Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7
I was blessed to accompany my maternal grandparents on many of their walks to Sunday Mass. When we arrived, my grandmother, Lucia, would remove her crystal rosary beads from her purse, kneel, and silently begin to pray the Rosary. I watched her slowly move her fingers across each crystal bead and hold the rosary throughout the service. At times, she would close her eyes and gently whisper words in Italian. Because she could not speak English, she seemed to participate in the Mass in her native tongue, as she had in her childhood church.
That childhood image stayed with me, and I remained intrigued by my grandmother’s regular recitation of the Rosary. Little did she know that her devotion to this beautiful prayer tradition, which transcends language and culture, would be carried on by her granddaughter. After my grandmother passed away in 1991, my mom gave me her crystal rosary beads, and I continue to carry them in my purse to this day. Using Lucia’s rosary beads to recite the prayers and meditate on the lives of Jesus and Mary brings me comfort and peace. As I move my fingers across each crystal bead, I think of Lucia and smile at the thought that, by passing down her rosary beads, I can someday share that same joy, love, comfort, and trust in Jesus and our Blessed Mother with my granddaughter.
This personal legacy reflects the Rosary’s enduring place in the life of the Church. Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, originally instituted as Our Lady of Victory in thanksgiving for Mother Mary’s intercession during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. May our spiritual mother continue to guide us across time, place, language, and culture, drawing every generation closer to her Son.
Leave a Reply