The most Holy Rosary is a most beautiful prayer! It is loved far and wide by the Popes, the saints, the scholars, the rich, the poor, the most well-known in society, as well as the anonymous.
The month of May is the month of Mary. The month of October is the month designated to honoring Our Lady of the Rosary, especially by praying the most holy Rosary.
Our Lady of Fatima appeared six times to three little Shepherd children—Lucia de los Santos, and Francisco and Jacinta Marto, the cousins of Lucia. In every one of the Apparitions, which lasted from May 13th through October 13th, Our Lady insisted on telling the children, and the world at large, to pray the Rosary daily. Back then, more than 100 years ago, one of the intentions was for world peace because this was during the throes of the First World War. In the Sixth and Final Apparition, this majestic woman revealed her identity: “I am the Lady of the Rosary!”
Pope Saint John Paul II penned a spiritual masterpiece on the same topic: The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary (October 16, 2002). Not only did this saintly pontiff add the Luminous Mysteries, but reiterating Our Lady of Fatima’s request, John Paul insisted that the Rosary be prayed daily. He listed two very important intentions: World Peace (in the wake of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2002), and also, for the sake of the Family.
Ven. Father Patrick Peyton, known as the Rosary priest, had two immortal sayings with reference to the recitation of the most Holy Rosary. “The family that prays together, stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”
Therefore, let us briefly meditate upon the great love that the saints had for the most holy Rosary. Then we will offer different manners or ways that the most Holy Rosary can be recited as part of our daily rhythm.
WHAT THE SAINTS HAVE SAID IN PRAISE OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY
1. “Of all prayers, the rosary is the most beautiful and the richest in graces. Love the Rosary and recite it every day with devotion.” (Pope Saint Pius X)
2. “How beautiful is the family that prays the Rosary every night.” (Pope Saint John Paul II)
3. “The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer in its simplicity and its depth.” (Pope Saint John Paul II)
4. “The Rosary is a priceless treasure inspired by God.” (Saint Louis de Montfort)
5. “There is no more sure means of calling down God’s blessings upon the family than the daily recitation of the Rosary.” (Ven. Pope Pius XII)
6. “Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.” (Blessed Pope Pius IX)
7. “Our Lady has never refused me a grace through the recitation of the holy Rosary.” (Saint Padre Pio)
8. “The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.” (Saint Francis de Sales)
9. “One day through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.” (Saint Dominic)
10. “Never will anyone who says the Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood.” (Saint Louis de Montfort.)
With these most encouraging and motivating words from the saints, as well as from the Holy Pontiffs (the Popes), let us offer various manners or different forms that we can use to actually pray the most Holy Rosary. The key to the entire thrust of this short message is that we must make a firm decision to strive to pray the most Holy Rosary every day. Pope Saint John XXIII stated the following on the importance of praying the Rosary: “The only bad Rosary is the Rosary that was never recited.” The following are specific different ways that the most Holy Rosary can be recited.
1. BY YOURSELF (ALONE). There is nothing wrong in the least with simply praying the Rosary by yourself, at any time and in any place that is best for you. Do not delegate it to your wife/husband or anyone else: you yourself pray the Rosary!
2. FAMILY ROSARY. As mentioned by Ven. Patrick Peyton, Pope Saint John Paul II, and many other saints and Popes, there is a real beauty and power when the family can come together and pray the Rosary. How true the saying: “The family that prays together, stays together.”
3. ALONE IN FRONT OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. There truly is an added grace when one prays the most Holy Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament, the Real Presence of Jesus, the Son of Mary.
4. BEFORE HOLY MASS IN GROUP OR ALONE. Pope Saint Paul VI stated that the Rosary should not be recited during the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, but before the Mass as a preparation, this is a most worthy practice. Mary prepares us to receive Jesus in a most worthy manner.
5. AFTER MASS. Equally important is to pray the most Holy Rosary individually or as a community after Mass. Indeed, this is an excellent manner to render thanks to the Eucharistic Lord present in your heart, through Mary Most Holy by means of the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
6. IN THE CAR WITH THE FAMILY OR WHEN DRIVING ALONE. There is no reason why the most Holy Rosary cannot be recited in the car with the whole family while heading towards a specific destination. Call on Our Lady of the Way for a safe trip with your other intentions! How many times, on a personal basis, have I prayed the Rosary, or for that matter ROSARIES, while traveling in the car to a Marian mission or to impart the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola!
7. THE BIBLICAL ROSARY. There are books that can help us to pray the most Holy Rosary in such a way that Biblical verses are interlaced before and after every Hail Mary. Great way to augment grace! Pray the Holy Rosary and become more familiar with Sacred Scripture at the same time!
8. WHILE TAKING A WALK! I find it to be very relaxing to pray the Rosary, by myself or with a group, while taking a leisurely stroll, especially at the end of a hard day’s work. Try it and you will like it!
9. IN A MARIAN PROCESSION. Another very beautiful manner of praying the most Holy Rosary is in the context of a Marian Procession. In my Marian Consecration Program, a Eucharistic Marian Procession is encouraged at the end. This can happen inside the Church or outside, with the priest walking ahead with the Blessed Sacrament, lay people walking behind the priest carrying a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, and the rest of the participants following, with all reciting together the Holy Rosary. The Church strongly encourages and promotes such Popular Devotions!
10. AT THE BEDSIDE OF A DYING PERSON. One of the most powerful prayers that we can pray for a person who is dying and about to pass from this world to the next and go before the Judgment Seat of God, is to pray both the most Holy Rosary for them, as well as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. How pleasing this practice is to Jesus and Mary and how important this might be for the eternal salvation of this dying person who might be far away from God! God desires their salvation more than we do, and He can use our fervent prayers to provide the graces needed for their eternal salvation.
My friends in Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph, our hope is that through this most humble and simple of messages, all of you will get to know the Rosary, love the Rosary, pray the Rosary daily, and propagate the Holy Rosary. Indeed, the Rosary is the key that Our Lady, Mother of Jesus, gives us to use now, more than ever, to open the gates of Heaven. Saint Padre Pio called it his WEAPON. Let us wield this weapon and fight the good fight for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world! Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
