Have you seen visible changes in your life--from praying the Rosary?

[the_phoenix]

Thank you, whatevergirl.

Your posts on this thread are truly inspirational.

~~ the phoenix

 

[whatevergirl]

Thank you, whatevergirl.

Your posts on this thread are truly inspirational.

~~ the phoenix

And yours, and others as well…:grouphug:

 

[danonwaveland]

I have a 21-yr-old son who goes to mass (almost) every Sunday – the days he misses are days when he’s steamed at the Lord or at life – and, while he spent 12 years in Catholic schools, he’s not well-catechized (while we’ve made prayer a big part of all we do, we haven’t spent a lot of times explaining the faith, hoping he’d soak that up in the catechism/religion classses). About a year ago, I prayed a rosary novena – 54 days, which is kind of long, but that’s what I was told – that, whatever path his life took, he’d wind up in love with God at his life’s end. Shortly after the novena ended, I saw three unsolicited instances in which he expressed his desire to persevere in the faith. One had to do with “I really feel good when I go to mass,” another with the Eucharist, and the third with something else. While he is not a “perfect Catholic,” whatever that is, he still says his prayers, goes to mass and even prays a rosary every now and then. (And while he doesn’t listen intently, he loves Fr. Corapi – hopefully something he hears in the background sticks in his mind.) Please keep Joe in your prayers.

I also prayed a rosary novena for my 50±year-old cousin, who is addicted to alcohol and other drugs. He’s still fighting an uphill battle, but I am confident that Our Lord will be there at the end to rescue him and that he will accept the gift of salvation. Please keep Pat in your prayers.

Meditating on the mysteries of the rosary has given me a deeper appreciation on His life. Just tonight, I was momentarily “bowled over” by the thought of the magnificent Lord of the universe – and beyond – becoming a small baby held in the arms of his earthly mother. Unbelievable!

God bless!
Dan

 

[whatevergirl]

I have a 21-yr-old son who goes to mass (almost) every Sunday – the days he misses are days when he’s steamed at the Lord or at life – and, while he spent 12 years in Catholic schools, he’s not well-catechized (while we’ve made prayer a big part of all we do, we haven’t spent a lot of times explaining the faith, hoping he’d soak that up in the catechism/religion classses). About a year ago, I prayed a rosary novena – 54 days, which is kind of long, but that’s what I was told – that, whatever path his life took, he’d wind up in love with God at his life’s end. Shortly after the novena ended, I saw three unsolicited instances in which he expressed his desire to persevere in the faith. One had to do with “I really feel good when I go to mass,” another with the Eucharist, and the third with something else. While he is not a “perfect Catholic,” whatever that is, he still says his prayers, goes to mass and even prays a rosary every now and then. (And while he doesn’t listen intently, he loves Fr. Corapi – hopefully something he hears in the background sticks in his mind.) Please keep Joe in your prayers.

That is a blessed miracle–what a great story! Praise be to God…

I also prayed a rosary novena for my 50±year-old cousin, who is addicted to alcohol and other drugs. He’s still fighting an uphill battle, but I am confident that Our Lord will be there at the end to rescue him and that he will accept the gift of salvation. Please keep Pat in your prayers.

I will

Meditating on the mysteries of the rosary has given me a deeper appreciation on His life. Just tonight, I was momentarily “bowled over” by the thought of the magnificent Lord of the universe – and beyond – becoming a small baby held in the arms of his earthly mother. Unbelievable!

*Yes–truly amazing–I feel like I trust more, through the Rosary. I don’t distrust the Lord, but there’s something that calms me about the Rosary. *

God bless!
Dan

 

[lampundermyfeet]

I think that there is something awesome that happens when we pray the rosary ( for me anyway), any problem that we have seems insignificant. When I pray the rosary, sometimes I am thinking of a problem, by the time that I am done, the emotional side of the problem is gone. All that matters is what Jesus has done and not my problem. Somehow, without me knowing it, Jesus has stepped in and taken care of the problem.

I never cease to be amazed at the love Jesus has for us.

