Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
The Rosary is not only a contemplative prayer that promotes union with God and our identification with Christ through Mary. It is a prayer of supplication of extraordinary effectiveness. The graces obtained by the Rosary, both for our personal sanctification and for Christian society, are countless. The victory of Lepanto (1) is the most striking illustration of this: Our Lady of the Rosary is Our Lady of Victories!
What are the reasons for the power of the Rosary on the Heart of God and on that of Our Lady?
First of all, the Rosary has the qualities required for effective prayer, for it makes us ask with perseverance, trust and humility. It is also a perfect communal prayer, especially for families, and we must remember that Jesus promised us to grant what we ask in common. Moreover, through the Rosary we remind Jesus and the Blessed Virgin of what they have done for our salvation. These are all good reasons for our prayer to be answered.
The repetition of the Hail Mary moves Mary's Heart, which is the Heart of our Mother. And above all, this prayer appeals to the intercession of Mary who is all powerful over the Heart of her Son. She is all-powerful with the Almighty. Mary has been called "the all-powerful supplicant."
Saint Louis de Montfort used to say: "My predestined ones, slaves of Jesus in Mary, you should know that the Hail Mary is the most beautiful of all prayers after the Our Father; it is the most perfect compliment that you can pay to Mary, since it is the compliment that the Most High sent to her by an archangel to win her Heart; and it was so powerful on her Heart, because of its secret charms, that Mary gave her consent to the Incarnation of the Word, in spite of her deep humility. It is by this compliment too that you will infallibly win her Heart, if you say it as you should. The Hail Mary well said, that is, with attention, devotion and modesty, is, according to the saints, the enemy of the devil, which puts him to flight, and the hammer that crushes him; the sanctification of the soul, the joy of the angels, the melody of the predestined, the canticle of the New Testament, the delight of Mary, and the glory of the Blessed Trinity.” (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #252-253)