Today's Rosary | Holy Rosary University

Friends of the Rosary,

Today is the Memorial of St. Bonaventure (1221-1274), bishop and doctor of the Church, the General of the Franciscan Order at that time, and known because of his wisdom, eloquence, and sanctity as the Seraphic Teacher.

His contemporaries believed that no one was "more handsome, more holy, or more learned" than he.

Dante had already included him among the inhabitants of his "Paradise."

Bonaventure was a subtle scholastic and a profound mystic. He had a heart full of love and rich in virtue.

In philosophy, he was the principal leader of the Platonic-Augustinian school of Franciscan thought. As such, he stood opposed to the Aristotelianism that was gaining influence in the schools of the time, represented by Thomas Aquinas.

Bonaventure's Life of St. Francis was a favorite book of the Middle Ages.

When St. Thomas was told about Bonaventure's work, he said: "Let us allow one saint to labor for another."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, July 14, in the United States, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), the first native American to be declared a Saint.

Born in 1656 near Auriesville, New York, she was the daughter of a pagan Mohawk chief and a Christian Algonquin woman.

When she was a child, a smallpox epidemic attacked her tribe, and both her parents and brother died. She was left with permanent scars on her face and impaired eyesight. Her uncle, who had now become chief of the tribe, adopted her, and her aunts began planning her marriage while she was still very young.

A Jesuit missionary baptized Kateri (taking the name Katery after Catherine of Siena) Tekakwitha at the age of twenty. Like her namesake, she was drawn into intimate communion with God and suffered persecution for his sake, incurring the hostility of her tribe.

She devoted her life to prayer, penitential practices, and caring for the sick and aged in Caughnawaga, a Jesuit mission near Montreal, where she escaped. There, she spent the last three years of her life giving herself to prayer, mortification, and works of charity.

Moved by God’s love for humanity, she saw the dignity in each of her people. She was devoted to the Eucharist and to Jesus Christ crucified. Known as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” Kateri spent her short life dedicating herself entirely to God through long hours of prayer and practicing severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation.

She died at the age of 24. Witnesses reported that within minutes of her death, the scars from smallpox completely vanished, and her face shone with radiant beauty.

Devotion to Kateri began immediately after her death, and her body, enshrined in Caughnawaga, near Montreal, in Quebec — where she grew in holiness and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament — is visited by many each year.

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, Sunday, the 13th, when we remember the third apparition of Fatima, the Gospel of Luke (St. Luke 10:25-37) tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, a powerful lesson about mercy toward those in need.

St. Augustine identifies the good Samaritan with our Lord, and the wounded man with Adam, the symbol of all fallen mankind.

Christ Jesus, seeing man’s wounds and moved by compassion and piety, comes down to earth to cure man's wounds, making them his own (Is 53:4; Mt 8:17; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 3:5).

St. John explained that God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him, love one another, and see our sins expiated.

This parable leaves no doubt about who our neighbor is (anyone who needs our help) and how we should love them, not by having the right feelings, but by taking pity, being compassionate, and serving their spiritual or corporal needs.

Christians should never distance themselves from others' needs. One way to express love for one's neighbor is to perform the "works of mercy.”

There are fourteen such works, seven spiritual and seven corporal.

• To convert the sinner;
• To instruct the ignorant;
• To counsel the doubtful;
• To comfort the sorrowful;
• To bear wrongs patiently;
• To forgive injuries;
• To pray for the living and the dead.

The Corporal Works of Mercy are:

• To feed the hungry;
• To give drink to the thirsty;
• To clothe the naked;
• To shelter the homeless;
• To visit the sick;
• To visit the imprisoned;
• To bury the dead.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:24-33), Jesus tells his Apostles:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna."

Through the power of Christ, we are connected to the source of life, receiving all the unconditional love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In this spiritual place, we are safe from the snares and attempts of the Evil One, who wants to devour our souls. The Prince of Darkness might kill our body, but not our eternal soul.

Through our prayer, we ask for the grace to be protected from the assaults of Satan and our secular society, which is pushing us to the cliff of destruction.

St. Peter, in his first letter (1 Peter 4:14), which we also read today, tells us:

"If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, July 11, is the feast of St. Benedict (480-547).

