Bishop HyingThe rosary serves us as a profound Scriptural meditation on the lives of Christ and Mary. When we pray it, we are asking the Blessed Virgin to open up the treasures of her living memories, stored in her Immaculate Heart, and to share them with us. As a child, I prayed the rosary with my family 365 days a year, right after supper. I have to admit there were some beautiful summer nights when I would have much preferred to be playing outside, but my parents were steadfast in their prayerful resolve. Looking back on that experience now, I realize how deeply formative those rosaries were for my life and my vocation as a priest. Meditating on the lives of Jesus and Mary on a daily basis helped me to understand that they are real people, spiritually abiding with us in our house, involved in the events of our lives, blessing and protecting us. In various places, such as Japan and Siberia, where the Church was martyred and there were no priests or sacraments, believers kept the faith alive by secretly praying the rosary together.
Mother of Sorrows
Affective and orthodox, theological and devotional, the rosary invites us into the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to ponder the saving events of their earthly mission and to grow in faith, hope and love. All of the great saints prayed the rosary with regularity and love. If it helped them, how can it not benefit us?