Rosary Graces In Real Life
“She said the rosary with me and I didn’t hate my mom anymore.”
That was a direct quote from a homeless woman I met years ago at a soup kitchen. I never got her name but I’ll call her Jane for the sake of this story. Jane came for supper. She left with a full stomach. I came to lend a hand. I left with a full heart.
Jane came for supper.
She left with a full stomach.
I came to lend a hand.
I left with a full heart.
Jane’s story sticks with me to this day. She was telling me about all the problems she was having with her mother. It sounded like the relationship may be strained beyond repair. Jane had been coming to the soup kitchen for quite some time. She’d been down on her luck and a warm meal was a welcome diversion from the hunger of a winter that just kept hanging on. The week before I volunteered, Jane had encountered a religious sister at one of the meals. The sister was serving food and had taken a break to visit with some of the attendees. During her conversation with Jane, the religious sister asked if she could pray with her and Jane agreed. They prayed the rosary together…well really the sister prayed and Jane listened. She was not Catholic and did not know the prayers. Despite being on different planets spiritually, a common thread pulled them together. The grace of the Virgin Mary overflowed from a sister’s words into Jane’s heart and it opened to the opportunity of love and forgiveness.
It was a miracle.
God had never left Jane in her need. It just took the humble prayer of a religious sister to remind her of that simple but powerful fact.
When Jane told me that story, tears welled up in my eyes. Even as I write this the tears are returning. They are not tears of sadness. They are the emotional witness of realizing the power of God to change hearts and the blessing I know I received by witnessing it.
And yet, I remained unchanged.
I continued on in my life as if that miracle had never happened.
I did not pray the rosary.
I did not change my prayer life.
I did not reach out to those I had wronged.
When I thought of Jane, I would beat myself up for not allowing her story to transform me. But, then it hit me. No matter how “full” my heart had been in the moment, it was too hardened to accept God’s grace and allow His powerful transforming power in my life.
Fast forward many years. I am now older and hopefully a little wiser. Looking back on the young mom I was, it wasn’t time. God gives us all things in their season and He knew it would take me time to work out my spiritual muscles before I was ready to accept the power of the rosary. I’ve been through a lot since then. Love, loss, growth, forgiveness and much, much grace.
Now…I’m ready.
In the past six months I have begun praying the rosary daily and have seen much fruit from it. Have I seen any miracles from it in my own life? Not yet. But, I know God is working through it. I trust He will reveal His special graces in due time.
What Is The Rosary?
The rosary is essentially a string of beads that helps guide meditative prayer on the mysteries of Jesus Christ’s life and death. There is a set of intro prayers and then there are five groups of 10 Hail Marys that are called decades, for the 10 beads. On each decade a person prays the prayers while simultaneously meditating on the mysteries of the rosary.
The first bead is the Apostles’ Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. Next is The Our Father. That familiar prayer from the Gospels is said at the beginning of each decade. After the Our Father in each decade is the Hail Mary times 10. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel’s words announcing Christ’s birth and Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary. St. Pius V officially added the second part of the Hail Mary. The Glory Be and the Fatima prayer are at the end of each decade.
Sounds like a lot, but all in it only takes 15-20 minutes!
The Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ’s life. They are announced before each decade of the rosary. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and––added by Saint John Paul II in 2002––the Luminous.
The repetition in the Rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer related to each Mystery. The gentle repetition of the words helps us to enter into the silence of our hearts, where Christ’s spirit dwells. The Rosary can be said privately or with a group. (Information provided by USCCB)
According to the St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine Oblates of the Virgin Mary, the beads and vocal prayers have been compared to the body of the Rosary, while the meditations are its soul, the intangible part that makes it what it is.
Here’s an excerpt from A Short History of the Rosary by the St. Paul Center.
The word rosary comes from the Latin rosarius, which means “garland” or “bouquet of flowers.” It is an apt word for a bouquet of prayers offered to God. The word bead is an Old English term that originally meant “a prayer.”
As with any sacramental, prayer, or devotion, the Rosary can be a tremendous aid in drawing closer to God. However, it can also be misused. The structure and flow of the prayer is meant to aid the individual in meditation. The rhythm of the prayer can quiet the spirit and help a person be more receptive to hearing God, and thus be formed spiritually.
For some, however, the Rosary can become a merely mechanical action, something to be rushed through as a duty. Since the grace of any sacramental is dependent upon the attitude of the person using it, devout and thoughtful use of the Rosary is a prerequisite to enjoying the grace of the devotion.
The History of the Rosary
With roots back to the third century, the rosary has evolved over the centuries. In fact, the first recorded use of the word “rosary” did not appear until 1597. In its earliest inception, desert fathers were known to use stones and prayer ropes to keep track when praying the 150 psalms. From there it changed, to later include the Hail Mary, the Our Father and other important prayers as a tool for laypeople to grow their spirituality.
Dynamic Catholic has a great article about the History of the Rosary. Click here to read!
Promises of the Rosary
Fifteen promises of the rosary were revealed to 15th Century Dominican Friar Alanus de Rupe by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. The promises as listed on the Dominican’s website are
1. Those who faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. The recitation of the Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish. It will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God. It will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.
6. Those who recite my Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. In His justice, God will not chastise them; nor shall they perish by an unprovided death, i.e., be unprepared for heaven. Sinners shall convert. The just shall persevere in grace and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Those who have a true devotion to the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who faithfully recite the Rosary shall have, during their life and at their death, the light of God and the plenitude of His graces. At the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
11. By the recitation of the Rosary you shall obtain all that you ask of me.
12. Those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of their death.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my beloved children and the brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion for my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
The Miracles Of The Rosary
Ascension Press wrote an amazing article about several miracles associated with the rosary. You can read that here
ROSARY CHALLENGE
This LENT I want to challenge you to start praying the rosary every day. I’ll be going LIVE on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube every day at 7 am CST to pray this very special devotion. I hope you will join me. It is traditionally a Catholic prayer but you don’t have to be Catholic to participate and get all the benefits from it!
If you don’t have a rosary, you can print off one of the following rosary guides and follow along that way. Otherwise you can purchase a rosary at any retailer that sells Catholic sacramentals.
One of those retailers is Knots of Grace®. They specialize in handcrafted knotted rosaries designed for modern Catholic families. These unique knotted rosary beads not only serve as decorative pieces for home and car but also as meaningful reminders to pray, helping us stay connected to God’s love, protection, and grace in our daily lives.
I’ll be interviewing their founder Kathleen Borsch on an upcoming episode of the Word On Purpose Podcast. Stay tuned for that.
I hope to see you every day this Lent as we grow in our spirituality together! Make it a great Lent!