The Promise and Power of the Rosary: The Glorious Mysteries

Shelly Henley Kelly recaps her own experience of using the new book, The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, to pray the Rosary.

The first time I learned about Father Patrick Peyton was during the middle of the pandemic. Although I didn’t know much about him, I’d heard his catchy message before: “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together.”

His life in devotion to Mary and the Rosary are represented in a new book, The Family that Prays Together Stays Together: A Bead-by-Bead Family Guide through the Mysteries, by Fr. Willy Raymond, C.S.C.

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The invitation is simple: develop a deeper devotion to the Blessed Mother and daily prayer through the Rosary. The twist? Recognizing that habits need to be small, yet consistent, we’re invited to pray and meditate on just one mystery per day. How can you say no to that?

In my youth, the Rosary was traditionally reserved for old ladies and funerals. (I’m beginning to resemble that description these days.) However, when life led me to a job with a long commute, I coped with the stress by praying the Rosary daily. That was over a decade ago. And while daily prayer is still a regular habit, the Rosary moved down in my rotation. So I received this invitation to pray through the Glorious Mysteries with Father Raymond’s book as an opportunity to reconnect.

The Glorious Mysteries begin by meditating on the Resurrection. How appropriate. On Easter week, I’d attended one funeral, with two more scheduled on each of the following weekends. On my first day of prayer, it was comforting to focus solely on the Easter Gospel, a reminder that because of Christ, this life is not our home. The next day, our prayers draw us into the Second Mystery, the Ascension. We’re invited to place ourselves in Mary’s presence, just as she was present with the Apostles. I envision her supporting me with her prayers as she supported them.

By the third day, I found myself praying the daily decade before breakfast, even before picking up the book. That afternoon, after reading Father Raymond’s reflection on the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Third Mystery, I discovered that the largest religious gathering in the United States took place in 1961, when more than half a million people gathered in San Francisco to pray the Rosary. Can you imagine what that must have been like? We need a renewal of that strength of prayer in the world today!

The Fourth Mystery, the Assumption of Mary, uses the story of the Philippines Miracle at EDSA (1986) for us to understand that with Mary as our Advocate, prayer has the power to change society.

Upon meditation, I realized: I want that power of prayer in my life. To wholly trust in the motherly love of Mary as a bridge between all of us and Christ. I carried this concept with me into Friday’s decade, focusing on the Coronation of Mary. Can we really change the world with prayer? If it was possible then, why not now?

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The book recommends bringing it all together, praying all of the Glorious Mysteries on Saturday, then offering the fruits of our weekly prayer to Mass on Sunday. For me, this included the following: Our life on Earth is merely a passage or journey in which we are to praise and glorify God in our everyday actions. One person joined with another in prayer can affect the world in big and small ways. Through the power of prayer, we can change our life, bringing rest, peace, and acceptance to our situation as needed.

My favorite way to pray the Rosary is still in community; gathered with others during small group study, in the church after Mass, or even at a funeral. Praying together unites us, empowers us, and sustains us spiritually as a family. However, this method of reflecting on one Mystery per day comes in handy for the days when we can’t be in community, the days when our time is short, and especially the days when it would be all too easy to say, “not today.”

Save 20% off the cover price of The Family That Stays Together Prays Together when you purchase the book from the Holy Cross Family Ministries online store. Use coupon code CMROSARY at checkout. This offer expires June 10, 2024.