When I was little, our family vacations always involved long car rides in our 8-passenger van. When the trip began we’d fight over who had to sit where, mid-trip we’d fight over someone not sharing their snacks, and by the end of the trip we’d fight…well, just ‘cuz.
At the height of this chaos, my mom would yell, “I think it’s about time we all said the rosary!” I don’t know if this tactic worked, but it certainly gave me an aversion to saying the rosary.
A couple of decades later, I’m finally working up to saying it voluntarily and with a sense of peace.
Recently, I was given a copy of Pope John Paul II’s “On the Most Holy Rosary” written in 2002. He wrote this apostolic letter during the twenty-fifth year of his papacy, as he added the luminous mysteries and declared October of 2002 to October of 2003 to be The Year of the Rosary.
First, John Paul II affirms that the rosary is a Christ-centered prayer. “Among creatures no one knows Christ better than Mary; no one can introduce us to a profound knowledge of his mystery better than his Mother.”
Next, he shows how, through meditating on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries, we “encounter the sacred humanity of the Redeemer” in a personal way. As we approach Him, we are reminded to “cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you.” (Psalm 55:23)
Finally, John Paul II invites us to improve “the method” by which we say the rosary: placing ourselves in each mystery using our imagination; reading a Bible passage that corresponds to the mystery; pausing for a moment of silence to focus on the mystery; and appreciating the goal of each prayer we recite.
It’s a great read (and a short one!) which I highly recommend!
I used to find the rosary rather tedious when I was younger, but now I actually find it kind of soothing. If I’m frustrated or angry it puts me in a peace of mind, and I also get to pray for what ever I am frustrated or angry at. You bring up an interesting point about your mom yelling at you and your siblings to say the rosary when you guys fought. I was thinking about how if a parent yells at one to do something, it makes that task much less enjoyable. With me and my own spirituality, I took going to Mass for granted a long time when I was younger, because I had to go for the SOR classes. But when I got older and was given the choice, I usually chose to go because it gave me a sense of peace (still does). I also had a really nasty horseback riding accident where I came very close to being killed (and somebody was looking out for me somewhere), and it made me have renewed faith and a realization that God really is up there in heaven looking out for us.
Just to clarify, my mom wasn’t yelling at us, she was just trying to be heard over the fray 😉
Your own stories of the rosary and the Holy Mass are beautiful!
Good day Sister in Christ. I am a great devotee of Our Lady. For more than twenty years now I pray the Rosary everyday. In fact in the night after our wedding, me and my wife sought the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the success of our family. Our Lord bless us with two boys both are honor student in their school. In my long experience of praying the rosary I can say that thru the intercession of Our Lady I was never conquered by any misfortunes. God bless you.
Dear Laura,
Thank you for the information on the Apostolic Letter. Also, I’m reading The Children of Fatima by Leo Madigan. To answer the question in the title of your blog, I felt blessed, loved, and protected by the Rosary. I was shielded with invincible force. I received too much grace. My gratitude is never enough.
Sincerely,
Jackie
PS – Do not wish to post reply.