Have you prayed the rosary lately? Perhaps you need a refresher and here are a few links from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary & Rosary Center https://rosarycenter.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary to get you started.
Such a strong devotion within the Catholic faith has her roots from the biblical accounts from scripture in which we meditate upon such mysteries as the Resurrection of Christ Jesus, or His Ascension and of Mary’s role in salvation history with the announcement of the birth of Jesus by the angel with the joyful mysteries. We may meditate upon other mysteries of sorrow that remind us to stay awake with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as he takes up the cross on our own roads of life to Calvary with Jesus. For many including myself, the recitation of the rosary may seem mundane and filled with repetitive prayers that aren’t fruitful. However this assumption does not bear weight for the simple repetitive prayers help us clear our mind of the daily distractions of life to contemplate more fully the life of Mary as being full of grace and of the life of our Lord, Jesus. As Pope Paul VI states in Marialis Cultus 46 the rosary is “a Gospel prayer, centred on the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation, the Rosary is a prayer with a clearly Christological orientation. Its most characteristic element, in fact, the litany- like succession of Hail Marys, becomes in itself an unceasing praise of Christ…” (https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19740202_marialis-cultus.html).
On October 7, 1571 the fleet of the Ottoman Turks was defeated by the Christian fleet at the naval battle of Lepanto. St. Pius V declared such a day as “Our Lady of Victory” recalling the powerful prayer of the rosary and of asking those holy saints, Mary as Queen of all Saints, for their intercession in seeking God’s favor which was granted by the Christian people not being annihilated on this day. Pope St. Pius X commemorated this day in 1913 known as Our Lady of the Rosary (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/our-lady-of-the-rosary/)
As Fr. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. reminds us of in this vintage video, “the family that prays together, stays together” when reciting such a beautiful prayer. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LXFlEJIpkqQ
Such a reminder allowed our family to create our own video reflection of the rosary of my daughter’s desire to be on YouTube & her voice is on some of these slides. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8v7hPc94IJOOrHZf1a-OMg?guided_help_flow=5
Our family and myself included have benefitted from this strong contemplative devotion. I highly encourage you to take up the prayer of the rosary as a devotion in your life.
God bless, Eric.
StreetEvangelist 