Our Hope: Seeing Through the Blessed Mother’s Eyes

Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries to the world with the publication of Rosarium Virginis Mariae in 2002. It changed my life in many ways, and the foundation for that change was praying the Holy Rosary. I’d like to say that I took up the Rosary on my own, but it was an invitation to pray that I could not deny. My daughter came home from a retreat on fire for the Rosary and invited me to join her.  

My family life and professional demands created an undercurrent of chaos. I can look back on that time with a certain measure of nostalgia. It was the typical chaos one would expect from three teenagers in the house and two working adults. But chaos often picks away at the spirit, and while I wasn’t feeling hopeless, I didn’t have the experience in my faith to understand that the emptiness and yearning I was feeling would be ameliorated with hope in Jesus Christ. First, I had to get to that place of understanding that would lead to trust. The Rosary became the bridge to hope. 

I couldn’t remember the last time I had prayed the Rosary, but it was likely in elementary school. I had to use a cheat sheet, as I often jumbled up the prayers with Spanish. Those early prayers were bilingual! Soon, I started praying the Luminous Mysteries daily, regardless of the rotating schedule of the Mysteries.  

• I prayed for a renewal of my baptismal vows as I meditated upon the Baptism of our Lord. 

• I prayed for the miracle of conversion for my husband as I meditated upon the Wedding Feast at Cana. 

• I prayed for my growing role in ministry and the work I took on for the Church as I meditated upon the Proclamation of the Kingdom. 

• I prayed for seeing a glimpse of Christ in His glory as I meditated upon the Transfiguration of Our Lord. 

• I prayed for the gift of faith as I repeated, I believe, help my unbelief while meditating upon the Institution of the Eucharist.  
  
  

At that time, my faith was tepid at best. My reversion to the Catholic Church was slow but underway. My husband was firmly in the I’m-not-interested-in-going-to-church-but-I-won’t-stand-in-the-way-if-you-take-the-children camp. It was a difficult time. I yearned for a spiritual awakening for my family, and even though I was surrounded by many opportunities to dive deeper into the faith, I didn’t know how. I had been praying for the gift of hope the whole time! 

When the Soul Cannot See 

I suspect this was not an isolated experience then, or now. Those of us who have a rich faith life know many of the opportunities for growth in the parish and beyond. The vibrant life of the Church certainly begins in the Mass, but as we ponder the Concluding Rite and the dismissal, that moment isn’t an end but a continuation to go out into the world to take Christ with us.  

My parish had a lovely and active women’s ministry, yet I never joined. Bible studies were well-attended. The St. Vincent de Paul Society was doing good work in the community, in fact, it was a key source of support. The annual ministry fair showcased the diversity of organizations and charisms that would have appealed to me, yet I walked past it, hurrying to the car. 

I had a disconnect, a spiritual blindness that was healed through the Rosary! When the scales finally fell from my eyes, I was able to see the richness of faith that had been around me the entire time.  

The Transformative Effect of the Rosary 

We often seek immediate answers to our prayers. That might have been my intent, too, when I took up praying the Luminous Mysteries with such deep yearning. Nevertheless, the transformation was gradual and years long. I developed discipline, and with it came familiarity. I wanted change to happen around me, but the change I yearned for and didn’t know or understand came within me, in my heart. Consolation followed, and with it the trust that leads to hope. 

Eventually, I settled into the regular rhythm of the Rosary, praying with all the mysteries. The quiet repetition and meditation of the mysteries goes beyond the intellect and transforms the heart. The Rosary invites us to see Jesus through the eyes of Mary, and in doing so, to begin seeing everything — ourselves, our suffering, our lives — with new eyes. 

I prayed fervently for an increase in my faith and for the conversion of my husband. Neither happened overnight, yet my perseverance softened my heart, and the Holy Spirit touched my husband’s heart, and he returned to full communion in the Church. The Rosary isn’t a magic bullet that resolves a problem, but it is transformative, and when prayed regularly with great devotion, refines and sanctifies us so we see what has always been, that God’s presence and mercy was always with us. 

Saint John Paul II taught that we contemplate the face of Christ with Mary whenever we pray the Rosary (RVM). Mary helps us see what we cannot see ourselves: Christ’s presence in our need, God’s nearness in the waiting, and grace from perseverance in prayer. For me, this prayer led to the understanding that hope isn’t a wish for what I want; rather, it is believing that God works all things for good for those who believe (Romans 8:28). I believe. 

For the Jubilee of Hope, our writers reflect on prayer as a source of hope in their lives.

Copyright 2025 Maria Morera Johnson
Images: Holy Cross Family Ministries