In the future I would like – if possible – to write a Father mediation every 7th of the month and start it today. But before I do so, I would like to take a brief look at today’s commemoration day.
This day of remembrance is not directly dedicated to the prayer of the Rosary, but to the “Queen of the Rosary”.
That is how it came about: In the 14th century the Ottomans had conquered large parts of the Balkans. In 1453 the Christian Constantinople fell, in the early 16th century the Near East was subjugated, in 1529 the Turks besieged Vienna, in 1571 the Venetian Cyprus fell. Now Crete was also under threat and all of Europe was
threatened with Balkanisation. Pope Pius V succeeded in uniting Venetians and Spaniards in a defensive alliance.
On 7th October 1571 the decisive naval battle took place, in which the Christian fleet seemed hopelessly inferior to the Turks, who lured them into a trap. In this situation, when there was almost no chance of victory, the Christian admiral Andrea Doria bowed down before a new image of Mary and prayed instantly. This was the first copy of the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Now the wind turned in favour of the Christians and they were able to use their weapons better, boarded the enemy’s flagship. The Turks panicked and the battle turned in favour of the Christians, the Ottoman danger being averted for the time being.
During the battle, rosary were prayed in the streets of Rome.
One year later, Pope Pius V added the new feast: “Our Lady of Victory” to the church-calendar.
It was clear to all Christians that they owed the victory to the Virgin.
A special greeting from my side to America and Mexico, whose beloved “Morena” had intervened in favour of Christianity.
Now to the theme of today:
We will meditate on an extract from “The Father speaks to his children”; an ecclesiastically recognised apparition in which the Heavenly Father speaks to humanity through Sister Eugenia Ravasio in the year 1932.
In his talks with Sister Eugenia, the Father had invited her to carry out her tasks with great vigilance. He told her the following:
“You will be happy to speak little with creatures and in the secret of your heart you will speak to me and listen to me even when you are among them.”
I would like to take up this word and remind you that I keep on talking about how a chamber (a monk’s cell) should be formed in our hearts where we can always enter to have a dialogue with our Father. This is important for many reasons.
First of all, it deepens the intimate relationship with God that He offers us. It becomes natural to us and so the knowledge and love of God can grow within us. The Father’s message makes us aware that God wants a family relationship with us, that our heart is the place where he can build his temple, and even that it is paradise for him. God therefore loves to be with us, and the souls who live in a state of grace can be penetrated by his light.
Furthermore, this inner space offers protection from unnecessary distractions, if we care for it properly. Of course, the word to Sr. Eugenia that she will speak little with the creatures, does not mean to avoid people on principle. The word also was given to a religious woman who does not need to be occupied with necessary worldly things,
such as families in the world. It is about the false attachment – also to people – which prevents us from meeting God more deeply. If we still seek something in people that we can only find with God, then this inner relationship with God cannot grow. We have to watch out that our heart is first directed towards God and that everything comes from Him.
A next point is also the protective function of such an inner space. The more it is formed, the more it will lead us through God’s presence into the inner silence. This will help us to escape the increasing manipulation of an antichristian environment more easily and to keep a clear view from within, strengthened by the presence of God.
This inner space is formed especially through silent prayer, prayer of the heart or by praying the rosary or part of it in the heart. I myself pray for example: “Trusted Father I love you”, but there are many possibilities. I think that in times of increasing external distress it is very important to enter more deeply into the inner conversation with God and I recommend it to everyone how they can realise it in their different life situations – even if it would regularly take only ten minutes. The Holy Spirit will then continue.
In view of the unimaginable lockdown with months of loss to participate in the Holy Mass in an orderly fashion, this advice takes on yet another urgency. The inner temple is to be formed, which will remain even when the outer temples close.
Let us still combine the two considerations. Just as the Queen of the Rosary protected the Christians, so it will be in the time of Antichrist. The inner exchange with God our Father, through Mary’s intercession, will be a strong inner weapon to resist the attacks of the dark forces!