Hopelessly Devoted

HOPELESSLY DEVOTED Devotion to the Holy Rosary By Melina Sanchez T he month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, one of the most known Catholic devotions in the world. Each year on October 7th, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary established by Pius V in 1572. It is the perfect prayer to contemplate the essential mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ, taken by the hand of Mary, the first believer.

Pope John Paul II once said “the Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and tribulation.” I entrusted it with so many worries; in it I always found comfort. This phrase means so much to me as it describes how I feel about the Rosary in my life. My devotion to the Rosary came in a way I would have never expected. Coming from a Catholic family, I watched my sister pray the Rosary. However, I was never devoted to praying it. Perhaps like some people, I didn't find the need or the objective of reciting the Hail Mary over and over again. It's sad to admit to it, but I started praying the Rosary in one of the most challenging parts of my life. I needed help, spiritual guidance and foremost, grace! Graces that could help me get back to the life God wanted for me, and the Rosary gave me that and much more. It also gave me the peace my life needed in those times of instability. It is sublime how just a couple of days meditating on the Rosary changed my perspective in general and how much spiritual guidance I received from the intercession of the Blessed Mother. Her protection not only served me but also those around me. Not to mention the rest of the promises the Blessed Mother gives to those who devoutly pray the Rosary. The Rosary has become my comfort and ally in times of difficulty and joy. After years of complaining about how boring praying the Rosary was, today, I am humbled, I can say that it has become my most treasured devotion. Perhaps I should say, life without the Rosary is not life. There have been times where I feel empty and incomplete without praying the Rosary in our current world; a world where we seem to have forgotten, not about God, but to ask God for spiritual protection and, to help us all grow in holiness and live in virtue.

Since our Blessed Mother is our advocate, she will always intercede for our request as long as it is suitable for our salvation. It is absurd to see how many Catholics engage in oriental practices where the repetition of mantras is frequent, and yet, praying a Rosary for them constitutes an extra effort and sometimes seems meaningless.

Pray the Rosary, look for a moment in your daily life to let Jesus, our savior, accompany you by the guidance of Our Blessed Mother, Mary. It may be boring if you are not familiar with the practice, but I think it can be conquered little by little. Offering a whole Rosary a week or a dozen roses daily, how I call it, to Our Blessed Mother can help so much. Put your concerns and problems into the hands of the Blessed Mother. Open the doors to your hearts and let her in. Seek counsel in God through her intercession, and I promise you, you will see a change in your life. There is not a perfect time in your life to seek God, just the ideal way. To me, it has been the Rosary, but there are so many other devotions that can get you close to God; it's just a matter of wanting to have God in your life. I want to share, or for those who already know, a little reminder of the 15 promises Our Blessed Mother left those who devotedly pray the Holy Rosary; I assure you, without a doubt, you will have plenty of reasons to start praying the Rosary.

The Blessed Virgin Mary promised to St. Dominic and all who follow that “Whatever you ask in the Rosary will be granted.” She left 15 Promises, here are a few of my favorites: 1. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 2. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice; he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 3. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church. 4. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise. 5. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 6. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.