Praying the rosary today has fallen out of favor with younger generations, often seen as something gray-haired women in church do. Admittedly, it was my grandparents who first prayed the rosary with me. But the immense importance of what we were praying was lost on me as a child, though I knew it was certainly important to my grandparents. Now, I more fully understand the power behind this prayer ritual and have personally seen how it can transform even the most seemingly impossible situations.
If you haven’t picked up a rosary in a while, take a minute to read through some of the reasons why you might want to consider adding this habit to your daily or weekly routine. Plus, I share easy step-by-step instructions on how to pray the rosary.
5 Reasons to Pray the Rosary
The reasons to make praying the rosary a part of your regular routine are truly endless, but these are some of the most motivating and inspiring for me.
1. Mary helps us to better know her Son, Jesus.
The rosary is a beautiful prayer to Jesus, through His Blessed Mother, Mary. We not only ask Our Blessed Mother to intercede on our behalf, but we also walk along with her and are called to follow her example as we meditate upon each mystery of the rosary. Each mystery depicts an important event in both the Blessed Mary’s and Jesus’s life, giving us an opportunity to deepen our relationship with Her Son and to more concretely understand and imitate the fruits of the mysteries in our own lives.
2. Meditating on the fruits of each mystery helps us to be more like Jesus.
By imitating the fruits of the mysteries of the rosary in our own lives, we essentially are becoming more and more like Jesus and less like ourselves. Take, for example, the five fruits of the sorrowful mysteries:
- The Agony in the Garden: Uniformity with the will of God
- The Scourging at the Pillar: Mortification, Purity
- The Crowning with Thorns: Courage
- The Carrying of the Cross: Patience in times of adversity
- The Crucifixion: Forgiveness
We so often find ourselves fervently needing these moral and spiritual skills, yet how often do they escape us in times of trouble? In the sorrowful mysteries, we see Jesus’s perfect example of each one, giving us a leg up, so to speak, when we need to enact them ourselves during life’s trials and tribulations.
3. The rosary is a powerful spiritual tool against evil.
Throughout history, the rosary has been used by innumerous saints and religious as a powerful tool in times of trouble, and even as a weapon in matters of spiritual warfare. In fact, Padre Pio called the rosary “the weapon against the evils of the world today.” The world, no doubt, continues to battle with a seemingly growing number of evils – hatred, war, depression, anxiety, confusion, the worship of false idols, and many more. Regularly praying the rosary can significantly help to combat these evils of the world, as well as those evils and struggles in our own lives.
Of course, the rosary is not reserved for praying only in times of trouble – you can pray the rosary at any point in your life and for any intention. But it can certainly be a great comfort when you are feeling overwhelmed at the amount of evil in the world or are experiencing turmoil in your personal life.
4. Praying the rosary is an opportunity to reflect on the gospels.
Taking time to read the Bible and reflect upon its contents is another very important part of our faith and another way to connect more deeply with God. Each of the twenty mysteries of the rosary reflects on distinct scenes of the gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Thus, the rosary offers us an intimate way to become familiar with these gospel stories and see them through Mary and Jesus’s own eyes.
While praying the rosary isn’t a substitute for reading the Bible – which comes along with its own set of benefits – it can be a wonderful supplement.
5. The rosary is a great way to make prayer a part of our daily lives.
It can be easy to forget to give God your “first fruits” of the day, perhaps only remembering to get a quick prayer in right before bed just as you’re about to fall asleep. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with praying at any time of day, we are challenged to make our relationship with Jesus a priority in our lives, rather than an afterthought. Carving out some time each morning or several mornings per week is a beautiful way to prioritize our time with Jesus, not to mention a calming and refreshing way to begin our days.
How to Pray the Rosary
If it’s been a while since you’ve dusted off your rosary beads, don’t worry. Praying the rosary is much simpler than it may seem, and you will quickly pick up on it and most likely even begin to memorize it the more you pray. To get you started, here is a step-by-step guide on how to pray the rosary:
- Make the sign of the cross and say the Apostle’s Creed.
- Say the Our Father at the first bead.
- Say 3 Hail Marys using the next three beads.
- Say the Glory Be at the fourth bead.
- On the same bead, announce the first mystery and say the Our Father.
- Say 10 Hail Marys while reflecting on that mystery using the next 10 beads.
- Say the Glory Be and O My Jesus prayers on the eleventh bead.
- On the same bead, announce the second mystery and say the Our Father.
- Repeat steps 5 through 7 for the remaining mysteries.
- Conclude by saying the Hail Holy Queen and concluding prayer. End with the sign of the cross.
Bottom Line: The Rosary Will Enrich Your Life
Whether you are struggling through suffering, feel lost or forgotten, or are embarking on one of life’s new chapters, the rosary will serve as a powerful tool to help you navigate your way through life to best follow God’s will and plan for you.
How has the rosary impacted your life? Share your stories in the comments!
