How the Grace of Mary Changes Your Life

I must admit that in past years, I was that person who would groan whenever my mother asked my father, brothers, and me to pray a Rosary with her. I had it in my head that praying a Rosary was a really big deal, a last-resort ‘special weapon’ of sorts that was only said during special occasions or if there was a big problem. After all, I was taught that Mary was the ultimate intercessor between us and Jesus, and from that knowledge came the assumption that prayers to her would carry a special weight in the eyes of the Lord, who loves and respects his mother in a special way. Because my prayers through Mary carried such weight, praying a full Rosary or even just a decade over every small decision or event in my life seemed trivial and disrespectful. I felt like I was taking advantage of such a special bond between mother and child over trivial issues, and it just felt wrong.

Thankfully, my mind has been changed and my eyes opened to how wrong my assumptions were. In these recent, troubling months, my family has set aside more time to pray together, including taking a few minutes on long drives to say a Rosary and offer up each decade for something weighing heavily on each of our minds (there are six of us, so we sometimes have to ‘share’ a decade). This intentional time has helped me declassify the Rosary as something for special occasions only. So instead of just giving up junk food like I usually do during Lent, I decided to start praying a Rosary every day. I had no idea what I was missing, but I know I’m never going back. 

Taking 20 minutes out of my day to reflect on my thoughts, burdens, and shortcomings and then place them in the hands of Mary has improved all aspects of my life—physical, mental, and religious. Simply put, I just feel lighter than I have in recent years.

Before Lent, I found myself mentally wrestling with a lot of heavy topics and equally heavy emotions. They really, truly were pulling me down and making every thought and action I did hard. I felt angry, sad, and confused most of the time, and I was constantly physically sick too. People have described their own experiences with such heaviness to me on numerous occasions, but I never understood how suffocating it was until I was no longer drowning.

Since starting daily Rosaries, I have noticed very numerous but very subtle differences in my behavior and psyche. I now want to paint my fingernails bright colors, I started listening to my happy music playlists, I began planning my outfits the night before because I wanted to look nice the following day, I am comfortable being quiet and alone as I walk or study, I laugh and smile more fully, I want to eat healthier foods to take care of my body and am no longer constantly sick, and I’m able to be more thoughtful and authentic with my friends and family. All of these changes go largely unnoticed by those around me, but to me, they are signs of something much bigger changing.

In addition, my faith life has become healthier and more secure. I feel a lot more comfortable praying outside of my daily Rosary. I am starting to trust God’s plan and constantly am asking Him for advice. Even the experience of going to Church has been transformed for me. I am genuinely excited to go to Mass, partly because I’ve become closer with people who are equally excited about weekly (and daily or Latin) Mass (which is of course, also part of God’s wonderful plan). A few weeks ago, I even skipped out of the building after Mass. I was feeling so full and embraced by God’s grace. Embracing my faith and making it a more central part of my life has become the most important thing to me.

To sum up my experience and give some advice, praying the Rosary does not have to be just for huge occasions, and even praying it once a week will have such a profound positive impact on your physical, mental and spiritual health. It is an investment well worth 20 minutes of your day.