 

[DebChris]

I learned as a cathecist to add a single word or phrase after Jesus related to the mystery that I am praying.
For instance, with the Annunciation, I will say “…blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus Incarnate.”
This helps with meditation.
During the Sorrowful mysteries, I have felt the burden lift when praying “…blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus taking my cross” and His forgiveness with "blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus, crucified.

 

[bcuster]

About 12 years ago my life was crashing all about me. I was encountering opposition at my workplace, immobilized by physical and mental illnesses, and bitter/angry towards family members and towards the Church. In a fit of despare I begged the Lord to help me and I do not know why I said this but I asked Our Lady to help me. Within days, my MIL and FIL came back from a pilgrimage. They gave each of us a rosary “blessed by the Blessed Virgin Mary.” I had the sudden overwhelming thought that this was a gift from my Mother. Not just my MIL, but from Mary, Mother of Jesus. She knew about me. She cared. I began to say the Rosary and day by day my life began to turn around. I began attending Mass on Sunday’s again. I went to confession. I attended healing Masses. I began the formation for the Disciples of Jesus and Mary. I could go on and on. Mother Mary has led me to a deeper love of Jesus in the Eucharist. I live in Joy all the time—not feeling happy all the time–but real Joy in knowing who I am and who God is calling me to be day by day. The Rosary is sometimes a struggle for me, but it has become the foundation of my prayer life.

 

[Simon_X]

I have tried off and on over the last few years to get into the rosary. I have to say, it is a prayer that has become much easier and more fruitful since I started saying it every day (although a little tougher on weekends). I to, say it on the way to work every day. I start by adding intentions for my family, the Pope, you folks that ask for prayers here on CAF, and of course, myself. I feel more at peace, more focused at work, and less stressed.

Good posts WG and all of you. I am certainly not what I consider a holy man or a saint, but everything you’ve all said is very true.

If you have ever struggled to say the rosary, stay with it, the rewards are great. If you currently say the rosary everyday, then I don’t have to tell you the graces you have received…

PS, my favorites are the Glorious and Luminous.but I do say the other mysteries depending on the season…

 

[whatevergirl]

I have tried off and on over the last few years to get into the rosary. I have to say, it is a prayer that has become much easier and more fruitful since I started saying it every day (although a little tougher on weekends). I to, say it on the way to work every day. I start by adding intentions for my family, the Pope, you folks that ask for prayers here on CAF, and of course, myself. I feel more at peace, more focused at work, and less stressed.

Good posts WG and all of you. I am certainly not what I consider a holy man or a saint, but everything you’ve all said is very true.

If you have ever struggled to say the rosary, stay with it, the rewards are great. If you currently say the rosary everyday, then I don’t have to tell you the graces you have received…

PS, my favorites are the Glorious and Luminous.but I do say the other mysteries depending on the season…

Great testimonial, Simon–thank you for sharing!

I have a booklet of the Rosary, that indicates the days of the week, to say each mystery:

Monday and Saturday–Joyous
Tuesday and Friday–Sorrowful
Wed and Sunday–Glorious
Thursday–Luminous

 

[pentecostbaby]

For the month of May, I’ve started saying at least a decade of the Rosary every night. I was never “big” on the rosary - I was never able to concentrate and meditate.
However, I’d been saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for a few months, and, since it’s shorter and such an amazing way to get close to Jesus, the Rosary has been a totally different experience this time.
I really love the time I get to spend thinking about the mysteries. And while nothing hugely earth-shaking has happened, I have become much more aware of certain issues I need to resolve in my life - AND I’ve been able to take some steps to resolve them. I have a very emotionally distant family, and praying with Mary has helped me to think about my relationship with my own mother. While that hasn’t been “worked out”, at least it’s something that I am now thinking about and aware of. I also go to Confession more and have more of an awareness of my sins, and a desire to avoid them.
It’s more of the little change for me that have made a big difference. The uphill climb might be slow, but it’s getting me there, and I think I have Mary to thank for a lot of that.

