Many people are not aware that when Rosary was introduced, it was considered to be recited with all the fifteen mysteries and they were often broken down throughout the day. In his famous book “The secret of the Rosary” St. Louis de Montfort encourages the reader to pray the entire rosary (3 rosaries each of 5 decades) every day. Throughout the history of the church, countless saints have prayed the Rosary and they not only found in it a sure guide to holiness but great benefits. Doctors of the church, as well as saints like St. Theresa of Avila, great religious founders like St. Domnic & St. Ignatius de Loyola, Mystics like St. Gemma Galgani, St. Padre Pio, all of these prayed the Rosary everyday and sometimes many times the entire Rosary.
The Church and the present world need more good leaders. Along with St. Louie the Montfort, I want to encourage you to pray the Rosary more frequently. Praying one rosary (5 decades) is good. However I have noticed that once I complete the entire Rosary (i.e. All 15 decades as given to St. Domnic Guzman in the 12th Century), there is a special grace that I receive, something that is unique for having completed the entire Rosary. All those promises, graces and blessing that have been promised throughout the ages finally come into fulfilment. If people start praying the entire Rosary every day, their life will change radically from the very moment they start. They will notice the changes within themselves, because Mother Mary is so efficient, she is the Mother of God and she is perfectly united with the Holy Ghost. By praying the Rosary it helps to develop greater love with the Eucharist, makes one hate sin more, helps to overcome vices, helps to be inspired and filled with Holy Ghost. If you are struggling with sin, pray the entire Rosary daily; that will make all the difference.
There are countless examples of how life of people has changed after praying the Rosary. The Rosary is filled with amazing military triumphs, where those devoted to reciting the Rosary were victorious despite great and often trying times.
When you want to pray the entire Rosary, don’t be discouraged because dryness and distractions will be a normal part of the human experience; JUST DO IT. Don’t be too hard on your self, if you think you have not done well to pray devoutly, then try harder the next time. Don’t let your desire to be perfect keep you from doing something good. The devil is going to try and discourage you and keep you from moving forward. Just get your prayers done; you will be thankful that you persevered. Sometimes it will be very hard because you will be tired, but don’t cease praying. Praying Rosary is not only about receiving graces for one’s self, but it’s about holiness, your prayers make a difference in the world and in the life of your dear ones. In Goa we see at various places, during the month of May, people praying the Rosary. Years back people, during the month of May would pray the devotion of Mez de Maria, which again is slowly getting revived. Mez de Maria devotion consists of daily reflections on the Life of Mother Mary along with examples of favours received, followed by the Rosary that would help people grow in faith. Trust in God and pray the Rosary in confidence and with fervour. Let me conclude with a quote:
“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” — Sister Lucia dos Santos of Fatima
Neville Fernandes