On our 30th wedding anniversary, my wife and I stood side-by-side on a podium above the crowd at Fatima participating in the international Rosary that is prayed every day no matter what – the Rosary is prayed without fail. I know that Fatima is only a private revelation, but nevertheless the Church has endorsed it, and that makes it wrong for us to disregard it. The Church informs us that God sent His Mother to Fatima to tell us that we need to pray the rosary every day. There were no other prayers that She asked us to say every day. Other prayers can be said any time, once a day, if you like. But the Rosary was specifically asked for by our Blessed Mother.
If my wife sends me to the store for a bottle of milk, and I come back with ice cream, is she pleased? In a way, ice cream is better than milk, but that is not what she asked for, she would not be pleased. And just as my wife trusts me to do what she asks, our Blessed Mother trusts us to do what She asks of us.
If we want to be like Jesus, we must do what His Mother asks. If we do not, how can we expect God the Father to hear us? We cannot with impunity disobey the Mother of God. She knows better than we the dangers of spiritual warfare. She sees more clearly than we the challenges of an earthly life and the demons that try to wipe away our faith in God and destroy our soul. At Fatima She warned us: You must say your rosary every day.
If a mechanic warns you that your car needs repairing or it will break down, surely you would heed that warning. If the gas gauge warns you that you need more gas, do you do nothing about it? And if Our Lady comes to Fatima and tells us, not just once but six times, that we must say the rosary every day, do we disregard that warning? If we do, we have only ourselves to blame when we find that our children have lapsed from the faith, along with our own self and our spouse.
Those who do not take Fatima seriously and say the rosary every day in their homes are like the Jews who laughed at Jeremiah. If God sends us His prophets and we do not take them seriously we have the whole of the Old Testament to tell us what happens as a result. But at Fatima, God sent us, not His prophets, but His Immaculate Mother. If we abandon the family rosary the Church of the future is going to consist solely of those families who have been faithful to the rosary. And there will be vast numbers of families who used to be Catholic.
We need to start gathering our families together every day and pray the Rosary together. Before you say, “I don’t have the time, we are all on different schedules, my children have sports after school, we just can’t get together … ” Remember, all things are possible with God.
Those of you with sons and daughters that have their own families, you need to witness to them the power of the Rosary and help them bring their family together in praying the Rosary. Remember, your children are as much a part of you as your spouse, no matter how old they are.
Start once a month with programs already being offered in your parish, like: First Friday Holy Hour, First Saturday Holy Hour, or come early to Sunday Mass with your family and pray the Rosary before Mass. Or start once a week, then twice, then three times a week, then once a day.
The Rosary is often described as a powerful prayer, with many saints and popes emphasizing its importance. For example, Saint Padre Pio said, "The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times," and Pope Leo XIII stated, "The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life." - "If you say the Holy Rosary every day, with a spirit of faith and love, our Lady will make sure she leads you very far along her Son's path." - Saint Josemaria Escriva
