pain of her loss is always there but the joy of knowing that she cannot be better in Heaven consoles us tremendously, providing unbelievable strength to move forward. As a family, our hope and desire now are that Maria Blanca helps many people on earth. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Sts. Jude and Simon, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • First Anniversary: Rosary and Mass for María Blanca in Greenwich, Connecticut • October 28, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: No form of devotion is more widely practiced and recommended by popes than the Holy Rosary. Many saints encouraged us to pray the Rosary daily, as the Blessed Mother asked. Among them, Teresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, Louis de Montfort, Alphonsus Liguori, Don Bosco, Bernadette, Maximilian Kolbe, Faustina Kowalska, John Paul II, and Padre Pio. The authentic Rosary is a combination of vocal and mental prayer, each of which is essential to the devotion. As Pope Leo XIII said the Rosary "is composed of two parts, distinct but inseparable — the meditation on the mysteries and the recitation of the prayers. It is thus a kind of prayer that requires not only some raising of the soul to God but also particular and explicit attention." As Pope Pius XI stated, they err "who consider this devotion merely a boresome formula repeated with monotonous and singsong intonation" In the words of Pius XII, "the recitation of identical formulas, repeated so many times, rather than rendering the prayer sterile and boring, has, on the contrary, the admirable quality of infusing confidence in him who prays, and brings to bear a gentle compulsion on the motherly heart of Mary." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 27, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We tend to blame others for everything wrong around us. Occasionally, we might have a point, but we are often the ones to blame. In Mark 7:21-23, Christ Jesus said: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." All of it is what defiles a person. We pray today's Rosary from the streets of Denver, Colorado. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 26, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Rosary of Mary is leading our lives. We both meditate and supplicate to the Mother of God through this insistent prayer. She is "all-powerful by grace," as Blessed Bartolo Longo in his Supplication to Our Lady wrote. This is a conviction of truly Christian people. How much joy and hope give us the Most Holy Virgin. The Rosary is a spiritual journey toward perfection. In Mary’s company, we pursue the face of Christ. Bartolo Longo said, "By meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become similar to Jesus and Mary and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience, and perfection". Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 25, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, October 24th, is, according to the Roman Calendar of 1960, the feast day of Saint Raphael the Archangel, one of the seven Archangels who stand before the Lord. He is also one of the only three mentioned by name in the Bible, along with Gabriel and Michael (Luke 1:9–26; Jude 1:9). On September 29th, we celebrated the feast of the three of them. Empowered with healing powers, Saint Raphael is also believed to be the archangel who healed the multitude of infirm at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-4). St. Raphael is the patron saint of travelers. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Raphael, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York - OCTOBER 24, 2022, Holy Rosary (Joyful Mysteries) on YouTube

Friends of the Rosary: Building the Kingdom of Heaven on earth requires full humility. Any stain of pride, including spiritual pride, will ruin any endeavor. No human exercised better the virtue of humility than the Holy Mary. With her Fiat during the mystery of the Annunciation, the Blessed Mother corrected the history of sin of mankind. In today’s Sunday reading (Lk 18:9-14), Jesus Christ said to his apostles: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” When we brag about our humility, our spiritual life, or our righteousness as Christians, we are just showing off pride and arrogance. Think only in yourself and only pride will be cultivated. Think in servicing others and humility will arise. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 23, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. John Paul II, the beloved contemporary Pope named Karol Jozef Wojtyla. Born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, he was known for exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people, and the sick. He enriched the Magisterium, promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and instituted the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. On May 13, 1981, an attempt on his life was made in Saint Peter’s Square. He was saved by the maternal hand of the Mother of God. Later, he forgave the attempted assassin and, aware of having received a great gift, intensified his pastoral commitments with heroic generosity. John Paul II was beatified in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI and was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. John Paul II, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 22, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Parishes that have the Holy Rosary prayer in their daily schedule thrive. Those that refuse to do that — the vast majority of them — just survive. What’s worse is when you see a parish denying the divine origin of the Rosary by saying that Mary didn’t handle anything to St. Dominic. More specifically, this month, a parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was stating on its website that “Mary’s giving of the Rosary to St. Dominic is a legend.” This kind of statement has been around for the last eight centuries. Attacks against the Rosary from inside the Catholic Church have been constant. In the month of the Rosary and when we also celebrated the Miracle of the Sun of Our Lady of the Rosary, in Fatima, we invoke the Most Holy Virgin Mary and the Communion of Saints, so they can help us to revive the Rosary in the twenty-first century. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 21, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: There is no one who has followed in the footsteps of the Incarnate Word more closely and with more merit than the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Her invitation to meditate on the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries makes the Rosary the perfect summary of the Gospel and Christian life. The Holy Rosary is a nurturer of Christian faith, morality, and spiritual perfection. It fosters in various ways faith, humility, hope, charity, patience, courage, and other virtues. And it brings special graces, so we all may become like Jesus and Mary. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 20, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm E

Friends of the Rosary: A critical thing that requires our constant vigilance is anger.  "For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God," as James the Apostle wrote in his first letter. Anger separates us from divine wisdom. Also, we must be extremely vigilant about our tongues. Our tongue can behave as pure evil if we don’t control it. How often do we repent for things we have said and damage others? Letting our anger go out and speaking arrogantly without any contempt are serious sins that bring us to confession. Let’s pray a Hail Mary or a Mystery of the Rosary when we are in risk of falling. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 19, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke, the author of the third Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles. Luke was a native of Antioch in Syria and a physician, and one of the early converts from paganism. He accompanied St. Paul on a considerable part of his missionary journey. His name means “bringer of light.” The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the fact that Christ is the salvation of all men, especially of the repentant sinner and of the lowly. It’s the Gospel of the Merciful Heart of Jesus and also what St. Jerome called “Paul’s Gospel.” To St. Luke’s Gospel, we owe most of our knowledge of Christ’s childhood and some precious details about our Lady. It is worth noting that Luke painted the Blessed Virgin’s portrait. St. Luke did not personally know our Lord, and like St. Mark, the author of the second Gospel, he is not included among the apostles. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Luke, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 18, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We can live in the Spirit or in the flesh. The choice is 100% ours. We are with Christ or against him. We exist for the praise of his glory and follow His word of truth or we exist to embrace the world’s values and pleasures set by darkness. There is no middle ground. Relativism is darkness; being a lukewarm believer is not Christian. How do we know in what sphere we play? St. Paul in GAL 5:18-25 explains, “ the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” In contrast, the works of the flesh are immorality, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, outbursts of fury, selfishness, drinking, orgies, and the like. Mind you, as Paul said, “those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 17, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today Sunday’s main reading (Lk 18:1-8), Jesus asked his disciples: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Also, in today’s second reading (2 Tm 3:14-4:2), St Paul exhorted us to "remain faithful to what you have learned and believed," as "the sacred Scriptures are capable of giving us wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." The thirteenth apostle encouraged us "to be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient." Friends, we must be hopeful and patient, silently accepting all the suffering sent by the Heavens. In addition, until the second coming takes place, as we learn in the second Glorious mystery today, we should perform sacrifices in reparation for the sins and offenses committed against the immaculate heart of Mary. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 16, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the memorial of the sixteenth-century mystic and reformer of Carmelite, St. Teresa of Avila. As a child, Teresa felt captivated by the thought of eternity and the vision of God granted to the saints in heaven. When she was 14, her mother died, causing the girl a profound grief that prompted her to embrace a deeper devotion to the Virgin Mary as her spiritual mother. At the age of 20, she joined the Carmelite Order. Soon she contracted a serious illness, experiencing severe pain and physical paralysis for two years, and was expected to die when she went into a coma for four days. At the Carmelite monastery, while she remained in a painful and debilitated state, she developed the practice of recalling herself into the presence of God through quiet contemplation. She later recovered. At the age of 40, she had visions from God, describing these experiences in an autobiography. Teresa had always been accustomed to contemplating Christ's presence within her after receiving him in the sacrament of Holy Communion. This revolution in her spiritual life enabled Teresa to play a significant role in the renewal of the Church that followed the Council of Trent. She proposed a return of the Carmelites to their original rule of life, a simple and austere form of monasticism, founded on silence and solitude. Together with her close collaborator, the priest and writer later canonized as Saint John of the Cross, she founded the Order of Discalced Carmelites – “discalced,” meaning barefoot, symbolizing the simplicity to which they chose to return the order after a period of corruption. The reform met with fierce opposition but resulted in the founding of 30 monasteries during her life. Teresa's health failed her for the last time while she was traveling through Salamanca in 1582. She accepted her dramatic final illness as God's chosen means of calling her into his presence forever. "O my Lord, and my spouse, the desired hour has now come," she stated. "The hour is at last come, wherein I shall pass out of this exile, and my soul shall enjoy in thy company what it hath so earnestly longed for.” St. Teresa of Avila died on Oct. 15, 1582. She was canonized in 1622, along with three of her greatest contemporaries: St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Philip Neri. In 1970, Pope St. Paul VI proclaimed St. Teresa as one of the first two woman Doctors of the Church, along with 14th-century Dominican St. Catherine of Siena. