This article first appeared in Our Sunday Visitor magazine. Subscribe to receive the monthly magazine here.
Just this past weekend, I had the opportunity to preach a retreat at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. In many ways, the weekend felt like a personal retreat as well, allowing me to enter deeply into the beautiful liturgy, chant and worship of their community. But like any religious community, the Dominicans have particular ways of praying, evincing customs they uphold, some spoken and some unspoken. Learning to participate in their prayer life more intentionally was both enriching and inspiring.
One of the moments I cherished most was the mid-day recitation of their prayers, which include a litany and invocations to the Blessed Mother, St. Dominic and — to my surprise — the Infant of Prague! As I learned that weekend, each of their communities, whether in the United States or abroad, maintains a devotion to the Infant of Prague. This continuity of prayer and devotion across different communities reminded me of the richness of our Catholic tradition and the way it shapes our daily lives. But it also struck me how devotional practices, our lived piety, often take root in ways we would not necessarily plan. We might take up a prayer or pious practice simply because of the people we know or the traditions we have inherited.
So, what does this have to do with the Rosary?
‘A quiet rhythm and a lingering pace’
Many Catholics wonder if they must pray the Rosary. Of questions related to devotional life, it’s the one I get the most often. The short answer is, no, you are not obligated to pray the Rosary. On the other hand, there is no better tool for training in the spiritual life. The Rosary
perfectly combines vocal prayer with mental prayer, as the Christian is invited to meditate on the mysteries of Christ’s life while rhythmically praying each Ave. Pope St. Paul VI beautifully offers this reflection in the apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus: “By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord” (No. 47).
The Rosary is not an obligation, but it is an exquisite gift. I often will speak to students at my school about how the Rosary is a “nonnegotiable devotional” because what is not optional is loving Jesus and contemplating his life. The Rosary is nothing more than that: learning to love Jesus through Mary, the one who loved him most. The Rosary is a powerful prayer that draws us deeper into the life of Christ through the eyes of Our Lady. It immerses us in the mysteries of our salvation, forming our hearts through meditation, intercession and trust in God. Pope St. John Paul II called the Rosary “a compendium of the Gospel,” and countless saints have recommended it as a daily devotion.
Candidly, I think we should pray the Rosary daily. But if that is not part of your spiritual discipline, do not be discouraged. The beauty of the Rosary is that you can start small: one decade, even one bead at a time. It should never feel like a burden but rather grow into a habit of love, becoming less something we do and more something that shapes who we are.
