For October

.........the month of the holy rosary.

Photo: The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

From 'A Doorway to Silence' (1986) by Robert Llewelyn:

"In the handling of the rosary - it will seem foolishness to some - we are handling dynamite; not the terrorist variety which blows to pieces flesh and blood, but the more deadly type which wars against the cosmic powers of evil.

Their existence need not unduly alarm us. see the devil (if you allow him) and his angels, not as the opposite number of God, but of Michael and his angels, and you will cut him down to size.

In our everyday actions we are up against symptoms, whereas in the world of prayer we come to grips with the causes which lie behind.

You do not need much medical knowledge to know that rather than pacify the rash it is more sensible to deal with the agent which is bringing it about

We are, of course, powerless to do anything of our own. But I cannot be alone in finding that, in the saying of the rosary, there steals into the consciousness an awareness by faith that one is not alone but in fellowship with Christ and his saints.

In invoking Mary we are calling to our aid the whole company of heaven."