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Teresa of Avila, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 15, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: These days, we heard the new ethnocentric view of Elon Musk, the richest man on earth, talking about taking over other planets and creating a new religion. Is this something new? Well, it sounds like vanity of vanities. It’s all human arrogance, a sin contrary to the humility of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all of the apostles, prophets, saints, and people of goodwill across history. Humans, created in the image and likeness of God, were saved by Jesus Christ, who will come again at the end of times. In the first reading of today (EPH 1:11-14), St. Paul explains, “In Christ, we are chosen” and we exist for the “praise of his glory.” In Jesus Christ, we have heard the word of the truth. Our destiny is based on reuniting fully with Him — and not in populating new planets or inventing strange salvific ideas. Only in the goal of our salvation, there is hope, joy, and peace — as anyone can easily check. On arrogance, we fail. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! • October 14, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, October 13th is the date of our Blessed Mother’s final public appearance to the shepherd children of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun. From May through October 1917, Our Lady of Fatima / Our Lady of the Rosary appeared and spoke to the children on the 13th day of each month. The Miracle of the Sun, which took place on October 13, 1917, was attended by a large crowd of 70,000 people who had gathered in Fátima, Portugal, in response to a prophecy made by three shepherd children, Lúcia Santos and Francisco, and Jacinta Marto. Though the region had been subjected to three days of torrential downpours. Suddenly the "clouds separated… and the sun appeared between them in the clear blue, like a disk of white fire." The people could look at the sun without blinking and while they gazed upward, the huge ball began to “dance”. The crowd was terrified, fearing this was the end of the world. However, the sun reversed course and, retracing its zigzagging course, returned to its normal place in the heavens. After realizing they were not doomed, the crowd began ecstatically laughing, crying, shouting, and weeping. Many discovered their previously drenched clothing to be perfectly dry. The local bishop opened a canonical investigation of the event in November 1917, to review witness accounts and assess whether the alleged private revelations from Mary were compatible with Catholic theology. Bishop José da Silva declared the miracle "worthy of belief." It was the largest miracle witnessed in the history of mankind. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 13, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, October 12, is the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the Patroness of the Hispanic peoples and Spain. In the year 40, while living in Jerusalem, the Blessed Virgin Mary supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater while he was preaching in the old Hispania, on the bank of the Ebro river in Saragossa. It was the first Marian apparition, and unique because it exhibited a mystical phenomenon of bilocation. Mary appeared atop a column or pillar of stone, and she assured James that the people of Hispania would become Christians and their faith would be as strong and durable as the pillar on which she stood. Also, she asked Saint James and his eight disciples to build a church on the site, promising that “it will stand from that moment until the end of time in order that God may work miracles and wonders through my intercession for all those who place themselves under my patronage.” Today, in that place a huge, spectacular basilica stands, reflecting that Spain, where is located the Way of St. James, is or should be a Marian land. The church of Our Lady of the Pilar in Saragossa is the first church dedicated to Mary in history and it remains standing to this day, having survived invasions and wars. For example, in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939, three bombs were dropped on the church and none of them exploded. Also, October 12, 1492, is the day Christopher Columbus first sighted American land, and when the first Mass in the Americas was celebrated. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of The Pillar, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 12, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the memorial of the contemporary pope St. John XXIII, beatified by St. John Paul II in the year 2000. Also, we celebrate the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Divine Maternity of Mary. Across history, starting in the fourth and fifth centuries, heretics — and heresy comes from darkness — have refused to honor Mary as Mother of God. The Council of Ephesus in 431 declared that the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God. Five centuries later, Pius XI instituted today’s feast to emphasize not only Mary’s divine maternity but also her motherhood of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body. Pius XI believed that this mystery should become firmly anchored forever in the hearts of the faithful. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of The Divine Maternity, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 11, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, Columbus Day is the celebration of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas on October 12, 1492. Christopher Columbus, a native of the city-state of Genoa, was the explorer who discovered the Americas for the Catholic Queen Isabella and King Fernando of Spain. Columbus was a complex man in a complicated time; he was neither the barbarian portrayed by the modern world nor a saint. But he was a Christian concerned with serving God and his fellow men. When he first arrived on Hispaniola, his first words to the natives were, “The monarchs of Castile have sent us not to subjugate you but to teach you the true religion.” In a letter to Pope Alexander VI, Columbus asked the pontiff to send missionaries to the indigenous people of the New World so they could accept Christ. And in his will, Columbus proved his belief in the importance of evangelization by establishing a fund to finance missionary efforts to the lands he discovered. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 10, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In that time, on his way to Jerusalem to suffer a sorrowful passion, Jesus Christ cured ten lepers, as we read in the Gospel of St. Luke today (Luke 17:11-19). Only one leper returned and thanked his benefactor. The other nine didn’t have the decency to show a minimum of gratitude. Once again, it amazes us the depth of human ingratitude toward the Author of Life. We are ashamed. It’s our sinful, arrogant nature. And it’s also a lack of wisdom because these nine missed greater supernatural graces which would improve their lives. Jesus provided them the gift of physical health probably for some decades more, but what would happen to them after that? Our Lord came to bring us eternal life, free from tears, trouble, and sickness. We tend to think in the Divinity only when trouble strikes. When we are healthy and our business is prospering, how many times in the week do we say, "thank you, God, you are very good to me." Let’s ask for forgiveness and be grateful every day. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 9, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, during the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary, we addressed Mary as Our Lady of Victories and the Queen of Victories. These titles have deep meaning. With her motherly intercession, Mary helps us to win our battles against Evil. She teaches us the path of victory: humility and obedience to the will of God, as we learn in the first Joyful Mystery today. To the Angel, the Virgin of Nazareth said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”. The abandonment to God’s will is the secret of every Christian life, as it opens for every Christian the doors of grace. And the Rosary becomes an effective weapon of victory, to which Christ’s promise applies very well: “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Lk 11,9). Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 8, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today Our Lady of the Rosary, a feast instituted by Pope St. Pius V to honor the Blessed Mother in thanksgiving for the naval victory over the Turks at the battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The Islamic forces were about to conquer Europe imposing their ideology. Many Europeans recited the Rosary asking for protection to the Most Holy Mary. The Old Continent was saved from darkness. It was the largest miracle of the Rosary shown in human history. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 7, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: October is the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary. We continue praying the Rosary in San Jose, California. In 1206, the Most Holy Virgin Mary appeared to the Spanish priest — and later, founder of the Dominican Order — St. Dominic of Guzman. Because of his lack of success in combating the Albigensian heresy in the south of France, St Dominic went into hard praying and severe penance in the woods of Toulouse. Then, Mary appeared to him, praising his fight and giving him a mighty weapon, the Psalter of Mary, that later would become the Rosary. St Dominic started to preach the powerful Rosary and saw its efficacy. Since then, many faithful who hold dear the Blessed Mother have devoutly recited, receiving countless graces from Heaven. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 6, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The universal God’s church celebrates today the memorials of three saints: the 6th-century monk St. Placid of Messina, the 19th-century German Redemptorist priest in New Orleans Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, and St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), the Polish nun chosen by Jesus to remind the world of the mystery of God’s merciful love, the devotion to Divine Mercy. It is the message of Jesus Christ’s love for all people, especially sinners. In 1931, Jesus appeared to Faustina as the King of Divine Mercy. He asked her to have a picture painted of him as she saw him — clothed in white, with red and white rays of light streaming from his heart. The rays represent the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus on the cross. Under the image are the words, “Jesus, I trust in you.” The painting of the Divine Mercy would become a worldwide focus for devotion. Many people, including Church theologians and even the sisters in her own convent, did not believe Faustina at first. They thought that Jesus could not possibly have selected an uneducated peasant girl. Faustina recorded in her diary the appearances of Jesus. The diary was translated into English and published in 1987 with the title Divine Mercy in My Soul. Faustina died of tuberculosis. She was canonized by John Paul II. He also declared the first Sunday after Easter was Divine Mercy Sunday. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Faustina Kowalska, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 5, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, the thirteen-century Italian saint who abandoned everything for Christ. He left all his possessions and embraced complete poverty, taking the Gospel as his rule of life.  St. Francis was one of the most honored saints in Christendom. His father, a rich merchant, was so displeased that disinherited him. St. Francis founded the Franciscans, the Third Order for lay people, and along with St. Clare of Assis, the Order of Poor Ladies. Out of humility Francis never accepted the priesthood but remained a deacon all his life. He had a great love for God's creatures and called them his brothers and sisters. He was the first known person to receive the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Francis of Assisi, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 4, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray the Joyful Mysteries of Holy Rosary from the city of San José, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. October is the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary. In 1206, the Most Holy Virgin Mary appeared to the Spanish priest — and later, founder of the Dominican Order — St. Dominic of Guzman. Throughout history, we see many triumphs of the Rosary, such as the defeat of the Muslim Turks in Lepanto, Greece, on the first Sunday of October 1571 — that we will celebrate this Friday, October the 7th. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 3, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: All perfect gifts are from above, from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow. These words, written by James the Apostle in his first letter, are critical for our daily dwelling. There is so much cheating and deceit in our society that it's easy to get very confused. Only through prayer, our conscience will tell us what’s a human creation, what's satanic, and what comes from God. With humility and courage, we must cultivate the implanted word, that is within ourselves for the salvation of our souls. As we read today Sunday, and like the apostles, we ask Jesus to increase our faith! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 2, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, October 1st, on the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, we honor, on her Memorial Day, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, more popularly known as "the Little Flower. Today, we also celebrate the Holy Face of Jesus. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), a French cloistered Carmelite nun, was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope St. John Paul II. Her interior life is known through her autobiography Story of a Soul. She attained holiness by being at the service of others at all times and by having a childlike confidence in God's providence and merciful love. She carried out her ordinary daily duties with perfect fidelity. She prayed especially for priests and the conversion of souls. Thérèse of Lisieux died of consumption on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24, and was canonized in 1925. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 1, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In yesterday’s reading, the apostle Nathaniel, who recognized Jesus Christ as the Son of God, was promised to see great things. The Lord Jesus told him (Jn 1:47-51) “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” That’s what awaits us if we humbly seek the grace and wisdom of God: unexpected, glorious events today that we cannot even imagine due to our limited understanding. Believing is trusting in the promises of Christ Jesus. The Holy Trinity is counting on the right exercise of our free will so we can join the Heavenly court and be eternally joyful in the Communion of Saints and with our beloved family members and friends. We must not disappoint the Divinity! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 30, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the feast day of the archangels Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the holy archangels with important roles in the history of salvation. Michael — whose name means Who is like God? —, the Prince of the Heavenly Host, is the protector of all humanity from the snares of the Devil. St. Michael was the leader of all of the good angels, who fought against Lucifer and his followers when they rebelled against God, breaking a battle in Heaven. Pope Leo XIII, in 1899, having had a prophetic vision of the evil that would be inflicted upon the Church and the world in the 20th century, instituted a prayer asking for Saint Michael’s protection to be said at the end of every Mass. Gabriel (Strength of God) announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zacharias, and the Incarnation of the Word in the womb of Mary. He greeted the Holy Virgin with the “Hail, full of grace.” St. Gabriel might be the angel who consoled Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Raphael is the archangel who healed Tobias’ blindness. He is in charge of healing and acts of mercy. His name means “God has healed.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 29, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: St. Augustine composed a poem titled "Death is Nothing". This is the text: "I have just moved to the neighboring room. I am who I am ... you are whom you are, That which we were to one another, We will always be. Call me by my name. Speak to me like you've always did. Don't use a different tone ... Don't take that look; solemn or sad. Continue to laugh at that which made us laugh together. Pray, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be pronounced at home, As it always was, Without pomposity or gloom. Life is still the same, It is what it always was The string has not been cut. Why should I be away from your thoughts? Just because I am away from your sight? I am not far, just on the other side of the road. You see, everything is fine ... Wipe your tears and cry no more. If you love me ..." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 28, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Divinity wants us to gain the perfect joy of Heaven. For that, His hand is leading us through challenges and joys. One day we are placed in spiritual darkness with doubts and confusion. But on the next day, God let us enjoy the light of His truth and joy. That means that one day we are consoled and on the next day, we may find life hard and sorrowful. Through all these changing conditions, we must follow the Divine Will. We are ready to experience suffering as to have joy. That’s how we acquire the perfect wisdom. Remember who is in control. Everything that God wants and permits is good for our souls. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 27, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In yesterday’s reading (Lk 16:19-31), Abraham said to the rich man who was desperate by claiming help for Heaven: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.” Do we need to see heavenly miracles in our life to start a committed life of faith? Seeing miracles with our own eyes does not guarantee our conversion. It’s a poor excuse to say that life is treating me badly when I’m doing nothing for my own salvation. The Father gave us free will so we can exercise it to either become faithful or fall into the slavery of sin. There is no middle ground. And by the way, lukewarm Christians fall into the category of sin. It’s our own choice. We all know what’s righteous and what’s come from Satan. If we don’t listen and follow the Holy Trinity — who spoke through the Scriptures and through the Communion of Saints —, our life will always be miserable. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 26, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The story that Jesus tells to the Pharisees (Lk 16:19-31) that we read today in the Gospel, is extremely revealing. There was a rich man who lived sumptuously, enjoying any pleasure of life and ignoring God and the poor, starving neighbors. He died and went to hell, suffering the eternal torment of fire. There, he asked Abraham for relief or at least to warn his five brothers still on earth of the pains of the netherworld. Abraham replied that those relatives should listen to Moses and the prophets. On the other side, we picture a beggar named Lazarus who due to his faith, humility, and patience is now in Heaven in a state of everlasting joy. The outcome is crystal clear: one day, we all will die and our earthly decisions will have endless consequences. Abusing our time on earth rejecting the Truth and behaving accordingly is the worst imaginable deal for everyone. We have to be faithful and fraternally charitable. The day of judgment might arrive at any time, as we learn in the second Glorious mystery today. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 25, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the commemoration of Our Lady of Ransom. In 1218, in Spain, the Blessed Virgin appeared in separate visions to St. Peter Nolasco, St. Raymond of Penafort, and James, King of Aragon, asking them to found a religious order dedicated to freeing Christian captives from the barbarous Saracens or Moors. At the time, Saracens or Moors held a great part of Spain. The Mercedarian Order, comprised of knights, produced heroes of charity who collected alms for the ransom of Christians and often gave themselves up in exchange for Christian prisoners. Also, today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Walsingham. This feast day celebrates the shrine in Norfolk, England, which was a popular medieval pilgrimage site. On March 29, 2020, England was rededicated as the “Dowry of Mary” with Our Lady of Walsingham being the central Marian devotion. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 24, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We honor today, September 23, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, a contemporary Italian priest and Capuchin friar whose life was devoted to the Eucharist and prayer, including the Holy Rosary. While praying before a cross, Padre Pio received the gift of the stigmata. He was the first priest ever to be blessed. He was a much sought-after spiritual advisor, confessor, and intercessor. Thousands flocked to his monastery of San Giovanni Rotundo, which became a point of pilgrimage worldwide. Padre Pio was reportedly able to bi-locate, levitate, heal by touch, and read souls. Yet despite such notoriety, he would often say, "I only want to be a poor friar who prays." He fervently prayed to the Rosary every day. For him, holding the Rosary was like holding our Blessed Mother’s hand. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Padre Pio, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 23, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: What’s our business? Our business is the Kingdom of Heaven. To serve God now and enjoy Him in the next life. That’s why we all are called to build the Kingdom of Truth. And what does God what? As St. Paul reminded us in last Sunday’s reading (1 Tm 2:1-8), “God wills everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Friends, let’s do what’s good for us and what pleases Jesus Our Savior. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 22, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the feast day of the apostle Saint Matthew, who chronicled the life and ministry of Christ in his Gospel, the first of the four Gospels. Matthew was a Jewish publican tax collector who turned into a disciple of Christ. Tax collectors on behalf of the Roman rulers of first-century Judea were hated among their own communities. Jesus first encountered Matthew near the house of Peter, in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. "As Jesus passed on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, 'Follow me. And he got up and followed him," says the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus' response caused religious authorities of the Jewish community to wonder: "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus' explained to them: "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." A witness to Christ's resurrection after death, as well as his ascension into heaven and the events of Pentecost, Matthew also described Jesus' instruction for the apostles to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Like 11 of the 12 apostles, St. Matthew is traditionally thought to have died as a martyr while preaching the Gospel in Egypt. Reflecting on St. Matthew's calling, Pope Benedict said in 2006 that “those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God's mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Matthew, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 21, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: St. Padre Pio, whose feast day is this Friday, September 23rd, said, "Pray that God will console you when you feel the burden of the Cross, for in doing so you are in no way acting against the will of God, but you are placing yourself beside the Son of God who asked His Father during the Agony in the Garden to send Him some relief." Like the Son, we will receive consolation from the Father when the weight of our suffering isn't bearable – and when we ask for it. We are beloved children of God, and the Holy Trinity just wants the salvation of our souls, that need to arrive purified into Heaven. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: “With a smile, John Paul I managed to communicate the goodness of the Lord,” said Pope Francis during the homily for the beatification of the often called “Smiling Pope.” On Sunday, September 3, in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis beatified John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, who reigned as pope for only 33 days. John Paul I gained a reputation for his humility and his dedication to teaching the faith in an understandable manner. “How beautiful is a Church with a happy, serene, and smiling face, that never closes doors, never hardens hearts, never complains or harbors resentment, does not grow angry or impatient, does not look dour or suffer nostalgia for the past. Let us pray to him, our father and our brother, and ask him to obtain for us ‘the smile of the soul,” said Pope Francis. As a cardinal, Luciani published a collection of “open letters” to historic figures, saints, famous writers, and fictional characters. The book, Illustrissimi, included letters to Jesus, King David, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Christopher Marlowe, as well as Pinocchio and Figaro, the barber of Seville. He made history in 1978 when he became the first pope to take a double name, after his two immediate predecessors, Popes John XXIII and Paul VI. His episcopal motto was simply: “Humilitas.