Pray the Rosary

Make it a part of your daily prayers and your life will never be the same.

The rosary is a very old form of prayer that can be  defined as a 

scriptural meditation. As we pray the Our  Fathers and the Hail 

Marys, we concentrate on the  mysteries in the lives of Jesus and the 

Blessed Virgin  Mary. The origin of the Rosary devotion is  

traditionally connected with St. Dominic who lived in  Spain in the 

thirteenth century. The Blessed Virgin  Mary appeared to St. 

Dominic, holding a Rosary in her  hand. She said that the devotion to 

the Rosary would  convert sinners and obtain great graces from God. 

St.  Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, taught  the people 

how to pray the rosary, and more than one  hundred thousand were 

converted. Seven centuries  later in 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary 

asked the  children of Fatima to pray the rosary as well: "I am the  

Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to  amend their 

lives and ask pardon for their sins. People  must NOT continue to 

offend our Lord, already so  deeply offended. Pray the Rosary."In 

today�s world,  we find that the prayer of peace that the rosary  

represents is prayed and recommended by many. Pope  John Paul II 

has a cassette and a CD on praying the  rosary, which has become a 

hot seller in the secular  world. Here in our hometown of Sugar Land,

Father Roy Oggero writes: 
 
I want to suggest praying the Rosary daily. It is the Prayer of  
 
Peace. You can pray  out anger, envy, bitterness, unforgiveness,  
 
fear, anxiety; and the opposite of these begin to  come into your  
 
life.  There is a story Father Albert Shaman, a priest of the  
 
Rochester, New  York Diocese tells. It is the story of Austria�s  
 
great Rosary Crusade that liberated the country  from Soviet  
 
control: At the end of WW2, the victorious allies pulled out of  
 
Austria and left it  in Soviet hands. After three years of tyranny  
 
the Austrian people could no longer bear the  Communist  
 
control. Father Peurus remembered the story of how the  
 
Ottoman Turks were  defeated at Lepanto in 1591, though the  
 
Christians were outnumbered three to one. - The  Rosary was  
 
prayed by all the men and the Turks were defeated. So Father  
 
Peurus called for a  Rosary Crusade against the occupying  
 
Soviets. He asked for ten percent of the population to  pray the  
 
Rosary everyday. That would be 700,000 Austrians. He got the  
 
700,000 and for  seven years the Rosary was prayed everyday.  
 
On May 13, 1955, the anniversary of the Fatima  Apparitions,  
 
the Russians withdrew from Austria. Their evacuation made no  
 
sense since  Austria was a real war prize. To this day many  
 
historians are baffled by the pullout. I mention  this event to  
 
simply remind us that prayer is very powerful, and especially  
 
the Rosary. The  choice to experience this power is yours and  
 
mine. I pray all of us will say �YES� to the Holy  Spirit more  
 
often and pray the Rosary. May the Lord and Our Lady be with  
 
our Assembly and  with all our families.(1) 

We need a Rosary crusade in each one of our families to defeat  
 
and drive out the  stronghold the devil has over our lives, and  
 
the hearts and minds of our children. The rosary  has helped  
 
many lives, bringing blessing from situations which seemed  
 
hopeless as the story,  His Mother's Beads, found in A  
 
Missionary's Notebook (2) illustrates: 



 
I had been all evening in the confessional. At a quarter to twelve I was mounting the

stairs that led to my room, when the night bell rang. I went to the door. 
 
"Who is there?"  I asked. 
 
"A man who must see the priest."
 
"But this is no time to see the priest. Is anyone sick ?" 
 
"Yes, Father," was the answer in a sad voice. "I am worse than sick." 
 
I opened the door and faced the speaker, a man in poor attire. 
 
"Father," he said, "do you want to save a soul?" 
 
Then he entered, though I had not invited him to do so.  
 
Ordinarily such a proceeding  would put me on my guard. I felt  

no fear this time, and under the dim light of the hall lamp I   
 
scrutinized the intruder. He took off his cap and I saw a white,  
 
haggard face, unkept hair, a  ragged coat and grimy hands. The  
 
eyes were clear and earnest, and I waited to hear what  should  
 
come next. 
 
"Father, I am a burglar and belong to an organized band. Don't  
 
be afraid. I was once a  good Catholic, but I have not  
 
practiced my religion for years. This very night I held-up a   
 
laboring man who I knew had received his pay. I grabbed his  
 
throat and took from his pocket  a roll of bills. Entangled with  
 
them was a rosary. When I saw the beads I felt a shiver run   
 
through me. My mother's face came before me. Like a flash I  
 
thrust the money back into the  man's hand and said: "You take  
 
that; I will keep this," and before he could make an outcry I   
 
fled down an alley to a shelter and sat down, looking at the rosary. 
 
