Pray the Rosary.  Prayer is a powerful thing and there are indeed many ways to pray.  As a child, I remember being taught to pray the rosary.   October and May were special months and during this time our family would pray the rosary together each night after supper.  My mother said that when we prayed the rosary we welcomed Jesus’ mother into our home and likewise we welcomed her son.  

Mary holds a unique place in God’s plan of salvation.  Where the scripture says we can be a mother or brother of Jesus (Matthew 12:48-50), the fact is he had only one biological mother.   She holds a place no other human being has or can hold.  Mary freely gave her consent to be the mother of Jesus and by doing so her motherhood extends to us—the brothers and sisters of Jesus—as well.  The church spends a great deal of time studying and reflecting on this human mother of Christ. The more we contemplate her, the more we comprehend her son and the great mystery we call incarnation.  

There are many who make exaggerated claims about Mary, speaking of powers and favors she gives.   One must be careful about such piety.   Mary’s blessing is that she gave Christ his humanity.  It was through her consent that she gave the world a savior; the Son of God.  Mary gives nothing through her own power.  Any favor she may bestow is given by her cooperation with God.  In fact that is central to what the church teaches about Mary.  Mary points the way to Jesus.  “Do what he tells you,” she says (John 2:5).   When we pray to or through Mary, we do indeed welcome Jesus’ mother and Jesus into our homes.

The rosary was developed in the middle ages as a substitute for the Liturgy of the Hours (or office), the official prayer of the church.  There were many required and many who wanted to pray the office but were not able to do so. The rosary allowed one to meditate on the mysteries of salvation.  The repetition of the Hail Mary was easy to remember.  This was in a time before copies of the Psalms and prayers were readily available. A prayer that could be committed to memory was indeed helpful to one’s prayer.

Another reason it became popular is because Mary is the perfect pray-er.  To ask her to pray with us and unite our prayer with hers is indeed a good and powerful act of faith.  Perhaps the month of October would be a good time for each of us to pray the rosary.  You may wish to set aside a special time to pray it with your family or a group of friends.   To unite our prayers with Mary is to unite our prayers with all her children.  That prayer is indeed a powerful voice calling out to God.