Why pray the rosary

October is the month of the Rosary! I am excited to answer the five W's for the rosary: Why, when, what, where, who and how to pray the rosary. I will focus one post on each "W", today: Why?! Are you as excited as I am? Well, it makes me more excited than pumpkin flavors in everything in October. My daily rosary is more important than my daily coffee. Let's get this started!

Yum!

I doubt this is tasty...

Why pray the rosary? Well, what kind of a question is this on a beautiful autumn day when the sun is shining, Trump is confined to a hospital, and the coronavirus is still galloping without sight of ending? It is in fact, the perfect question to ask. Why pray the rosary? I have a few answers of my own from becoming a convert to Catholicism and lover of the rosary. And reading this will be far saner than alternatives for scrolling on tense-filled news or social media.

There are few things finer and more delicate than the sweet gentle and elegant scent of a fresh rose. That alone is worth meditating on, closing our eyes and imagining a field of pure roses and fresh sweet smelling air. It is no wonder that Mary, Mother of God and my mother, loves roses so much. It is her flower of choice. Mary herself is sweet, gentle and elegant like a rose. Having appeared in so many countries to children and adults she is often seen with roses around her and the scent to mesmerize those who see her. Here are a few of my favorite times Mary appeared:

1. Our Lady of Las Lajas, Colombia: She appeared to a poor mother, and brought back to life her dead daughter. True story! The image of Mary appeared in stone on the mountainside. People chipped at the stone as far deep as 3 meters and the image remained.

2. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico: She appeared to St. Juan as an Indigenous woman and spoke to him in Nahuatl. She spoke like a loving tender mom calling him Juanito. She filled his tilma with rare roses that only grow in Spain the area the Cardinal who didn't believe St. Juan was from. Boom with blooms!

3. Our Lady of Kibejo, Rwanda: Mary appeared to three school girls as a Rwandan mother and spent hours upon hours laughing and delighting in them. European Cardinals couldn't imagine it being true. But Mary is a true mother, and speaks  to each of us in the language of our origin. In Rwanda, a typical visit with a mother would last for hours and days, just like Mary did.

The question remains, why pray the rosary? Here are a few of my own answers then answers from promises of the rosary from Mary herself.

1. Calming faith: Praying the rosary brings incredible peace and sweetness that doesn't come in any other form during the day. It is a conversation and meditation of the heart: from your heart to Mary's. It is time spent talking with Mother. I know she is near me when I pray. I also love that I can pray it anywhere, like calling my mom from anywhere. Mom just wants to hear my voice, she doesn't care if I am seated with a picture of her and mentally in the mood to talk. Mary is the same.

I love praying the rosary while walking in the morning.

2. Love: I am aware of an increase in love for others when I pray. The Biblical phrase "I must decrease so He may increase" happens when I pray the rosary. My self-centered nature becomes Christ-centered and I can see through the eyes of my heart to hear more clearly to see the purpose of my life in this temporal world. Then I get to choose to follow through or overthink and chicken out. 

Praying near my favorite local saints grave, Fr. Tommy.

3. Increased hope: When I pray the rosary, I become more aware of my need to "pray like everything depends on God and work like everything depends on me." - St. Augustine. I see the balance between having a child-like trust that God will use everything, even my garbage, for good when I trust Him. He shows me His providence in the birds, the trees and the forest animals that receive everything from a Creative and loving Father. And I know inside that He loves me richly and warmly and intensely like not even the best human father could. I walk away from my rosary time knowing it is my turn to act, speak up, follow through, work hard and fight the good fight for good.

I honestly think the birds like hearing the rosary...

My answers are my own, and I could go on and on about the individual benefits of the rosary: better skin (it's rejuvenating some could argue!),  better sleep, growing friendships with Mary and your guardian angel (who also loves the rosary), awareness of the little time we have here on earth and meeting each day like a 24 hour mission. But here are more importantly, Mary's reasons. She too has many, and most people don't pay attention because they don't like religion or whatever reason they have. But, Mary is mother of all, and has reasons for all, religious or not, to pray the rosary.

1. To obtain world peace: Mary, told the children of Fatima that with the Rosary and prayer of the rosary wars could end and peace could be restored in the world.

2. The Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish. It will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and lift them to desire for eternal things. Oh that souls would sanctify themselves by this means! (Promises of the Rosary)

3. "When you pray the rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the church that I love as much as the rosary." Our Lady of Akita, Japan

Well, it seems to me like 25-30 minutes a day are well spent praying the rosary which will bring world peace, cause good works to flourish (tons more promises of the Rosary on the link) and have angels and Jesus rejoice. I often think of ways I spend or let time pass in the past when I could have listened to the rosary learning how to pray it. 

Dancing with the stars or Chatting with the Divine...