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! John Paul I, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 19, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Can we serve Jesus Christ and the material world we are in at the same time? In today's Sunday’s reading (Lk 16:1-13), Our Lord explained to his disciples through a parable, “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon." In the silence of our hearts, we might have set our goals in life. When we haven’t, we behave like the waves of the sea, that go everywhere. We act then erratically, becoming unhappy. Most people do not choose God. They decide to enjoy life, concentrating on money, power, honors, or pleasures. Only a minority rejects turning their back on God, pursuing a life of virtues. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. Our free will poses the fundamental question: do we serve Jesus and Mary or do we serve everything else? Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 18, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Through her Rosary, the Most Holy Mary enlightens us about the divine mysteries of the Gospel and consoles us in our pain. In the Memorare prayer, at the end of the Rosary, we highlight that the petitions to Mary are answered. She gives us as much as we ask as long as our requests are aligned with the sanctification of our souls according to the Divine Will. The Immaculata, who often appears with St. Michael, defends us in our fight against the Devil, the world, and the flesh. Through the Rosary, Mary protects us at every instant. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 17, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In this month dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows — yesterday we celebrated the feast day — we are invited to reflect and try to understand the pain and suffering of the Most Holy Virgin. When a sword pierced the heart of the Immaculate, the thoughts of many were revealed to her, as the prophet Simeon said in Luke’s Gospel. Mary, Mother of Sorrows, remained at the foot of the Cross. Today, she stands with us, the suffering children of Eve. She asks us to often reflect on the Sorrowful Mysteries, so we understand that our pain of carrying the cross is our triumph over sins, the infernal enemy, the world, and the flesh. Every given Cross is an opportunity to love and serve more deeply God and our neighbors. And Mary wants to enlighten us with this divine mystery. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 16, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows that we observe today invites us to reflect on Mary's deep suffering and the seven great sorrows which She lived in relation to Her Son. These are Mary's seven sorrows: 1. In the prophecy of Simeon (fourth Joyful Mystery): "You yourself shall be pierced with a sword - so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare." (Luke 2:35). 2. On the flight into Egypt; "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt." (Mt 2:13). 3. Having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem (fifth Joyful Mystery); "You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow." (Luke 2:48). 4. Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary (fourth Sorrowful Mystery); 5. Standing at the foot of the Cross (fifth Sorrowful Mystery); "Near the cross of Jesus there stood His mother." (John 19:25). 6. Jesus being taken from the Cross; 7. At the burial of Christ. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 15, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We observe today the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the instrument of our redemption and the glorious sign of victory. We must take up Christ's cross and imitate Him. We identify with Jesus on the Cross and become co-redeemers, sharing in His cross. We make the sign of the Cross, giving our entire self to the Creator — mind, soul, heart, body, will, and thoughts! And during trials and temptations, our strength and protection are the sign of the Cross. At Baptism, we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying that we belong to Christ. Let us look to the cross frequently! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 14, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On September 13, 1917, in the Cova da Iria, Portugal, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared for the fifth time to the three visionary children: Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. Around 30,000 people gathered there, despite the mockery from the atheistic and secular newspapers of the time. The Virgin encouraged Lucia to pray the Rosary every day. The Holy Mary announced that in October she would perform a miracle — the Miracle of the Sun, as it happened — so all may believe. The Virgin revealed at the request of Lucia that some people would be cured, and others not, because of their lack of faith and repentance. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 13, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we observe the feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It follows the feast of her Birthday, on September 8th. The etymology of the Virgin name comes from the Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina), which means lady or sovereign. We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord. And when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection. Pope Benedict XVI's said that we are invited to become a trusting child of Mary as the Son of God did. Saint Bernard encouraged, "In danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart … If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 12, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On September 11, 2001, 19 radical Islamic murderers attacked with four plains full of passengers the World Trade Center buildings in New York and the Pentagon, causing the deadliest terrorist act in world history. This 9-11 date will be forever associated with mourning and pain. A total of 2,977 innocent victims lost their lives, including first responders and 40 heroes in the crash in Pennsylvania. In addition, 2,400 were diagnosed with cancer as a result of exposure to toxins at Ground Zero in New York. We honor their memory by directing our prayers to their families today. A loss of a beloved family member or friend causes immense pain that lasts forever while we are on earth. It’s even more devastating when the Evil Doer induces it. Our consolation and conviction are that in the end Divine Justice will be served. Also, we are revealed that in Heaven there will be no tears, no suffering, and our lives will be like joyful angels. The soul is eternal — and we live for God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 11, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II was a global leader for whom faith was both personal and professional — and that’s remarkable in a world dominated by faithless leaders or lukewarm Christians. We briefly reflect on Elizabeth II’s religious legacy. As head of the royal family, she helped to lead the protestant Church of England and held the title of “Defender of the Faith”. The senior Bishop in the Church of England, the Rev. Justin Welby, noted that Elizabeth’s trust in God was visible throughout her 70 years in power. “She lived out her faith every day of her life. Her trust in God and profound love for God was foundational in how she led her life — hour by hour, day by day,” the Rev. Welby said in a statement. During the pandemic, the Queen spoke of the light that no darkness can overcome. She reminded us that we are people of hope who care for one another. “In The Late Queen’s life, we saw what it means to receive the gift of life we have been given by God and – through patient, humble, selfless service – share it as a gift to others.” “She allowed her life of service to be an instrument of God’s peace among us.” May she rests in peace. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 10, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Catholic leaders worldwide mourn today the death of the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms, Elizabeth II at the age of 96 on Thursday, on the feast day of the birth of the Queen of the Universe, the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history and the head of the Anglican Church of England, which separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534. The hope of many was that she converted to Catholicism before her death. Maybe on the Final Judgement Day, she did it. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said in a statement, that the Christian faith marked every day of the life and activity of Queen Elizabeth. Cardinal Nichols went on to cite her Christmas message from 2000. “To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me, the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.” Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham also expressed admiration for the queen’s faith. “We also want to pay our respects to the Queen as a woman of faith, as a Christian, whose faith always inspired and shaped the way she lived,” he said in a statement. Bishop Hugh Gilbert, president of the Catholic bishops’ conference in Scotland, said, “Her determination to remain active to the end of her long life has been an example of Christian leadership.” As Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco said, “May she rest in peace.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 9, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, September 8, nine months after the December 8 celebration of the Immaculate Conception, is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Savior of the world's mother. St. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife St. Anne, by their childlessness. They began to devote themselves to prayer and fasting, wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God's displeasure with them. It turned out that the couple was to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah. An angel revealed to Anne that all generations would honor their future child: "The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth, and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world." Mary's parents, along with the temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated Virgin for the rest of her life, and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph. Saint Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance, and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. "She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley," he wrote. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. We call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 8, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: At this time of new evangelization, the Enemy is taking advantage and confusing many prelates. A friend is sending us a horrific video of yoga practitioners inside a Catholic Church in Belgium. Every Wednesday in July and August, at St. James Church in Antwerp in Belgium, yoga classes were offered for its parishioners. The pews of the central nave near the altar were removed so the participants have an area for their "sacred space yoga". The parish priest and the local bishop were supporting the blasphemy. The infiltration of Hinduism and other anti-Christian ideas into Catholic spirituality is a fact. Maybe the prelates don’t know of the dangers of Yoga (rooted in the Hindu religion, where positions are salutations to the many Hindu Gods) and that Catholics should not practice it at risk of offending the First Commandment. Let us pray the Holy Rosary in reparation for the many offenses Our Lord receives. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York September 7, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: An interesting movie, highly recommended, Father Stu, revolves around the idea of the power of suffering. Sorrow and suffering are inevitable parts of human life. We reflect upon it when we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries every Tuesday and Friday. Doctors of the Church taught us that suffering is not only a need for our purification and salvation but also a gift in the Christian life. Jesus Christ redeemed us through his Passion and Death on the Cross. In a mysterious way of suffering, He united us to Him. We discovered that suffering can be redemptive. Based on real events, the Father Stu movie shows that suffering would become the defining quality of this spectacular servant and the measure of his priesthood. