Marian May 4: Heaven Sent Her
How the Rosary Was Born and Why it Still Works
I totally intended to write a lot more about Mary for her special month of May than I have. But just because I haven’t been writing about her doesn’t mean I haven’t been drawing closer to her—and through her, to Jesus—over the past month.
Part of the reason I wasn’t writing is because I was planning a Pilgrimage to St. Dominic’s in San Francisco.for my adult ministries group at my local parish
St. Dominic, interestingly enough, is the person to whom Mary personally appeared—and gave not only the first physical Rosary, but also the entire concept of the Rosary to.. It was a completely new way to pray.
She introduced something radical for that time:
Her instruction: Teach the people to pray while meditating on the life of my Son, Jesus Christ.
So, there were a lot of moving parts in getting this pilgrimage off the ground—transportation, lunch reservations, snacks for the road, arranging the church tour, and somehow coordinating fourteen people to be in the right place at the right time.
At one point, I just started talking to Mary and said:
Hey… you did this all the time. You had to pack up the donkey, the kid, and the man, and high-tail it to Jerusalem several times a year—for days at a time. I could use some insights here. Please come to my rescue.
And honestly? I believe she did.
I had so much to do the morning of the pilgrimage, but it was like someone came in and made the road straight. Everything came off without a hitch.
So I’ve truly decided this past month that Mary is my Mother, who actually loves me, and who is going to be a useful, living friend from here on out.
That’s my Marian month in a nutshell.
And since we went to St. Dominic’s and toured the church, I’ve learned a lot about him—and about what happened between him and Mary. It’s pretty fascinating, and I want to take a minute to tell you about it.
Because here’s the thing:
Anyone who discovers the power of Mary will soon find themselves praying the Rosary.
Let’s talk for just a minute about where it came from, why we have it, and how Mary has refined its usage over the centuries. Sound good?
The Problem That Heaven Couldn’t Ignore
The year was 1214, and southern France was a hot mess.
A heretical group called the Albigensians was out there preaching all kinds of spiritual nonsense, and people were falling for it left and right. The faithful were confused, the sacraments were being thrown out, and Satan was having a field day.
And trying to fix it?
Dominic. A barefoot friar, out there doing his best to preach the world back to sanity.
But he was getting nowhere. He was outmanned, out-preached, and out of steam. The harder he worked, the worse things seemed to get.
Apparently, Heaven noticed.
Maybe his guardian angel reported in, maybe the saints started whispering, “Uh, Lord... little help here?”—whatever it was, a plan was made.
And that plan?
It Involved sending Mary to handle it.
Not to give a pep talk.
Not to shame the people.
Not even to work a miracle on the spot.
But to hand Dominic a solution.
She showed up—uninvited, unexpected, and holding a rope.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
A rope. With 150 beads on it.
Dominic probably blinked and shook his head in shock. Twice.
I mean, what do you do when Jesus’ mom shows up offering you spiritual string?
You listen. Carefully.
And here’s what she laid out for him:
“Tell them my Son’s story. The real story. From the beginning to the end—and I’ll walk them through it. One mystery at a time.”
So Why Did Mary Give Dominic the Rosary?
Because big trouble was brewing.
As I said this organization calling themselves Albigensians were out there—probably personally mentored by Satan—carrying out his three-fold plan to kill, steal, and destroy God’s Church, leaving behind his signature calling card- confusion!
They were taking ground by teaching that:
The body is evil (steal – stealing human dignity and the goodness of creation)
The soul is trapped in flesh (steal – robbing people of hope and freedom)
Jesus wasn’t truly human (destroy – dismantling the Incarnation and our salvation)
Marriage is impure (destroy – undermining the family and covenant love)
Suicide is sacred (kill – literally leading people to death in the name of holiness)
And Mary’s answer?
A rope full of mysteries. A weapon of truth wrapped in prayer.
The Mysteries – Jesus’ Life Told by His Mom
Most people back then couldn’t read a word. They didn’t own scrolls or know theology.
But they could pray with their lips,and anchor their hands to these beads, feeling the story of their savior unfold, bead by bead.
That’s what the mysteries are.
They’re not the Psalms (the only connection there, is the number 150).
They’re scenes from Jesus’ life, told by the woman who gave birth to Him, raised Him, watched Him die, and still reigns with Him in glory.
So Dominic took the beads to the people, prayed the phrases spoken by Gabriel and Elizabeth that revealed who Mary—the mother of Jesus—is, and day after day shared the mysterious stories she told him to tell. As they remembered who was telling the story—the Mom—they began to learn the truth that would eventually set them free from heresy.
