Battle Armor – rosary, decade

Description

The spiritual life is a battle.

The Saints universally chorus out, beseeching us to not take it lightly.

So put on the armor of God. Use His special weapon – the weapon most suited to our times as St. Padre Pio said – the rosary.

Mary is God’s secret weapon. See, we have a trust issue with God that stems back all the way to Adam and Eve and the Fall. They, in a moment of weakness, didn’t trust that God was a good Father. That He wanted what was best for them totally and unconditionally. So they reached out and grasped at what they thought would bring them happiness – the fruit.

So we too have a hard time trusting God.

But Mary. Mary is not God. Our trust issues don’t extend to her.

Running to our Mother is in a lot of ways easier than running directly to God. And what does Mary do? She points to God. She wants to help you grow closer to God.

Have you taken the time to get to know Our Lady?

None of this is new. Countless Saints have taught about going to Mary, and most notably many were priests in the religious life. Which brings me to the rosary itself.

With the dark brown tiger iron beads paired with the copper St Benedict medal centerpiece, this rosary reminds me immediately of the habit of the Franciscans and Carmelites and so also all the habits of those in religious life.

They who have dedicated themselves to God have a zeal like none other. They get it. They have placed their trust in God. They know the power of prayer, the rosary, and the Sacraments, and they are willing to dedicate their whole lives to God.

Brown is the color of our poverty and the earth from which we were made, while the white of the Our Father beads reminds us of our heavenly home.

Have you taken the time to get to know the Saints? With this rosary, call upon the whole communion of Saints, and ask them to be your armor and to teach you how to fight the battle.

As St. Paul says, “Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Ephesians 6:13-17)

The center piece is the St. Benedict medal – a powerful sacramental of protection against demons and temptation, St. Benedict is also the patron of a happy death. Among other awesome symbolism, on the reverse it has the initials of the Latin exorcism inscribed around the outside – “Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself”. If you’ve never looked up the Benedict Medal, I highly suggest you do!

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At 17 inches long, with 8mm beads, this rosary is roughly the same size as your standard rosary. The rosary is assembled with 49-strand steel beading wire, crimping beads, and wire protectors, so it is super strong and will last a lifetime of use. While I do strength test every rosary, it is still a handmade piece and prone to human error. So, should it break, simply gather all the beads you can find and contact me and I’ll gladly repair it for you for free sans shipping and the replacement of major parts (if you loose the spacers, don’t even worry about it).

The beads are stone and have a weight to them, which I always find helps me really focus when I’m praying. They also take on the ambient temperature of the room- so in winter I usually find my rosary to be a little chilly- just another reminder that you’re praying! But they also quickly warm up from your body heat.

The beading wire stretches slightly as it is used (this is normal – it wears in like good leather boots) so you will still be able to slide the beads along as you pray.

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Features of the rosary:

Center piece: 3/4″x3/4″ pewter copper tone Benedictine Medal

Crucifix: 1-1/2″x1″ copper tone Crucifix

Hail Mary beads: 8mm tiger iron stone beads

Our Father beads: 8mm white howlite stone beads with copper flower bead caps

Spacers: 4mm black agate and black czech glass seed

— Have a particular devotion, size, color, or style of rosary that you are looking for? Send me a message at outpouringoftrust@gmail.com and I’d be happy to make a custom rosary just for you. —