I saw our little house in the country and my old mother (God  
 
rest her!) sitting in her chair on  the porch with her beads in her  
 
lap. The sun was shining and the creatures on the farm were   
 
making their pleasant noises; but mother was looking at me. I  
 
called out, "Do you want  anything, mother?" "No, son, only that  
 
you be a good man. I am saying my beads for you."  
 
"Father, I heard her voice as plainly as I hear my own, and it  
 
broke me all up. I resolved to  become an honest man and see a  
 
priest this very night. I had little hope of finding one at this  late  
 
hour, and I think God had mercy on me when He sent you to me." 
 
"My son," I said, "do you want to go to confession?" 
 
"That's what brought me here, Father." 
 
I drew him into a little room where there was always a stole and  
 
a crate, and he got on his  knees and made his confession. It was  
 
a strange scene. The darkened room, only the hall lamp dimly  
 
burning outside; the silent house and the solemn tolling of  
 
midnight which rang out  over the city. But God's work was  
 
accomplished, and when we stood again at the door he  said: 
 
"Father, you can trust me. I have not a cent in the world. I will  
 
return what you will lend me next Saturday." 
 
I put my hand in my pocket. There was nothing but a two-dollar bill. 
 
"I am sorry I have nothing more," I said. 
 
"It will do, Father. I will try to get work, and this will give me  
 
lodging and meals till I do. I  
 
will be here next Saturday. Good-night." 
 
"God bless you, my son," I said. "Good-night." And I closed  the door. 
 
It was long before I slept. The face of the poor man was before  
 
me, the little white  rosary and the vivid picture of that old  
 
mother in her chair on the porch seemed to follow me  even as I  dreamed... 
 
 

 
"Oh, ye sainted old mothers who pray for your wandering sons,  
 
NEVER GIVE UP. God  cannot deny your prayers.  THEY  
 
WILL COME BACK, and there shall be joy in heaven over  the  
 
sinner who returns, over the sheep that was lost and is found  
 
through your loving  prayers." 
 
Need I say that he came back the following Saturday and has  
 
come regularly since,  leading the life of a good and honest  man?



 
The Rosary is like an umbilical cord of grace that connects my  
 
earthly journey with  my eternal family and home. Reflect on  
 
this a minute. An umbilical cord is what connects the  unborn  
 
baby to the mother and is the vehicle by which all the  
 
nourishment the baby needs  passes. As I pray the Rosary, that  
 
line of spiritual nourishment is open for inspiration,  wisdom,  
 
counsel and insight to direct and guide me until I depart to my  
 
eternal home.  


 
My devotion to the rosary began when I was a child. It was  
 
fostered by my family  praying the rosary together in the  
 
evenings at home, on our knees. I don�t remember it being   
 
particular spiritual. Some funny things happened as mother and  
 
dad tried to keep us from  teasing each other in order to get  
 
through the Rosary. Yet it had a very powerful impact on  my  
 
life. I went to a Catholic school, and we prayed the rosary there.  
 
In my small town,  praying the rosary was a part of most  
 
liturgical devotions. After I got older, I moved away  and I was  
 
confronted by many different opinions which led to confusion  
 
and  misunderstandings. At times I suffered mockery and  
 
ridicule because of my faith. Some of  these actions came from  
 
sincere, bible-believing Christians. I began to feel  
 
uncomfortable and  intimidated. As a result, I stopped praying  
 
the rosary and making the sign of the cross outside  of church  
 
settings except for an occasional crisis. Those outside the  
 
church sounded so  knowledgeable and so scriptural back then,  
 
that I thought they had to know what they were  talking about. I  
 
began to pray for the Lord to show me the truth, and in earnest  
 
began to study  the scripture and my Catholic faith. 
 
I t was after I went to a Life in the Spirit Seminar where I made  
 
Jesus Lord of my  life, when Jesus gave me back His mother  
 
and the gift of the rosary. I have been praying it  since. To me  
 
the rosary is the most powerful source of intercessory prayer,  
 
next to the Holy  Sacrifice of the Mass. It is a biblical cord of  
 
grace that keeps me connected to the Church and  to the  
 
sacraments that Jesus established. It has been a long journey,  
 
but I am a Catholic today  because I have tasted and seen the  
 
truth of the faith through prayer and study. I have seen that  true  
 
devotion to Mary and the rosary always leads to Jesus,  
 
especially to the Eucharistic table.  
 
