family prayer | Living the Faith | My Rosary Story
The day had finally arrived. It was Sunday, May 18, 1997—my First Communion. When I got out of bed, I found my grandmother in the kitchen. Grandma was already dressed for church, preparing the last of her chicken salad sandwiches and arranging boxes of pastry onto the dining room table. She had been awake since 6:00 a.m. making sure everything was prepared for when the family arrived after Mass. When she saw me, I was shooed out of the kitchen, and back into my bedroom where my mother had just laid out my First Communion dress and veil.
I have two distinct memories of my First Communion Mass. First, I think of the priest reciting John 6:35, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.” Second, at the end of the Mass, our Religious Education teacher passed out a prayer book and a small box to each of us. My teacher then explained that within this box was the most important way for us to communicate with God. When I opened it, I saw a rosary—my first rosary.
She told us to think of this holy string of beads like the cups on a string that my friends and I used to play telephone. And that’s how I thought of the rosary at the time, it was my direct line to God. I kept it by my bedside. And even as I struggled as a seven-year-old to pray the Rosary on my own, when I looked at it, I took that as my cue that it was time to talk to the Lord. When I saw it in the morning, I thanked God for a new day, and after my young attempt at praying the Rosary before bed, I would pour my heart out to Jesus about everything that was going on in my life at the time.
And at that young age, I thought to myself, what a blessing we have in the Rosary. This devotion opened the door to establishing a rich prayer life which has flourished throughout my adolescence and into adulthood. Now as a wife and mother, I’ve been reflecting on three other blessings I associate with praying the Rosary.
Becoming More Like Christ
Through the Mysteries of the Rosary, we meditate on the life of Christ. When we learn more about Christ we are inspired to act more like Christ. And there is no greater role model than Christ for our children.
Spiritual Maturity
When we pray, we acknowledge our need for God. And with Christ as the example, our children can observe that in joyful and sorrowful times, we always have a need to seek God.
If you can pray the Rosary, you can share the Gospel
One of the greatest blessings of the Rosary is to be able to share it with others, especially our families. When we invite someone to pray the Rosary with us, we are inviting them to explore the life of Christ and ultimately share the Good News.