More Than the Rosary

ONE

I think that it was one year ago today that everything shut down. I am so thankful to God and to all of you that so many thousands of people are praying this Rosary podcast daily. But this Movement is not about the Rosary. Don’t worry, I still firmly believe what Our Lady Said at the approved apparition San Nicolas Argentina on April 10, 1986 “The Holy Rosary is the weapon which the enemy fears. It is also the refuge of those who look for relief for their sufferings, and it is the door to enter into my heart.”

But the Movement of the Holy Family is about more than the Rosary. It is about friendship with Jesus and Friendship with others. Often the Rosary is the best tool to help people encounter Jesus, but it is not the only, nor usually the first way. The first and most important way for people to meet Jesus is through you. Through your relationship with them. Through your interest, personal investment, love and care for them. The Movement is about helping others to a deeper friendship with God through your authentic friendship with them. Yes, this involves good conversation and we hope it will lead to the Rosary. But in most cases, it won’t begin with the Rosary and it is not supposed to end with the Rosary.

It begins with relationships within your family and your current friend group and its aimed to end in transforming union with God here on earth and after earth in heaven. The Rosary may be involved at some point in the process, but there are many things that may come before you ever get them to the Rosary. And while the Rosary always remains because the meditations are a great way to learn your faith and learn to meditate, we are called to go beyond, far beyond - to the deepest stages of prayer, the most interior castles of the soul, as Teresa of Avila describes and finally into Heaven.

TWO

St. Francis of Assisi once told a brother who was struggling with doubts: “Do not be troubled brother, but through friendship learn faith.”

THROUGH FRIENDSHIP LEARN FAITH.

Friendship and faith are both a two-way street. You will learn as much or more about your own faith by friendship as they will.

But it doesn’t begin by making people think the way you think.

It begins with a Genuine Fascination in others

·       This fascination causes us to take the initiative to be interested and ask good questions

·       To reflect upon things together

·       And to help them Reflect on important things they never take time to reflect upon

The problem with most people is not that they are evil and have rejected God,

·       the problem is that they get caught up in life

·       and never reflect on the more important things.

The goal of our conversations is to help one another reflect upon life.

We do this by asking good questions

1.  To understand the way they see and understand things,

2.  So that you can understand them better,

3.  So they will come to understand themselves better

4.  This may also cause them to uncover their hunger and thirst for God which is built into every person – even if they don’t recognize it yet. 

5.  When the hunger for God arises, invite them to encounter Him

THREE

A key to friendship is intentionality. You MUST establish a routine. You must have a TIME AND A PLACE FOR FRIENDSHIP within the family and with others. You can’t leave friendship to chance, in same way that we don’t leave any necessary thing to chance. When do you make time for friendship? For most people, its evenings and weekends. What do you do most evenings or weekends? Are you pursuing entertainment or accomplishment or are you intentionally investing in friendship? Oftentimes the only thing you need to change is to invite a family member or friend to do with you what you are already doing. Do it at your house. Do it at their house. And who cares if your house is clean? Keep it simple. Enjoy life together and talk while you do and pray the Rosary together. The movement of the Holy Family is a movement of people who live a simple way of life of friendship, good conversation and the Rosary. My dream is that everyone have a small group of spiritual friends with whom they share life regularly because I think that is the greatest help to grow in happiness and holiness.

So many people are afraid to invite others while so many are starved for friendship. The devil wants us to be paralyzed and isolated by the fear of rejection. The only way to overcome this fear is to ask.

FOUR

Give practical examples of how to live the Movement with different groups of people…

FIVE

My point is this: The Rosary is a weapon; it is not the victory. The victory is union with God, yours and mine and theirs. If we don’t live the Movement as it was intended, meaning, to live friendship, personal investment, proving that I know you and I care for you, sharing life together, and good conversation - all which may lead to the Rosary - then we’re misunderstanding the place of the Rosary. It’s not the end goal, it is a powerful means to the goal, which is friendship with God and others and a movement that will help us toward the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

So here is my challenge to you – pick one day each month that you will take the initiative to invite family or friends to come together, pray the Rosary, share life together and have good conversation. What day of the month are you going to live the Movement with others? Then let us know – send us an email at Themovement@schooloffaith.com and give us the date and if we can either I or one of our team will come and join you. If you are not in KC – send me an invite – who knows – I just may come – and I’m serious. Tabitha in New Zealand, My wife Sandy and I would love to pray the Rosary with you and your family.