The Rosary and Grace for the Journey
By Sheena Delaney
For me, I realized the power of the rosary through praying in community. In my college campus ministry, I had a number of occasions to pray the rosary with my friends, which was always a powerful experience. These experiences were augmented by my experiences at Salesian Young Adult Retreats, Gospel Roads, and World Youth Day. Some of the most powerful experiences I had at these retreats were praying the rosary in community. I was able to see the beauty of sharing a love for Mary and to reflect on the life of Jesus with my closest friends. After World Youth Day, my friends and I would often get together before student Mass on Sunday to pray the rosary. The fruits of those prayers were amazing. I saw how praying the rosary with others drew me closer to them, made me more patient and loving, and helped me to witness to the love of Christ in a simple and powerful way.
After college, the rosary quickly went from a powerful prayer that I loved, to a lifeline that I could not live without. As a law student, I am often so exhausted that making it through another day of school seems impossible. I have watched my classmates deal with the pressure of school in various ways- many of which are unhealthy and destructive. And I have repeatedly thanked God for the weapon of the rosary, which gives me the grace to make it through another day. Every time I wanted to quit school, to quit on my relationships or my prayer life, praying the rosary has strengthened me. Though the rosary isn’t (of course) a magic spell, it is a powerful way to invoke the presence of Mary, who as our mother, will implore her Son that we receive what we need, to make it through another day. The twenty minutes that it takes to pray a rosary are a small price to pay when compared to the tremendous loving presence of our mother Mary, who flies to our rescue -- interceding for us whenever we ask her to.
I recently read the story of Immaculée Ilibagiza, who survived the Rwandan genocide hidden in a tiny bathroom with seven other women for 91 days. She credits her survival, and her ability to forgive the people who killed all of her family and tried to kill her- to praying the rosary. For me, if praying the rosary could help Immaculee survive such a harrowing experience, I do not doubt that it will get me through the little struggles that I face in my day-to-day life.
After college, the rosary quickly went from a powerful prayer that I loved, to a lifeline that I could not live without. As a law student, I am often so exhausted that making it through another day of school seems impossible. I have watched my classmates deal with the pressure of school in various ways- many of which are unhealthy and destructive. And I have repeatedly thanked God for the weapon of the rosary, which gives me the grace to make it through another day. Every time I wanted to quit school, to quit on my relationships or my prayer life, praying the rosary has strengthened me. Though the rosary isn’t (of course) a magic spell, it is a powerful way to invoke the presence of Mary, who as our mother, will implore her Son that we receive what we need, to make it through another day. The twenty minutes that it takes to pray a rosary are a small price to pay when compared to the tremendous loving presence of our mother Mary, who flies to our rescue -- interceding for us whenever we ask her to.
I recently read the story of Immaculée Ilibagiza, who survived the Rwandan genocide hidden in a tiny bathroom with seven other women for 91 days. She credits her survival, and her ability to forgive the people who killed all of her family and tried to kill her- to praying the rosary. For me, if praying the rosary could help Immaculee survive such a harrowing experience, I do not doubt that it will get me through the little struggles that I face in my day-to-day life.