In my last blog, I suggested an Advent program that included praying a decade of the Rosary every day. I wrote, “There is so much power in this simple prayer, and the enemy doesn’t want us praying it. He tells us we’re not doing it right, or that it only counts if we pray the whole thing, or that we are too distracted, etc. But don’t let him deceive you. Keep it to a decade until it is a well-established habit and watch the fruit that comes from it in your life.”
To go along with that, Sr. Emmanuel Maillard, a member of the Beatitudes community, writes, “Like any other form of prayer, the value of the Rosary does not depend on the feelings that one experiences, but rather, it depends on one’s goodwill and one’s firm decision to devote this time to God to become closer to Him. For the rest, the Lord will provide!” (from Scandalous Mercy, pg. 220)*
In the same book, Sr. Emmanuel quotes a letter from Sr. Lucia of Fatima who wrote, “I repeat, there is no problem, as difficult as it might be, that cannot be resolved by praying the Holy Rosary….Even for those souls who pray without meditating, the very act of taking up the Rosary to pray is already a remembrance of God, of the Supernatural. A simple recollection of the mysteries of each decade is one more ray of light to sustain in souls the still-smoldering wick. This is why the devil has made such war against it….When you say the prayers of the Rosary in your hands, the Angels and Saints unite themselves to you.”
As we wrap up this challenging year of 2020 and head into a new year, I want to encourage you, if you haven’t already, to take up this simple yet powerful prayer of the Rosary. Commit to praying a decade a day — all of us can manage that — and watch what happens with your “unresolvable” problems when you leave them in Our Lady’s capable hands.
Mary Ann and I will be praying a Rosary for all of your intentions on January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Send us a direct message via Facebook or Instagram with any of your intentions that you would like us to pray for.
May God bless you with a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!
* Sr. Emmanuel Maillard, Scandalous Mercy: When God Goes Beyond the Boundaries (France: Children of Medjugorge Inc., 2017), 220-222.
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