B (7:44)

Yeah. And I appreciate you sharing that, Father, because I think there's so many people that we come across, they know they should love the rosary or they should say it, and they try, but then there's the struggle, and there's a little bit of, like, the shame of, like, this isn't my favorite prayer, but I feel like it should be, you know, and so I think it's good. I appreciate you kind of, like, if you will, giving people some freedom to just be honest about where they are with the rosary while also keeping the context of that there is, if you will, it's not just devotion among devotions. It really does have a certain pride of place within our tradition. My grandmother is the last of my living relatives or the last of my living grandparents. She lives at home, and she's slowing down. And whenever I'm home, it's so beautiful to see that she kind of goes out on the deck. And a lot of her faculties have slowed down, but she still always has a rosary. And she says the rosary every day, something that her and her husband, her and my grandfather did every day. And I didn't know this until I said yes to the rosary in the year I said yes to it, because somewhat similar to the experience you shared is like, if you will, my love of the rosary had sort of was starting to wane, like, it had grown a little bit cold. It's like, I actually feel like I want to be renewed in this area of my life. And that is really the one reason why I said yes to the Rosary in the Year podcast, like, for my own ongoing conversion and growth. But what I realized as I kind of started to study more and reflect more on the Rosary and the history of the rosary, et cetera, is that it was brought to mind that, you know, Pope St. John Paul II, he called for a Year of the Rosary from October 2002 to October 2003. And I didn't know this, but in October of 2003, I was a freshman in college for the first of my life. I wasn't going to Mass every Sunday at this generic dorm party. Like, I had my conversion. And out of nowhere, unmerited, the lights came on and I started to actually defend the Scripture. Like, there's, like, an atheist there saying she didn't believe. And I started to defend the Scripture, and I was just struck with lightning. Like, I believe in it. It needs to affect my whole life. And that changed the total trajectory of my life. And there was no reason, naturally, for that to happen. And I just can't help but look back at that moment and really believe, certainly, that it's a fruit of my grandmother and my grandfather's prayers. But it was literally at the end of the year of the Rosary that I had this moment of conversion. So I think that the rosary in the year and what we're doing here, it's certainly going to be for our own growth, but I think that graces are going to be one for so many other brothers and sisters, so many other souls who are in need of the Lord. Our lady has again and again and again been inviting us to pray the Rosary. And it's been bearing fruit in so many different ways, including our own lives. And so we're going to pray the Rosary for our own growing in love of it. But also there's this, like, I feel like this is in many times in generations, this is the answer to the needs and sort of the brokenness of the world. It's like, hey, let's just get back to the basics. Let's pray. Let's go to Our lady, let's go to Our Lord, et cetera.

A (10:38)

Well, can I add something you had just noted? I think a lot of times we do this like our. I want to grow in knowing what the Bible says. I want to grow in knowing what the catechism says. I want to grow in, you know, being Able to pray because I want to. I want to get closer to the Lord. I want to be a saint. But you had mentioned something that this is. That this is getting close to the Lord. It is walking in faith. It is developing that relationship and deepening that relationship, but it's also for others. And I think there's something about that that's remarkable, that this is not only a year of praying for one's own self and developing one's own relationship with the Lord, but also interceding for others. And that adds a whole nother dimension of importance and urgency to doing this rosary in a year. Because it's not just for me. It is for the generations after me, like your grandma. And here you are. And that's remarkable.

B (11:36)

Yeah, yeah. And so it certainly seems like the Lord is at work and he has. He has a bigger plan than just my own sanctification, you know. And so, Father, like this, this first phase, as, as I mentioned, is it's really focusing on that kind of that primary movement of prayer, the primary sort of fundamental of prayer of really, if you will, whatever language you want to use, practicing the presence of God, entering into the presence of God, making it really relational and like an encounter with the Lord, as opposed to just sort of saying prayers in your own work as a priest, your own prayer life. Any, Any thoughts on any tips and tricks? Any. Any reason why it is important?

