4 Reasons to Pray the Rosary
4 Reasons to Pray the Rosary
Explore 4 reasons to pray the rosary. This well-loved prayer can calm our hearts. Yet, the reason we pray is to grow closer to God and our Blessed Mother in at least four ways.
4 Reasons to Pray the Rosary
1
... for an increase in FAITH
Be still and know that I am God.
-Psalm 46:10a-
Our busy, distraction-filled world can saturate our lives. At the same time, it can leave us feeling unsettled and disconnected. Although God doesn’t always take away our difficulties, He will give us the strength to cope with them.
Praying the Rosary helps us to become more grounded in our faith in God.
Two profound things happen as we pray the rosary. First, we experience a closer relationship with Jesus and His Blessed Mother. We also begin to have a greater longing for Mass and the Sacraments.
This time we set aside to pray the rosary allows us to encounter God in a more meaningful way. We can begin to gain a better understanding of what it means to imitate Him. We also gain a greater awareness of His love for us.
2
... for an increase in HOPE
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.
Hope in God is not the same as the feeling of optimism that our efforts alone will earn something good. Christian hope means patiently preparing our hearts. Through prayer, we receive God’s generous gifts of grace that sustain and guide us.
The prayer of the Rosary can help us find the kind of hope that sustains us. We can feel hopeful even when God seems far away or when life seems overwhelming.
As we pray the mysteries of the Rosary, we reflect on events in the lives of Jesus and the Blessed Mother. In them, we find a deep sense of assurance that we can trust God. He will look after us in any of our difficulties in the way that is best for us. When we bring our decisions and our struggles to prayer, God can help us find clarity and inner peace. We hope in our God, who loves us with infinite and intimate love.
3
... for an increase in LOVE
Let all that you do be done in love.
-1 Corinthians 16:14-
The core benefit of praying the Rosary is love. It can help us build a closer friendship with God and His Blessed Mother. As in any relationship, how close we can become depends, in part, on how much quality time we spend together.
When we pray out of love for God, our hearts change. As we meditate on the events and prayers, they become more meaningful to us. As a result, our love can grow and become more genuine.
From that love, we gain a deeper appreciation of the many blessings that God gives us. We can then pray for others in a way that better reflects God’s tender love and care for us. Praying out of love is the path to true spiritual joy.
4
... for an increase in JOY
...my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
-Luke 1:47-
The Rosary helps us to grow in the virtues of faith, hope, and love. It leads us on the path to spiritual joy and holiness. Spiritual joy is not like the fleeting feelings of happiness that we can experience. It is a lasting, peaceful inner warmth that grows in our hearts. It flows out into everything we do and to everyone we meet and hold close in prayer. Holy joy is rooted in the longing of our hearts for God that He placed there when He created us.
We prepare our hearts to receive God’s grace and joy when we pray.
We can only experience a taste of complete spiritual joy in this life. But, we can look forward to the lasting happiness of heaven. There, we will encounter God’s love in a way that is both new and amazing.
BONUS
What is perhaps THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON to pray the rosary?
The beautiful, TIMELESS prayer of the rosary is a spiritual journey.
It can TRANSFORM our hearts and our lives at the very root.
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CREDITS
The LOGO image of Our Lady of Grace is original artwork by Martin Lariviere, 2009. We have the artist’s permission (my son). It is our exclusive trademark logo image.
A beautifully photographed sky by Donald Tong inspired the website’s colour scheme. Cropped portions of it are the background for the footer Bible verse. He shared it as a free download on pexels.com.
Art
Simone Cantarini painted Madonna del Rosario in 1640.
We chose four paintings by Carl Heinrich Bloch, including The Sermon on the Mount, 1877, Supper at Emmaus circa 1870, Healing of the Blind Man, 1871, and Meeting of Mary and Elisabeth, 1866.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.
IN REVIEW
- Praying the rosary helps us to become more grounded in our faith in God.
- The prayer of the rosary can help us find the kind of hope that sustains us. We can feel hopeful even when God seems far away or when life seems overwhelming.
- When we pray out of love for God, our hearts change. As we meditate on the events and prayers, they become more meaningful to us. As a result, our love can grow and become more genuine.
- We prepare our hearts to receive God’s grace and joy when we pray.
- The beautiful, timeless prayer of the rosary is a spiritual journey. It can transform our hearts and our lives at the very root.