The Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its simplicity and in its depth. In this prayer we repeat many times the words that the Virgin Mary heard from the Archangel, and from her kinswoman Elizabeth. The whole Church joins in these words (…). Our heart can enclose in these decades of the Rosary all the facts that make up the life of the individual, the family, the nation, the Church and mankind. Personal matters and those of one’s neighbour, and particularly of those who are closest to us, who are dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary beats the rhythm of human life.
John Paul II AngélusSunday, 29 October 1978
Pray the Rosary, says God
and do not care what some silly people might tell you:
that it is a forlorn devotion which is bound to be abandoned.
This prayer, believe me
Is a ray of Light from my Gospel.
Nothing will ever change this.
What delights me in the Rosary, says God
Is that it is simple, and it is humble
Just as my Son was,
As His mother was.
Pray the Rosary : by your side, you’ll find
All the company of the Gospel gathered :
the poor widow that never went to school
and the repentant publican that has forgotten all of his catechism,
the sinner woman overcome with fear
and all these cripples saved by their faith,
and the dear old shepherds, such as those of Bethlehem,
who discovered my Son and his Mother …
Pray the Rosary, says God,
your prayer must turn over and over again,
just like the beads between your fingers.
Then, when it is my will, I can assure you,
you will be provided with plentiful nourishment,
that will strengthen your hearts and cheer your souls
Come on, says God, pray the Rosary
And keep your minds in peace.
(free translation from Charles Péguy’s verses)