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Many saints spoke of the Rosary’s power. This ancient prayer is considered a “spiritual weapon” and the most powerful prayer after the Holy Mass itself.
The Rosary is a beautiful way to grow closer to Jesus, as we see his life through the loving eyes of his mother.
Understand the Rosary more deeply with The Way of the Rosary: A Journey with Mary Through Scripture, Liturgy, and Life, which reveals the deep and rich traditions of the Rosary prayer—its origins and the incredible scriptural and liturgical connections of each mystery. And it tells the story of the author, Shannon Wendt, who found renewal and healing in times of great suffering through praying the Rosary. It’s an incredibly moving and unforgettable book, a must read for anyone who loves the Rosary.
Wendt’s own experience of healing through the Rosary inspired her to found Chews Life, dedicated to spreading the message of the Rosary and making it more accessible. One of her brilliant innovations was a rosary bracelet with a movable charm, so you can keep your rosary close and pray it throughout the day without losing your place. Genius!
Wendt offered some helpful insights for praying the Rosary, whether you’re a beginner or pray it often.
1The only ineffective Rosary is the one you never start
“I really like to encourage people to just begin, no matter where you are, no matter how well you know the Rosary,” she said.
However imperfect our efforts, Our Lord will make the most of them. Any effort is worth it. She compared our small efforts to the parable of the loaves and fishes:
When we pray it when things are messy or when we're distracted, when we begin to use the moments that spread throughout our day, it becomes this kind of loaves and fish. We might feel like it’s an unworthy offering, but the truth is, there is no offering worthy enough. Our work is just to show up, to give our loaves and fish, and then the Lord does his work multiplying our prayers and our efforts.
Maybe it's been a long time, and you're not sure which mysteries are supposed to be prayed today, or you don't know what order the prayers go in. You can look it up and start simple. You can use your ten fingers if you can't find a rosary.
But the important thing is just to begin and to start that relationship with Our Lady. She's such a good mother, and she doesn't expect perfection. She wants to come into our brokenness and bring healing and bring order and lead us step by step to her son. And that's really the path to holiness, that's how we become the saints that we were created to be.
2You can pray throughout the day
Many people find it intimidating to carve out a 15- or 20-minute stretch for the Rosary.
But you don’t have to do that. Wendt has found success with using her rosary bracelet to pray a little bit at a time throughout the day, rather than praying all of the Rosary at once.
In this way, the whole day can become a prayer.
She said:
Having a rosary bracelet or a sturdy rosary that you keep in your pocket, a rosary that just lives your life with you, to always kind of be there as a reminder and to call you back to prayer, is really important. On our rosary bracelets, the movable crucifix charm helps us really live this prayer, to pray in the quiet moments that are spread throughout each day.
When we pray our rosary little by little throughout the day, it becomes this beautiful way to “pray without ceasing” as we are surrounding every task that we have—every meeting, every relationship, every stress, every joy—with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
It becomes very natural for us to relate the mysteries of the Rosary with the mysteries of our own lives. And in that way, we're inviting Our Lady to be a real mother to us and to help guide us through the mysteries of our own life.
3Our relationships can strengthen our faith
Wendt has found great strength and support in her prayer efforts through the community that sprang up around Chews Life. In the same way, she said, our relationships can build up our faith—not only relationships with friends and family, but also with Our Lady and the saints, who are with us when we pray.
The community and the relationships that Our Lady will help you cultivate within your life can bring accountability and offer a model for how to live your life.
Praying the Rosary strengthens our relationship with Mary as our mother, and this relationship is one of the most powerful to help us become more like Jesus.
Have you experienced the power of the Rosary for yourself? Share your story in the comments. We would love to hear about it!
