"Lord, I am 'totus tuus' (totally yours)" - St. John Paul II
Today, being the 14th year death anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II, I am reminded once again about the importance of prayer and having devotion to Our Blessed Mother. I am also reminded of the time when Mikko and I went to Florida in 2012 and visited Mary, Queen of the Universe shrine and I felt the magnitude of the power of prayer.
I want to share this again (as I shared this before in my instagram). The following pictures were taken then in November 2012 at the shrine in Orlando.
This is one of my experiences that truly revealed God's existence and that He is so present in my life. Mikko and I visited this Catholic shrine in Orlando, Florida for three days in a row. Each day, we visited the Blessed Sacrament to take our time to pray as a couple and thank God for all the blessings we received. I remember though praying for something SO specific for those three days. It was so specific that I asked God if His answer was a "yes", to show me pink and white two-toned roses. Those exactly. (If you read my previous blog, you know I love my two-toned white/pink roses. hehe)
On the third day, I remember praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament and this strong sense of feeling came to me as if God said, "Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. (Matthew 7:7)." The particular question that I asked God was regarding my mission I had or have, I should say. It really is difficult to explain here in one post. But basically, it was whether I was meant to pray for a particular person. Yes, one person. There were so many happenings and situations to why I would think this way, but I will explain more when the right time comes. But anyway, yes that was my question to God; whether or not I had a mission to particularly pray for this person (whom I actually have never met or been introduced to).
So...my husband and I were walking out of the church on our way home and a lady stopped and asked if we had visited the rosary garden yet with Pope John Paul II's statue. She said that we should have a look at it. Providentially, I had been praying to (then Blessed) Pope John Paul II at that time, so I was beyond excited and told her that we would love to see the garden. She gave us directions and honestly... it was almost as if something was just telling me in my heart that something was bound to happen. My heart pounded for some reason.
We walked to the garden and as soon as we saw the statue of St. Pope John Paul II, my eyes literally fixated on this little bouquet of beautiful PINK AND WHITE TWO-TONED roses that were in his hands!!! I KNEW again right away that God heard my prayer. I couldn't help but tear up and cry!!! I just couldn't believe it. I mean, I could but I was so astonished. I was speechless. I received exactly what I asked for. "Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find." Pure coincidence? No... we were meant to be there and find the answer there. I felt nothing but a gush of pure joy, happiness, and peace... and of course an increase in my faith. On the bottom of the statue, the quote by St. John Paul II read "To recite the rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary, the face of Christ."
Right away, I knew I had to pray the rosary with my husband to praise God for His never ending graces and blessings upon us. Mikko willingly said "yes" when I asked him if we could pray the rosary together there. We prayed and tears started rolling down my eyes again as we walked around the rosary garden, contemplating each mystery or decade of the rosary.
Even just remembering this experience right now as I type this is giving me a flood of those different emotions I felt.
There are so many days where I feel spiritually uninspired or disconnected. But today, I am reminded that even during periods of drought in our prayer life, we should persevere and turn to Our Lady, the face of Christ, to help us become closer to her son, Jesus. The beauty of our Catholic faith is that there are so so so many ways for us to help strengthen and deepen our relationship with God; whether that is through our prayers, services, the sacraments, and personal struggles and experiences --- there is always a way to be close to Him.
So much love & prayers...
Elena
QUOTES ON THE ROSARY
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'If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins "you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory." Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if - and mark well what I say - if you say the Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.'
--St. Louis Marie de Montfort
“You always leave the Rosary for later, and you end up not saying it at all because you are sleepy. If there is no other time, say it in the street without letting anybody notice it. It will, moreover, help you to have presence of God.” - St. Josemaria Escriva
“Go to the Madonna. Love her! Always say the Rosary. Say it well. Say it as often as you can! Be souls of prayer. Never tire of praying, it is what is essential. Prayer shakes the Heart of God, it obtains necessary graces!” - St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
"To pray the Rosary, is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and His Mother." - Saint Pope John Paul II
“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” - Sister Lucia dos Santos, Fatima seer
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