SPIRITUAL BENEFITS of the PERPETUAL ROSARY ASSOCIATION
Mary’s greatest desire is to lead us to Jesus. In the prayer of the Rosary
is not Jesus found at the center of every Ave? The motive then, which
prompts one to join the Perpetual Rosary Association, is spiritual. It is to
unite our prayers with others in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary and
through her to the Most Holy Trinity. United, we pray for all the needs of
the Church, of the world and of each individual member of the
Association.
The spiritual benefits of membership are, therefore, both
personal and universal. They include:
1 - UNION WITH CHRIST THROUGH MARY: “Whosoever will find Mary will
find Life, that is, Jesus Christ Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.”(St. Louis de
Montfort, True Devotion Nº 50). Speaking of Mary, the Fathers of the Second Vatican
Council said: “Devoutly meditating on her and contemplating her in the light of the Word
made man, the Church reverently penetrates more deeply into the great mystery of the
Incarnation…and when she is the subject of preaching and worship she prompts the faithful
to come to her Son, to his sacrifice and to the love of the Father” (Vatican Council II, LG,
Nº65).
Mary is the Mother of Christ and our Mother. Nothing pleases her more than to have her
children know and love her Son. In Fatima, Our Lady assured Lucia of her continual
presence, love and guidance when she said: “Do not lose heart. I will never forsake you. My
Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God” (13 July 1917).
These words are meant for all, who look to Mary as the Mother and most excellent disciple of
Christ.
2 - CONTINUAL, UNITED PRAYER: The spiritual bond between members assures each
one of continual remembrance in the powerful prayer of the Rosary throughout life and after
death. Jesus has told us: “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there
in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Commenting on this passage St. Thomas Aquinas said: “…
it is impossible that the entreaties of a multitude be not heard if they form a single prayer by
uniting their pleas.” In the Acts of the Apostles we read: “Peter, was well guarded in prison,
but there was a continual stream of prayer going up to God on his behalf…Suddenly an
angel of the Lord stood over him, and a light shone in his cell…Now I can tell for certain, he
said, that the Lord has sent his angel, to deliver me…” (Acts12: 5,7,11).
Herein lies one of the secrets of the efficacy of the Perpetual Rosary. Far from being a prayer
of one individual, it forms an immense spiritual association with members spread
throughout the world.
3 - ROSARY CONFRATERNITY: All members are inscribed in the Confraternity of the
Holy Rosary. This allows them to share in all the spiritual merits and indulgences, which
members of the Dominican Order and the Association acquire before God, by their prayers,
penances and good works.
4 - EVANGELIZATION: Each member of the Church is called by his/her Baptism to
evangelize — to proclaim the message of the Gospel. But, as Pope John Paul II has said:
“There can be no evangelization without contemplation”.
‘Without contemplation’ simply means, without prayer in our life, without a deep
personal relationship with Christ. Therefore, the meditative prayer of the Rosary lends itself
beautifully to the mission of evangelization.
This prayer invites us to ponder, in company with Mary, the Mysteries of Christ found in
the Gospel. Mary, “who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of
virtues”(LG, Nº 65), teaches us what it means to be a disciple of Christ. And, little by little,
the faithful Rosarian begins to manifest in his or her daily life the faith, hope and love of the
Christian calling. For this very reason, the Holy Rosary has for centuries been most useful to
missionaries as an instrument of evangelization. Noted preachers have said: “To preach the
Rosary is to preach the Gospel!”
5 - FRIENDS OF FATIMA: Members of the Rosary Association receive a copy of this
small newsletter, which is published by our Monastery twice each year.