I attended Mass on the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary. Our Pastor is 74 yrs old, is from India and grew up in a large devout Catholic home. He told us that before he became a Priest, he abandoned the Rosary as he didn't see the sense in doing all these repetitious prayers when his mind wanders all over the place. He said the Rosary wasn't a necessary devotion to become a Priest and he didn't even carry one on him. So he was ordained and as he put it "he was sent to a God-forsaken place in Bangladesh" that was run by gangs and bandits. He said gang members came to his home one day with guns and threatened his life. They left him alone but said they would be coming back. He was very afraid and asked his cook and others to help him, but they all made excuses and no one would help him. So he went to his room and dug out his Rosary (as he had never gotten rid of it). He got on his knees and began praying it. Suddenly, he could hear the door rattling. The gang had come back. But for some reason, they couldn't get the door to open. They eventually left. (He omitted many details to shorten the story), but he said that some people in the community gathered together chanting something. At the time, he didn't realize they were actually supporting him. So the leader of the gang came to see him. The gang leader actually made the gang members who were threatening him, kiss his feet. My Pastor said that he became somewhat of a strong hero figure in the community after that. Through the Rosary, he knows Our Lady rescued him from the hands of these bandits. Happy ending, he always carries his Rosary with him and prays it daily. In fact, he got me to repair it for him, so he must use it a lot!
Thanks for sharing this. That's the key thing that I struggle with when I pray the Rosary everyday, but I keep going regardless; I think I'm getting better as the days past though.
RW, I think most of us share your struggle of keeping our minds from wandering when praying the Rosary. I know I do. Glad to hear it’s getting better for you!
