family prayer | The-Rosary-In-Our-Hands
When I first started dating my wife, Anna, I quickly learned about her devotion to our Blessed Mother and her commitment to praying a daily Rosary. For some reason, praying the Rosary did not interest me. It seemed boring, and I felt that other forms of prayer were more fruitful. Don’t get me wrong, I loved our Blessed Mother and understood her role in the life of the Church. I often talked about her with others, and some would say I was Mary’s biggest fan.
But a whole Rosary, five decades, was reserved for when I couldn’t fall asleep. In fact, during different seasons of my life, I kept a Rosary on my nightstand. As soon as I lay in bed, I would grab it, usually not making it to the end of the Creed, before waking up the next morning with the Rosary on my face.
Fast-forward several years; I am now married with kids, and my family and I are serving as missionaries in Haiti. While in Haiti, I grew in appreciation for the Rosary, sadly not because I wanted to, but out of pure necessity. Our mission in Haiti was unique. Spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry (with permission from our local bishop) were regular occurrences, sometimes daily. I quickly learned that the devil hated the Rosary.
I also learned that no other prayer kept me more focused when praying for deliverance. The repetitive words, meditating on the different mysteries and the life of Christ, and saying the names of Jesus and Mary over and over were exactly what I needed to enter into a space where I could intercede on behalf of my brother or sister who was being persecuted by the enemy.
The Power of a Hail Mary
There was one story in particular that completely changed my devotion to Mary and the Rosary. One of our missionaries and I went to a parish a few towns over to lead a prayer meeting. It was beautiful; the small chapel we were in was packed with more than 800 people, standing room only, with many sitting outside.
While praying, I heard a commotion outside. It had become a familiar sound in this mission field, where voodoo and other demoniac practices were common. A young woman, whom we will call Sarah, began to have an episode. When an individual who has been consecrated to demons comes face to face with the living God, things begin to happen physically.
My missionary brother and I went outside to pray for this young woman. We were out there for a while, and nothing seemed to be happening. I was beginning to feel discouraged, at which point my friend prayed, “Saint Michael, handcuff the enemy.”
The young woman, who was flailing around, immediately stopped and turned onto her stomach with her hands behind her back as if she were handcuffed.
At that moment, my confidence had been restored, and I began to pray the Hail Mary more fervently. By the time I prayed my first Hail Mary, she visibly reacted; it looked like something was bothering her inside. After a second repetition of the Hail Mary, she exclaimed, 'Take this woman away from me,' perhaps because the presence of the Blessed Mother, brought into view by our prayers, troubled her. Whereas on the third Hail Mary, she would let her distress go, and she said over and over again, 'I am leaving, I am leaving.' Shortly after, she got up and began to praise the Lord with a heart full of peace.
That was a game-changer for me, and that moment made the Rosary and Mary a regular part of my rhythm of prayer.
Venerable Patrick Peyton, known as "The Rosary Priest," devoted his priestly life to encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary. This October, for the Month of the Holy Rosary, Family Rosary (an apostolate founded by Father Peyton) and Catholic Mom have teamed up for this daily series dedicated to the Rosary.
About the author:
Paul Albert is madly in love with Jesus and the Church. He is husband to Anna Albert and father to their five children. Currently he serves as the Director of Formation and Catechesis for the Diocese of Savannah and is co-founder of Missionary Impulse, a small nonprofit evangelizing in Haiti.