Fr. Matthew on the Rosary

There’s an old cultural proverb that says that, “necessity is the mother of all invention.” There’s a deep level of truth within this statement, it’s often when the usual way of doing things is taken off the table, that we open our minds to new possibilities. This time of COVID has been the epitome of this proverb. So many things that would otherwise not have happened have taken place because of necessity. One of the examples within this faith community has been the streaming of Sunday Mass and streaming a daily Rosary at 8:30pm.

When the daily Rosary started on September 5th, the overall thought was that it would continue through the month of October which is the month of the Rosary. However, we learned that as the end of the month of October was approaching, the numbers of those participating in the Rosary was increasing. We knew that the Holy Spirit was at work in this initiative and it was important to continue the daily Rosary. Through the grace of modern technology, we’ve been able to pray the Rosary every night since September on the Catholic Community of Waukesha Facebook Page. Over the course of these last five months there have been a lot of prayers of thanksgiving and a lot of prayers of deep need. In all of it, there’s an abiding sense of peace and encouragement that comes through from knowing that the community is praying together. We look not to ourselves but to the strength of Jesus Christ.

When it comes to prayer, the two most important ingredients are faith in Jesus Christ and perseverance. The Rosary is a prayer that strengthens these two traits within us. As we pray the Rosary we latch onto the perfect faith of Mary, and the meditative nature of the Rosary provides twenty minutes (or so) of lovingly patiently knocking on the door of Jesus’ heart.

               As we look at the situation that our country and world are in, we recognize how helpless we are. At the same time, we recognize how good our Lord is, and how the Lord is not taking His eyes off of us. The Rosary is one way to keep our eyes on Him. If you’re looking for a way to come together in prayer join us nightly at 8:30pm on The Catholic Community of Waukesha’s Facebook Page. Since this is a public page, even if you don’t have a Facebook account you can still access the page via the search feature. If 8:30pm doesn’t work for you, the live version is posted on the page for later praying.

With Mary, In Mary, Through Mary…For God’s Greater Glory!

Fr. Matthew Widder