 

[whatevergirl]

For the month of May, I’ve started saying at least a decade of the Rosary every night. I was never “big” on the rosary - I was never able to concentrate and meditate.
However, I’d been saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for a few months, and, since it’s shorter and such an amazing way to get close to Jesus, the Rosary has been a totally different experience this time.
I really love the time I get to spend thinking about the mysteries. And while nothing hugely earth-shaking has happened, I have become much more aware of certain issues I need to resolve in my life - AND I’ve been able to take some steps to resolve them. I have a very emotionally distant family, and praying with Mary has helped me to think about my relationship with my own mother. While that hasn’t been “worked out”, at least it’s something that I am now thinking about and aware of. I also go to Confession more and have more of an awareness of my sins, and a desire to avoid them.
It’s more of the little change for me that have made a big difference. The uphill climb might be slow, but it’s getting me there, and I think I have Mary to thank for a lot of that.

Thank you for sharing! I also wonder if the Holy Spirit is at work, and revealing to you some of the changes you indicate above,to make in your life? I was reading a mass reflection yesterday on www.wau.org, and it discussed something similiar…that the Holy Spirit will reveal to us things that we need to do to make changes in our lives, or will cause us to move in a certain direction. It was very interesting. God bless you, and great story about the Rosary!

 

[DebChris]

For the month of May, I’ve started saying at least a decade of the Rosary every night. I was never “big” on the rosary - I was never able to concentrate and meditate.
However, I’d been saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for a few months, and, since it’s shorter and such an amazing way to get close to Jesus, the Rosary has been a totally different experience this time.
I really love the time I get to spend thinking about the mysteries. And while nothing hugely earth-shaking has happened, I have become much more aware of certain issues I need to resolve in my life - AND I’ve been able to take some steps to resolve them. I have a very emotionally distant family, and praying with Mary has helped me to think about my relationship with my own mother. While that hasn’t been “worked out”, at least it’s something that I am now thinking about and aware of. I also go to Confession more and have more of an awareness of my sins, and a desire to avoid them.
It’s more of the little change for me that have made a big difference. The uphill climb might be slow, but it’s getting me there, and I think I have Mary to thank for a lot of that.

I grew up in a family where recitation of the rosary was a normal part of our evening routine. Saying a single decade is a good start. I recently downloaded a Rosary of the Hours (a variation on the Liturgy of the Hours) in which each decade of the Rosary is assigned a specific hour of the day.
The single word or phrase I add after “blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus_____” has helped me concentrate on the specific mystery I am praying.

Little changes grow into big changes over time.
I would like to thank those on this thread for being positive and supportive instead of confrontational as many of the other threads are.

 

[whatevergirl]

I grew up in a family where recitation of the rosary was a normal part of our evening routine. Saying a single decade is a good start. I recently downloaded a Rosary of the Hours (a variation on the Liturgy of the Hours) in which each decade of the Rosary is assigned a specific hour of the day.
The single word or phrase I add after “blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus_____” has helped me concentrate on the specific mystery I am praying.

Little changes grow into big changes over time.
I would like to thank those on this thread for being positive and supportive instead of confrontational as many of the other threads are.

And thank YOU for sharing with us, as well…I agree that praying for certain people, my own intentions, asking for forgiveness, etc…before each decade…right after the Our Father is recited…I feel that I have a ‘purpose’ if you will, in coming to Mary…I say after the Rosary–‘thank you Mary for being my Mother, and serving as a wonderful example for me and my family. Please pray these Rosary intentions for me today–thank you for your time.’ (I mean, she does take her time to be with each of us–it really has given me a great sense of peace knowing that she is praying for and with us!)

 

[franjos]

I would like to share to everyone what happened to me last year. Perhaps, you may learn something from it.

I was born and lived in a province since childhood, but after getting a job in Manila, Philippines (9 years ago), I started living a sinful life. If I had died earlier, I would surely have plunged into the burning sulfur of hell without any doubt or question.

I sinned, and didn’t even bother to pray, stayed away from God, forgot God, worked myself to death, focused on my career, increased my knowledge by going to a graduate school and increased my wealth and worldy possessions.

However, our Lord God had mercy on my soul and started calling me back, thru the Blessed Mother Mary:

1st Call: Two years ago, my college friend died. He was my classmate, same age as mine (32), with the same promising career as a chemical engineer. He and his career is gone now, at a very young age. I was shocked and felt fear. What if it was I who died?