I believe today that there are reasons behind the historical,  
 
traditional, scriptural collective  conscience and teachings of the  
 
Apostolic Fathers. There are valid reasons for the teachings   
 
and practice of our faith.(3) 
 
When I look at my rosary, the first thing I see is the crucifix  
 
reminding me of the  entire salvation message. Reflecting and  
 
meditating on Jesus� life, death and resurrection,  while praying  
 
the rosary, is like mentally reading, and visualizing the  
 
scriptures. The rosary to  me is also like my day keeper that  
 
helps me keep my appointments with God in prayer. It  helps  
 
me establish priorities in prayer and helps me accomplish  
 
specific intentions. The  Rosary in my hand is centering prayer.  
 
It keeps me focused on prayer, and protects me from  the many  
 
distractions that would otherwise occupy my mind. The Rosary  
 
helps me obey  God's command to pray without ceasing. It  
 
helps me avoid thoughts of jealousy, resentment,  bitterness or  
 
unforgiveness. It is a tool to keep my heart clean. The enemy  
 
hates the rosary  and will go to great lengths to keep us from  
 
praying it. One time, someone came into my  home and  
 
demanded my husband to command me not to pray the rosary.  
 
How powerful the  rosary must be! 
 
I can reflect, plan or organize my day while praying the rosary.  
 
It only takes fifteen  to twenty minutes to pray a rosary. I can  
 
pray it in the car. I can pray it while I'm exercising. I  can pray  
 
it with a tape while I'm working. I can pray it out loud or  
 
silently. I can pray it in  thanksgiving, praise or petition. I can  
 
pray it while I'm in the depths of despair or when I feel  like  
 
I'm on the mountain top. I can sing it or chant it. I can reach the  
 
depth of intimacy with  the Lord while praying the rosary, or I  
 
can scratch the surface with it. It is a tool given to us  by the  
 
Blessed Virgin Mary. What I get out of it often depends on  
 
what I put into it. The  graces we receive from praying the  
 
rosary do NOT depend upon our feelings, knowledge or   
 
understanding of the rosary. It is God's gift. You can be a  
 
doctor, a farmer, a priest, a nun, the  Pope, a child, and you can  
 
pray the rosary. You can be a Catholic or Protestant and pray  
 
the  rosary. God does not limit His graces. You can be a thief, a  
 
murderer, an adulterer and begin  praying the rosary sincerely  
 
and repentantly, and God's grace will not leave you there.  
 
There  are no rules, only guidelines. You can personalize it like  
 
"...Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray  for and assist ____ now  
 
and at the hour of his death. Amen." You can pray the rosary   
 
silently while you watch TV or a movie with your family. This  
 
is an excellent opportunity to  pray for the media and be present  
 
to the family.  
 
May I suggest you to pray a minimum of three, five decade  
 
rosaries a day. If you are  married pray the first rosary for  
 
yourself. We must avail ourselves of the graces first. The   
 
reason is the same as given by the airline stewards when they  
 
explain what to do if the cabin  pressure should change... The  
 
oxygen mask comes down, we are to put the mask over   
 
ourselves first and then on our children. The pressures of life  
 
are constantly changing. We  cannot help our children if we are  
 
spiritually malnourished. So pray the first rosary for  yourself.  
 
The second rosary pray for your spouse. In praying the rosary  
 
for your spouse, you  will be healed and guarded against  
 
resentments, bitterness and unforgiveness and your spouse  will  
 
also have the grace to face the pressures of the day. The third  
 
rosary pray for your  children. What good is it to gain the world  
 
and lose your children spiritually, emotionally or  physically? 1-  
 
Peter 5:8 reads; �The devil is prowling around like a roaring  
 
lion looking for  someone to devour.� Our children need our  
 
prayers for protection, guidance and deliverance  from the ways  
 
of this world. If you are a teenager or single, pray the first  
 
rosary for yourself,  the second one for your family, and the  
 
third for your vocation in life. Try this for six weeks  and see  
 
the miracles that can happen. There are so many graces  
 
available through Mary's  intercession. You might say it is  
 
asking a lot to pray three rosaries a day, but Daniel in the  Old  
 
Testament went to prayer three times a day. I really believe the  
 
lack of prayer is what is  wrong with our families today. We  
 
spend so much time in entertainment. We don't spend  enough  
 
time on our knees. We are busy going out to eat, going to or  
 
renting movies, playing  video games, sports, reading books, or  
 
sitting in front of the TV. We CAN make time to pray  the  
 
rosary if it is a priority in our life. It is not too much to ask  
 
children to pray the rosary.  
 
