The Global Effect of the Rosary

Does our responsibility to follow Christ end at the door of our house? Is our zeal limited to our parish? No. The human heart was made for the infinite, the limitless, and can truly desire the salvation of all men. Our Mother in Heaven seeks to direct this great capacity of our hearts to labor for the salvation of all souls throughout the world.

Read the thrilling lines of St. Therese of Lisieux in the last chapter of her Story. See the universal aspirations of her heart extending far beyond the walls of the cloister:

 

To be Thy Spouse, my Jesus; to be a Carmelite; to be, through my union with Thee, a mother of souls, surely this should be enough? Yet I feel the call of more vocations still. I want to be a warrior, a priest, an apostle, a doctor of the Church, a martyr. There is no heroic deed I do not wish to perform. I feel as daring as a crusader, ready to die for the Church upon the battlefield.

Such contradictions! How can they be reconciled?

One mission field alone would never be enough; all the world, even its remotest islands, must be my mission field.

Charity gave me the key to my vocation. . . . Jesus, my Love, I have at last found my vocation; it is love! . . . [S]o shall I be all things, so shall my dreams come true."

Meeting our material needs cannot meet the needs of the heart and will leave us dissatisfied. However, to be able to effect a global outcome through our efforts will do more justice to our capabilities. Here are the aspirations of a prisoner in a letter written this month, whose immediate preoccupations are understandably limited:

 

As we have now entered into the centenary of Fatima, it is good for us to reflect on Our Lady’s promise that in the end Her Immaculate Heart will triumph… let us continue to pray that the Holy Father may receive the graces necessary to perform the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. . . . For my part, I offer the Rosary for this intention every day."

So, dear reader, pray the Rosary with a love for souls. Through it you steer effectively the religious and even political course of this world, and assist in the salvation of souls!