We can’t stop it, we can’t store it, we can’t touch it, and we can’t change it. Time is one of our most precious gifts from God. This month, we explore the stewardship of time. In gratitude for all of time that God freely gives to us, for each of our earthly lives, and for the promise of eternal salvation, we dedicate a portion of our time to God through prayer, sacred studies, and execution of His good works.
Reciting the Rosary is like presenting an exquisite crown of roses to Our Lady. She lovingly responds by showering us with a multitude of supernatural gifts. Pope Blessed Pius IX notes that “Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary.”
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.”
~Venerable Fulton Sheen
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain” (CCC 2562). Even our richest traditional prayers, when delivered without meaning, become merely words.
Every February, the health and fitness industry celebrates American Heart Month to remind us to examine the physical health of our hearts. This year, our Lenten season begins on Valentine’s Day. As we prepare for Easter and reflect upon God’s great love for us, it is important to also check the spiritual health of our hearts.
The new year provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our past and envision how we would like to shape our future. When we rely only upon ourselves for improvement, we overlook the one thing that guides us to true contentment and success. That, of course, is turning toward God to elevate our good works into great works.
