I had a great chat with Sean Herriot this morning on Relevant Radio’s “Morning Air.” We talked about the importance of praying the Rosary and I shared some insights from my own life in regard to the necessity and benefits of this beautiful form of prayer and meditation.
For me, there are three main components of praying the Rosary:
1. Educative: When we pray the Mysteries of the Rosary, we study the lives of Jesus and Mary.
2. Formative: Praying the Rosary molds us into becoming more and more like Christ and his Mother.
3. Contemplative: Praying the Rosary quiets our minds and hearts and opens them to God.
As always, time goes too quickly and I’m left with interesting tidbits that I’d hoped to say, but couldn’t squeeze in. This morning, I had some great quotes lined up that I didn’t get to use, but would like to share with you now. Perhaps they’ll be good fodder upon which you can meditate as you say your Rosary today:
“If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins “you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.” Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if – and mark well what I say – if you say the Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”
–St. Louis Marie de Montfort
“There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot solve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.”
–Sister Lucia, of the seers of Fatima
“The Rosary is the most beautiful and richest of all prayers to the Mediatrix of all grace; it is the prayer that touches most the heart of the Mother of God. Say it each day.”
–Pope Saint Pius X
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.”
— Archbishop Fulton Sheen
2 Comments
Lyn Mettler · June 27, 2013 at 3:18 pm
Hi Marge-
Just wondered if you had tips for making sure you get the rosary worked in each day. With kids at home for the summer, my regular routine is sort of blown , so I’ve started praying it when I take a walk sometimes instead. Here was a post I did on dedicating my afternoons to Mary praying the rosary: http://www.catholicnewbie.com/afternoons-with-mary-praying-the-rosary/
Thanks!
Lyn
marge · July 5, 2013 at 2:41 pm
Hi, Lyn.
There are countless ways to work the Rosary into our daily schedules, but it boils down to the individual. When our kids were small and life was particularly crazy, we’d play a Rosary CD during chore time and pray along as we worked. Car rides are great for the Rosary, too, as well as walks. There also is the possibility to divide up the Rosary and say it throughout the day: Beginning prayers and first decade at morning prayer, second decade at lunch, third decade during a “coffee break,” fourth decade at supper, and fifth decade during evening prayer. Perhaps some of my other readers have suggestions of their own. How do you fit the Rosary in each day?