Born in Nursia, Italy, amid the ashes of the Roman Empire, and educated in Rome, he lived as a hermit and later organized a form of monastic life in twelve small monasteries. Under his guidance, as abbot, the monks vowed to seek God and devoted themselves to work and prayer. A few years later, St. Benedict left Subiaco to found the abbey of Monte Cassino on the heights of Campania, Italy.

As his reputation for holiness, wisdom, and miracles spread, disciples flocked. He organized the monks into a single monastic community and wrote his famous Rule, prescribing common sense, moderate asceticism, prayer, study, work, and community life under one superior. It stressed obedience, stability, and zeal. This rule would affect spiritual and monastic life in the West for centuries to come.

Seeking first of all the kingdom of God, Benedict summarized in his Rule (IV, 21) his program of life: Nihil amori Christi praeponere. Prefer nothing to the love of Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI called St. Benedict a powerful reminder of the indispensable Christian roots of its culture and civilization.”

St. Benedict and his sister, St. Scholastica, are buried in Monte Cassino Abbey.

We pray today’s Rosary holding the Benedict Cross as a Medal.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Christ Jesus sent the Twelve apostles to evangelize the countryside, as we read today in the Gospel (Matthew 10:7–15).
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."

Evangelizing today means proclaiming Jesus, crucified for our sins and risen from the dead, into the glory of heaven.

Non-stop evangelization is at the heart of Christianity.

It’s the divinity of Christ that we proclaim for the salvation of the world, avoiding the echo of the surrounding culture.
Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes throughout the centuries are the descendants of the twelve apostles of the Lord, who Christ Jesus summoned at that time to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, as we read today in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 10:1-7).

These first disciples and apprentices were sent on a mission with the authority to drive out demons and unclean spirits and cure every disease and illness.

They were instructed to rescue "the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

"The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

There are two imperatives in the Christian life: conversion and apostolic mission.

The Lord invites us to a change of life and to become missionaries with what we have experienced. It’s the desire to share with others what we have seen.

This way, as faithful disciples, we will seize the beauty of the revelation and its eternal truth.

There is nothing more fulfilling on this earth than the sense of belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven and the King of Kings.

Our soul perceives that we are on the right track, pursuing a fruitful race to Eternity.

In today’s reading (Matthew 9:32–38), the Lord directs his disciples to ask the Father to send laborers for the work of evangelization.

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In today's Gospel (Matthew 9:18-26), Christ Jesus shows his glorious power by curing a woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years and raising from death the daughter of an official.

Neither physical suffering nor death is an obstacle to his miraculous healing. We need to have faith. Or, as the psalm of today says, "In you, my God, I place my trust."

"Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you," is what the Son of God says to the woman who touched the tassel of his cloak, convinced that she would be cured.

In the Lord Jesus, we have a personal friend, someone who deeply cares for us. He is not an abstract, distant deity or a moral, nice philosopher. We are discussing the person of Jesus Christ and his human and divine heart, which radiates peace, joy, and hope.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

At that time, the Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples and sent them in pairs to cure the sick, drive out demons, and proclaim that the Kingdom is at hand, as we read today in the Gospel (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20).

“Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals, and greet no one along the way.”

The seventy-two trusted in divine providence and survived among wolves like lambs. They returned from their apostolic mission, rejoicing at their newfound power and saying,

"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."

Jesus replied,

"I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

We, too, can marvel that the grace of Christ has made us a new creation.

Like the apostles and disciples, we are all on a mission given to us by God. Anointed with the Holy Spirit, we must even go against the powers of darkness on this earth, knowing that the gates of the netherworld won't prevail.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

How dangerous is the rise of AI for Christianity?

At the Rosary Network, we consider that AI is just another technology that believers can use to do good.

At our small organization, we find it helpful in creating faithful instructional content that would otherwise not be produced.

Friends of the Rosary,

Today is Independence Day, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, issued by the Second Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia.

On that day, the U.S achieved its place among the family of nations. Thirteen colonies set out to form a new form of unity and devised a new plan for government—the Constitution, and the United States began to grow rapidly.

