Q&Aw/   SMMK 

"I have so much to do! I'm so tired! I should take a nap.

After all, the Rosary is not the Sunday Holy Mass, which one must attend so as not to sin... I have guests. I have arrived from far away... I have to go here and there!" and so on.   

     Thousands of excuses creep into our thoughts.

     "To go or not to go?" (It's up to us to decide... ).

     Wouldn't Our Lady, Queen not only of heaven but also of earth, be able to help me to fulfill my work more easily, more speedily and more efficiently? ... Wouldn't she arrange circumstances in such a way to make them more favorable to my soul and to my very earthly existence (provided this should not be at some point in time contrary to my salvation, which is the most important thing? ... ).

     The fact is that she wants the best for me, more than I could ever want, and she can help me, since the Creator could not refuse anything she asks Him. Isn't it better then to entrust to her my worries and my troubles? She would resolve them more speedily and more easily than I would.

​

​

 

Whoever acts in this way is an unworthy son of Mary!

​

​

​

​

     "I have been working and now I'm tired." (This is another common excuse.)

     Still, where else would I be able to find more rest and peace than at the feet of her who is our Mother, our Help, our Refuge, our Comforter?

     It is true that it is not a sin not to pray the Rosary, but what sort of love would ours be, if we limited ourselves strictly to our duties, the neglect of which would be a transgression, perhaps a serious one? Such a way of acting resembles more the bondage of a slave rather than the love of the child for its most loving Heavenly Father and its most affectionate Mother.

     Whoever acts in this way is an unworthy son of Mary!

     But a person who is truly in love with her tries to make the time to turn to her as often as possible, to stay as long as possible at her feet (as far as the duties of one's own status allow). We would entrust our troubles and worries, and our whole life to her. We would meditate and work so that Mary may continue her work successfully, so that she may reign in the souls of all people, present and future, those that are known and those in oblivion, friends or foes, relatives, fellow citizens, fellow countrymen and foreigners, Catholics and 

And where else but from her could we draw the light to know what to do and how to operate? Is there perhaps some other place we can attain the strength to carry out such a sublime task?

     "I'm sorry but I have guests at home!" is another excuse we could easily make up.

     Then, I shall invite them to come with me. In fact, I wish them to find happiness too, while our personal matters can often be dealt with some other time.

     "But there are also others who do not attend the Rosary! So why should we attend?"

     If they are unable to attend because they have to carry out some personal duties precisely at this time and not at any other time, the Immaculate will accept their ardent wish to take part in the common recitation of the Rosary. She herself shall descend upon their hearts, filling them with her blessing.

     And you who for love stay at the bedside of the sick, in order to accompany and assist them, do not be sad, do not worry. Instead of the Rosary, the Immaculate will accept the services you are offering them.

     But what about those who could attend the recitation of the Rosary and do not do so because of laziness or neglect or simply because they are having a sinful enjoyment? Can the Immaculate perhaps bless them?

     "Ding-dong, ding-dong, come to the Rosary, come to the Rosary," the bells call for the last time.

     The church is already full. The painting of the Immaculate on the altar is all illuminated amidst the candles. The bell by the sacristy rings. The service begins.

     Our Father.. ., Hail Mary. . . , Hail Mary...

     A comforting balsam descends upon the hearts, a ray of hope appears again in desperate souls.

     The poor, the weary, those who are bent under the burden of their worries, of their tribulations and crosses, are reassured in their certainty of not being orphans, of having a Mother who is aware of their suffering, who sympathizes with them, consoles them and helps them. They know they will still have to suffer for a while, but that their reward will follow, an 

eternal, infinite reward; in fact, they feel that it is even worth­while to suffer a lot in this brief life, in order to cancel the sins committed and to give proof of their love to God; they understand that in suffering their soul is purified from the transient illusions that the world calls happiness, and it rises ever higher, infinitely higher, until it reaches God, the Source of every happiness. They are aware that only in Him can their soul find rest, and that everything else is too small for them....

     "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world..." "under Your protection. . ." the words resound throughout the church. It is a song that bursts forth from the heart and binds the hearts of the children to the heart of their Mother. The recitation is now over, the lights go off and those who were present return happily to their houses, enjoying a blessed peace in their hearts, their spirits strengthened

+St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. 
Stronger Than Hatred 
New City Press