Do You Want Peace in Your Heart and the World? Wednesday, May 3 2023 

Books and Everyday Life and Faith and Family and History and Peace and Prayer , , , , , , Mary K. Doyle 8:57 am

Who doesn’t enjoy a good story—one that is suspenseful, intriguing, and mystical? Well, I have one for you that in addition to all of that, amazingly offers the answer to peace within your heart and the world.

On October 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal an audience of more than 70,000 people including journalists and photographers witnessed an extraordinary occurrence. Witnesses stated that on that day, the soaking rain was pouring and suddenly, as if a switch was flicked, abruptly ceased. The sun then appeared to zig zag across the sky, soared dangerously close to earth, and then jumped back up to where it belongs. Some witnesses said that in addition, multicolored lights flashed across them. In the end, the mud and puddles, as well as their clothes, were completely dry.  

Just prior to all of this, beginning on May 13, 1917, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appeared monthly to three children—Lucia Dos Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Mary told the children about ways in which the world could become more peaceful. She also promised to provide a sign that following October so that all would believe the messages she was giving the children. Those signs were indeed extraordinary and unexplainable as many of the witnesses did then recognize the truth in Mary’s words. Many people also claimed to have received personal miracles.

The dramatic and mystifying manifestations were intended to draw attention to the heart of the messages Mary brought to the three young visionaries which was for all of us to strive for a stronger relationship with God. At that time, the world was at war (WWI), and Mary warned that if people didn’t change their ways, a greater war would result. We know, in fact, that a greater war (WWII) did occur resulting in the loss of more lives and destruction.

Mary’s plan is simple but effective. Basically, it is to pray all day, every day, and in particular, to pray the rosary. Prayer is a conversation with the Lord, and the more we connect with God, the stronger our relationship will be. The rosary is particularly powerful because it centers on Christ. Through these prayers, God becomes at the forefront of our thoughts and actions. We see God in everyone and everything and therefore become beacons of love, light, generosity, and compassion, which can only result in peace.

From the state of the world, we know we have not followed Mary’s guidance. A century later, and we are no more peaceful. If peace is important to us, we need to do our part to make it happen.

For more information on Mary and her peace plan read:

Fatima at 100. Fatima Today, The Rosary Prayer by Prayer, and Grieving with Mary 

(Fatima at 100. Fatima Today is available from ACTA Publications and my website. The Rosary Prayer by Prayer and Grieving with Mary are available from ACTA Publications, Amazon.com, and my website.)

 

Repairing Broken Rosaries Friday, Feb 17 2023 

Everyday Life and Prayer , , Mary K. Doyle 10:58 am

Beads, chains, center pieces, and crosses. Serious rosary pray-ers have a collection of broken rosaries and rosary pieces. Inexpensive strings of beads are not well constructed and don’t hold up for long. If we use these rosaries, beads eventually pull away from the string.

Praying the rosary is one of my favorite devotions. It’s calming, allows me to escape daily stress, helps me to center myself in prayer, and is an effective way to meditate on the life of Christ. My goal is to pray the rosary every day.

With use, the wire and links become stretched out and bent. Simple repairs are needed along the way. We only need a handful of items, such as pins, chains, and rings, and one tool, a pair of rosary or needle nose pliers.

Sometimes the beads get lost before we can reconnect them to the chain. If six or fewer Hail Mary beads are missing, and they match the Our Father beads, we can remove all the Our Father beads and use them for the missing Hail Marys. Then we can replace all the Our Fathers with a different style. If more are missing, we may consider condensing the beads into a chaplet or prayer bracelet or use the pieces for spare parts in other rosaries.

When rosaries are beyond repair, burying the remains is the recommended way to dispose of them since they were blessed. Rosaries are a tool to assist our devotion. Wearing them out is a sign that we indeed are praying.

***

Have you seen my book, Inspired Caregiving? It was lovingly written for your favorite caregivers.

 

Do You Want Peace? Thursday, May 12 2022 

Culture and Everyday Life and Faith and Family and History and Leadership and Peace and Perspective , , , , Mary K. Doyle 7:05 pm

If you had the power to bring peace and justice to absolutely everywhere in the world, would you use that power? Would you at least make an attempt to promote peace?

Well, you do have such power, and it isn’t very complicated. More than 100 years ago, the Virgin Mary gave us a peace plan that she promised would work. And she provided clear instructions for us to follow.

