Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
Praying the Rosary unites us to God when we pray it alone. It also brings Christians together, as secular societies like the Rosary Teams or the Legion of Mary testify. As a First Communion or Confirmation gift, why not offer a beautiful rosary to children that will stay with them for the rest of their life?
In Japan, Christian communities were able to keep their faith intact despite the absence of priests for two centuries, thanks in part to the Rosary. In 1614, the Dominican missionaries to Japan were martyred, but in the 19th century, when evangelization resumed, the new missionaries were amazed to still find communities of Christians, who had kept their faith alive by praying the mysteries of the Rosary together.
Children experience a deep peace in their hearts when they pray this prayer, but unfortunately very few schools integrate prayer in their curriculum. Instead, they promote methods of esoteric meditation for children to help calm them down. By contrast, the prayer of the Rosary offers a different kind of peace—Peace that comes from Jesus.
Faith is a light shining in the darkness for the sick and the dying. As a priest, I am always amazed by the pedagogical and spiritual power of the Rosary in times of illness and mourning. I remind the sick and those who are in jail of their mission to pray for the Church and for the world. In this way, they can actively influence historical events, because the course of history depends on the decisions of Divine Providence, who responds to prayers.
Why are people so attached to the Rosary? Because millions of Catholics, on all continents, have seen the graces that meditating on the life of Jesus with His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, can bring.