What the Rosary Means to Me

Pope Pius XI once said that “the rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.” His words speak to a truth that the Church has recognized for centuries. In addition to blessing us with joy and peace, the Blessed Mother also protects us from harm. The devil and his demons tremble before her. They could not tempt her into sin, and they know what a powerful intercessor she is, calling us to conversion and a return to the Lord.

"The devil and his demons tremble before her. They could not tempt her into sin, and they know what a powerful intercessor she is, calling us to conversion and a return to the Lord."

The Rosary is MY communion with God on a personal level.

This is why I pray the Rosary. Our Blessed Mother's intercession and protection is what I ask for when praying Her rosary. I trust that Christ will not turn away from His mother when She looks upon him with loving eyes and pleads for mercy on my behalf.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen knew that one of the most profound ways to find Christ is in the rosary. More than a mantra, each mystery allows us to reflect on the message of the Gospel, the pivotal moments in the life of Jesus. “The rosary is the book of the blind,” he says, “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 Universities and 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.”

Most commonly recognized in the United States as a symbol of Catholicism, other religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, some branches of Protestantism, Paganism and Islam employ rosary bead traditions as well. There has been a lot said about "who" gave Catholics the Rosary, how it was given and why. Does all that matter? All the prayers in the Catholic Rosary are found in the Bible, even the Protestant Bible. What is more important? The traditions of counting beads on a string, which actually started long before Catholicism by shepherds while tending their herds; who we got it from - men were already counting beads before our Holy Mother talked to St. Dominic; how we got it, why we got it? Or is the most important thing the prayers themselves and what those prayers mean? Do I need a string of beads to pray the Rosary? No! The string of beads is for the earthly part of me, something for my earthly will, attitudes and feelings to grab on to and be guided by. My spiritual will (the Holy Spirit), attitudes and feelings are guided by the prayers in my soul. Those prayers come from Jesus.

To me, the Rosary is the whole Bible (yes, I think you need to understand the Old Testament to fully understand the first decade - the Annunciation) that can, with a little work, can be committed to memory. The "Mysteries" are what I contemplate and meditate on while we are praying, they awaken the Holy Spirit within me. The Rosary, in the words of Pope St. Paul VI, is a “compendium of the Gospel.” It is so devised that it helps us to reflect briefly on the principal events of our redemption.

Why do I prefer to pray in front of Our Holy Mother or at the foot of the large crucifix in every Catholic Church? I'm comfortable with Her and Her Son. I have felt Her presence, not every time I pray the Rosary, but many times. I ask her to intercede for me and to pray to God for me because She is the human Mother of Jesus and Jesus is God. I do not think God would refuse to hear a prayer from Mary, our Holy Mother. If you think I am praying to Mary, you need to re-read the "Hail Mary" again. By-the-way, every word of the Hail Mary and the context in which they are used is found in the Bible.

Many times non-Catholic Christians accuse Catholics of praying to the Saints and not going to Jesus. Catholics have always gone to Jesus. Every day at Mass millions of Catholics recite the Lord’s Prayer. If one listens closely during Mass, everything is asked “Through Christ our Lord”. Practicing Catholics have the most intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, greater then any Protestant Christian group; by Christ’s command we actually consume his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at every Mass. Christ literally becomes part of us and strengthens us on our road to holiness and salvation. Protestants have communion services every so often but the bread and wine (or grape juice) is just a symbol of Christ’s body and Blood. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches are the only Churches that have the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. What greater personal relationship can one have with Jesus then actually partaking in his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity?

Just like Catholics who go directly to Jesus but also ask Mary and the Saints to pray for us, Protestants themselves ask for the prays of their: pastors, ministers, elders, family and friends. There is nothing wrong with this; James 5:16 says “The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects” and we are told to “pray for one another.” With this in mind, how greater are the prayers of Mary and Saints, particularly Mary, who is most blessed among all of humanity. All Christians should have an intimate relationship with Jesus but also be united with the other members of the Body of Christ in prayer. As said earlier death temporally separates Christians physically but death cannot separate those who have been baptized in Christ’s life, death and resurrection and live in Christ Jesus.

The Rosary is not a devotion to Mary. It is a devotion that leads one to the divine Trinity of Persons through the hearts and minds of Jesus Incarnate and Mary Immaculate. It is a celebration of faith, of confidence and of love in the Most Holy Trinity. It is Mary’s instrument to bring us closer to her divine Son, and to become more involved in our lives as her children.