Our Lady appeared mostly to children and asked them to pray  
 
many rosaries. I believe it is  too much to ask children to pray  
 
the rosary if we ourselves do not pray it. God grant us the  gift  
 
of prayer. Pray the Rosary! We are capable of doing greater  
 
things. If I can't spend one  hour a day in prayer, how am I  
 
going to lay down my life for the Lord. Better a quick rosary   
 
than none. It's like when my husband or my children run out the  
 
door each morning, I would  rather have a kiss on the cheek  
 
than no kiss at all. Hopefully the grace from a quick rosary  will  
 
lead me into a more reflective one later. Do not wait until the  
 
end of the day to pray your  rosary. It is not your guardian  
 
angel's responsibility to finish it after you fall asleep. Pray the   
 
rosary early in your day. If you want to see the power of prayer,  
 
I recommend you to commit yourself to pray  the Rosary  
 
Novena by Charles V. Lacy for specific intentions. You can  
 
find this booklet in  the Catholic book store. Pray 27 days in  
 
petition and 27 days in thanksgiving along with  suggested  
 
meditations in his booklet. It is one of the most powerful  
 
novenas you can pray.  We are at war, and Scripture Eph 6:12  
 
says, "Our battle is not against flesh and blood but  against the  
 
principalities from above." Rev. 12:17 says, "Enraged at the  
 
woman's escape, the  dragon went off to make war on the rest  
 
of her offspring on those who keep God's  commandments and  
 
give witness to Jesus." No one goes into a battle without a battle  
 
plan.  Prayer takes discipline and commitment, much like a  
 
soldier at war. Jesus did not abandon us.  He gave us everything  
 
we need to be victorious. He has given us our Holy Father, the  
 
Pope,  to whom Jesus left His authority and voice on earth when  
 
He said: �He who hears you hears  Me.� So we must listen to  
 
and obey the teachings of the church. He has given us His very  
 
self  in the Eucharist which is the fountain of all grace, and the  
 
Word of God to draw his very life  from. He has given us  
 
sacraments, sacramentals, devotions, and prayers to keep us  
 
plugged  into the source of grace. He has given us His Mother  
 
and the communion of saints to  intercede and assists us.  
 
Specifically, ask St. Michael, the Archangel, to assist you. Once  
 
you  have seen the miracles of the rosary, you will want to spend  
 
more and more time praying it. Test  it! To me the Rosary is an  
 
umbilical cord of grace, that crushes the head of the serpent.  
 
Buy  several inexpensive rosaries and have a priest bless them.  
 
Then if you break one or lose it,  you will not be tempted to  
 
stop praying the rosary. 
 
When you experience a grievous offense; rejection, betrayal,  
 
persecution or abuse, it  may become difficult to pray the  
 
rosary. Then you need to exercise your will over your   
 
emotions. Commit yourself to persevere in praying the rosary  
 
especially for the offender. If  you still find it difficult to pray  
 
the rosary, get a rosary tape to pray along with, until you get   
 
through the difficult time. If the condition persists, find a friend  
 
to pray the rosary for you, if  possible with you. Go to  
 
confession, and if necessary, to the sacrament of anointing.  
 
Most  likely this is the result of intense hurt, anger,  
 
unforgiveness, and bitterness toward the  offender or even  
 
toward God. This condition can distort your ability to listen,  
 
discern and  obey the Will of God. It is also possible, if this  
 
condition persists, for it to cause alienation  from the one who  
 
hurt you and alienation from the Church. Guard your heart with  
 
all your  might. Romans 12:14 reads; "Bless those who  
 
persecute you." To me it is a matter of life or  death.

"Athletes deny themselves all sorts of things. They do this to win a crown  
 
of leaves  that withers, but we a crown that is imperishable."  
1 Cor 9:25

Go for the gold! Pray the rosary!  
 
Arlene 
 


Why do I pray the Rosary? 
 
I pray the Rosary to find peace-the peace that only God can  
 
give. In praying the  rosary, I bring my troubles to the Lord, and  
 
very quietly I hear Him speak to me. He, the  author of all said:  
 
"Ask and you will receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and  
 
it will be  opened up to you." I experience a taste of heaven  
 
when I pray the Rosary and think of the  greatness of God. The  
 
more I pray, the more I want to pray.

Marta 

� 1995 Arlene and Marta