The Catholic Church in the U.S. incorporates a special Mass into the liturgy, asking for peace, justice, and truth.

We also pray that God will bless America and make the nation a place of liberty and justice for all, born and unborn.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, July 3, is the Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle.

Thomas, who at first did not believe, became one of the first witnesses to the faith by expressing the fervor of his regained confidence in God, seeing the Man Christ and acknowledging His divinity: "My Lord and my God."

"Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed?" said the Lord.
Doubting Thomas' weakness of faith reveals how God permits our faults for the sake of our soul's progress, for no mortal man can see divinity.

The Lord permitted the apostle to doubt after the resurrection, but He did not abandon him in doubt.

It is known that St. Thomas preached the Gospel in Asia beyond the frontiers of the Roman Empire, probably in Persia and possibly as far as India.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

July is a month that falls within the season of Ordinary Time, represented by the liturgical color green, which symbolizes hope.

It's also the month associated with the Precious Blood of Our Lord, shed for us on Calvary and reassumed at His risen, glorified, and living body at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.

It's the Precious Blood made present in Mass by the words of Consecration. It washes our souls and sheds sanctifying grace, inaugurating the beginning of our eternal life.

These are the principal feasts for July this year:

1. Junípero Serra (USA), Opt. Mem.
3. Thomas, Apostle, Feast
4. Independence Day (USA), Opt. Mem.
5. Anthony Mary Zaccaria; Elizabeth of Portugal, Queen (USA), Opt. Mem.
6. FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
9. Augustine Zhao Rong & companions, Opt. Mem.
11. Benedict, Memorial
13. FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
14. Kateri Tekakwitha (USA), Memorial
15. Bonaventure, Memorial
16. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Opt. Mem.
18. Camillus de Lellis (USA), Opt. Mem.
20. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
21. Lawrence of Brindisi, Opt. Mem.
22. Mary Magdalene, Feast
23. Bridget, Opt. Mem.
24. Sharbel (Charbel) Makhloof, Opt. Mem.
25. James, Apostle, Feast
26. Joachim and Anne, Memorial
27. SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Sunday
29. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Memorial
30. Peter Chrysologus; Solanus Casey, Opt. Mem.
31. Ignatius of Loyola, Memorial

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, the faithful celebrate the Memorial of St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784), the first Hispanic saint of the U.S.

A native of Majorca, Spanish Franciscan friar Junípero Serra spread the Church and the Gospel along the Pacific Coast of the United States, founding 21 missions and converting thousands of Native Americans in the eighteenth century.

The first mission founded was San Diego (1769). Other missions followed: Monterey/Carmel (1770); San Antonio and San Gabriel (1771); San Luis Obispo (1772); San Francisco and San Juan Capistrano (1776); Santa Clara (1777); San Buenaventura (1782). Twelve more were founded after his death.

Junípero vigorously protected the Native Americans against Spain’s colonial and military interests.

He brought them not only the gift of faith but also a decent standard of living, winning their love.

And because the Native Americans were living a nonhuman life, the friars were made their legal guardians.

Fray Junípero Serra baptized over 6,000 people and confirmed 5,000.

The “Apostle to California” died in Monterey at his favorite mission in 1784 and was canonized by Pope Francis on September 23, 2015.

July is traditionally associated with the Precious Blood of Our Lord.

Today, it is customary in some places to celebrate the votive Mass of the Precious Blood.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, we honor the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church, the nameless great multitude of followers of Christ, brutally killed by the mad Emperor Nero in July and August in 64 A.D. in Rome.

These Christians in Rome were put to death, making them into living torches to light the road for the chariot of Nero, who hated the human race. This demon would commit suicide in A.D. 68 at the age of thirty-one.

Today's feast reflects that the blood of martyrs has always been the seed of Christians. God always crowns the martyrs.

Throughout history, we realize that no human force can stop the power of the Spirit unleashed upon the world.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, June 29, the faithful venerate the two Apostles Peter and Paul, Apostles (d. 64-67), on whom the Church was built.

Peter, the head of the apostles, and Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, have been remembered together on this date since ancient times.

Under God's guidance, they were led to make Rome, the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world, from where the preaching of the Gospel would radiate down the centuries.

