The Perfect Family Prayer: Family Reflection Video

The family Rosary is a beautiful, spiritual, unifying experience for those families who make it part of their daily routine. Here's why ...

A Perfect Family Prayer

Infants in the womb are soothed by the joyful repetition of the Hail Mary’s. Babes in their mothers’ arms begin to gurgle sounds in praise of God when they experience the rhythmic recitation of the Rosary. These prayers calm, comfort and soothe them.

Children of all ages, who allow Mary to take them by the hand and lead them to the School of Mary, experience the warmth and joy of Mary as they gaze with her upon the face of Jesus. She lovingly tells them of the joys, delights, sorrows, and glories of Jesus. After all, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, she is the one who knows Him best and loves him most on earth and in heaven.

Children love stories. The Rosary is composed of 20 dramatic stories, from the teenager Mary of Nazareth visited by an angel who announces to her that she is to become the Mother of God, all the way to living happily ever after as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

A Unifying Prayer

The Rosary unites all the members of the family in meditation and occasionally contemplation. By God’s grace and Mary’s love, the Family Rosary joins children, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, grandparents and cousins, friends and neighbors in a bond of faith, hope and love that need never break. This bond is what fills the family home with peace and joy. When visiting a home in which the family prays the daily Rosary, you will come face to face with the tranquility of order we call peace.

Nothing speaks more clearly to children than the experience of seeing dad and mom kneeling in prayer, whether in Church or the living room at home. This says to the children:  “This is real, this is important enough to stop everything else and focus on the face of Jesus, as His Mother and all the saints and we gaze upon Him.”

The Echo of Our Lives

The Mysteries of the Rosary are echoed in all the events of our lives. The great Jesuit theologian, Father Walter Burghart said: “Contemplation is a long, loving look at the Real.” Nothing is more real than God, and Jesus is the face of the Living God. Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and it runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of what Jesus said: “In praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)

A Quiet Rhythm and a Lingering Pace

As one spiritual writer says, “To linger in the domain of Mary is a divinely great thing.” The Rosary allows us to draw a deep breath of this purity and to be secure in the peace of this union with God.

Fix Your Gaze on Jesus

Let us fix our gaze on Jesus who is looking at us. The look of Jesus is more than kind and understanding: it is the look of God, a look which cleanses, a look which blesses, which gives peace. It is the look of our judge, and still more the look of our Savior, our Friend, the Spouse of our soul.

A Rosary prayed in this way, in contemplating the face of Jesus through Mary, leads to a most welcome and helpful conversation with Jesus. It is a conversation with Mary too, which leads to a more intimate relationship with her Son.

• Father Willy's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)

• To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EDT, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)