The Rosary Revives the Soul
A Guest from the Irish College
The Reverend Mr. Bernard Healy of the Pontifical Irish College visited me today. He was interested in seeing the Chapel of the Madonna di Bon Aiuto. We strolled in the rain–washed monastery garden, enjoying the white roses that are blossoming in profusion, as you can see in the photo above.
May Devotions in the Chapel of Bon Aiuto
The postulants and novices returned with me for the second day of May to pray the holy rosary in the chapel of the Madonna di Bon Aiuto. The Rosary is a 
deceptively simple prayer. The power of the Rosary is completely disproportionate to the effort required to pray it well. The secret is to begin saying it and to persevere in saying it whether one feels consolation or not. The Rosary is powerful because, almost imperceptibly, it changes the heart of the one who prays it, liberates from sin, and heals wounds resistant to every other treatment.
Why the Devil Hates the Rosary
The devil, of course, hates the Rosary, precisely because it changes hearts, detaches from sin, attaches to the all–pure Mother of God, and leads to conversion. One of the ploys he uses to deter people from praying it is to suggest that unless one can pray it well, i.e. perfectly, one shouldn’t pray it at all. I would suggest, rather, that the Rosary, even prayed badly, is better than no Rosary at all. The Rosary, exactly like the Jesus Prayer, opens the heart to seeds of contemplation that, in the end, become the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.
The Rosary in Bits and Pieces
One should use every opportunity to pray the Rosary, even when can do so only in bits and pieces. The Holy Mother of God knows well how to sort out the bits and pieces offered by her children. Those who persevere in the humble recitation of the Rosary are able to say, quoting the psalmist, that it “revives the soul, gives wisdom to the simple, rejoices the heart, and gives light to the eyes” (Ps 18:7–8).
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You are exactly right on the rosary: it is deceptively simple and yet powerful. In my life, it is through the rosary that grace abounds and the openness to take a hard look at my life happens. Thanks for mentioning the Jesus Prayer. I am attached to praying it for its Christological implications. Plus, I just like praying it.
Just what I needed to read….
Thank you. That is the very detraction that hits me the most. I prayed it today during adoration for a very specific purpose (a group of retreatants I could not join), and ended up very distracted. I offered those distrations, offered my prayers for those who came to mind…and in the end apologized to the Lord for my inability to focus. I was not even able to remember most of the mysteries! But I kept praying. I think I heard Fr. Corapi say once that there is no such thing as a “bad rosary”.
It was a badly prayed rosary, just the same.
Your words console me.
And will you also pray for those who attended the retreat I had promised to pray for? They still have some hours left, although they are likely sleeping now.