"Why Pray the Rosary?" by Brother John Samaha, S.M.

Ave Maria!  The month of October is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, or, as we so lovingly call upon her in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin (also known as the Litany of Loretto), the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary.  During this month, I will be writing about this vibrant Christocentric prayer which, as the Holy Father has pointed out, "is experiencing a new Springtime."  How can this not be so since the rosary is all about our Lord Jesus, the Living One, who is alive forevermore?!  He is the eternal Springtime who brings to fulfillment the promise of old:  "For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone" (Song of Songs 2:11).  Praying the rosary helps me to see more clearly that, in Christ, "the old has gone, the new has come!" It also helps me to live more fully the amazing truth that in Him, we are most assuredly a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Deo gratias!

Today's reflection on the rosary comes from the Mary Page at the University of Dayton, which states that its goal is to "gather and present information about the Virgin Mary and to lead people to a loving knowledge of her.  Learning more about Mary, we develop a more complete knowledge of Christ, his Church, and Christian life."  This rich Marian resource center is well worth exploring -- and its constantly being updated.

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us! 

 

"Why Pray the Rosary?" by Brother John Samaha, S.M.

More than a century ago a proud university student boarded a train in France and sat next to an older man who seemed to be a peasant of comfortable means.  The brash student noticed the older gentleman was slipping beads through his fingers.  He was praying the rosary.

"Sir, do you still believe in such outdated things?" the student inquired. "Yes, I do. Don't you?" the man responded. The student laughed and admitted, "I do not believe in such silly things. Take my advice. Throw the rosary out the window, and learn what science has to say about it."

"Science? I do not understand this science. Perhaps you can explain it to me," the old man said humbly, tears welling in his eyes.

The university student noticed that the aging gentleman was deeply moved. To avoid hurting further the older person's feelings, he said, "Please give me your address and I will send you some literature that will explain the matter to you." The old man fumbled in the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out his card. On reading the card, the student lowered his head in shame and was speechless. The card read: Louis Pasteur, Director of the Institute of Scientific Research, Paris. The deluded student had encountered his country's leading chemist and bacteriologist, and a scientist of worldwide renown, who would give the world the scientific process that would bear his name -- pasturization.