St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican; his tomb is on the very site of the Basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the Via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name, today a pilgrimage place.

In today's main reading (Matthew 16:13-19), we see Christ changing the name of Peter to Cephas (Greek: Petros, meaning "rock"), and asking,
“Who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, on the Saturday following the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we celebrate the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

From the beginning of Christianity, the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary have early attracted the attention of the faithful.

Simeon's prophecy paved the way for devotion when he said that the heart would be pierced with a sword.

In 1944, during the midst of World War II, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, placing it under the special protection of the Mother of Our Savior.

Pius IX instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the whole Church, to obtain by her intercession "peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue" (Decree of May 4, 1944).

The day after refoijing in the burning love of the Sacred Heart, we honor the Immaculate Heart of the woman who gave Jesus his humanity.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost (Corpus Christi Sunday), is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, signifying that Christ loves every one of us, without exception, with a human heart.

"The Son of God... loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (478) explains, "Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us."

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation (Cf. Jn 19:34), reflects the infinite love of the divine Redeemer.

The institution of the feast was a result of the appearances of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675. The celebration of the feast was extended to the General Roman Calendar of the Church by Pius IX in 1856.

Today is also the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

The Catholic Church honors today St. Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975), a contemporary Spanish saint who founded Opus Dei and opened a new path of holiness by helping the faithful to sanctify themselves through performing ordinary work and daily duties with a Christian spirit.

Pope John Paul II canonized the founder of Opus Dei in 2002. The Holy Father said, "St. Josemaría was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness. It could be said that he was the saint of the ordinary."

Today, we are also invited to listen to and act on the words of Christ Jesus in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This way we will be like a wise man whose house is built on rock, avoiding that our entire life collapses.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

We are invited to become good trees and bear good fruit.

The Lord Jesus is telling us, as we read in the Gospel today (Matthew 7:15-20).

"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit."

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them."

The grace of Christ enables us to accomplish our mission by serving Him properly.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, June 24, is the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the precursor and forerunner of the Lord.

Along with Jesus and Mary, John the Baptist’s nativity is one of the three birthdays on the Church’s calendar.

John had a special place in God’s salvific plan. His conception was a miracle; he was sanctified and cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, at the Visitation.

Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin and Zachary was a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem. As a baby in the womb, John recognized Jesus’ presence in Mary’s womb when Mary visited Elizabeth soon after the Annunciation. Both women were pregnant at the same time.

The Angel Gabriel had visited Zachary and told him that his wife would bear a child, even though she was already past the childbearing age.

John was probably born in Ain-Karim, located southwest of Jerusalem. As a young adult, he lived as a hermit in the Judean desert until approximately A.D. 27.

At the age of 30, he began preaching on the banks of the Jordan, calling for repentance and baptizing people in the river’s waters.

When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, “It is I who needs baptism from you.”

John the Baptist spent his adult life preparing the way for Jesus, proclaiming that “the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.”

He preached the baptism of repentance that was necessary to prepare for Christ, the Lamb of God, as he identified Him. He preceded and heralded the Redeemer.

John continued to preach after Jesus was baptized, but was imprisoned by Herod Antipas after he denounced the king’s adulterous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half-brother Philip.

John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, dying as a martyr and anticipating Christ Jesus’ saving death on the cross.

Many came to know Jesus through John, namely the Apostles Andrew and John.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

After the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ yesterday, we continue today to reflect on the significance of Corpus Christi and the symbolism surrounding the institution of the Eucharist.

The symbol for the Holy Eucharist is a chalice with a host rising out of it.

The consecrated bread (the host) and wine (in the chalice) represent the body and blood of Christ.

The elevation of the host and chalice during Mass is a symbolic act that shows the congregation the consecrated elements.

The chalice is depicted with a hexagonal base, symbolizing the Six Attributes of God: power, wisdom, majesty, mercy, justice, and love. The host is depicted as a typical circular wafer, upon which the letters I may be imprinted. N. R. I. or I.H.S., from which proceed rays of light, symbolical of the Real Presence, the substantial presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine.

