Rose + Face

My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart, and for this special favor which I earnestly request in my Rosary (mention your request).

I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.

I offer you this spiritual “Bouquet of Roses” because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

-Our Lady Of The Holy Rosary Novena Prayer

Reflect

To be apostles of the Rosary, however, it is necessary to experience personally the beauty and depth of this prayer which is simple and accessible to everyone. It is first of all necessary to let the Blessed Virgin take one by the hand to contemplate the Face of Christ: a joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious Face. Those who, like Mary and with her, cherish and ponder the mysteries of Jesus assiduously, increasingly assimilate his sentiments and are conformed to him. In this regard, I would like to quote a beautiful thought of Bl. Bartolo Longo: "Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits," he wrote, "so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection."

Song of Solomon 4:7Pope Benedict XVI

To be apostles of the Rosary, however, it is necessary to experience personally the beauty and depth of this prayer which is simple and accessible to everyone. -Pope BXVI #BISblog #BISrests //Click to tweet

Listen

For musical inspiration for your restful Sunday, listen to our BIS Rests playlist.

I recommend listening to “Hail, Holy Queen” from Danielle Rose’s album, Mysteries, which includes a song for each mystery of the rosary.

October is traditionally a month dedicated to the Holy Rosary in the Church. If you are interested in learning more about or deepening your devotion to the Rosary, I invite you to check out the Blessed Coversations series entitled Mystery: four five-chapter studies which dive into the Mysteries of the Rosary: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous. They can be purchased individually or as a collection here.

BIS Rests: Rose + Face #BISblog #BISrests //Click to tweet

Curated by Elise Howe. You can find out more about her here.