Converting to Christ with the help of Mary

ROSARY #34 – Converting to Christ with the help of Mary

INTRODUCTION: Together with fasting and works of mercy, prayer forms the essential structure of our spiritual life. Dear brothers and sisters, I exhort you to find in this time of Lent moments of prolonged silence, perhaps a retreat, to reflect again on your life in the light of heavenly Father's plan of love.

Let the Virgin Mary, teacher and model of prayer, be your guide in this more intense listening to God. Even in the deepest darkness of Christ's passion she did not lose but safeguarded the light of the Divine Son in her soul. For this reason let us call upon Mary with confidence and hope! Pope Benedict XVI - March 8, 2009

FIRST MYSTERY: Following Jesus along the way of his passion we see not only Jesus' passion but we see all those who are suffering in the world. And this is the profound intention of the prayer of the Way of the Cross, to open our hearts, to help us to see with the heart. Papal Reflection After Way of the Cross April 7, 2007

SECOND MYSTERY: The Fathers of the Church considered the greatest sin of the pagan world to be their insensitivity, their hardness of heart, and they loved the prophesy of the prophet Ezekiel: "I will take away your heart of stone and will give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Papal Reflection After Way of the Cross April 7, 2007

THIRD MYSTERY: Converting to Christ, becoming Christian, meant receiving a heart of flesh, a heart sensitive to the passion and the suffering of others. Our God is not a distant God, untouchable in his blessedness. Our God has a heart, indeed a heart of flesh. Papal Reflection After Way of the Cross April 7, 2007

FOURTH MYSTERY: Jesus became flesh precisely to suffer with us and to be with us in our sufferings. He became man to give us a heart of flesh and to awaken in us a love for those who suffer, for those in need. Papal Reflection After Way of the Cross April 7, 2007

FIFTH MYSTERY: In the Heart of the Redeemer we adore God's love for humanity, His will for universal salvation, His infinite mercy…The heart that resembles that of Christ more than any other is without a doubt the Heart of Mary, His Immaculate Mother.
Pope Benedict XVI, June 5, 2005

...Our Lady of Trust is a model of steadfast faith, of generous availability to the action of the Spirit, and of fidelity to His requests. She is a Mother who gives certainty and strength in our personal and communal journey toward perfection (Const. Commentary #21).