An altar, upon which is set a cross, two or more candles in their tall candlesticks, a chalice, and a ciborium, is another symbol often seen.

Let’s attend Mass frequently and receive Communion while contemplating the rich symbolism around the mystery of the Eucharist.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, when we commemorate the institution of the Eucharistic sacrament and celebrate our faith in the Eucharist.

Saint John Paul II reminded us, “the Church solemnly bears in procession the Eucharist, publicly proclaiming that the sacrifice of Christ is for the salvation of the whole world.”

The Eucharist gives us confidence that Christ abides with us through all the sorrows of our life, sanctifying us and leading us to his presence in heaven.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Out of the darkness of my life, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth.”

Today’s Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ reflects the devotional movement on the Sacrament of the Altar. It’s also a doctrinal response to heretical teaching on the mystery of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It was extended to the entire Latin Church by Urban IV in 1264.

In the main reading of the Gospel (Luke 9:11b–17), Christ Jesus miraculously feeds a crowd of five thousand with loaves and dried fish. He makes a meal that satisfies and gives sustenance for the day to this enormous group of tired and hungry people.

Thomas Aquinas explained that the great metaphor for the Eucharist is sustenance, daily food for the journey.

As the body needs physical nourishment to get us through the day-to-day,  the spirit needs spiritual nourishment.

In our spiritual life, we must eat and drink, or we will not have strength.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In today’s first reading (2 Corinthians 12:1-10), we see how Paul begged the Lord to remove "a thorn in the flesh", which was torturing him. We don't know what kind of suffering it was (a blindness, a disease, a remorse of the past...). 
God responded: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

Then St. Paul understood that Christ in his suffering was dwelling in him:
"I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Christ Jesus wants us to redirect our attention to the treasures of eternity in heaven, as we are reading today in the Gospel (Matthew 6:19-23):

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

Regardless of how exciting and beautiful something is on earth, it is destined to pass away. What doesn’t pass is the light of God.

Therefore, we rightly set our priorities and understand that what matters is to be filled with the light of the Holy Spirit.

In this regard, the Master teaches us:

“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.”

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In today’s reading (Matthew 6:7-15), Jesus Christ gives us the Lord’s Prayer, which is constantly on our lips throughout the day.

When we say, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we implore that Heaven interpenetrates our earthly, sinful reality.

Heaven is the field of our Trinitarian God, the Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints, and among them many of our loved ones with their glorified bodies.

We need divine grace to persevere on earth, as adversities overwhelm us. The ruler of the world, the Evil One, lies and deceives us all the time, leading us into sin.

In this spiritual and often physical fight, our only weapon is a ceaseless, humble prayer. Prayer leads us to the sacraments and merciful love.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within reach; through daily repentance, we access this realm of peace and hope, out of darkness.

Salvation is a matter of the meeting of heaven and earth, so that God might reign as thoroughly here below as he does on high.

The Resurrection of Jesus marked the beginning of the reconciliation between heaven and earth. Now we pray they come together.

As the prophet Isaiah anticipated: “The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.”

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In April 2005, Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, warned against the "dictatorship of relativism" in which we live.

This week, during the first hearing of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, Bishop Robert Barron, bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, echoed Pope Benedict XVI’s warning, highlighting how "religion is being attacked in our society." 

“This attack is coming from the culture of self-invention: the complete prioritization given to individual autonomy; that we decide value, that we decide meaning, that we decide purpose."

Many members of the commission and guest witnesses expressed similar concerns about the lack of faith and decline in religious liberty in the country through laws and regulations at the federal and state levels of government.

This 14-member commission includes two Catholic prelates: Barron and Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

We continue reflecting upon the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43–48). In today's reading, Christ the Lord invites us to show merciful love to those who offend and attack us, and be perfect, just as our heavenly Father.

"You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Love is willing the good of the other, and the test of love is when they cannot pay us back.
The perfect example is Christ, who was betrayed by everyone (Jews, Romans, Pharisees, Sadducees, his disciples...), and yet these are the very people he loves, giving his life for them.

Bishop Barron writes, "To the very people that contributed to his demise, he says, 'Shalom.” This is how we are loved; this is how we must love. Everything else is commentary."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, in the reading of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38–42), Christ the Lord says:

"You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.”

