The Benefits of Praying the Rosary

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 25 September 2010)

My Dear Friends,

Today’s sharing is on “The Benefits of the Rosary Prayer”, and I would like to begin by sharing with you a short story…

Once, there was a boy who was living in a small hut with his mother. They were poor and had no electricity to light up their home. All they had were candles and oil lamps.

One night, it was raining heavily and the wind was strong. Their poorly lit home became dimmer as gushes wind pounded through the only few candles and oil lamps which illuminated their room.

One after another, the faint flickers of fire burning at the candles were blown off. But the oil lamps continued burning and emitting light without being affected by the gale-force wind, unlike the candles.

In an excitement, the boy asked his mother, "Mummy, mummy, why doesn’t the fire in oil lamps get blown off like the candles?”

The boy’s mother replied, "Son, that’s because the fires burning in the oil lamps are shielded by the glass. No strong wind can blow off the fire unless the oil runs out. ”

The boy smiled at his mother’s explanation. Smartly, he added, "…and, Mummy, the oil lamp is brighter because it has a piece of reflector at the bottom which helps magnify the brightness from the fire.”

My Dear Friends,

Praying is like fuel to the fire. The more we pray, the stronger the fire gets.

But, it is not enough to pray on our own. Like the candle whose fire gets blown-off when winds are strong, life’s challenges and temptations to our faith can sometimes derail us.

We need a “shield” to protect us from such agents which dent our prayer lives. We also need a reflector to magnify the “fire” of our prayers. In other words, we need a lamp, rather than a candle.

Praying the Rosary is like the lamp in the story of the boy above:

· Praying the Rosary shields us from temptations and hurts by the evil    one.

· Praying the Rosary also magnifies our prayers, for we are not alone. But rather, Mother Mary is there to pray with us and for us. The more we pray, the stronger the ‘fire’ will be and the brighter the lamp will shine as the ‘reflector’ works as strong as the burning fire.

God will always grant our request if it is beneficial for our soul, and Our Lady will only intercede for us when our request is good for our salvation. (Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady)

As revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche, Our Lady has given 15 Promises for Praying

the Rosary. They are, in short:

· Special Graces

· Special Protection

· Armour against hell

· Sanctification of souls

· Not perish

· Not be conquered by misfortune

· Sacraments

· Light of God

· Deliverance from purgatory

· Glory in Heaven

· Answer to Prayers

· Help in necessities

· Communion of Saints

· Promise of a Holy Family

· Salvation

In Philippians 4:6, the Bible tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God…”

Praying the Rosary is a good start as Our Lady is there to constantly shield us and magnify our intentions, like the oil-lamp protecting the fire inside.

Editorial note: The 15 promises do not amount to a "Get out of gaol free" card. However, these promises make the connexion between what we believe and how we ought to live. This means that by faithfully and devoutly praying the Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary graces contained in the said promises. It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those graces in order to obtain salvation.