10 Reasons to Pray the Rosary
Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary!
In honor of this day (known for several centuries by the alternate title of “Our Lady of Victory,” after a naval victory securing the autonomy of Europe against Turkish invasion was attributed to prayers granted by Our Lady), I had planned to write a post reflecting in some way on the value and beauty of the rosary.
And then, as good timing would have it, my oldest daughter came home from kindergarten this past week with a worksheet she completed in school: “Lesson 11 - The Rosary.” (I am sure there will come a time when I don’t look at all the projects and handouts that my kids bring home, but as this whole school thing is new to us – am I really the parent of a kindergartener!?! – I'm still quite interested in what she totes home in her little pink backpack.)
The front of the worksheet consisted of a coloring sheet of a rosary, along with the description “When we pray the Rosary, we think about Jesus’ life”; the back of the sheet was titled “Family Note,” and included a description of the lesson, vocabulary, correspondence to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and a suggested activity to complete at home.
At the risk of sounding like a total nerd (first-time-kindergarten-parent/former-director-of-faith-formation that I am), I was absolutely delighted by this worksheet.
Not only did my heart swell up as I imagined a gaggle of five-year-olds coloring pictures of the rosary, but I loved the way this curriculum talked about this centuries-old prayerful practice that is so important to our faith. Because the worksheet was designed for young children and their parents, the language used on it is simple and straight-forward.
I was struck, as I read it, how useful it was to read about the rosary in a way that is developmentally appropriate for kindergartners. The clarity and comprehensibility engaged and moved me.
Inspired by my kindergartner's worksheet, I’m going back to the basics with this post.
Here are ten (uncomplicated) reasons to pray the rosary:
1. The Rosary helps us think about the special events of Jesus’ life
Most of us can likely recall the story of Jesus’ life, in broad strokes if not detailed specifics, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we regularly ponder Jesus’ life. The Rosary guides us through Jesus’ conception, birth, childhood, passion and resurrection. It does us well to reflect on these events fully and regularly, and the Rosary invites us to do so in a systematic and intentional way.
2. The Rosary helps us think about the special events of Mary’s life
Just as we have much to learn from the life of Jesus, so too we have much to gain from knowing and remembering the life of Mary. The Rosary highlights key moments from Mary’s life, including (but not limited to) the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Wedding at Cana, and the Assumption.
3. As we pray the mysteries, we are reminded that being a human includes a spectrum of emotion
It can be tempting to gloss over the hard and focus on the good and easy when reflecting on any life experience or event, but the reality is that being a human includes pain and suffering as much as it does joy and wonder. The mysteries of the rosary capture and honor the range of human experiences and emotion, reminding us that it is all necessary and valuable.
4. Praying the rosary grounds us in our bodies
The use of prayer counting beads has a long history across various cultures and religions, and for good reason. Not only do beads serve as a tool to aid in repetition and focus, the physicality of touching beads brings us into our bodies and helps us experience prayer on not just a mental and emotional level, but a sensorial one as well.
5. The rosary beads help us count the prayers we have said.
The beads keep us on track, without requiring that we keep track. I, for one, appreciate this assistance!
6. When we pray the Rosary, we ask Mary to ask Jesus to keep us in his loving care
The Rosary is relational, demonstrating loving commitment to and reliance on our deepest bonds – like that of Mary and Jesus. Since many of my prayers center around my loved ones, the Rosary, in its relationality, makes sense to me on an intrinsic level.
7. The Rosary incorporates prayers that are central to our faith
Including the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the Glory Be, and the Hail Mary, the Rosary packs a punch when it comes to the prayers of our tradition.
8. We can pray the Rosary alone, or with others
The Rosary is equally meaningful and moving prayed in solitude or community. It can be prayed as a family sitting around the living room, solo in the car, with fellow parishioners in the time before Mass, and in so many other circumstances and times.
9. We can pray the Rosary in its entirety, or in parts
My daughter’s kindergarten teacher is an amazingly calm, cool, and collected human being. When I watch the way she interacts with and leads twenty small children, I am blown away with awe and gratitude. That said, I don’t think that even she could contain and focus her kindergarten class in praying an entire rosary. The good news is that she doesn’t have to. The rosary isn’t an all-or-nothing practice, and if you only have a few minutes (or have a short attention span), a simple decade can be prayed.
10. The Rosary takes the thinking out of praying
We don’t have to “know what to say” when we pray the Rosary, making it a wonderful form of prayer for when you are exhausted, lost, confused, in doubt, or any other mental space that makes formulating thoughts and words a challenge.
Leave a comment