Over the course of six months from May 13 to October 13, 1917, Mary appeared to three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta in Fatima, Portugal. The plan is simple but does take some effort on our part. Basically, it is to build a relationship with Mary’s son, Jesus. If Jesus is our first thought before we act, we would be kinder, gentler, and loving. The more of us who do this, the more peaceful our world becomes.

One way in which to grow closer to Jesus is to pray the rosary daily. Throughout the rosary, we meditate on the life, works, and death of Christ. The repetition of prayers is calming, which allows us to think clearly. We end feeling more relaxed and positive.

Mary warned that if we did not strive for peace, an already greedy, angry, and selfish world would become worse. At that time, World War I was in progress. Undoubtedly, we did not heed the warning. We know that a greater war did in fact occur, and we have continued with conflicts ever since then.

At the time of the apparitions, Lucia was 10 years old, Francisco was 9, and Jacinta was 7. The Fatima children were quite young yet followed Mary’s instructions to the very best of their abilities. If they could do it, so can we.

For more information on Mary’s peace plan, see my booklet, Fatima Today, available for only 99 cents from ACTA Publications. To learn how to pray the rosary or understand it better, see my book, The Rosary Prayer by Prayer.

 

Mary’s Peace Plan is Today’s Peace Plan Friday, Feb 25 2022 

Culture and Everyday Life and Faith and Family and History and Perspective , , , , Mary K. Doyle 11:19 am

Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine has everyone on edge. Putin’s been taunting the country for weeks reminding the people of previous days of terror. His unpredictability and bullying make us wonder how far he will go. Could the invasion of one small country lead to an all-out world war?

We can’t turn our backs on the Ukraine, or anywhere else. From a selfish standpoint, what effects one, effects all, in one way or another. In addition, we know the Ukrainian people. In this technologically, interconnected world, we know people across the globe through online chatting, news coverage, and business dealings. We may even be neighbors, coworkers, or related to them.

The Virgin Mary says there is a way to prevent war. World peace is possible, and Mary explained how it could be achieved. She clearly spelled out a plan in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal through a series of apparitions to three young shepherd children: ten-year-old Lucia dos Santos, nine-year old Francisco Marto, and seven-year-old Jacinta Marto.

Mary’s peace plan consists of specific instructions, but overall, her point was to pray, and to pray unceasingly. In particular, she instructed to pray the rosary every day.

“The rosary is a path to peace because it promotes peace within us, and that peace reflects on everyone we encounter. The rhythmic sequence of prayers is very calming and allows us to meditate more fully on the life of Jesus. It draws us closer to Christ because it is Christ-centered. And where Christ is, there is peace.” (Excerpt from Fatima at 100. Fatima Today)

At that time, the world was at war (WWI), and Mary warned that if we didn’t change our ways, a greater war would result. We know, in fact, that a greater war (WWII) did occur resulting in the loss of more lives and destruction.

Mary’s peace plan is as important today as ever. We don’t have to sit by and watch the pain and destruction across the globe while hopelessly ringing our hands. We can take action in a real way, because prayer works.

We can pray in our own way or pick up those rosary beads. Praying the rosary only takes about 15-20 minutes. Isn’t that investment of your time worth personal and world peace?

*For more information on how to pray the rosary, read The Rosary Prayer by Prayer available from Amazon.com, ACTA Publications, and my website. 

 

Do You Like Me? Thursday, Feb 4 2016 

Books and Everyday Life and Family and Health and How To and Leadership and Mentoring , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Mary K. Doyle 10:48 am

How much do you want to ‘Like” Me? I have 11 Facebook pages. Not only do I have a personal page and one for me as an author, I also have one for every one of my books as well as one for my Beautycounter business. Some posts are duplicated but most are targeted to specific groups.

Please “Like” as many as you find of interest. And comment and post! It’s very lonely to post alone. I need your feedback to know if I’m on track with my thoughts and words.

Here is a list of my Facebook pages and the content you’ll find there:

  • Mary K Doyle – My writing and work as an author/speaker
  • Navigating Alzheimer’s – Credible information on dementia and caregiving
  • Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message – Faith and fairytales, especially those by Andersen
  • Grieving with Mary – Grieving and Marian devotion
  • Young in the Spirit – Aging faithfully
  • Saint Theodora and Her Promise to God – Saint Theodora and children
  • Seven Principles of Sainthood – Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, also known as Saint Theodora
  • The Rosary Prayer by Prayer – The rosary and Marian devotion
  • Mentoring Heroes – Mentoring
  • Beautycounter By Mary Doyle Brodien – Beauty products, beauty tips, health
  • Mary Doyle Brodien – My personal page for close friends and family

©2016, Mary K. Doyle

 

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