neslor617
People mean well here. They have good advice. But ultimately you will have to find what works for you. I had problems with Marian Doctrine up until January 2007. She appeared to me in a dream and helped me finish the Rosary, the last 2 decades of the Glorious Mysteries. After that I bent over backwards to say the daily 5 mysteries as outlined by Pope John Paul II, the Great. I’m not perfect and do not expect to be, but I can surely shoot for it. I have consecrated my life to the Blessed Mother. I’m a man, but I am very close to her. I feel her presence as I do my guardian angel, who I have also seen. No, I’m not bipolar or suffering other mental disorders. I’ve had my head examined…
I suggest that when you say the Hail Mary you say it slowing with pauses after each line. Also read the gospels on her frequently…mostly Luke. Read Revelations 12 (without looking I believe this is right). Read Genesis when God banishs them from the Garden. Read about the Queen Mother of Solomon, Bethsheba. Read theology about her. And what really helped me was “Hail Holy Queen” a series that was played on EWTN but it is downloadable, about 5 or 6 hours on the subject. Protestants have sterilized the Traditions passed down from Christ regarding these things. That’s the problem with distance from the moment of the conversion in the early Church. It was commonly believed from the beginning. I’d also suggest googling some Orthodox material. They also have a great devotion to the Blessed Mother, our mother. THEOTOKOS>God Bearer. Read some of the
catholic.com material on the subject, which also helped me. Books are great, but you can get it in bits and peaces and shoot slowly towards expanding your reading later.
Another thing that help me was to learn to say the Rosary in Latin, which I’ve only been doing for a year now. I suggest Learning the Hail Mary in Latin first. Say each line as if you truly mean it.
Ave Maria,…Gratia Plena
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
et benedicta fructus ventris tua
Sancta Maria…Mater Dei
ora pronobis pecadoribus in mulierieribus
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae
Spelling is off and I know it better when I concentrate on it. I’ve learn all the prayers of the Fatima Rosary. The only thing left to learn now is the last prayer O God, whose only begotten son… That’s just a matter of memorization. But as you memorize force yourself to learn what each word means. That’s why it’s taking so long. I figure she’s been around for me along time, the least I can do is learn to think of her intensly, realizing she’s there, just like my guardian angel.
During the Mass, imagine…no REALIZE the Blessed Mother’s presence, with all the Angels and Saints. That is what we beleive. It’s what the Church teaches.
Further, realize that a relationship between anyone takes time to nurture. There may be times when you don’t feel so close to you hustband. But then you need to take the time to nurture that relationship. The same is true with Mary and your angel. I see going to weekday mass in particular as taking my Guardian Angel to see His fellow Angels, Saints and the Blessed Mother as well as the most important to us, Jesus Christ together with the Holy Spirit and the Father. It may take a while [life time] to fathom this, but it is awsome. I have to remind myself constantly of all the Angels and Saints presence.
Warning. There are also evil spirits out there. Demons trying to cause us to stumble. I’ve also seen demons. Very scary. But you must know that we have authority over them. Once I hopped in bed with my sleeping wife. In the shadow a face appeared and then raissed out of the shadow with a very ugly evil face. It was small, but vile. I just stared right back and called upon the Angels from heaven and the Blessed Mother to pray for me. I immediately prayed to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to help me, protect me, etc. The significance is that my wife and I were having problems. In our conversion there were many things that kept cropping up. I was once a seminarian and while I was discerning returning to my vocation to become a priest, her family proselytized me. My vocation was taken away from me and it took many years to come back home. My wife was not open to me on many levels, but ever since her Catholic conversion she has struggled for many reasons to deep to go into. The point is that I believe a demon was preventing her from opening up. The demon fled our bedroom airborn of course. Yes, I was scared and begged God to protect me along with the Angels and Saints to pray for me. As I learned more about Mary, I discovered that she commands the Army of Angels. I still hang onto my rosary at night for obvious reasons. I get scared sometimes but have to concentrate intensly on Jesus. I ask Mary to show me Jesus. That’s what she does for us. Long story short, some people have gifts of tongue, prophesy, etc. I don’t konw what this is called. But it has been awsome and scary at the same time. This happens periodically throughout my life.
I’ve felt the loving presence of Christ, the Holy Spirit and even God the Father, holding me. It makes you feel like a child. Special. I saw my Guardian Angel in a very bad wreck, remarkably walking ;pp;away unscathed in a wreck that I frankly should have resulted in death. I walked away. Even have the pictures to prove it. I hope to write a book on these experience one day after my family settles down from our extreme conversion experience.
I also suggest reading the Liturgy of the Hours. If that’s too much then get the Magnificat, that’s what my wife reads. It’s awsome. The main thing is that you have to speak to our Blessed Mother, Mary throughout the day. I’m trying to work on a closer relationship with Joseph now that I see how He is supposed to be my Saint as a father.
I’m a mother myself and know she is our role model for the perfect woman and mother. Besides praying the rosary, anyone have advice?
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I know I have to find my own way, but your ideas are a great start. I had no idea how to even start except to pray the rosary. I’m excited to look into the books you all suggested as well.