May is the month of Mary, and one of the most popular Marian devotions is the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is a powerful devotion that Catholics have prayed throughout the centuries, but what makes it so popular and so powerful?
Fr. Carl Pieber, International Director of the Miraculous Medal Association, stopped by Morning Air® to discuss the power of the Rosary.
Fr. Pieber began the conversation by posing the question, “Why the Rosary? Why has this prayer been so effective, powerful, popular, and come down through the ages?”
He answered, “Because it is the only prayer in the Church that takes Scripture, dogma, our belief, the Trinity, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and Mary all in one great prayer. The mysteries of the Rosary tell us all that we believe about the Catholic Church. Many of the dogmas, all the signs, everything we have.”
Fr. Pieber explained the power of the Rosary comes from the power of Mary’s intercession, and her special role as the Mother of God.
“When the earliest Christians prayed to Mary, they prayed to her as the Mother of God, the Mother of Jesus Christ, their savior,” he said. “And they knew she was special, they knew she had power, they knew she was selected by God. And so they knew God wanted her to be God’s mother. … She loves God so much that God totally works through her … It’s just amazing how she just takes you right to God”
There are stories throughout Church history that tell of the power of the Rosary. But these are not just stories of the past, the Rosary is still a powerful presence in our world today. Fr. Pieber shared his own recent experience of seeing what a devotion to the Rosary can do in areas where Christians are still persecuted.
“I was just on a big trip to Asia to visit the associations out in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos,” he said. “We have about 300 members in Laos, and it was kind of underground, but they are up now and running. And every one of those members had a Rosary in their hand.”
“Now, if you don’t think that is a witness to a power, you are really wrong,” he continued. “That means that Mary was their power, their hope. They prayed that all the time, and look at what they’ve done. They keep expanding in a country that is negative to Christianity. It doesn’t bother them, they are emboldened to ask their neighbors – who are usually Buddhist or Hindus – to join the faith.”
When Fr. Pieber was with this community that had a devotion to the Rosary, he himself felt the power of this beautiful prayer. He said, “All of these people praying that Rosary – their favorite prayer – and I was there with them. And it just said to me, ‘I am here.’ That’s what I felt, Mary saying, ‘I am here. I am here protecting these people, loving these people, bringing them to Jesus.'”
If you haven’t prayed the Rosary in a while – or ever – Fr. Pieber has a simple piece of advice for you and for all of us during this month of Mary: “I’m telling you, if you haven’t done it in a while, get to it and do it.”
At Relevant Radio®, we believe in the power of the Rosary. We air the Family Rosary Across America® live each weeknight, our associates pray a daily Rosary for listeners’ intentions, and the Relevant Radio App offers audio Rosaries so you can pray along anytime, anywhere.
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