What the Rosary means to me ... 10

What I love most about the Rosary is the depth contained in such a simple structure. Those three simple prayers at its heart - Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be - can say so much by themselves about God and our utter dependence on him, and remind us of our need for the prayers of other Christians, and most especially the Mother of God, both in our daily life and at the hour of our death. But then on top of that we have the twenty mysteries to meditate on, twenty "highlights" of the working-out of our salvation, each of which can give us some particular insight into our faith.

Now, that's not to say that it's always terribly easy to say the Rosary well. Personally, I often find myself thinking about the essay I'm meant to be writing, or what to make when it's my turn to cook for the brethren on Sunday. But that's not a reason to give up and say the Rosary is just not really for me. Rather, that difficulty reminds me that 'we do not know how to pray as we ought' (Rom. 8:26), and makes it even more important to ask Mary our Mother to pray for me: if we pray the Rosary even when it's difficult and ask persistently for our Lady's prayers, she will and does help us to grow in our love of God, and also of the Rosary, by which we particularly honour her.