The Rosary, as a “Heirloom” for me.

“With the Rosary, we let ourselves be guided by Mary, the model of faith, in contemplating the mysteries of Christ, and day by day we are assisted to digest the Gospel, so that the Gospel shapes all our lives.” (Pope Benedict XVI)

My love for the rosary prayer, and even the practice of taking it with me wherever I go stem from childhood. At that time, I used to invite my parents especially my mother to join the rosary prayer held at the village Catholic community. I was even trained to lead the rosary prayers, and from that time onwards, I became comfortable carrying my rosary wherever I went. I feel protected when I am carrying it and I do pray it even during my trips.

The words of Pope Benedict at the beginning of this article are very touching, and correspond to my conviction. In praying the rosary, I submit myself to be led by Mother Mary in order to understand Jesus Christ more deeply through the mysteries of His life and mission. I am continually invited to get to know Jesus Christ deeply and to love him more. The more frequently I pray the Rosary, reflecting on the mysteries of the life and work of Jesus Christ, the more I am increasingly driven to digest the Gospel and let myself be shaped by it.

In reality, this is not always easy as our faith is marked by consolation and desolation and through the faithfulness of our Lady who always intercedes for me, I am empowered by Jesus Christ to go through difficult times in my life. I strongly believe that through the rosary prayers I obtain mercy, and by getting closer to Jesus Christ, I have a better and deeper understanding of the mystery of his life and work, and thus I have a better understanding of the mystery of my being.

Increasingly, I experience that the rosary is becoming “Heirlooms” to me. Heirloom here does not refer to “Black magic or White magic”, but something of a great worth to me, something that is very valuable and makes me feel comfortable if the Rosary is with me. I feel there is something with me, protecting me. I also feel that the Virgin Mary is accompanying me, as she accompanied Jesus Christ in his childhood. Every time I pray the Rosary, I feel very close to Mother Mary and Jesus Christ.

Living together with fellow brothers in community during the past six 6 years, I discovered the meaningfulness of having the rosary prayers together. Apart from the communal experience of our closeness with the Lord Jesus Christ through the Blessed Virgin Mary, I can also personally confirm that I am becoming closer to God through this experience. At least once a week, I visit Mary, Star of the Sea in Maastricht city, just to sit quietly with Mary or have a dialogue with her on the meaning of my life and apostolate.

We should all be encouraged to pray the rosary diligently,not only during the months of the Rosary (October and May), but as often as possible. The more often we pray the Rosary in earnest, the more we understand the mystery of the Gospel and increasingly, the more we are shaped by the Good News and the joy of the Gospel.

We are becoming truly Christian who are happy and grateful for the redemption that we received. We are grateful because we have Mary our Mother who faithfully intercedes for us and leads us towards our Father in heaven through Christ and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Theo Riyanto, FIC