The Rosary—Linking this Life and the Next

By Rex Teodosio

Recently, I took the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to a house in Indianapolis, Ind., whose owner had lost his wife three weeks prior. The day after her death, he received America Needs Fatima’s Ninetieth Anniversary Rosary in the mail. He was deeply moved and took it as a message from his wife who was a rosary devotee. So when, a few days later, an invitation for a Fatima presentation arrived, again he saw his wife’s touch. He scheduled the visit and also invited his late wife’s friends.

At the Fatima presentation, because several attendees were non-Catholics, I tailored my talk accordingly, explaining Our Lady, her message and the rosary in detail. When time came for the recitation of the rosary, not wishing to pressure the non-Catholics to join in, I called for a five-minute break. When we reconvened, I was surprised to see everyone back in their seats. As I offered free rosaries, I was again surprised as all but one requested a rosary. We prayed the rosary slowly to accommodate those who were saying the “Hail Mary” for the first time in their lives.

Finally, in gratitude to the host, I presented him with a poster of Our Lady of Fatima. As I unrolled the beautiful picture before him, he burst into tears, as Mary’s gaze reminded him of his wife. He explained that in his wife’s last years of life, she insisted that he pray the rosary with her every day, to which he almost always acquiesced.

That day, as he watched the participants pray the rosary in his living room, he was convinced that, from eternity, his wife continues to ask him to do the same.

From Crusade Magazine: November / December 2007

Header Image: The Author (Rex Teodosio) with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima