Traditional Retreat at Douai Abbey 4th -6th July 2008

 Source:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Our_Lady_of_F%C3%A1tima
_and_the_Children_-_Igreja_de_S%C3%A3o_Domingos_-_Lisbon.JPG

Great article from Deacon Nick Donnelly at EWTN UK. He writes:-

"When Catholics are really suffering, really going through a dark time, many, if not most, turn to Our Lady and her Rosary. This is a common Catholic experience for two reasons — we know Mary is our mother and we also know that we can get closer to Jesus through His mother.
Deep down we relate to Mary as our Mother.  Maybe without even knowing it we live the reality of Jesus word’s from the Cross:

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother’. From that time on, this disciple took her into His home. (Jn 19:26).

Mary wants to come into our home.  Mary wants to be part of our lives.  Mary wants us all to know her mother’s love and care.

The other reason is that we know that when we get close to Mary, we get close to Jesus in a special way.  In a way that’s different to when we approach him directly. Pope St John Paul II described this special way of getting close to Jesus.  He explained that the Rosary provides us with a way of moving closer to Jesus through sharing the life and memories of His Mother. Pope St John Paul writes that Mary’s memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart throughout their life together, became the ‘rosary’ she pondered and prayed in the silence of her heart."

For the full article see:- https://www.ewtn.co.uk/news/catholic-commentary/when-catholics-go-through-a-dark-time-we-turn-to-our-lady-and-her-rosary.