Is God with us, even in the small details of our everyday lives? I love stories like this one that affirm for me that He is:

Glenn Hockton, 19, who is now home from a seven-month tour of duty with the Coldstream Guards in Helmand Province, was on patrol when his rosary suddenly fell from his neck.
His mother Sheri Jones said today: ‘He felt like he had a slap on the back. He bent down to pick up his rosary to see if it was broken. As he bent down he realised he was on a landmine.’

Glenn had to stand there for 45 terrifying minutes while his colleagues successfully managed to get to him. Mrs Jones, from Tye Green, Essex, said she was physically sick when her son rang to tell her of his ordeal.

Glenn’s mother had given him the Rosary “for protection” before he left for duty.

Even more fascinating is the fact that Glenn’s grandfather credits a Rosary with saving his life during World War II:

His great-grandfather Joseph ‘Sunny’ Truman also credited a rosary with saving his life in a World War II blast that killed six members of his platoon. He was with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and after being captured towards the end of the war, he and other prisoners were forced to march away from the advancing Allied armies.

Mrs Jones, 41,  recalled: ‘He was walking across a field with half a dozen of his platoon. He bent down to pick something up and was the only one to survive a sudden bomb blast. He had picked up a rosary.’

I don’t know if this family practices Catholicism or not. And of course there is a danger here of a string of Rosary beads appearing to be something like a “lucky charm” for people who hear about the way these men’s lives were spared.

But I prefer to think of this story as a wake-up call—certainly to the family involved—but to all of us as well. It’s a wake up call to recognize the power of Mary and of the the Rosary to save us. Not just by protecting our bodies from land mines, but my providing us with spiritual armor we need in taking on our modern world.

Have you read Mary’s 15 Promises to Those Who Pray the Rosary Faithfully? And even if you have read them before, have you read them lately? They’re inspiring stuff.

If you are a beginner and aren’t sure where to begin, the EWTN Guide to the Rosary is guide is a good place to start.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!