Oh, the Power of the Rosary!
- Feb 17
- 5 min read
Sometimes an event occurs that completely defies natural law, and without faith no explanation is possible. With faith, however, no explanation is necessary. Such was the case of a Jesuit community of eight priests, living just blocks from the epicenter of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb blast on August 6, 1945.
The blast killed nearly 140,000 people, and everything within a mile of the blast was annihilated with nothing left standing, and no survivors. Yet a little over a half a mile away from ground zero stood a two-story house that was not only intact, but had no damage to it, not even windows broken. And the only thing unique about the building was that a community of Jesuit priests lived there who prayed the rosary each day.
One of those priests was Father Hubert Schiffer, who headed the community. He was literally untouched by the nuclear blast and there was no radiation found in his body. In a later interview with Fr. Paul Ruge, Fr. Schiffer described the nightmare of August 6,1945:
“Suddenly, a terrific explosion filled the air with one bursting thunder stroke. An invisible force lifted me from the chair, hurled me through the air, shook me, battered me, whirled me around like a leaf in a gust of wind.”
Fr. Schiffer remembered that he then opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground. He looked around and saw absolutely nothing; the railroad station and buildings in all directions were leveled to the ground. The only injuries he had were a few small pieces of glass in the back of his neck. Other than that, there was nothing else physically wrong with him.
Shortly after that, Fr. Schiffer was told by medical authorities that he would eventually die of cancer because of all the radiation exposure, yet he lived another 30 years in full health with no cancer from the radiation! The other seven priests from the community also came through the blast with just minor surface abrasions or scratches and lived out their days in full health with no cancer or side effects from radiation.
A nuclear physicist with the U.S. Department of Defense, Dr. Stephen Rinehart, studied this phenomenon intently. His scientific conclusion was that they should have died instantly with the blast. He said the residence should have been utterly destroyed with the temperature of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and air blast pressures of 100 psi. As a comparison, he said that unreinforced masonry or brick walls are destroyed at 3 psi, which would also cause car damage and burst windows. He stated that at 10 psi severe lung and heart damage occurs and would burst eardrums; and at 20 psi, your limbs can be blown off. Your head will be blown off by 40 psi, and no construction would be left standing. At 80 psi no human would be alive because the skull would be crushed. In addition, any cotton clothes would be on fire at 350 F, and a person’s lungs would not be able to breathe for more than a minute.
Dr. Rinehart’s statement was as follows: “There are no physical laws to explain why the Jesuits were untouched in the Hiroshima air blast. Anyone at this range from the epicenter should have been dead within a matter of minutes. From a scientific viewpoint, what happened to those Jesuits at Hiroshima defies all human logic from the laws of physics.”
While this miracle is quite well known and well documented, no one has ever been able to offer a scientific explanation as to why the Priests had no ill-effects from the blast. All the priests were examined by dozens of doctors more than two hundred times over the course of the following years, without any trace of the radiation being found in their bodies.
There are those, however, that have recognized the hand of God in this. The priests have never doubted that they had been blessed with protection by God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. They all had great devotion to Mary and prayed the Rosary every day.
In a previous post on this blog is story of the miracle of Fatima (Miracle Witnessed by 70,000!), where the Blessed Mother Mary appeared to three shepherd children in 1917. She gave them messages, and on her last appearance she performed an incredible miracle of the sun so that all might believe. Her messages emphasized praying the rosary every day and making sacrifices to obtain peace in the world. She also asked that we have a devotion to her Immaculate Heart.
The Jesuit priests believed that they survived because they were living the Message of Fatima. They lived and prayed the Rosary daily in that home, the home that was saved from a nuclear blast.
Why does our Lady continue to ask us to pray the rosary? I believe that it’s because it changes our hearts. The rosary involves meditating on the life of Christ, and we really cannot be thinking about our Lord’s life everyday and not be changed, and our Blessed Mother knows that. She asks for the rosary, for this special prayer renews hearts and changes people; and when people change, society will change.
The rosary goes back to the first centuries when the early church Christians recited 150 psalms. However, those who could not read prayed 150 Hail Mary’s to the Blessed Virgin. In 1214, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Dominic in his chapel and handing him a rosary, she asked if he would spread devotion to it throughout the world. Through the power of the Rosary, he began to preach, and thousands were converted everywhere.
The rosary can be said by both Catholics and non-Catholics. Meditating on the life of Christ is done throughout the Rosary, so it is very scriptural. It is a prayer that draws us into the life, mysteries, and miracles of Jesus, and it helps us grow in virtue, becoming more like Him. Reciting the Hail Mary is also a powerful weapon of Spiritual Warfare. It begins with the words of the angel Gabriel, ‘Hail Mary, full of Grace.’ This fullness of Grace is what helps defeat evil, like a tidal wave of God’s goodness and mercy poured out upon the world. With each Hail Mary we recall the incarnation of Christ, who took the flesh of the Immaculate Virgin and redeemed us, conquering evil.
Oh, the power of the rosary! Our Lady asks us to pray this prayer in almost every one of her apparitions on earth. As we can see from this incredible miracle for the priests at Hiroshima, praying the rosary draws down incredible grace and protection from the Lord on us all. Our Lady once said to St. Dominic, “One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the World!” I believe that time is now, and that day is today!
‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:6-7)
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