Mary and the Rosary

I find the rosary to be an elegant part of the faith. I've always been drawn to the rosary ever since I received my first one at my First Communion. I remember my grandma showing me what all the beads meant and telling me the general prayers to say. I said it a few times as a child, but thought it took too long and that it was for grown-ups. I still cherished my rosary though and made sure to keep it in it's white, round holder with a little communion girl image. I had a prayer book and loved it as well. I felt empowered to use this book after my First Communion and knew God was with me. I prayed all the time as a little girl and grew up to learn that my Grandma Frances loved to pray too.

This is the same grandma I spoke of at the beginning, who showed me how to pray the rosary. She ended up living with my mom and me during my high school and college years. She may not have known it then, but her quiet witness to the devotion of Mary was very powerful. She prayed her rosary almost every night. Grandma was in a wheel chair and could not get out to do much. So, she prayed. A lot. And her quiet nights of prayer were watched by me. Sometimes she would even fall asleep praying. I always felt bad for grandma because she couldn't walk anymore, but now I have dreams all the time of her walking and being so happy. I know she must be in heaven with Our Lady and her Son.

Some strange events have taken place with Mary. People talk of visions and apparitions. I personally don't know about all that or if I believe it. It's not required by the Catholic Church to believe in the apparitions. However, I can say that I believe in the power of praying the rosary (and praying period). I have a terrible confession that I am ashamed to share, but I once prayed the rosary asking for something impossible to happen. I won't say specifically what because it was between God and me. What it boiled down to was the fact I was "testing" God and questioning the power of the rosary. Well guess what? What I prayed for happened the next day. It literally made me tremble and fall to my knees. I never did that again.

I love to pray the rosary because it is like looking at a scrapbook of Mary and Jesus' life. The Sorerowful Mysteries are the hardest for me to pray, but they have taught me a lot about seeing the crucifixion through Mary's eyes. If you're not familiar with the prayers of the rosary, the mysteries are almost like the Stations of the Cross, where you meditate upon each one as you say an "Our Father" and ten "Hail Mary's followed by the "Glory Be" and "Oh My Jesus". Can you imagine watching your son being scourged and crucified? Hanging on a cross, struggling to breathe, pushing himself up by his feet just so he can breathe? Cam you imagine him dying on the cross, thinking it was over and then they come up and put a spear through his heart? How unbearable! How excrutiating the pain and sorrow must have been for her!

As Mother Angelica states, "I can't understand why anyone in the whole wide world could not love her." She deserves to be thought of too. It was commanded by Jesus. Maybe not to all at the time He said it, but why wouldn't He want us to love and honor His mother?

I love Mary and am grateful for her sacrifices. Thank you, Grandma, for showing me the beauty of the rosary and all it contains. Thank you, God, for all the miracles of Jesus.

Amen.