05/30/2022 – King Alphonsus of Leon and Galicia

“Just moments after he was spared everlasting punishment, a king cried:

“Blessed be the Rosary of the most holy Virgin Mary, by which I have been delivered from eternal damnation!”
To help us comprehend the power of this ancient weapon against the Evil One, Saint Louis Marie de Montfort’s book, The Secret of the Rosary, takes us back many years ago to the extraordinary story of King Alphonsus of Leon and Galicia (1118-1230).

The King desired that all his servants honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, and so hung a large rosary on his belt – despite having rarely prayed the rosary himself.

One day, the King fell ill and was given up for dead. He found himself standing before the judgment seat of Christ.

Moments before he was to be condemned, Our Lady swiftly interceded for him.

Our Lady weighed his sins on one scale. On another scale, she weighed his large rosary and the many rosaries that others had recited because of his example. The rosaries outweighed his sins.

And so, he was spared.

Our Lady then said, “As a reward for the little service you did for me in wearing my rosary, I have obtained a great grace for you from my Son.

“Your life will be spared for a few more years. See that you spend those years wisely, and do penance.”

Today when it seems like darkness covers our world and our soul’s enemies grow stronger, we must turn to the tender and compassionate Queen of Heaven for refuge.

We can count on the powerful intercession of Our Lady who is clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and who by her seed has crushed the serpent’s head.” ( Georgette Bechara -)