Father Slavko of Medjugorje: What does it mean to pray the Rosary?

«An important message for us is that of August 14, the eve of the feast of the Assumption of the Madonna. (Message to Ivan of August 14, 1984: "I would like all people to pray with me as much as possible these days. May he fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and pray the Rosary every day, meditating on the joyful, painful and glorious mysteries" .)

Our Lady appeared to Ivan in her home after prayer. This was an extraordinary appearance. He did not wait for the Madonna. But after the prayer she appeared and asked that everyone fast in this time two days a week, that everyone pray the whole Rosary every day. Then all three parts of the Rosary. This means: joyful, painful and glorious part.

As far as we are concerned, to reflect this message of August 14 when she said "the whole Rosary", you can see what Our Lady wants of us. It wants, it can be said, a permanent prayer. Let me explain. When asking for the whole Rosary, every day, this does not mean finding the time of half an hour a day; as soon as possible to recite "Ave Maria" every time and say: "I have finished the message". No. The meaning of this prayer is another. Praying the 15 mysteries or the whole Rosary means being close to the mysteries of the life of Jesus, to the mysteries of the Redemption, to the mysteries of the life of Mary.

If you want to pray in the sense of this message there is no need to find half an hour for prayer and finish it, but another behavior is asked. For example in the morning: if you don't have time for prayer, pray a mystery: for example a joyful mystery. Our Lady says: «I am ready to do your will. I understand what you want from me. I am ready, I let myself be guided by you ». This is the first joyful mystery. So if we want to deepen our prayer we must leave the word in our heart; that the readiness to seek and do the will of the Lord every day also grow in our hearts. And when we let the word of God descend into our hearts, and when the readiness to seek and do the will of the Lord comes through grace, we can pray 10 Hail Marys for ourselves, for the family, for the people with which we work or are together in the school. If you want to continue praying and follow the message of Our Lady, for example, pray to another mystery: how does Our Lady visit her cousin Elizabeth? What does this mean for us? Our Lady is attentive to others, sees the needs and visits those who need her time, her love. And bring joy to Elizabeth.

For us, a concrete impulse: to pray every day that we too are ready to do the same thing: to give time to those who need us, to see, help and bring joy. In this way, each mystery can be deepened. This is an indirect invitation to read the Scripture because the Rosary is always a meditative prayer and a biblical prayer. Then, without knowing the Bible, one cannot meditate well on the Rosary. Look, if someone says, "Where can I take so much time for prayer, for the whole Rosary, or for prayer to contemplate the mysteries?" I say to you: "I have seen that we have time, but many times we do not see the value of prayer and we say that we do not have time". Then it is an invitation from the Mother, an invitation that must bring peace to us. If we want peace, I believe, we must take the time for prayer "