The Power of the Rosary

By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

The victory of the Christian forces against overwhelming odds at Lepanto is attributed to the power of the rosary, hence the feast of the Holy Rosary and of our Lady of Victory was established by Pope Pius V in thanksgiving for the victory on October 7th. Yet, it is astonishing how this simple, childlike devotion has so much power! In what lies its power?

The first thing we have to remember and emphasize is that the rosary is primarily a contemplative prayer as described by St. John Paul II in his Apostolic Exhortation Rosarium Virginis Mariae, citing the same teaching of St. Pope Paul VI in his Encyclical on Marian Devotion. The Rosary calls us – and enables us – to contemplate the life, the words, the actions, and even the face of Jesus with Mary as we consider the chronological events of the life of the Lord in the twenty mysteries of the rosary. The Our Fathers and Hail Marys provide the background for these brief but beneficial considerations of the mysteries. But how does contemplation give us power?

Contemplation of the person of Jesus in the mysteries of the rosary enables us to abide ever more deeply with the Lord. By frequently considering the mysteries of His life through this simple devotion of the rosary, we enter ever more deeply into the very person of Jesus. We become ever more acquainted with Him and the events of His life, His actions and reactions, His words,  and even His attitudes and sentiments. By getting to know Him better, we can thus imitate Him and be better able to do what He says. If we listen to Him, if we watch Him and think about Him and what He is doing and saying, we are acting as His disciples did toward their master or teacher! And, so, contemplation done frequently of the mysteries of the rosary enables us to stay with Him, to remain in Him, to “abide” in Jesus, and He with us!    

Jesus told His disciples at the last supper, “If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:7-8) 

Abiding in Jesus is where the power lies! “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”, Jesus assured His disciples, so if we abide in Him, we have access to all we need.

Moreover, there is no one who pondered the words and actions of the Lord better than Mary, His Mother, who “kept them in her heart”, and so who has the most power to ask and obtain for us for our needs and those of the whole world! After all, it is the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary!