family prayer | The-Rosary-In-Our-Hands
Ever since I was a child, I loved the idea of praying the Rosary. And though I always wanted to be one of those people who prayed it daily, in practice I failed. For the longest time, I struggled with it; I think it was the repetition. I would often commit to praying the Rosary, yet the habit never stayed with me.
But as God so often does, He allows people and things to change our hearts. I think both He and His Blessed Mother knew that I continually encountered roadblocks in something I really wanted to succeed in, so they worked with me to break them down. I can’t say that I now pray the Rosary daily, but I can say that I pray it regularly and that, when I do, I get so much out of it.
Four Strategies Made the Difference in My Change of Heart
- First, I began picturing Mary and Jesus when I prayed. For each Our Father, I picture Jesus on the cross, giving us the incredible gift of His life, death, and subsequent Resurrection. During all the other prayers I picture the statue of Mary at the grotto at the University of Notre Dame. Having these tangible images of both Mother and Son grounds me in their love and protection.
- Second, I designate each individual prayer for someone in particular. Usually, I dedicate the first few prayers for something I need. Then the first three decades are for each of my children. The fourth decade is for my parents and any other family members who need prayers. And then each individual prayer in the fifth decade and closing prayers are for friends or other people I have promised to pray for. Designating each prayer for someone special makes each one more meaningful.
- Third, though this may sound like an advertisement for the Hallow app, it truly has been instrumental in my enjoyment of the Rosary. While there are multiple people to choose from who lead the Rosary, the one who truly makes a difference is Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus on The Chosen series. His voice is not only melodic, but it’s comforting and calming. Plus, hearing someone else lead the Rosary helps me maintain focus on the prayers.
- Finally, I often find that dividing the Rosary over the course of a day works better for me. Sometimes it’s much easier to take a few minutes five times a day to say a decade than it is to say the entire Rosary in one sitting.
A Transformative Way to Pray
Adding the Rosary to my prayer life has been transformative and has helped me grow closer to God. It is an incredible spiritual weapon and a beautiful way to immerse ourselves in the life of Christ and His mother. Now I can say that I no longer love just the idea of praying the Rosary, but I love praying the Rosary.
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.