A (12:10)

I remember years ago, and I've repeat, I've quoted him so many times. Mark Hart had one at one point said something along the lines of, prayer doesn't help your relationship with God. Prayer is your relationship with God. And that sense of, okay, so I, I need to be able to. I need to pray in order to have that relationship be alive. Um, and of course, there's ebbs and flows to that relationship that just like there's ebbs and flows to how we pray. But it's just as a, as a human being, as a Christian, as a priest, I would say that there's nothing more important than prayer. There's nothing more important than actually. And it's interesting because, you know, we have the things we value at least on a piece of paper or the things we value when we talk out loud. And then our day reveals what we really value, like the sense of what are the things that are non negotiables each day. And I think that it's one thing to say, and I'm guilty of it as well. One thing to say, okay, this is the most important relationship in my life. And as it is for every human being, or at least it ought to be for every human being, because this is with the ground of all being, the source of all goodness and life and love. And yet is that reflected in my day? And I love how the rosary in a year would be an opportunity for people to just take a step in that direction and to be able to say, okay, again, you don't have to do it perfectly, but to do it consistently would be to consistently place the Lord at the center of one's life for a whole year. Everyone probably listening to this wants that. But then it's like, but how do I do that? I need someone to walk with me. And that's what you'll be doing.

B (13:53)

Yeah. So the beginning of what we're doing this week is, if you will, doing some of that work and developing that habit of connecting, you know, of really connecting. And it's going to look somewhat different for different people. But that's the idea is we're going to. I'm going to propose some models, some examples, some guided meditation that's going to really help us to, like, look at him who is looking at us, right? Like, how beautiful is it to look at him who is looking at us? To have the experience, if you will, prayerfully, of sitting at the table in the holy. Of the Holy Family's house in Nazareth and to look across the table and there's Our lady, and she's going to tell us about her own experience. She's going to tell us about Jesus. And so that's really what we're going to be focusing on this first week.

A (14:37)

That's awesome. If the first temptation is to not do it at all, the second temptation is to do it as quickly as possible and as, you know, kind of formulaic and routine and mechanically as possible, Even though we. You get done with that and you're like, okay, check. But there's a. There's a qualitative difference in experience. When you get done praying the rosary or any prayer, but particularly the rosary, where you're like, oh, no, that was. I prayed. I didn't just. You said, say the words.

B (15:08)

Yeah. And, Father, you know, there's. There's from. Actually from St. Louis de Montfort, in his book Secrets of the Rosary, Paul vi, John Paul ii, again echoed by Pope Benedict, there is this idea of, like, it can't just be a mechanical recitation of saying of words, and they use the language of. It's like a body without a soul. And so we want to say the words and we want to pray. But we also want there to be this encounter with God, the movement of our heart to God, the meditation on him, on the mysteries. And so we're really just going to spend again, just about all week, but some time, if you will, practicing honing in on that first interior movement of really all prayer, but particularly for the rosary. Before I let you go here, Father, any other advice for those who are, if you will, beginning on this journey with the rosary and who want to really make it part of their daily prayer lives?

A (15:58)

One of the things that always guides me is the phrase consistency beats intensity every time. And that sense of being able to say also good is better than perfect in that sense of, okay, so just, you know, show up, press play and pray. And that sense of being able to just, again, it doesn't have to be perfect, don't have to do it every single day. If I miss a day, it doesn't mean I'm. I'm never going to pray again. But also that sense of, you know, it's like when you, when you want to get in shape or you want to go for a run, you want to get ready for a marathon or some kind of, you know, 10k is. Sometimes they don't feel like running. A lot of times they just say, well, put your running shoes on. Whatever the, whatever you know you're going to wear to go for a run, just put those clothes, you don't have to go, just put those on and step outside the door. And I think sometimes, like, for this, for the next few, this first few steps for people just, hey, press play. And, and you don't have to finish, but once you press play, you realize, okay, this is where I need to be. And that's gonna happen. It's gonna happen virtually. I think every time is just show up, press play, and by the time it's done, you'll be like, you will be like, that was easy. I don't know why I was stressing out and freaking out about I don't have enough time to do this podcast today. It'll be consistency beating intensity every time.

B (17:18)

I appreciate that, Father, and throw a big amen behind all the words. Thank you again for being with me, and particularly, if you will, for doing the heavy lifting, the hard work with Bible in the year, catechism in the year of tilling the soil and preparing the way and beautifying, if you will, the basilica so that we can come and with our Lord and our lady, enjoy it with the rose in the year.

A (17:40)

Amen. Thank you for taking the next step.

B (17:43)

Amen. All right, everybody, thanks again for. For joining us and look forward to really kicking off the journey with you again with day one of the Rosary in Ear podcast.