Christianity teaches us how to face evil. 

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. adopted these non-resistance to evil techniques, although they missed the true faith.

Essentially, we Christians avoid mirroring back aggressors’ attacks and offenses.

We refuse to cooperate with their earthly violence or tricks. We reject the Jewish assertion of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

To offenses we respond with forgiveness and merciful love.
Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity. This feast, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, originated in the ninth century to honor the Most Holy Trinity, our Triune God.

The mystery of the Holy Trinity is a synthesis of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost.

It reflects our inner desire to share the life of God, as baptized in the name of the Blessed Trinity.

Only in heaven, in union with Christ, will we properly understand what this fundamental dogma of our faith means.

This mystery is based on the sublime truth that there is one God and in this one, eternal, incomprehensible God, there are three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

All three Persons participated in the work of our redemption.

The Father created and called us to the faith by sending His Son to earth, for "God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son." The Son, the Redeemer, and Savior Jesus Christ became man, made us children of God, and died for us. The Holy Spirit, after Christ's ascension, became our Guide, Consoler, and Sanctifier, making us His temple.

Sunday is the "Day of the Lord," the day of His resurrection, and the day of the Most Holy Trinity.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

All the great theophanies in Christ's life occurred during the course of prayer.

After His baptism, when Jesus was praying, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove.

Likewise, it was during prayer that the transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor.

It was while Mary was praying that the Angel Gabriel delivered his message, and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her.

Through prayer, we prepare our souls for the advent of the Spirit. Every day at Mass,
particularly at holy Communion, we see the power of the Holy Spirit coming down upon us.

However, fiery tongues, as seen at Pentecost, won't be seen. But there is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today is the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), also known as St. Anthony of Lisbon, one of the most popular saints in the Church, patron of lost objects, the poor, and various other causes.

Born in Lisbon, Portugal, he was a forceful and eloquent preacher with a penetrating power of conviction.

Pope Gregory IX called him the Arca Testamenti, meaning "the living repository of the Holy Scripture," and Pope Pius XII proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church.

Because of his success in converting heretics, he was called the "Hammer of Heretics," and because of his learning, St. Francis himself appointed him a teacher of theology.

St. Anthony became associated with Padua because he made this city his residence and the center of his preaching mission.

From the day of his death in Padua in 1231, at the age of 36, he was invoked as a wonderworker, with numerous miracles attributed to him.

Considering the crucified Lord, Anthony writes: “Christ, who is your life, is hanging before you, so that you may look at the cross as in a mirror. There you will be able to know how mortal were your wounds, that no medicine other than the Blood of the Son of God could heal…. Nowhere other than looking at himself in the mirror of the cross can man better understand how much he is worth.”

On a day like this in 1917, when the feast of St. Anthony of Lisbon was celebrated — and it was the children's feast in Portugal — Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the three shepherds for the second time. The Holy Virgin gave us the Fatima prayer:

"I want you to come here on the thirteenth of next month. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. And after each one of the mysteries, my children, I want you to pray in this way: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Take all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need. I want you to learn to read and write, and later I will tell you what else I want of you."

She also said,
"Jesus wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart."

Sor Lucia related the scene this way,

"In front of the palm of Our Lady's right hand was a heart encircled with thorns which appeared to pierce it. 

We understood that it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary that was offended by the sins of mankind, craving reparation."

The apparition then concluded as on the first occasion, with the Lady going off toward the east and disappearing in the "immensity of heaven." 

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Our Lord is urging us to change our way of knowing, seeing, and perceiving reality.

With him, the divine and human have met, and we are invited to be transformed in the Holy Spirit. Our minds, eyes, ears, senses, and perceptions have to be opened up and revitalized. It’s a new state of affairs.

In this regard, in today’s Gospel, Christ Jesus is teaching (Matthew 5:20–26) about reconciliation. He invites us to change our hearts and minds.

And if a brother has something against us, we must be reconciled with him first before offering any gift at the altar.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today is the Feast Day of St. Barnabas the Apostle, designated by the Holy Spirit to expand Christianity beyond the Jewish world.