Effect : I only felt fear, but did nothing to repent.

2nd Call: Last year, I received an email from my college friend that our dearest and most intelligent professor died at the age of 40+. He and his intelligence is gone now, also at a very young age.

Effect : My fear increased, but did not repent.

3rd Call: In August of last year, my very rich boss suddenly died of cancer at the age of 49. Her money and enormous wealth did not save her.

Effect : This time I was really struck hard, started to pray a little and started reflecting on my life, but did not repent.

4th Call: Last year again, I was bed ridden for a week due to kidney problem. The pain I had, felt like I was gonna die. I started praying hard to God, to forgive me for my transgressions. But after few weeks of being healed, I went back to my sinful life.

5th and Final Call: One week after celebrating the 75th birthday of my mother last year, she became very ill. She was brought to the hospital and was struggling between life and death. The hospital bills have drained all my savings, and left me with loans. After two months of struggle, and with no more resources to fight for her life, she died before Christmas, and so we had the most sorrowful Christmas ever.

This recent events moved me to change my life. It made me realize many things:

1. First, our life is very short, and death which seems to be far away is really approaching to each one of us.
2. Second, What is professional career for, if God takes away my life right now.
3. Third, Worldy intelligence will be blotted out once the Lord God called us back.
4. Fourth, Money and Wealth cannot save us from death, once the Lord has retrieved the life He gave us.
5. Fifth, not to invoke the Lord God to anger, for His hands are mighty and powerful.
6. Lastly, that I should be thankful to the Lord and the Blessed Mother in bringing me back to grace.

But, the temptation is strong. And the Evil One does not want me to lead a better life. Remaining in grace is another hard thing to accomplish.

So the secret, I prayed the 15 mysteries of the Holy Rosary everyday. And now, I am completely changed. The Blessed Mother showered bountiful graces upon me which I do not deserve. And everytime I look back at my past, I felt sorrow for having mislead my life for so long.

The spiritual battle is still ON and I guess it will never end while I am alive. But the most important thing is I have the Blessed Mother by my side now thru the Holy Rosary. I also have Jesus by my side, thru the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Eucharist.

And we have all the angels and saints by our side who desires as much to save our souls.

 

[Conservative]

Dear Whatevergirl -
May God and Our Lady bless you - for your perserverance, desire to pray - and for sharing with us.

 

[water]

…

So the secret, I prayed the 15 mysteries of the Holy Rosary everyday. And now, I am completely changed. The Blessed Mother showered bountiful graces upon me which I do not deserve. And everytime I look back at my past, I felt sorrow for having mislead my life for so long.

The spiritual battle is still ON and I guess it will never end while I am alive. But the most important thing is I have the Blessed Mother by my side now thru the Holy Rosary. I also have Jesus by my side, thru the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Eucharist.

And we have all the angels and saints by our side who desires as much to save our souls.

Thank you, franjos, so much for sharing your testimonies with us. I am sorry you had gone through many difficult times, but I am sure you are glad that such things happened and how you are lead back to Jesus. Virgin Mary is the most loving Mother!

Thank you for sharing the importance of the Rosary!

 

[kanrok]

I don’t know if it qualifies as a visible change, but I’m sure that I am a better father, husband, and businessman because of my prayer life, which includes the Rosary.

 

[mylo]

I always fall asleep while praying the Rosary o) but even just the little bit I do has helped in terms of lowering anxiety - not just while I’m praying but when I’m not. I used to be a huge worrywart, now I am finding it so much easier to not worry as much and just turn everything over to God. He’s so much better at taking care of things than I am, anyways.

 

[DJgang]

I am loving this thread!

I find that I suffer from less anxiety when I pray the Rosary daily.

 

[water]

I always fall asleep while praying the Rosary o) but even just the little bit I do has helped in terms of lowering anxiety - not just while I’m praying but when I’m not. I used to be a huge worrywart, now I am finding it so much easier to not worry as much and just turn everything over to God. He’s so much better at taking care of things than I am, anyways.

I am loving this thread!

I find that I suffer from less anxiety when I pray the Rosary daily.

This adds another 15 years to your lifesspan. Less worries, more joys.