December 17, 2008

The mystery of my rosary

The rosary was introduced to me as a little girl when my grandmother would light a candle every evening and for what seemed like hours, we would kneel and pray it along with other prayers to various saints.

I never became a fan of using beads to pray. The only time I remember praying a rosary was the night before a funeral. Praying the rosary was boring and many times I dozed off before completing all the prayers. My mind tended to wander as I repeated the memorized prayers. I had my own way of praying and did not need beads to help me. 

This year, a few days before leaving on a pilgrimage to Fatima and Lourdes, I went to confession. The priest asked me if I prayed the rosary.  I told him I didn’t.  He said that the rosary is a beautiful way to communicate with the Blessed Mother and that she herself had asked us to pray it. For my penance he asked me to pray the rosary.

Through the years, I have accumulated many rosaries. Some hang from crucifixes or are in drawers. Yet, with all those rosaries about, on the morning the priest told to pray the rosary I counted the decades on my fingers.

Arriving at Fatima in Portugal, I watched people buy rosaries. I saw them painfully walk on their knees with a rosary in their hand. I observed them kneel in front of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, grasping a rosary.  I saw nuns, monks, priests, and lay people holding rosaries. I was handed a card explaining “How to Pray the Rosary.” Without giving it a second thought, I tossed the card in with the rest of the information I planned to read when I returned home.

In Lourdes, France, I visited Our Lady’s statue in the small grotto where she appeared to Bernadette 150 years ago.  Many candles in a circular metal holder lit up the area in front of her image. People left bouquets of flowers on the cold ground. The area was peaceful; the sense that it was a holy place was all around.  It didn’t matter what time I went to the grotto, someone was always kneeling in front of the statue praying the rosary.  One morning, around six, I walked to the grotto.  It was dark except for a few lamps. When I arrived I found a woman kneeling in front of the grotto, her rosary wrapped around her fingers. The only things moving were her lips and her fingers. How I envied the woman’s devotion.

The small shops at Lourdes were filled with tourists, speaking in different languages, crowding around the many religious articles for sale.  I looked for a souvenir for a friend and happened to see a silver rosary.  The crucifix was different and I liked it.  I continued looking in the display cases but felt drawn to the silver rosary.  Each bead had a scene of Our Lady of Lourdes and Bernadette.  I took the rosary from the display and instantly felt something – warmth, love, a tug at my heart?  The beads felt comfortable in my hand.  I decided to buy the rosary.

Every time I touched the silver rosary, something within me – my heart or my soul or both – moved. I fell in love with the rosary—not just its beauty but how it made me feel. I decided to keep it.

Returning home I decided to pray the rosary.  One day, I forgot to pray it. As I switched off the lights, a glowing rosary appeared before my eyes. It scared me and I turned on the light. To my surprise, I discovered the glowing rosary had been hanging in the same spot for more than 45 years. In all those years I had never seen it glow, until Our Lady needed to remind me that I had not prayed the rosary that day.

Praying the rosary encompasses many things for me. I praise God, I profess my faith and I am reminded of all aspects of Christ’s life. I look forward to reciting each prayer.

I believe our Blessed Mother began working on me even before I left on pilgrimage.  She led me to her holy places of Fatima and Lourdes, she guided me as I was directed to pray the rosary for my penance, and she led me to the silver rosary. She has lovingly added me to those who devoutly pray the rosary every day.

Erlinda Moscoso
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