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 6, 2021, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the feast of Mother Teresa, a universal, contemporary saint and missionary nun who emphasized God's merciful and preferential love for the poor and forgotten. Born in Skopje, Macedonia, Mother Teresa started working in the slums in India, teaching poor children, and treating the sick in their homes. In 1950, she created the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation of the Diocese of Calcutta and the government granted them a house from which to continue their service among Calcutta's forgotten. The congregation grew from a single house for the dying and unwanted to nearly 500 around the world. Mother Teresa set up homes for AIDS sufferers, prostitutes, battered women, and orphanages for poor children. She often said that the poorest of the poor were those who had no one to care for them and no one who knew them. She was a fierce defender of the unborn saying: "If you hear of some woman who does not want to keep her child and wants to have an abortion, try to persuade her to bring him to me. I will love that child, seeing in him the sign of God's love." Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997. She was beatified only six years later, on October 19, 2003. Mother Teresa once said, "A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace." She also said, "Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness." Mother Teresa of Calcutta was entrusted with the mission of proclaiming God’s thirsting love for humanity, especially for the poorest of the poor. "God still loves the world and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor." She was a soul filled with the light of Christ, on fire with love for Him and burning with the desire of proclaiming the love for mankind. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Mother Teresa, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 5, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s Sunday reading (Lk 14:25-33), Jesus Christ encourages us to put Him in the center of our life, radically trusting in Him, beyond anyone else, including our relatives and our own life. He formulates this in a shocking way. Does today’s reading mean that we stop loving our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters? On the contrary, it means that we need to love anyone — willing the good of the other — in the framework of the Divinity. At the Rosary Network, we say at the beginning of the prayer that "we live for God". My wife liked highlighting this sentence. Did she love me? Absolutely, and her love was more intense, more everlasting, that a simple humanly rooted love. By becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, we try to put into action the love of God in others. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 4, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Humility is the foundational virtue. The fruit of the first Joyful Mystery of the Incarnation is what defines the saints and the holy people of God.  Jesus Christ, in Matthew 23:12, told us: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." To be great, we need to serve, as the Son of God did. He came to serve not to be served... And He was God! There is a great passage in the Old Testament that we read last Sunday in the book of Sirach (Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29): "My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 3, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's Sorrowful Mysteries we reflect upon the power of salvific suffering while we walk across a park in Stamford, Connecticut. Our joy comes from the discovery of the meaning of suffering. Saint Paul wrote: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake." The Apostle shared his own discovery and rejoiced in it. Suffering seems to be essential to the nature of man. It is as deep as the man himself because it belongs to man's transcendence. Life is the Cross... and the Resurrection. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 2, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Rosary in Manhattan. In yesterday's reading (LK 4:38-44), we hear Jesus saying to the crowds, "I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent." Belonging to the Kingdom of God is what makes our life meaningful. Our faith and our affiliation with Jesus Christ are the essences of our existence. Otherwise, no matter how fanciful and apparently humanitarian all the theories, philosophies, and lifestyle ideas we invent, our existence is going to be miserable. Only the Holy Trinity with the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, the Communion of Saints, and the Heavenly court are able to give us peace and comfort. Only by accepting and embracing the Divine Will within us, we are able to understand our own human existence. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 1, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Rosary while driving around New York State. We recourse to the Rosary to face many challenges in our personal and collective life. The history of the Rosary shows how this prayer was used at a difficult time due to the spread of heresy or the attacks of the Evil One. As St. John Paul II wrote, "the Rosary is one of the traditional paths o Christian prayer directed to the contemplation of Christ's face." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 31, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: At the end of each Rosary, we pray the Memorare. This is a fifteenth-century prayer traditionally attributed to the twelve-century abbot and doctor of the Church, St. Bernard. He was a theologian, poet, and writer, who created the Cistercian reform becoming a model for many monasteries. We celebrated his Memorial Day this August 20th. It’s not a coincidence that we pray the Memorare — Remember, in English — at the end of the Rosary, when we humbly turn to Mary with our words of pleading. We run to Her protection and merciful help because She is Our Mother and we know that She is listening! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 30, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. On June 24, we celebrate its earthly birthday and today we honor the martyrdom of Christ’s precursor. John the Baptist is the only saint whose birth and death are celebrated. Today’s Gospel relates the circumstances of his execution. He had the courage to blame Herod to his face for the scandal of his illegal union with his sister-in-law Herodias, whose husband was still alive. Herod ordered the beheading of John the Baptist. John shed his blood for the truth about marriage, dying for Christ. He knew eternal joy would be his reward. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. John the Baptist, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 29, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, August 28, God’s Church honors St. Augustine, the fifth-century saint, bishop, author, and philosopher who became an influential mind in the history of salvation. He famously said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” The teachings — well expressed in his autobiographical Confessions and The City of God — were the foundation of Christian doctrine for a millennium and even today. His conversion, due to the prayers and tears of her mother St. Monica, is a great example of how the Providence of God works. St. Augustine lived for God, in an exemplary life, with fasting, prayers, and good works, meditating on the law of the Lord by day and night. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Augustine, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the memorial of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, while we pray the Rosary driving around Greenwich, Connecticut. St. Monica, a fourth-century saint born in the north of Africa, is a role model for incessant prayers. Through over two decades of prayer and tears, she gave the great Augustine to the Church of God. Also, with patience and prayer, Monica obtained the conversion of her husband, a pagan named Patricius. Today is also, the feast of Mary, Health of the Sick, as well as the feast of the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as The Franciscan Crown Rosary. The Joys of Mary remembered in the devotion are these: The Annunciation of the Angel to Mary The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth The Nativity of Our Lord The Adoration of the Magi The Finding of Jesus in the Temple The Resurrection of Our Lord and The Crowning of Our Lady, Mary, in Heaven as Queen Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Monica, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 27, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the Black Madonna. The icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa was traditionally believed to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a cypress wood panel from a table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth. The image was discovered by St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, and brought to Czestochowa, Poland in the fourteenth century. Our Lady’s intercession is credited with the liberation of Poland from invaders and communists, among several miraculous events. This holy painting has been a lighthouse of hope for centuries. Today, the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa attracts millions who love and honor Our Lady’s intercession. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Czestochowa, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 26, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On August 25, 2021, Maria Blanca, my wife, entered the hospital for a bone marrow transplant. She had a donor, and we were told that within a month or so she would be back home. The way she said goodbye made us uncomfortable. She accessed a tiny, isolated room for cancer patients, where she installed a little altar to pray. Immediately after, Maria Blanca told us that she was putting herself at the feet of the Cross, accepting the Divine Will. None of us thought that that’d be our last time seeing her standing up. Now, we envision her in Heaven, totally cured, with the Communion of Saints, enjoying the beatific view of the face of Jesus Christ. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 25, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, a doctor in Jewish law, and an Apostle of the Lord. Friend of St. Philip the Apostle, after the Resurrection, St Bartholomew was favored by becoming one of the few apostles who witnessed the apparition of the risen Savior on the sea of Galilee (John 21:2). Later, following the Ascension, he received the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Then, Bartholomew would evangelize Asia Minor, northwestern India, and Greater Armenia. In Armenia, while preaching to idolaters, he was arrested and martyred; still alive, his skin was torn from his body. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Bartholomew, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 24, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. Rose of Lima, a seventeenth-century saint who inspired by the example of St. Catherine of Siena became a Dominican lay tertiary and had a life heroic in virtue and penance. She devoted herself to works of active charity while living a life of extreme austerity and suffering repeated attacks from the devil. St. Rose of Lima was the first saint that South America gave to the world. St. Rose of Lima died at the age of 31, praying, "Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase your love in my heart." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! • August 23, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary. This way, we pay devotion to the sovereign Mother of Heaven and Earth. Mary shared the work of the divine Redeemer. From her union with Christ the King, Mary Mother of God stands high above all created things, including angels, archangels, and saints. From the first moment of her conception, the holy Virgin was filled with a plenitude of grace. Pius IX wrote in his Ineflabilis Deus letter: “More than all the angels and all the saints has God ineffable freely endowed Mary with the fullness of the heavenly gifts that abound in the divine treasury; and she, preserving herself ever immaculately clean from the slightest taint of sin, attained a fullness of innocence and holiness so great as to be unthinkable apart from God Himself, a fullness that no one other than God will ever possess.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You!