Let’s walk through them real quick—with our eyes wide open to what each one heals, undoes, and reveals.
✨ The Joyful Mysteries (Undoing the lie that the body is evil)
The Annunciation
Mary says yes to a physical pregnancy—with God.
The Incarnation is real. The body is holy. Game on.
The Visitation
Two women carrying babies recognize divine life in the womb when John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary approached impregnated by the Holy Spirit only days before..
So much for pretending unborn lives aren’t sacred.
The Nativity
God is born in a barn, wrapped in poverty.
The flesh is no accident. It’s the plan.
The Presentation
Jesus is offered to God. Simeon and Anna know who He is, informed by the Holy Spirit that the messiah had been born..
This child is light. This child is salvation.
The Finding in the Temple
Twelve-year-old Jesus teaches the teachers.
He’s not just divine. He’s a human boy growing in wisdom.
👉 Heretical lie undone: Jesus wasn’t human? Wrong.
He was flesh, bone, baby breath, and teenage sandals.
🔥 The Sorrowful Mysteries (Facing the horror of “suicide is sacred”)
The Agony in the Garden
Jesus doesn’t want to die—but chooses it.
Not escape. Sacrifice.
The Scourging at the Pillar
His body is ripped open—for us.
Pain is not meaningless.
The Crowning with Thorns
He’s mocked. Bleeding. Still King.
Humiliation doesn’t erase glory.
The Carrying of the Cross
He stumbles, but keeps going.
Suffering is not failure.
The Crucifixion
He hangs there—real body, real blood, real love.
Suicide isn’t salvation. Jesus is.
👉 Heretical lie undone: The body is disposable? Pain should be escaped?
No. Pain, when united to love, redeems the world.
🌈 The Glorious Mysteries (Reclaiming what Satan tried to destroy)
The Resurrection
The body isn’t discarded—it’s glorified.
Death is defeated.
The Ascension
Jesus brings His human body into Heaven.
Humanity is now seated at the right hand of the Father.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Power falls on the apostles—and stays with the Church.
Truth is preserved. The Church is alive.
The Assumption
Mary, body and soul, is taken up.
God doesn't abandon the body.
The Coronation
A crown is placed on the most humble woman who ever lived.
And now she reigns—not above God, but with Him.
👉 Heretical lie undone: Matter is evil? Heaven’s too pure for flesh?
Tell that to Mary. She brought her body with her—and got crowned.
💡 The Luminous Mysteries (Optional, but powerful)
Baptism in the Jordan – Jesus begins His public life
Wedding at Cana – Mary intercedes. The first miracle happens.
Proclamation of the Kingdom – Truth walks around and talks to people.
Transfiguration – Glory revealed.
Institution of the Eucharist – Jesus says, This is my Body. Not a symbol. Him.
What Dominic Did Next
So Mary hands him this spiritual weapon and says: “Go preach this.”
And that’s what he did.
He didn’t hide in a monastery.
He didn’t keep it as a private devotion.
He went out to the street corners, the town squares, and the homes of the broken and misled—and preached the mysteries.
He told people about Jesus.
Through Mary’s eyes.
One bead at a time.
And slowly, surely, powerfully… the heresy began to crumble.
Not because Dominic won an argument.
But because Heaven told the story—and the people finally heard it.
When Mary Brought the Rosary Back
Over the centuries, whenever the world got dark, Mary reappeared. And she always said some version of the same thing:
“Pray the Rosary. It works.”
Here are just a few of the highlights:
1214 – Prouilhe, France: Gave Dominic the Rosary
1571 – Europe: Battle of Lepanto won through universal Rosary prayer
1846 – La Salette, France: Called for prayer, penance, and return to the Rosary
1858 – Lourdes, France: Prayed silently with Bernadette, showing how it’s done
1917 – Fatima, Portugal: “Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world.”
1981–present – Medjugorje: “Pray the Rosary to stop war, heal families, and bring peace.”
So What About Now?
The world’s still a mess.
Truth is still under attack.
The body is still being devalued.
People are still walking away, confused and deceived.
But Mary is still here.
Still praying, still mothering, still drawing near every time someone turns to her with the rosary in hand, sending angels where needed, advocating with the Trinity where needed. .
She told Dominic, “Preach my Psalter.”
She tells us, “Pray it with me.”
Because this world still needs saving.
And Jesus is still the answer.
And Mary?
She’ll always point us back to Him.
Hungry for more?
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