Sometimes we forget that Our Lady of Fatima is actually Our Lady of the Rosary, just as Our Lady of Lourdes is the Immaculate Conception. Mary revealed her identity at Fatima as Our Lady of the Rosary. In each apparition, she urged the recitation of the Rosary.
The Rosary may be the most important message from the Fatima apparitions. It guides us to Heaven. Didn’t the Blessed Mother say that Francisco would go to Heaven but only after praying many Rosaries? Most of us don’t fully understand the true power of praying the Rosary. And if it leads to Heaven, then we should!
Noted theologian, spiritual master, and teacher of Pope Saint John Paul II, Father Garrigou-Lagrange, explains in his book The Three Stages of the Interior Life that those who seek to grow spiritually can make significant progress by becoming familiar with the mysteries of the Rosary. These mysteries concern “the incarnation of the Word, the redemption, and eternal life,” which are the core mysteries of salvation. By daily reflecting on these mysteries and exploring their deeper spiritual meanings, going beyond just the physical aspects, the Rosary stops being a “mechanical recitation of the Hail Mary, but a living thing, a school of contemplation.”
The person who adopts this way of praying the Rosary changes how he recites it. He becomes more familiar with the true spirit of the Rosary. He gains a better understanding of its spiritual meanings and applies them to his daily life. Little by little, day by day, the Rosary will “enkindle in him the desire for heaven, of the glory of God, and the salvation of souls; it would give him a love of the Cross and strength to carry it, and from time to time a foretaste of heaven, a certain savor of eternal life….”
How many of us are “enkindled” by the Rosary in this way? We need to change our view of the Rosary and recognize how powerful a prayer it truly is. After all, as Father Calloway MIC argues in his book Champions of the Rosary, “the Rosary is a gift from Heaven, genuinely given to St. Dominic by the Blessed Virgin Mary as both a spiritual weapon and a tool of sanctification.” As we read above, Garrigou-Lagrange states that it becomes alive when used to its full potential!
We need to pray the Rosary differently than we have been to unlock its full potential. To pray the Rosary well is to pray the Word of God. Father Calloway emphasizes, “What better devotional prayers can there be besides the Our Father and the Hail Mary? The words of the Our Father came from the lips of Jesus himself. The words of the Hail Mary were uttered on God’s behalf by a holy angel!” The mysteries all center on Christ. What we need to do is savor them, meditate on them properly—not rushing through but lingering, penetrating, pondering the mysteries and how they relate to each other as a whole view of the Life of Christ. These are the mysteries of our salvation—the Rosary is a summary of the Gospel. When we say it correctly, we are praying the Gospel.
How many saints made a habit of meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary? Quite a few! Great saints like Teresa of Avila and John Paul II said the Rosary every day. Mother Teresa prayed the Rosary, as did Pope Benedict, Josemaría Escrivá, Padre Pio, Maximilian Kolbe, Louis de Montfort, St. Dominic, Blessed Allen, and many others. It is not just a prayer for the older generations; it is a prayer used by saints that we should all embrace and use to become holy. If it was good enough for so many saints, it is good enough for us, too!
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