Friends of the Rosary: Today's reading (Lk 13:22-30) poses a question that people have been asking forever. "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Jesus Christ said: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough." When asked about specifics, Jesus Christ answered this way. In other passages, the Son of God explained that the mercy of the Father is infinite. In John 14:2, He says: "In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into my presence, so that you also may be where I am." The message of Christ is clear: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well." In other words, we just need to trust in Jesus and follow Him. Our salvation will come naturally. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! • August 21, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: As we read today (MT 23:1-12), at that time, Jesus spoke about the failure of organized religion running Israel: “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.” Today, we notice the same problem. It’s not only the Vatican, the hierarchy, and the Bishops. It’s all of us. We say nice things, but do not follow with our example. Simply, we don’t live by the example. And that’s why unfaithful people do not feel attracted to the eternal truth. We might not change this situation easily. At least, let’s not fall into spiritual pride, and say that we are doing well. By cultivating the virtue of humility, we might start moving forward. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 20, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's reading (MT 22:34-40), Jesus Christ reveals what's needed for eternal joy and eternal salvation. He was tested by a scholar this way: "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." In two words: love Jesus! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 19, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Yesterday, we reflected upon the great value of silence for our faith, following the message of Our Lady of Knock. The Blessed Virgin Mary remained in silence in this apparition, showing the silence in the face of mystery.  There is certainly a lot of noise in our society. We need silent prayer to understand the mystery of the Lamb of God sacrificed for the salvation of humanity.  It's the merciful Father who invites us to a trusting abandonment in His Divine Will. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 18, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, along with the people of Ireland, we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of Knock. In 1879, in the village of Knock in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John the Apostle, a Lamb and a Cross appeared on an altar on the wall of the parish church [image below], and to some villagers. For two hours, a crowd gathered to adore the apparition and to pray the rosary. Despite the rainstorm, no one got wet. Unlike in most other Marian apparitions, the Virgin Mary was silent the entire time. As Pope Francis said, the message from Knock is the great value of silence for our faith. Today, the Knock Shrine is an international Marian and Eucharistic shrine. The Vatican's designation was after miraculous healing involving Eucharistic adoration at Knock Shrine in 1989. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Knock, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 17, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Our faith has to be constantly tested through trials and challenges. This test produces steadfastness, and it leads us to joy and perfection. As St. James says in his first letter, "let steadfastness has its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." But this goal of perfection cannot be achieved only with human effort. We need the help of God, and therefore, we need to ask in faith, with no doubting. And when we remain faithful under trial and stand the test, we can be sure that, as the Holy Spirit wrote through James wrote, we will receive "the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 16, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven." With these words, in 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary as a dogma — a truth revealed by God. The Ever-Virgin Mary had a life, fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, untouched by sin. Her Assumption completed God’s work in her: it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is the exaltation of the Mother of the Savior and crowning of her work. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our earthly life is ended. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 15, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today’s reading (Lk 12:49-53), Jesus Christ says to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Why setting the world on fire? Because we, the Christian people, have the mission to get it back the world, so the Kingdom of Heaven may start on earth. Now the Ruler of the World, the Evil One, is setting the norms. That’s unacceptable for every Christian. We must fight to set up the Kingdom of charity and hope. Our mission is to save as many souls as possible, so we all return to our natural place: God. With the gift of faith and all the graces distributed by the Blessed Virgin Mary, all of it is possible. The faith moves mountains, and we like to dream big, living for God! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 14, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Last Sunday, the theme of the homily in the solemn mass in the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain was about the critical importance of keeping a vigilant behavior. My wife Maria Blanca advised our children to “light your lamps”, as we read in the Gospel this week (Lk 12:32-48). “Lámparas encendidas,” was María Blanca’s expression. Jesus said: “Light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 13, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Be aware of evil. There is an enemy of God and humanity, and it needs to be known. In the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus speaks of an enemy who sows weeds among the wheat, and He identifies the enemy as “the evil one”. Make no mistake: the evil has the intelligence of a supernatural being, but the Father of Lies can be defeated by humans through prayer. We do our part by imitating Jesus and Mary, and the Divinity will remove the weeds and dispose into fire at the right time. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 12, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Forgiving one another from the heart is not easy. Jesus Christ forgives us our sins, but we don’t easily forgive, as we are instructed to do in the third Luminous Mystery that we pray today. We tend to argue that the sins of some people close to us are unforgivable, because by forgiving, we would send a wrong message and the evilness of that person would continue. Well, our human logic is not the divine thinking. My ways are not your ways, says the Father to us. In Mathew 18:21, Peter asks Jesus, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." Let’s fully embrace the mystery of forgiveness, simply because the Divinity designed it this way for our goodness and eternal salvation. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 11, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. Lawrence. He is venerated as one of the patrons of Rome, along with Sts. Peter and Paul. He was the last of the seven deacons of Rome to die. He was martyred on August 10, 258 during the persecution of the emperor Valerian along with many other members of the Roman clergy. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Lawrence, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today's Rosary from Roncesvalles, Navarre, the main entry point of the Way of St. James in Spain. In the month of August we celebrate two martyrs of Auschwitz, St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Teresa Benedicta. Today is the Memorial Day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as St. Edith Stein. Born into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland), she was a brilliant philosopher, university teacher, and major force in German intellectual life. Edith Stein was captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of Avila. Later she'd imitate Teresa by becoming a Carmelite Discalced. In 1942, she was arrested by the Nazi regime, along with all Catholics of Jewish extraction and transported by cattle train to the death camp of Auschwitz. Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz on August 9, 1942. Pope John Paul II beatified Teresa Benedicta in 1987 and canonized her in 1998. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 9, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the Memorial Day of St. Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers and the Dominican Order, which was approved in 1216. Alongside the Franciscans, the Dominican Order became the most powerful Order in medieval times, giving the Church illustrious preachers — St. Vincent Ferrer, and contemplatives, Sts. Thomas of Aquinas and Pius V. Born about 1175 in Caleruega, Castile (Spain), Dominic of Guzman received the Rosary from the Blessed Virgin Mary. He spread it during the thirteen century. Through the example of apostolic poverty and the preaching of the word of God — Rosary in hand; at that time, called the Psalter of Mary — St. Dominic led many souls to Christ. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Dominic, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: We pray today’s Glorious Mysteries from Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey in the village of Santo Domingo de Silos in the Burgos Province in northern Spain. The monastery is named after the eleventh-century Spanish saint Dominic of Silos. The monastery dates back to the 7th century. Two decades ago, the monks of Silos became internationally famous for singing Gregorian chant as a result of the remarkable success of their 1994 album Chant. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 7, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today's Rosary is prayed from Caleruega, Spain, the birthplace of St. Dominic of Guzman, who received the Rosary from the Blessed Virgin Mary in the thirteen century. Today, we observe the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This celebration foretells the glory of the Lord as God and His Ascension into heaven. It anticipates the glory of heaven, where we shall see God face to face. A year before His sacred Passion, Jesus took with him St. Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, Sts. James and John, and led them to a retired mountain. In this place, the Man-God appeared in His glory. The Apostles would later understand that they would be glorified with Him only if they first suffer with Him. + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 6, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, August 5th, is Our Lady of Snows, a celebration related with the dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the illustrious churches of Rome. This feast commemorates the miracle of the snowfall that occurred during the night of August 4 to 5 in the year 358 on the site where the Basilica of St. Mary Major now stands. According to the tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to two faithful Roman Christians, the patrician John and his wife, as well as to Pope Liberius. The Mother of God asked that a church be built where the snow would fall. On this feast day of Our Lady of Snows, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, also La Virgen Blanca, in Spanish, we congratulate to all Blancas, including my wife María Blanca. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 5, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. John Vianney, patron of priests, and a role model  of dedication to priestly calling. Known as the Holy Curé de Ars, this nineteenth century French saint was consumed by the love of God as he served the people and had life of devotion to God. He gave powerful homilies on the mercy and love of God, and even staunch sinners were converted upon hearing him. His reputation as a confessor grew rapidly, and pilgrims traveled from all over France to come to him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Firmly committed to the conversion of the people, he would spend up to 16 hours a day in the confessional. He spent much time in prayer on the Blessed Sacrament and practiced much mortification. He lived on little food and sleep, while working without rest in unfailing humility, gentleness, patience, and cheerfulness. Today, over 450,000 pilgrims travel to Ars every year in remembrance of his holy life. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. John Vianney, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 4, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: A good tree bears good fruit. As Jesus said (Matthew 7:17-19), "Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." We recognize what comes from light or from darkness by their fruits. Today, our hands are almost empty. So it is critical for everyone of us to bear good fruits. If we refuse to follow this commandment, consequences will be really bad. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 3, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Pride is a huge sin, so is greed. In last Sunday’s reading (Lk 12:13-21), Jesus Christ warned us about greed. "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions." And yet we make our life consist of possessions, due to greed or mostly due to fear of the future. We are very scared about the possibility of getting older and having no money. It’s smart to save money and work hard to obtain money. What isn’t smart is to make money our priority. Essentially, because this way we won’t achieve happiness, joy and peace — which ultimately is everyone’s goal. Only Jesus Christ makes us joyful. Only Jesus Christ saves us from our dysfunctions, errors, and disgraceful events. As He said, store up treasures in Heaven because these ones do not perish. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 2, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The living and the loving God made us for the perfect live in Heaven, as it was before the Adan‘s and Eve’s fall and the aftermath consequences of the original sin. God’s Will, be it easy or hard, pleasant or disagreeable, works for the good of our eternal soul. The Holy Trinity wants us gain the perfect joy in Heaven. For this reason, the Lord places us at times in spiritual darkness of doubts and confusion. Then again, He let us enjoy the truth of His light. One day, He consoles us, and on the next day we might find life hard and sorrowful. God knows our most important needs, and His hand is guiding us. We thank the Divinity for whatever He decides to send us. Thy Will be done! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Alphonsus Liguori, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 1, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: July 31 marks the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the great Spanish, sixteenth century saint who founded the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, and the “Spiritual Exercises” — often used today for retreats and individual discernment. This year is the 500 anniversary of his profound conversion in the monastery of Montserrat, in Barcelona, Spain. The Jesuits remain numerous today, particularly in several hundred universities and colleges worldwide. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI called the Jesuits to follow in the footsteps of St. Ignatius. “St. Ignatius of Loyola was first and foremost a man of God who in his life put God, his greatest glory and his greatest service, first,” the Pope said. “He was a profoundly prayerful man for whom the daily celebration of the Eucharist was the heart and crowning point of his day.” Also, St. Ignatius was praying the Rosary daily. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Ignatius Loyola, Pray for Us! • July 31, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On the last Thursday reading Jesus said to his disciples (MT 13:47-53): "At the end of the age, the angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." We hear the same message in another parable in the same reading: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away." How can we interpret this? Well, it clearly talks about the end of times. The Holy Trinity's unconditional merciful love doesn’t suppress the Divine Justice. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 30, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the memorial day of saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, a model of faithful unity to all siblings. May all brothers and sisters rise above family tensions and disagreements and unite around eternal and transcendent realities! Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary: What Jesus said two thousand years ago regarding how to be number one continues to shock us. (MT 20:20-28): "Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave." Joy and peace flourish on us when we serve, but not when we come to be served. Our society is broken because it’s all about self-centeredness and selfishness. We make ourselves the center of everything and we are just concerned only with our own interests. This is contrary to Jesus' teaching. Like the Lord said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 28, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: At the beginning of the Rosary, we pray for our daily conversion into Christ. Every day is a new beginning in our journey of faith. As sinners, we continually fall and offend Jesus Christ. And we need to be renewed in the Holy Spirit. After all, we are in the business of taking care of our souls. Moreover, enjoying the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth requires staying permanently vigilant, and avoiding mistakes as much as possible. Because, like Jesus said (Matthew 16:26), "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Third Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 27, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the Memorial Day of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus. Our affection professed toward Joachim and Anne is an extension of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the home of Joachim and Anne, Mary received her training to be the Mother of God and played a critical part in the work of the Redemption. Since the Middle Ages, numerous churches, chapels, and confraternities were dedicated to Joachim and Anne, as a very early model of Christian marriage. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Saints Joachim and Anne, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Third Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 26, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today is the feast day of the apostle St. James, brother of St. John. Along with John and Peter, she witnessed the Transfiguration. Later, he was in the garden of Gethsemani, during Jesus’ agony. St. James — Santiago, in Spanish — was active in the work of evangelization. He arrived into the old Hispania, where he received the visit of the Mother of Jesus in Zaragoza. In the nine century, faithful started to walk into what was then the end of the earth, the Finisterre, in Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of the saint are kept, according to the tradition. The Way of St. James, el Camino de Santiago, has originate millions of conversions since then. James the Greater would end his earthly life by shedding his blood for Christ. He was beheaded in Jerusalem in the year 42 or 43 A.D. on the orders of Herod Agrippa. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. James, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Third Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 25, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In our materialistic society, it’s almost impossible to understand the eternal truth, revealed by Jesus Himself, that the Father of the Creation gives us everything we need. In today’s reading (Lk 11:1-13), the Son of God says: “I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?” The Father in Heaven, who lovingly awaits us, fully understands our needs, even before we ask. And He provides in the right time and the right measure, as necessary means for our journey here on earth until we get purified and meet Him. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Third Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 24, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: With the first Hail Mary of the Rosary, we pray for the increase of faith. Is this necessary? It is because our faith is limited and inconsistent. We might exhibit the faith of the converted from time to time. However, in most circumstances, we behave as people of little faith. Jesus sees this even in his apostles who were witnessing miracles every day. He said to them in Mathew 17:20: “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Like it happened at that time, today’s society is mostly a faithless generation. If we truly had faith, we could be moving mountains. The Divinity is always listening but we are distracted by trivial things. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • July 23, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, on July 22, the Church of God celebrates the Feast of St. Mary Magdelene, a prominent follower of Christ who accompanied and ministered to him and who was a witness to the crucifixion of Jesus and the first recorded witness of the Resurrection. Scripture introduced her as a woman of the streets "who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities", "from whom seven demons had gone out" (Lk. 8:2). She had the humility to ask for Jesus' help and healing, and followed him, becoming a witness of the power of his merciful love. St. Mary Magdelene has always been the example of great love and great forgiveness, one of those disciples close to Jesus who grasped the mystery of God's love for human beings. She spent her life bearing witness to that love. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Mary Magdalene, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Third Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ]

Friends of the Rosary: Saint María de las Maravillas de Jesús, a Spanish Discalced Carmelite who founded several nun houses in the last century, revealed what was needed to be joyful. "Waiting whatever He wants is enough." "If Jesus asks what we want, we'd say, Lord, what, when, where you want." "To be saved is the only thing we wish." "Our desires are no other than fulfill your will." These are St. María de las Maravillas de Jesús' — canonized by John Paul II in a visit in Madrid in 2003 — written words in Spanish: ¡La verdad es que somos felices! Con querer lo que Él quiera, nada nos puede quitar la paz. Sí nos preguntase qué queríamos, sólo le podríamos decir: ¡Señor, cuando Tú quieras, como Tú quieras, lo que Tú quieras, es lo único que queremos y deseamos! Así que tenemos cumplidísimos nuestros deseos que no son otros que su voluntad (Cartas 1665 y 2297). Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Third Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 21, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We live in a society dominated by self-centeredness. It’s the generation of selfies. It’s all about me. Is this a problem? Well, it’s slavery — the slavery of self-centeredness. And slavery is contrary to the freedom that we achieve by living for Christ and serving our neighbors. Friends, we are wired this way. We are wired to seek the eternal truth, resting in God after our journey on earth. By accepting the Cross and believing in the Resurrection, we are set free. It seems a paradox but it’s not: being slaves of Christ we are free. Everyone who has tried this across history knows that this is true. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 20, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In St. Paul we see the salvific power of suffering. He said in his letter to the Colossians (Col 1:24-28): "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister." Suffering is consubstantial to human being, because of the original sin in our first ancestors, Adam and Eve. They fall into pride, in the same way we are constantly falling into multiple dysfunctions and errors. It’s our fallen, sinful, nature. Among humans, only the Blessed Virgin Mary, immaculately conceived, and John the Baptist, who received the Holy Spirit in the womb of his mother, didn’t commit sin. (Jesus was human and divine). The point is that we all bring our own cross — or crosses — and the way to handle this sorrow is by offering it to God as a ransom for our sins and the sins of other men and women. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 19, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: With Jesus Christ, the whole truth was revealed. The word of God was manifested to humankind, and since then our earthly life is quite different. We understood human existence, as it was designed by the Divinity. Like St. Paul wrote to the Colossians (Col 1:24-28) — and we read yesterday— “the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones.” We rejoice in this revelation. What’s sad is that many in our society, blocked by ignorance and pride, do not accept the plan of salvation, and prefer to live in sin. We all are sinners. The difference is that the faithful are actively pursuing perfection in Christ. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 18, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today Sunday’s reading, (Lk 10:38-42), we recreate the scene of two faithful sisters, Mary and Martha, in her home with Jesus. Mary was delighted, seated at the feet of Jesus listening to Him speak, while Martha, was busy, burdened with much serving. Jesus explains that there is no need to worry and be anxious when Jesus talks. Martha is the symbol of active, apostolic life, and Mary is contemplation. Both are part of the Christian life, and both are needed to reach the Divinity. What matters is to always have Christ at the center of our life. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 17, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, July 16th is the Memorial day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Nuestra Señora del Carmen, in Spanish. In the 13th century, an order of hermits, called “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” lived on Mount Carmel, near the Fountain of Elijah, in northern Israel. Its leader St. Simon Stock, received a visit from the Blessed Mother, giving him a Brown Scapular, and telling him to promote devotion to it. The Scapular symbolized Mary’s special protection and called the wearers to consecrate themselves to her in a special way. Many popes and saints have strongly recommended wearing the Brown Scapular. It stands for the decision to: – Follow Jesus like Mary: – Be open to God and to his will. – Be guided by faith, hope, and love. – To pray at all times – To discover God present in all that happens around us. For centuries the Carmelite Orden was seen as specially related to Mary, championing the mystery of her Immaculate Conception. Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross founded the Discalced Carmelite order, and Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her of illness. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 16, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: A follower of our daily Rosary encouraged us “to stop praying before man-made statues,” because we were “idol worshipping.” Our worship is never directed to images, statues, or flowers on the altar. These objects, more or less artistic and inspirational, should lead us to God. Let’s commit to pray every day the Rosary. Also, let’s better understand the utility of images and statues by reading chapters 2130, 2131, and 2132 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For audio listeners, there is a daily podcast version of the Rosary, with no images: https://rosarynetwork.com/podcasts/ Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 15, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In the third apparition in Fatima, the Blessed Virgin Mary asked us to add after each mystery a special prayer: O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need. In this prayer, known today as the Fatima prayer, the existence of hell and the mercy of Jesus are mentioned. Hell is real and horrifying beyond our imagination. Here is the description made by Sor Lucia, one of the three shepherds at that time. "The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as if it were a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now following back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (it must have been this sight that caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me do). The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. terrified and as if to plead for succor." During his earthly life, Jesus Christ talked often about the extreme pain the lost souls would experience perpetually in hell. Friends, if the human race knew what are the fires of hell, would be automatically converted. It's not about spreading fear, it's about telling the eternal truth. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 14, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: On July 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared for the third time at the Cova de Iría, in Fatima, Portugal. She asked three shepherds to pray the Rosary every day. Our Lady said gently that she would cure some people, but others she would not cure. The Most Holy Virgin Mary also showed a vision of hell to the three shepherds. That view horrified them and made them tremble with fear. Our Lady said to them kindly and sadly: "You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. It is to save them that God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace." In addition, the Virgin said: "Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a sacrifice: O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary." Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 13, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: To achieve the everlasting life, we should share Christ’s merciful love, as we learned in the Parable of the Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37), last Sunday. One way to express love and compassion for one’s neighbor is to perform the “works of mercy.” It’s not just a matter of having good feeling. We must do something else. We must serve him. There are fourteen works of mercy: seven spiritual and seven corporal. The spiritual are: To convert the sinner; To instruct the ignorant; To counsel the doubtful; To comfort the sorrowful; To bear wrongs patiently; To forgive injuries; To pray for the living and the dead. The corporal works are: To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty; To clothe the naked; To shelter the homeless; To visit the sick; To visit the imprisoned; To bury the dead. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 12, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today, July 11, the Church of God celebrates the Feast of St. Benedict of Nursia, the sixth-century abbot and father of the monastic life in Wester Europe. It would affect the spiritual and monastic life in the West for centuries to come. At Monte Cassino, 80 miles south of Rome, he wrote his famous “Rule of St. Benedict,” prescribing a life of prayer, work, study, simplicity, and community life under one superior. It summarized in his Rule (IV, 21) the monks’ program of life: Nihil amori Christi praeponere. Prefer nothing to the love of Christ. Though known as a rule for monks, it is addressed to all those who seek “to do battle for Christ the Lord, the true King.” St. Benedict said that the fundamental, and even more, the sole objective of existence is the search for God. St. Scholastica, Benedict’s sister, also embraced religious life as a nun. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. Benedict, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 11, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today Sunday, we delight with the parable of the Good Samaritan (St. Luke 10:25-37), who is Jesus Christ and His infinite merciful love for us. The beaten victim on the road is Adam, the source and symbol of all fallen mankind. Moved by man’s suffering, God the Father sends His Son down to earth. In his compassion, the Son cure our wounds and, moreover, offers Himself to be the expiation for our sins. "God so loved the world, so we ought to love one another" (1 Jn 4:9-11). This parable shows that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help. Organized religion might not show its compassion, but we, as followers of Christ, must serve one another and never distance from from others' needs. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 10, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The Christian life is a battle against the seductions of our society, including the social life. Carrying the Cross is an extremely demanding business. Unless we have immense faith and we surrender to the Divinity, we won’t make it. We need the grace of Jesus and Mary to stay in the path of the salvation. Alone we will end up failing. Jesus was clear. He told us in yesterday’s reading: "Whoever endures to the end will be saved." We hold the Rosary of Mary in the hope to receive the strength and the grace to endure until the end. Our eternal soul is at stake. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 9, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Instinctively, we are selfish and self-centered. We are damaged by the original sin. This tendency to making ourselves the center of everything and being just concerned with our own interest is really damaging. With the baptism, we received the invitation to start escaping from selfishness. Our worldly nature pushes us to embrace pleasures and vanities while our spiritual inner sense invites us to seek God. The ruler of the world, the Father of Lies, twists our mind with empty promises, intended to reject God. And, sadly he is mostly successful. Among the forces of good and evil our life is consumed. In the Holy Rosary of Mary — a perfect summary of the Gospel — we find the truth and peace. This is our prayer and our salvific tool for now and forever. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 8, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We are called for freedom. But freedom not as today’s secular society defines it, meaning self-indulgence. Christian’s freedom is directed to love and serve one another through love. It’s freedom to escape from the slavery of sin, including temptation of the flesh. Everyone wants to be free, free of any economical, cultural, or social prison. What about then about cultivating our interior freedom? Pope Francis recently said that "many people lack the greatest freedom of all, which is interior freedom." Along with that, and with the help of Christ’s grace, we can use our freedom to love the people that God has put at our side. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 7, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus. The Son of God shed His Blood for us on His Passion in the way to the Calvary. The early Fathers said that the Church of God was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood. It’s the Blood made present on the altars during the Mass by the words of Consecration. His Blood is source of sanctifying grace for us. It washes our soul and starts our eternal life. At the Rosary Network, we embrace faithfully this devotion. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] We celebrate today the memorial of St. Maria Goretti, an Italian contemporary virgin and martyr who preferred to die rather than be raped. • July 6, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: In today's reading (MT 9:32-38), we Jesus seeing a crowd "troubled and abandoned," and his heart was moved with pity for them. That's how the unfathomable Divine Mercy works. The Holy Spirit comes on our rescue, in all power to save us from our sins and despair. The hope then gets restored and we are back to life. There is no light, freedom, or joy outside of Jesus and Mary. Our society tries to seduce us with promises of well-being. But those are empty promises that lead to darkness in this earthly life and in the upcoming one. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 5, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today in the U.S. is Independence Day, the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. On this national holiday, we give thanks for the gift of life and the birth of this great nation. We also pray that God will strengthen America, get rid of evils, and make this nation an example to the world in the defense of life, family, faith, and freedom. This is a great day for being grateful and spending time with family and friends. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ]

Friends of the Rosary: In today Sunday’s reading (Lk 10:1-12, 17-20), Jesus said to the newly appointed seventy disciples that they were sent “like lambs among wolves”, although anointed by the power of God to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, cure the sick, and dominate demons. The Lord Jesus observed Satan falling from the sky to become the ruler of the world. Also said, that “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” This picture of two-thousand years sounds familiar today, isn’t it? The Gospel is timeless, and the enemies of the truth, today with new clothes and speeches, continue among us. Through the Holy Spirit, which comes in prayer, we collaborate with the Divinity facing difficulties and building the Kingdom of Heaven, hoping that as a reward names might be written in heaven. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ]   • July 3, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Everything we say matters. We need to be extremely careful with what we speak. Not because of the judgment of the world, but for the judgment of God himself. Talking about the need of bearing good fruits, Jesus Christ said (Matthew 12: 36-37): “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” The day of the judgment is approaching for all of us, and we must think in this reality. Speaking in a careless and unmerciful way is really dangerous for our soul. By our words we might be condemned. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 2, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: Today in the U.S., we celebrate the Memorial Day of St. Junipero Serra, a Spaniard Franciscan priest of the eighteenth century who founded twenty-one missions — missions like San Diego, San Antonio, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, and Santa Clara. Fray Junipero Serra converted thousands of Native Americans, and expanded the true faith on the West Coast. He brought the Native Americans not only the gift of faith but also a decent standard of living. He baptized over six thousand people and confirmed five thousand. Pope Francis canonized him in 2015, during his first visit to the U.S. July is traditionally associated with the Precious Blood of Christ, a reminder of his redemptive work. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • July 1, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We celebrate today the memory of the First Martyrs of the Holy Church killed by the evil Emperor Nero in a night of horror in Rome in the year 64. A great multitude of nameless followers of Christ were put to death by Nero because of his hatred of the human race. The emperor would commit later suicide at the age of thirty-one. Peter and Paul were probably among the victims. Since the ancient Rome, we see how the blood of martyrs has always been the seed of Christianity. No human force can stop the power of the Holy Spirit and the merciful love of Christ that envelops the world. The sacrifices of the martyrs and the saints — now all crowned by God in the Communion of Saints — help us to appreciate the gift of faith that sustains in our earthly life. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Saints Peter and Paul, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • June 30, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We venerate today, June 29th, two great Apostles, Peter and Paul. They are the solid rock on which the Church of God is built. Together, through preaching and martyrdom in Rome, they set the Holy See. Peter was given by the Lord the name of Chephas (Petrus in Latin), which means 'rock'. St. Peter was the first to recognize that Jesus was "the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." He was not perfect and made mistakes, such as losing faith on the night of the Passion of Christ. Yet despite his human weaknesses, Peter was chosen to lead the Church becoming the first Bishop and Pope of Rome. He was crucified upside-down at his own request, because he claimed he was not worthy to die as the Lord. St. Paul, a Jewish pharisee who persecuted Christians, experienced a dramatic conversion, chosen to be the Apostle of the Gentiles. He preached the Gospel tirelessly in the Mediterranean, writing letters inspired by the Holy Spirit. Paul was imprisoned and taken to Rome, where he was beheaded in the year 67. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Saints Peter and Paul, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • June 29, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: We live for God, as my wife Maria Blanca was telling us when she was at the ICU in a hospital before dying, eight months ago today. The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary dwell with us in our earthly existence and await for us in the next life — regardless we acknowledge this eternal truth or not. Only Divine power saves us from the storm of life. Like the apostles in the boat — and that’s today’s beautiful reading (Mt 8:23-27) — we might feel that we are perishing, swamped by the waves. But we are not. We should live not in fear, but in trusting in Jesus Christ and His beloved Mother. We are joyful because we live for God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ]

Friends of the Rosary: Today, June 27, the Universal Church of Christ, celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This Marian advocation revolves around the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, painted on wood, with background of gold, in the thirteenth century. It is Byzantine in style and it represents the Mother of God holding the Divine Child while the Archangels Michael and Gabriel show the instruments of His Passion. Our Lady appears full of sorrow, expressing compassion and sympathy for us in our fears. The icon was brought to Rome towards the end of the fifteenth century by a pious merchant. Since then, crowds, including Popes, have venerated the icon, and many graces and marvelous healings were obtained through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Pray for Us! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • June 27, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friends of the Rosary: God has created us to be free. To achieve freedom we must stand firm against sin and avoid its slavery. St. Paul reminds us this fundamental truth in his letter to the Galatians (Gal 5:1, 13-16) today. He encourages us to use this freedom not for the flesh and carnal pleasure but to serving one another through love. Be guided by the Spirit, live by the Holy Spirit, advises Paul. The Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other. This conclusion is very timely today. In our secular society, sexual immorality is rampant. And following the desires of the flesh is contrary to God. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York [ Second Year Anniversary | In the Memory of María Blanca ] • June 26, 2021, Today’s Holy Rosary on YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET