Let Mary to pull you through!

The Rosary simultaneously manages to be one of the easiest and the most difficult prayers of the Catholic Church. Easy because it was developed to simplify the Gospels and contains the most commonly known prayers, the Hail Mary and Our Father. Difficult because it is so easy to get distracted while repeating the same prayers over and over.

One of the noted side effects to the new digital age is a rapidly shortening attention span. This makes it even more difficult for the younger generation to pray the Rosary when they’ve grown up on a steady diet of social media and the now seemingly antiquated 24-hour news cycle.

Does this mean that the Rosary should be given up, forgotten or abolished for the younger generations? In the words of the great sportscaster, Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friends!” Perhaps instead of abandoning the Rosary, it can be looked at in a different light and seen as a great gift to the young faithful.

Two of my fondest memories growing up are going to ballgames and going on vacation. There is something that both have in common: crowds. For a small child, those crowds can be quite scary or intimidating. So we were taught to hold on to Mom’s hand and not let go. She would lead us through the swarm of people and other obstacles and dangers.

When we pray the Rosary, Mary does the exact same thing. She leads us not through the crowds at the stadium but rather through life. Like a good mother, she wants to keep us close and safe. As we navigate the various temptations, struggles and difficulties of life, Mary desires to lead us through the mess.

Life throws its twists and turns at all of us. We often feel like we have nowhere to go, no idea what to do. We in the younger generation will jump on YouTube, Pinterest or Facebook to find the best advice capable of resolving our problems.

All the time, there is Mary, holding out her hand, the Rosary, for us to latch on and allow her to guide us in our time of need, fear or sorrow. Instead of trying to come up with all the answers ourselves, we can allow Mary to pull us through.

Father Geoffrey A. Brooke Jr.

Father Brooke is a priest of the diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, USA. His website is Padre Geoffrey