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Article 7

A Gift from Jesus

Everyone knows that Jesus worked His first miracle, changing water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana, at His mother's request.

Jesus's last recorded miracle before His Ascension into Heaven, may have also - indirectly - been for His mother.

He knew, as God knows everything - past, present and future - that the rosary would bring many souls to him.

The 15-decade rosary, with its 153 Hail Marys, is a most powerful prayer.

The rosary is like a net, catching souls for Christ through His mother. Many millions have prayed the rosary, for themselves and for others.

In the last recorded Gospel miracle (John 21) Jesus called out to Simon Peter, John, Thomas, Nathanael, and four others, as their boat neared the shore after an all-night, totally fruitless, fishing trip. "Have you caught anything?" asked the resurrected Christ, unrecognized by the Apostles, as the rising sun pushed back the night.

About 100 yards away, the men answered from the boat, "Not a thing."

Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.

Jesus called out to them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, promising that they will catch some.

They did so - and were amazed! The net was so full of fish that they could not even pull it into the boat.

Then John said to Peter, "It is the Lord".

Simon Peter immediately jumped into the water to reach the Lord first.

When the boat reached the shore, Simon Peter helped pull in the net. It was full of fish, 153 in all.

Why exactly 153?

Is not the rosary used to catch many fish, many souls?

Does not it contain exactly 153 Hail Marys, if 15 decades are prayed?

Does not the rosary bring in souls, when sometimes all else fails? The apostles and disciples failed in their all-night fishing trip. Yet following the instructions of Christ, the net was so full of fish it couldn't be pulled into the boat.

Perhaps, Jesus - and only God knows - looked down through the centuries and saw His mother's rosary with its 153 Hail Marys, bringing in a lot of souls, and had 153 fish gather in the net!

We do know that Jesus did anything he could for His mother, then and now, from his first miracle on earth at Cana, to, perhaps, this last miracle in the Gospels before His Ascension into Heaven.

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