54 Day Rosary Novena

Daily content for the 2020 54 day Rosary Novena for the Church and the Nation

Day 42: Queen of Angels, Pray for Us!

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Now begins the final section of the Litany, the ‘Queen series’, with thirteen titles. The first eight describe saints in heaven and seem to be listed in chronological order: Angels were created first, then patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all saints. This title “Queen of Angels” reminds me of a little pueblo founded […]
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Day 41: Help of Christians, Pray for Us!

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St. John Chrysostom called Our Lady “Help of Christians” in the year 345, as did St. John Bosco 1500 years later. Some years ago, as I boarded a flight from Birmingham to Chicago, I sat down next to a young woman who was obviously scared of flying. Noticing my Roman Collar, hope registered on her […]
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Day 40: Comforter of the Afflicted, Pray for Us!

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Down through the ages good Christians have suffered, and often they keep such grief to themselves. The unspoken pain of a mother who ponders her son’s deep disappointments, the husband who agonizes over his secret infidelities, the son who murmurs silent words of thanksgiving too late at the graveside of his father, and the very […]
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Day 39: Solace of Migrants, Pray for Us!

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This is the newest title in the Litany of Our Lady, added by Pope Francis, the Friend and Protector of Migrants, Immigrants, and Refugees. There are currently 250MM migrants in the world. They come from all over, and go all over, but the most popular destination is the United States of America. A migrant family […]
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Day 38: Refuge of Sinners, Pray for Us!

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Before the days of mini-vans and soccer moms, we kids in the neighborhood would entertain ourselves by playing ‘tag’, a game that could go on indefinitely, but if you were slow and pudgy it was no fun being “it.” Then came the fast guy, and we’d head for the refuge of the monkey bars, also […]
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Day 36: Morning Star, Pray for Us!

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The morning star, Stella matutina, heralds the coming of the rising sun, but the morning star is not actually a star, it’s the planet Venus, yet it is brighter than any star in the sky. Likewise, the Blessed Mother heralds the coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ, arriving on the scene in history just before […]
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Day 35: Gate of Heaven, Pray for Us!

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I had a Jewish professor of medieval history when I was an undergraduate. He claimed to be agnostic, but I’m not so sure. He enjoyed pointing out the “hypocrisy” of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, though he did so without malice. Still, I admired the man for his attention to detail, his wit, […]
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Day 34: Ark of the Covenant, Pray for Us!

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Remember the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark and the awesome powers associated with the ark? When the Israelites marched into battle with the ark leading the way, all challengers were vanquished. The ark was made of gold, and contained the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, a sure path to salvation, and that was […]
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Day 33: House of Gold, Pray for Us!

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I say, “Nothing but the best for God” …like that woman in the New Testament who anointed the body of Jesus. She splurged that day, and broke open the alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard and anointed the body of Jesus.  Only Judas complained that it could have been sold for three hundred denarii, […]
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Day 32: Tower of Ivory, Pray for Us!

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The Light House of Alexandria was one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, a mighty tower with a brilliant beacon leading ships safely into harbor. Mary towers over the rest of the human race, and is as pure and flawless as ivory, and leads us to the safe harbor of Christ. The purity […]
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Day 31: Tower of David, Pray for Us!

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The Tower of David in Old Jerusalem was a mighty tower that defended the City. Tender devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, is the Tower that defends our faith. In the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, separating France from Spain, you will find the remains of ancient stone watchtowers, which served as sentinels to […]
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