I didn't always love the Rosary. In fact, even after the Lord won my heart, even after my conversion, even after the Holy Spirit set my heart aflame, I still struggled with praying the Rosary. I felt intimidated by the prayers; I thought I had better things to do; I thought it felt boring. So mostly, I didn't pray it.
But throughout my walk with Jesus, a lingering understanding never left my mind. I desperately want to know and love Christ more and more each day. I want to be a saint. And when I look at the Saints—as vastly different as they were—they all shared a deep love for Our Lady and a devotion to the Rosary. A study of the lives of the Saints makes this point so obvious is impossible to ignore. I couldn't shake it. I submitted that they knew something I didn't, and I was determined to discover it.
A couple of years ago, then, I set my heart on cultivating a habit of praying the Rosary frequently. What started as a once a week struggle turned into a few times a week discipline turned into a daily joy and need. And you know where this is going—it changed my life. The Rosary changed my life not because I was checking off some spiritual task list or because I felt like I was being "a good Catholic", but because I was spending intentional time contemplating the life of Jesus. For so long, I considered the Rosary something to power through—now I realize it's a beautiful invitation into powerful meditation.
When we pray the Rosary, we spend time with Our Lord and Our Lady. We step back from the details of our own lives to immerse ourselves in theirs. This prayerful consideration of the life of Christ can open our hearts to the transforming work the Holy Spirit desires to produce in us.
There's an adage that we are the sum of the five people with whom we spend the most time. That's because we tend to pick up their habits, thought patterns, opinions, and even loves. Let's make Jesus and Mary two of those people. Let's spend intentional time with them each day by praying the Rosary, trusting that the fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary will be born in our hearts more and more. Let's spend more time with them; and in spending time with them, knowing them; and in knowing them, being like them. Let's become saints.
Let Us Pray
Lord, You know the challenges and obstacles we face when it comes to a habit of prayer. You also know that we long for more of You. We want You to make us holy, to make us more like You. Jesus, help us to see that time with You forges the path of holiness, and that by contemplating Your life and Goodness—particularly through the Mysteries of the Rosary—we can come to understand Your Heart more profoundly and in turn mirror Your Love in our own hearts. Lord, help us to want to pray the Rosary. Show us where there is time in our days to turn to You with our minds and hearts. Amen.
For Discussion
What's your biggest challenge when it comes to praying the Rosary? How is the Lord inviting you to come to Him anyway?
Blessed Bartolo Longo said that from Jesus and Mary we learn humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience, and perfection. Which of these are you most drawn to or in need of right now? Why?
Praying the Rosary
Throughout the Prayer Pledge and beyond, we really encourage you to pray the Rosary! Since we will be looking at the fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary, it only makes sense to actually pray it!
Here is a guide on how to pray the Rosary.
I like this podcast and this podcast for praying the Rosary.
Hallow also has a marvelous Rosary meditation.
And if you want to go even deeper in to the Rosary, check out Mystery!
By Their Fruits: The 2021 Prayer Pledge // Day 2 #BISblog #prayerpledgeClick to tweet
Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky, where sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She holds degrees in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and works from home while enjoying her children and husband. She curates relevant and inspiring content for Catholic women as Blog Manager. She is the narrator of Set a Fire, And Hay Became Holy, and All She Had as well as a contributing author for Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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