The Living Rosary: A Solution to Gaining More Graces for the Family

We all know family life can be difficult, and it often seems like the more children you have, the more stressful it is. As a mother of seven, I realize that no matter how much I desire peace in my family, something is always bound to ruin the moment, be it a  spill, spat, squabble or simply the fact that nine people live under one roof!

So what is the solution to finding peace in life and growing in our faith as a family and in our extended family? Is there a practical and doable solution that can bridge generations, personalities and even lifestyles? We need a method that not only generates new and lasting graces and helps the family function harmoniously but that is also easy enough to follow through with daily. Wouldn’t it be great to find a way to generate graces like an espresso machine? In goes the coffee beans, out comes hot coffee. That’s what every family needs to grow in grace – a simple, doable solution. I’ve found this simple solution to be investing in a Living Rosary.

I believe the answer to many of our issues can be found in a little story I came across about St. Pope John Paul II that touched my heart and inspired me and my family to begin to seek out new graces especially in the new year. It’s called a “Living Rosary” and the idea is that each person prays one decade of a mystery each day and the group can depend on these prayers. When John Paul II was a young, there was a time when the clery was being persecuted and unable to minister to others like they desired and for many of them they died a martyr’s death by the hands of the Nazi and and later Communist. The local tailor, Jan Leopold Tyranowski, was a mystic and spiritual mentor to the future holy father. He taught the local boys to form “cells” where 15 of them would commit to praying one decade of the Rosary so that all the mysteries were prayed daily for the boys in their group through Our Lady’s Protection. These groups would also gather at the church for prayer when they could. These groups began to grow and other groups of 15 would form to build more Rosary chains.  

So could this simple model be a way to help us to reconnect with prayer and, of course, say the whole Rosary if you can at least meditate on and pray the decade you are committed to? As you know, we are in a great spiritual battle and our enemies are often not foreign invaders but instead the vices that we allow to creep into our homes. It’s easy to lose patience in dealing with family members and allow our selfishness to cause us to resent the very people God has placed in our lives for us to serve. This powerful practice can be used in many forms and no matter what, we can all say one decade of the Rosary for others who are are depending on us. This is a living prayer!

I’m thankful for this humble and local tailor from Poland, who served as a powerful spiritual mentor to our former Holy Father and showed him the impact that laity can have on the clergy and the whole Church. If we are willing to grow in our faith and seek out new graces for our family and those around us, we can be transformed by God’s mercy. These cells of living Rosaries are a great way to teach others to pray and to grow in our own faith at the same time! In honor of John Paul II these graces can teach us to “Be Not Afraid” and grow in holiness.

God can use difficult moments in history, like the persecution of the Church during WWII, to foster and strengthen faith.   

“God works through his enemies, using them unwittingly to do his will. By depriving the St. Stanislaus Kostka parish of most of its priests, the Nazis gave it Jan Tyranowski, who discovered that he had a talent for nurturing souls. His apostolate numbered a few hundred at most, and had Karol Wojtyla not been among its members, no one outside Krakow would ever have heard of Tyranowski or his work. Yet his influence was profound. From among the members of his Living Rosary group came 11 vocations, including a future pope.”-www.faith.org.uk

Consider having family members or friends sign up for one decade to begin a Living Rosary in your lIfe. Here are all the mysteries below:

The Joyful Mysteries:

• The Annunciation of the Lord to Mary

• The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth

• The Nativity of our Lord

• The Presentation of our Lord

• Finding Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12

 

Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary:

• The Agony of Jesus in the Garden

• The Scourging at the Pillar

• Jesus is Crowned with Thorns

• Jesus Carries the Cross

• The Crucifixion of Our Lord

 

Glorious Mystery of the Rosary

• The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

• The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven

• The Descent of the Holy Ghost

• The Assumption of Mary into Heaven

• Mary is Crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth

 

The Luminous Mystery

• The Baptism in the Jordan

• The Wedding Feast at Cana

• The Proclamation of the Kingdom

• The Transfiguration

• The Institution of the Eucharist