Born in Cyprus, he was a Hellenist, that is, a Jew who lived outside of Palestine and spoke the Greek tongue.

Barnabas embraced the faith soon after the death of Christ, becoming a member of the original Jerusalem community. His first noteworthy deed was to sell his belongings and place the money at the feet of the apostles.

Barnabas introduced the newly converted Paul to the other apostles when everyone was still distrusting the former persecutor. Later, he would befriend Paul and become his companion on the first missionary journey (about 45-48 A.D.). He was present with Paul at the Council of Jerusalem (ca. 50).

Barnabas was a leader (Acts 13-14) with an impressive appearance among the inhabitants of Lystra, as they regarded him as Jupiter. He was martyred in Cyprus around 63 A.D.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16), Jesus calls his followers — all of us — salt and light, exhorting them to keep themselves radiant before all the world.

"You are the salt of the earth.

But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house."

If we don't want to become worthless, we have to be the salt and the light of the earth. A lit lamp is good as long as it is placed on a stand that allows it to illuminate all.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, on the day after Pentecost, is the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, B. Mariæ Virginis, Ecclesiæ Matris.

This feast was inserted into the General Roman Calendar in 2018 by decree of Pope Francis.

The Decree on the celebration of the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church stated, “This celebration will help us to remember that growth in the Christian life must be anchored to the Mystery of the Cross, to the oblation of Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet and to the Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Redeemed, the Virgin who makes her offering to God.”

Pope Francis wished to promote this devotion to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety.”

St. Augustine said that Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church.

St. Leo the Great said that the “birth of the Head is also the birth of the body, thus indicating that Mary is at once Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church.”

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, June 8, is Pentecost Sunday. In this Solemnity of Pentecost — one of the greatest feasts of Christianity alongside Christmas and Easter, we commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Mary, and the Disciples, as well as the fruits and effects of the completion of the work of redemption.

As we read in Acts 2:1-11,

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Devout Jews from every nation staying in Jerusalem gathered in a large crowd at this sound. They were astounded and amazed because each one heard the apostles and disciples, who were Galileans, speaking in their language of the mighty acts of God.

Pentecost means the fullness of grace for the Church and its children, and the gift of faith for all nations.

Friends of the Rosary,

The opening sentence of St. Luke's description of the Visitation is:

And Mary, rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah. [Lk. 1:39]

We see the sudden urgency of love that sent Mary hurrying over the hills. She rose on that impulse when Christ was being formed in her. This impulse of pure kindness on an expecting woman was Christ’s impulse.

People would say a pregnant woman had a duty to herself and their unborn child before anything or anyone else.

She greeted her cousin Elizabeth, and at the sound of her voice, John leapt for joy in his mother's womb — an infant leaping for joy knowing the hidden Christ.

Even before He was born, Christ's presence gave life. It’s Christ who is growing in us.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Christ Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him, as we read today (John 21:15 19).

It was an opportunity to be reconciled with the Lord for the denial that would take place later. Jesus himself is the reconciliation of divinity and humanity.

His whole ministry is about restoring humanity to adoring and giving thanks to the Lord.

As Bishop Barron writes, “He is the healer of the rift between God and the human race.”

In today's Psalm 103, we read: "The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, in the Gospel of John (John 17:20-26), Christ Jesus prays for our unity with him and with each other.

“I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me, that they may be brought 
to perfection as one, that the world may know that 
you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.”

Jesus, who speaks and acts in the very person of God, wants us to be brought to perfection as one.

“I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them."
Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

The word of the Father is truth, as Jesus highlights in the Gospel of John today (John 17:11 b-19). However, the world hates the truth.

Christ doesn't want us to live out of our earthly reality. He wants us to be consecrated to the truth, avoid sin, and share His joy.

Lifting his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed,

"I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy ­completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, ­because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In today’s reading (John 17:1–11a), we see Jesus praying to the Father.

“I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them.”

In Christ, heaven and earth, God and humanity, came together.

By healing the sick and setting the pathway for mercy and forgiveness, He brought God’s will.

He carried divine light into the darkness of humanity’s sins — hatred, violence, corruption, cruelty, arrogance, and immorality. He taught through His sorrowful passion that darkness is not the most powerful force on earth. Divine merciful love is.

