The Holy Name of Mary
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The Battle of Vienna
In 1571 Muslim Holy War to destroy Christianity and conquer Europe was repulsed at the Battle of Lepanto, due primarily to innumerable ordinary people praying the Rosary because the Christian fleet was badly outnumbered and out gunned. I’ll share that story with you on Oct 7, on the Feast of Lady of Victory.
With that failed sea invasion, the Muslims sought to conquer Europe and Christianity by land. By 1683, the Islamic forces had reached the heart of Europe and laid siege to Vienna. The leader of the Muslim army was Kara Mustafa, whose army swelled to more than 300,000, compared to only 15,000 defenders trapped within the city walls. Obviously, the Viennese were no match. If Vienna fell, nothing would stop the Muslims from sweeping through the rest of Europe.
A Religious Sister in Rome named Sister Maria Candida Columba Fachineti wrote Pope Innocent XI on July 19, 1683 of a vision and message she had received from God and Our Lady that 1000’s of Rosaries in honor of Our Lady of Victory must be said in all the Churches in Rome. If this request would be heeded, Mary would save Europe from the invasion of Islam. The Pope and the people responded with countless Rosaries prayed.
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Pope Innocent XI then appealed to King Jan Sobieski of Poland to come to the aid of Vienna and all European Christianity. Sobieski led the most feared cavalry in Europe, called the winged hussars because they had sown eagle’s feathers to back of their armor and looked like eagles flying as they rode into battle. More importantly, Sobieski was ardently devoted to Mary and the Rosary. When he received word from the Pope, he summoned his cavalry and army, and went straight to Czestochowa, where the miraculous Icon of the Black Madonna is kept. There they consecrated themselves to Mary, then marched more than 400 miles, to Vienna. Sobieski ordered his army to pray the Rosary as they journeyed.
At the same time Blessed Marco d’Aviano, A Franciscan monk and Chaplin to the Christian army in Vienna encouraged the army and the people of Vienna to resist the Turks by praying the Rosary on each day of the siege.
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King Jan Sobieski and his forces arrived outside of Vienna on the evening of September 11, 1683. This was supposed to be the day Islam launched the final blow to Christianity, but they did not account for Sobieski and the Mother of God. For in the early morning hours of September 12, King Jan Sobieski and his forces “attended Mass, entrusted his army to the hands of the Virgin Mary, and began his assault against the Muslims. As Sobieski’s soldiers ran with abandon down the hill toward the Muslim army, they shouted aloud, “Jesus and Mary, save us!” And Jesus and Mary did save them, as well as the city of Vienna. The Muslims were defeated that very same day and fled in disarray, leaving everything behind in their camps. in a matter of hours. Our Lady of the Rosary had been victorious again! After the battle, King Jan Sobieski related the events of the victory to Pope Innocent XI, describing to the pontiff exactly what had happened that day. He said, “I came, I saw, and God conquered!” Upon his return to Poland, Jan Sobieski went immediately to the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa on a pilgrimage of thanksgiving and laid the banners captured from the defeated Muslim army before the miraculous icon of Mary.”
Once again, the victory came through Mary, the Rosary and the countless faithful who responded to her call. In gratitude the Pope declared September 12, the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. And that is why I only drink Sobieski vodka!
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On July 13, 1917, Our Lady gave a secret with three parts to the children of Fatima. The 3rd Part of the Secret included a vision of the world in ruins and many souls lost. This vision was made public in the year 2000 by then Cardinal Ratzinger who became Pope Benedict XVI. Why was it made known then? Because it is for us and for our time. Then Cardinal Ratzinger wrote:
The angel with the flaming sword on the left of the Mother of God recalls similar images in the Book of Revelation. This represents the threat of judgment that looms over the world. Today the prospect that the world might be reduced to ashes by a sea of fire no longer seems pure fantasy: man himself, with his inventions, has forged the flaming sword. The vision then shows the power that stands opposed to the force of destruction – the splendor of the Mother of God and, stemming from this in a certain way, the summons to penance.
In this way, the importance of human freedom is underlined: the future is not in fact unchangeably set, and the image that the children saw is in no way a film preview of a future in which nothing can be changed. Indeed, the whole point of the vision is to bring freedom onto the scene and to steer freedom in a positive direction. The purpose of the vision is not to show a film of an irrevocably fixed future. Its meaning is exactly the opposite: it is meant to mobilize the forces of change in the right direction… the vision speaks of dangers and how we might be saved from them.”
The purpose of the 3rd Part of the Secret of Fatima is to mobilize the forces of change in the right direction by the power of personal conversion, penance and most especially the Rosary. Time and again, Our Mother emphasizes the power of the Rosary to convert souls and change world events.
Do we think of the Rosary as a nice optional spiritual practice or do we recognize it as the most powerful weapon for change God has given us in the history of the world?
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Today Christianity and our Country is under siege by a legion of demonic forces.
Time and again, God and Our Lady appeal to believers to change world events and help save souls by means of the Rosary. When people respond, big things happen. The Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, that we celebrate today, stands as a solemn reminder of this Fact. Will you take the initiative and responsibility like King Jan Sobieski to gather your team, your little army, your spouse, kids and grandkids, your friends, and even invite people you barely know – to join you for friendship, good conversation and the Rosary? It is so simple yet so dramatically powerful.
The devil wants to keep us isolated and alone because alone many will not persevere in the spiritual battle. Everyday invite one person to pray the rosary with you – in person, on the phone, by Zoom...That way we keep two in the fight, and we grow from there.
Will you answer the call and take responsibility and mobilize the forces of change?