Prayer for life

There is no doubt that never before has our country been beset with so many problems due to the deadly and destructive disasters recently taking place in our land, coupled with our unprepared and incompetent government which cannot immediately deliver the urgently needed relief and assistance, thus causing so much pain, misery and suffering to our stricken countrymen. And our problems are compounded by a President who seems to be uncaring and more concerned with his public image as he continues to engage in politics and put the blame on other people, events and circumstances instead of just tackling and solving the problems head on.

Fortunately, there are silver linings penetrating the dark clouds in our midst right now. And these come from the victims of the twin disasters themselves. Despite all the miseries and sufferings they are now undergoing, they remain resilient, strong and full of hope that they will overcome all these harrowing experiences and get back on the road to their ultimate destination where there will be no more pains and sufferings.

Their hope was even strengthened and solidified by the spontaneous and generous responses of their countrymen and of governments and people all over the world regardless of race, color, or creed. The massive outpourings of love, care, and concern shown by these people really strengthened the hopes of the victims to surmount their current difficulties and move on with their lives. It is really so heartwarming to see Filipinos and people from other countries sending or bringing their relief goods and extending their humanitarian services to the typhoon stricken areas unmindful of their own safety and comfort.

But it is also important to note that the good deeds keeping the victims’ hopes alive are also accompanied by prayers as expressions of great faith in the Lord God Almighty who is definitely the moving spirit behind all these outpourings of love, care, concern and sacrifices shown by the people here and all over the world. Definitely, the volunteers and the victims as well as a lot of other people on earth who could not be personally present to help are praying and continue to pray intensely.

During these times therefore when our country is beset with problems, and even at all other times in our life, we should keep on praying. And one of the simple but very effective prayers is of course, the Rosary. Indeed in the words of Sr. Lucia, one of the three children to whom our Blessed Mother Mary appeared at Fatima, “there is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot solve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary we will save ourselves. We will console our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls”.

As Blessed John Paul II said, “the Rosary in its simplicity still remains at the dawn of the third millennium, a prayer of great significance destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness”. It is, according to another Pope (John XXIII), a “devout form of union with God and lifts souls to a higher supernatural plane”. And according to our own Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle, the Rosary is a prayer and a meditation and a profession of our faith. With the Rosary we pray to Jesus through Mary…. we meditate on the life of our Lord Jesus Christ which unfolds to us the fulfillment of His promise of salvation….we profess our faith, our acknowledgment of this wonderful gift from God that is given to us out of love. To pray the Rosary is to pray for life; to pray with life”.

Coming to mind in this connection is a movement called “Rosary for Life” (RFL) which was formally launched in the Philippines last November 11, 2003 and recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a nine day pilgrimage outreach called “LakbayBuhay” covering parishes and shrines in Nueva Ecija, Baguio, Laguna, Antipolo, Batangas and Metro Manila, culminating in a Mass at Binondo Church principally celebrated by Archbishop Paciano B. Aniceto immediate past chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.

RFL was established in New York City in 1992 and has since spread to all of the United States as well as to 27 other countries including the Philippines. Its goal is to encourage the recitation of the Rosary and get the prayers going to the Lord and Blessed Mother on a round the clock basis so that someone, somewhere in so many time zones around the world is praying the Rosary which is the “weapon of choice in the spiritual battle for life”.

RFL is a volunteer prayer association encouraging the recitation of at least the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious) every week, to promote reverence and respect for the God-given gift of life, especially the life of the unborn through the prayerful invocation of Mary, the Mother of God.  It is a prayer support group of the Pro-Life Movement to stop massive depopulation through abortion and contraception. It was introduced here by Mr. Sebastian and Mrs. Betty Roxas Chua after a fruitful encounter with it founder in the US, Mrs. Wyn Powers during a pilgrimage to Rome for the canonization of Padre Pio of Petralcina in 1991.

Following its activities during its tenth anniversary, RFL has also joined in the massive humanitarian effort to help the victims of the Super typhoon “Yolanda” by donating a different kind of relief item – the Rosary. It has initially sent 3,000 Rosaries already blessed and packed along with the relief goods sent to the Visayas by Catholic relief institutions particularly the Caritas Philippines. And prior to this latest project, it has also  put up a temporary relief shelter for women in crisis situations called “Grace to be Born” that has helped saved 150 babies from abortion obviously as the answer to the Rosary prayers made for pro-life intention.

And since we are now at the verge of moral decadence by reason of the passage of the P-Noy administration sponsored RH law promoting contraception, supporting and joining the RFL will definitely be a great help also in enlightening the Supreme Court Justices to make the right decision by declaring said law unconstitutional.

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