Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 24

Yesterday, our church celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of La Naval. Fr. Felimon’s homily felt like a continuation of the podcast I listened to recently... it spoke once again of the power of prayer [through the intercession of our Blessed Mother]. He shared the story of Blessed Bartolo Longo, a man whose life became a living witness to how Mary truly is the BEARER OF HOPE.

Bartolo had once fallen into the darkness of Satanism and even served as a satanic priest. Yet, even in the depths of his sin, Jesus never abandoned him. The Lord surrounded him with people who would lead him back --- one of them a professor and another a Dominican priest who introduced him to the Blessed Mother.

Through the Rosary, Bartolo found his way from despair to redemption, from bondage to grace. His life so moved the Church that St. John Paul II later drew inspiration from him when he introduced the Luminous Mysteries... mysteries that shine with the light of Christ’s public ministry.

I realized that no one is ever too far gone for God to reach. Mary never stops interceding; She patiently waits for us to return to Her Son.

Hearing Bartolo’s story reminds me that even when I fail or grow tired, the Rosary can draw me back... 

When we cling to the Rosary, we hold not just beads~ but a LIFELINE of hope.

With our Blessed Mother, even the darkest night can become a path back to Jesus.

#Day24 #roadtofifty #prayingtogether