Devotion to the Holy Rosary: a prayer that gives strength to those who are tired
An episode in the life of Blessed John XXIII makes us well understand how the prayer of the Holy Rosary supports and gives the strength to pray even to those who are tired. Perhaps it is easy for us to be discouraged if we have to recite the Holy Rosary when we are tired, and instead, if we think about it even for a short time, we would understand that a little courage and determination would be enough to have a healthy and precious experience: the experience that the prayer of the Holy Rosary also supports and overcomes tiredness.
In fact, to Pope John XXIII, very close to the daily recitation of the three crowns of the Rosary, it happened that one day, due to the load of the audiences, speeches and meetings, he arrived in the evening without having been able to recite the three crowns.
Immediately after dinner, far from thinking that tiredness could dispense him from the recitation of the three crowns of the Rosary, he called the three nuns assigned to his service and asked them:
"Would you like to come with me to the chapel to recite the Holy Rosary?"
«Willingly, Holy Father».
We immediately went to the chapel, and the Holy Father announced the mystery, commented it briefly and intoned the prayer. At the end of the first crown of joyful mysteries, the Pope turned to the nuns and asked:
"Are you tired?" "No no, Holy Father."
"Could you also recite the painful mysteries with me?"
"Yes, yes, gladly."
The Pope then intoned the Rosary of the sorrowful mysteries, always with a brief commentary on each mystery. At the end of the second Rosary, the Pope again turned to the nuns:
"Are you tired now?" "No no, Holy Father."
"Could you also complete the glorious mysteries with me?"
"Yes, yes, gladly."
And the Pope began the third crown of glorious mysteries, always with the short comment for meditation. After the third crown was also recited, the Pope gave the nuns his blessing and the most beautiful smile of gratitude.
The Rosary is relief and rest
The Holy Rosary is like this. It is a restful prayer, even in tiredness, if one is well disposed and loves to talk with the Madonna. The Rosary and fatigue together make prayer and sacrifice, that is, they make the most meritorious and precious prayer to obtain graces and blessings from the Heart of the divine Mother. Did she not ask for "prayer and sacrifice" during the apparitions in Fatima?
If we seriously thought about this insistent request of Our Lady of Fatima, not only would we not be discouraged when we have to say the Rosary feeling tired, but we would understand that every time, with fatigue, we have the holy opportunity to offer Our Lady a prayer-sacrifice that will be certainly more loaded with fruits and blessings. And this awareness of faith really supports our tiredness by softening it throughout the time of prayer-sacrifice.
We all know that St. Pio of Pietrelcina, despite the heavy daily load of work for confessions and for meetings with people who came from all over the world, recited many crowns of the Rosary day and night to make one think of the miracle of a mystical gift, of an extraordinary gift received from God especially for the prayer of the Holy Rosary. One evening it happened that, after one of the even more tiring days, a friar saw that Padre Pio had gone and was already in the choir for a long time to pray without interruption with the crown of the Rosary in his hand. The friar then approached Padre Pio and said urgently:
«But, Father, after all the efforts of this day, could you not think a little about resting?».
"And if I am here to recite Rosari, am I not resting?" Replied Padre Pio.
These are the lessons of the Saints. Blessed is he who knows how to learn them and put them into practice!