“In a word, by focusing our eyes on Christ, the Rosary also makes us peacemakers in the world. By its nature as an insistent choral petition in harmony with Christ’s invitation to ‘pray ceaselessly’ (Lk. 18:1), the Rosary allows us to hope that, even today, the difficult ‘battle’ for peace can be won."
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
Do I truly believe that my prayer of the Rosary can be used by God to bring peace to the world? Why or why not? Am I willing to give it a try, in conjunction with so many others, so that this culture might be reclaimed for Jesus Christ? I will pray for generosity of heart.
“To rediscover the Rosary means to immerse oneself in contemplation of the mystery of Christ who ‘is our peace.’”
-St. John Paul II
For Reflection:
In numerous apparitions, Mary has encouraged the Catholic faithful to pray the Rosary for peace in the world. How can I cooperate with her message by contemplating the mystery of Christ so that I might have inner peace? What effect could this have in my family, workplace, parish, and world at large?
“For myself, I know of no better way of establishing the kingdom of God, Eternal Wisdom, than to unite vocal and mental prayer by saying the holy Rosary and meditating on
its fifteen mysteries.”
-St. Louis De Montfort
For Reflection:
Why is the Rosary such a useful prayer in establishing the kingdom of God within the soul? How have I seen this to be so in my own life? What can I do to make progress in my daily meditation of the mysteries?
“The Rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next.
The power of the Rosary is beyond description. ”
-Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
For Reflection:
Given the categories of individuals Archbishop Sheen describes in this quote, what attributes or virtues describe them as they pray the Rosary. Into which category do I fit most readily? To what extent have I emulated all of them?
“When you say the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”
-Our Lady of Fatima
For Reflection:
Who do I know that is in need of God’s mercy today? I will pray this prayer for him/her at the close of each mystery in my Rosary this day.
“Say the Rosary every day…Pray, pray a lot and offer sacrifices for sinners…I’m Our Lady of the Rosary. Only I will be able to help you…. In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
-Our Lady of Fatima
For Reflection:
To what extent am I personally heeding Our Blessed Mother’s plea? In what one way can I be more diligent?
“Airplanes must have runways before they can fly. What the runway is to the airplane, the Rosary beads are to prayer – the physical start to
gain spiritual altitude.”
-Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
For Reflection:
To what extent has the Rosary been a runway to spiritual altitude for me in my life? How has it led me into a deeper understanding of God’s
presence in my life?
“After Holy Mass [the Rosary] is one of the most beautiful and efficacious forms of prayer, on condition of understanding it and living it.”
-Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
For Reflection:
What do I think it means to understand and to live the Rosary? To what extent do I do this in my everyday life? Is there a strategy I can employ to help me
do so more faithfully?