The proof that the Eternal Kingdom has dominion over the visible and the invisible is the Resurrection.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In this Monday of the last week of Easter, we reflect on the joys of the mystery of the Ascension. If we love the Lord Jesus, we must rejoice in His glorification, having finished His earthly Passion.

Before leaving them, He said to the apostles, “If you loved Me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father.” 

It was foretold that Christ should suffer to enter into his glory, and we as servants are not above the Master. Therefore, we must accept the hardships and trials of this life, if we want to receive the crown of glory.

Christ, who was sinless, experienced extreme suffering and pain. On our side, we are grateful for the opportunity to make amends for our past offenses by willingly accepting the crosses the Father sends us. These crosses are signs of God’s interest in our true healing and purification.

Let’s pray that our joy supersedes all subjective states of trouble and grief.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In most countries and ecclesiastical provinces in the U.S., the Seventh Sunday of Easter is today celebrated as the Solemnity of the Ascension of Christ Jesus into heaven, marking the end of His earthly life.

Ascending again to His Father, Our Lord preceded us into the heavenly home. This triumphant event fills humans with immense joy as it announces what awaits us.

The feast of the Ascension of the Lord in his human nature to the Father is the confirmation of our Christian faith. What we call death is not the end but rather the real beginning to an invisible dimension, with glorified bodies, enjoying a true life of eternal happiness.

We are consoled and comforted with the assurance that we will live on forever with our dear ones — which is what all human beings want.

Death on earth has separated us from our loved ones temporarily. This break anticipates a new life about to begin.

That’s what we see when we look up to heaven and observe Christ ascending to His Father and our Father.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Shortly after the Annunciation and before the birth of St. John the Baptist, we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.

This feast of medieval origin includes many key events: the cleansing of John the Baptist from original sin in the womb of his mother at the words of Our Lady's greeting; Elizabeth's proclaiming of Mary—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—as Mother of God and "blessed among women"; and Mary's singing of the sublime canticle of praise of the Magnificat, which has become a part of the daily official prayer of the Church.

The Holy Virgin proclaimed prophetically that henceforth she would be venerated down through the centuries:

"My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me, and holy is His name." (Lk. 1:46).
The Visitation is frequently depicted in art and was the central mystery of St. Francis de Sales' devotions.

The Mass of today honors Mary, who in her womb bore the King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the world, the Son of the Eternal Father.
Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

In today's Gospel (John 16:20-23), Jesus promises us that after grief, our hearts will rejoice, and then we won't question him.

He said to his disciples:

"You will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy."

Our Lord also promised:

"Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today is the liturgical Solemnity of the Ascension, a feast that takes place on the fortieth day after Easter Sunday. Since it falls on a Thursday, in many countries and ecclesiastical provinces in the U.S., this Solemnity is transferred to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, which is June 1.

The ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia celebrate the solemnity today.

With his Ascension into heaven, the presence of the “historical Christ” comes to an end, and the presence of the Body of Christ, the Church, is inaugurated.

Today is also the Optional Memorial of Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978), who presided over the completion of the Second Vatican Council.

In (Mt 28:16-20) we read, “The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” 

The Acts of the Apostles (1:11) indicates that Jesus “was taken up”. The disciples were “filled with joy” (see Lk. 24:52), as with Jesus now ascended, the gates of Heaven were open. The same destiny awaits us, since he is the first fruit (see 1 Cor. 15:20).

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Like He is doing today, at that time in Galilee, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the Church through time, as we read in the Gospel (John 16:12–15):

"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth."

We all require a divine guide, an advocate, through whom the words of the Father are to be understood.

The Holy Spirit reflects the inner life of God and the fullness of life, and the Advocate runs — or should be running — the dynamic of the Church’s life across space and time.

"The Spirit of truth will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason, I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

Friends of the Rosary,

Today, in the Gospel’s main reading (John 16:5-11), Christ Jesus says that after He goes — and this week we celebrate His ascension — “the Advocate will come to you.”

At that time, the Holy Spirit fed the first apostles and Christians when they faced the challenge of proclaiming the Gospel to a pagan world.