Chapter Fifteen
Heaven's Weapon - The Holy Rosary
"Whatever you ask for in the Holy Rosary shall be given to you."
Our Lady to Saint Dominic.
I gave this particular talk at a conference with the noted speakers and authors, Dr. William Morra of Fordam University and the late Father Vincent Miceli of Christendom College. Their presentations were on the cults verses religion and the anti-Christ respectively. Another speaker spoke on the occult (Satanism) influence in rock music. My talk was the last of the day and it dealt with the solution to the problems presented in the previous talks. It was entitled The Answer to the World's Problems. I have changed it to "Heaven's Weapon", for that is what the Holy Rosary truly is!
"Watch and pray list you enter into temptation." (Mk 13:48). These were the words spoken by Our Lord to Peter, James and John in the garden of Gethesame. Our Lord has told us we must watch and we must pray? Prayer is the answer to all the evils that are assaulting the world today.
The most powerful prayer, the Holy Rosary, was given to us in the 13th century by the Mother of God. Before going any further I would like to state that the Rosary is nothing but a miniature New Testament of the Life of Christ, when it is prayed and meditated upon regularly and properly. But the power of this prayer, that is the power of the rosary has shone forth brilliantly in the past centuries.
In the last seven hundred years there have been three great rosary victories. In the year 1214, Our Lady appeared to Saint Dominic, giving him her Holy Rosary. She told him by propagating devotion to her rosary, he would defeat the Albinginsian Heresy that was flourishing in Southern France at that time. Saint Dominic previously preached for three and a half years against this heresy without any success. After Our Lady gave him her rosary, he preached devotion to Our Lady through her Rosary. The heresy was completely defeated, and the Albinginsion heretics returned back to the fold of the Church.
The second victory was in 1571, when all of Christian Europe was saved from the threat of a Turkish invasion at the Battle of Lepanto. Pope Saint Pius V, the reigning Pontiff at that time, implored all of Catholic Europe to pray the rosary. It was prayed continually, round the clock. The soldiers, with their leader Don Juan, prayed the rosary before going into battle. When they went into battle, they had either sword or lance in one hand, in the other, their rosary. The Catholic forces in that battle were greatly outnumbered. It was not until 5:00 PM, after hard fighting all day long, that the wind changed, a tactical advantage for the Christians forces and the Turkish invaders were soundly defeated. It was the greatest naval battle fought in history.
Meanwhile back in Rome, the Holy Father was in his chapel with his friends praying. At the exact moment the Christian army defeated the Turkish army, he stood up and proclaimed that all present should thank Our Lady and God for this great victory that had just taken place. He referred to it as a great Rosary Victory. Pope Saint Pius V proclaimed October 7, as the feast of the Holy Rosary.
One hundred and twelve years later, in 1683, the Turkish forces again threatened to overrun Europe. This time they came by land and had come as far as Vienna, Austria. The reigning Pontiff at that time, implored King John of Poland to come to the aid of Christianity. He responded with 65,000 horse mounted men. As they marched to Vienna, Austria the men prayed the rosary. When they reached the sight of the battle, King John told them, I want two words on your lips as you enter this battle, Jesus and Mary. That battle raged all day, and by evening Catholic Europe was once again saved from the threat of a Turkish invasion.
Of that battle, King John said, "I came, I saw, but Jesus and Mary conquered." The date of that battle was September 12, 1683. September 12th is the feast of the name of Our Lady.
In history there was a fourth rosary victory! It took place January 8, 1815 in New Orleans, when General Jackson (later President Jackson) publicly acknowledged victory over the British forces due to the prayers of the women, children and Holy nuns in New Orleans, who had been praying the rosary continually while that battle raged. The American forces were outnumbered by 6,000 to 43,000.
Of all the Holy Fathers who have spoken out on the Rosary, by far, the greatest advocate and spokesman, was Pope Leo XIII. He reigned from 1878-1903, one of the longest reigning Popes in the History of the Church. He wrote 13 encyclicals on the rosary. His encyclicals completely explained the rosary, making them in reality a complete study of Mary and her rosary.
The first encyclical, announced in 1883, he asked the entire world to pray the rosary everyday during the month of October. He later made it a decree. He made it known that the month of October, be known as the month of the Holy Rosary. It was because of him that we have the beautiful invocation, "Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Pray for us!"
The first encyclical, entitled Efficacy of the Holy Rosary in History, Pope Leo XIII stated: "When the Church was detached and menaced by all sorts of evils to whom did the Church have recourse? To the protection of the sublime Mother of God, the Sovereign depository of all hope and the dispenser of all graces." He immediately granted various plenary and partial indulgences to the recitation of the rosary.
In September 22, 1891, his fourth encyclical entitled, (Octobri Mense) the Month of October, he pointed out the evils which the Church was suffering and the attacks made on her. He showed that the many souls are lost by apostasy, religious indifference, and a luke-warm attitude. This is exactly what is going on today! The Pope stated: "May it be affirmed, that by the will of God, Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed of God's mercy; for grace and truth come by Jesus Christ. Thus as no one goes to Christ except through His Mother." This prolific Holy Father once stated, "When there is a question of Mary, there is always something more to be said!"
In his encyclical, Laetitiae Sanctae, he gave us three causes that are destroying society. He meant society of his time, but they apply to today! The distaste for a simple, humble, and laborious life. A repugnance for everything that causes suffering and forget fullness of the future life. He gave us the mysteries of the rosary as the solution to these problems. That is when we pray the joyful mysteries it is for the distaste for the simple, humble and laborious life. The sorrowful mysteries are a remedy for the repugnance for everything that causes suffering. The Glorious mysteries for the forgetfulness of the future life.
In 1893, five encyclicals were written by this Holy Father. In the encyclical entitled, "Always Joy," (Incunda Semper) he referred to Mary as the Mediatrix of Divine Grace, Co-Redemptrix and Queen of Heaven and the universe. It was in the encyclical entitled, "Mary the Help of all People," (Adiutricem Populi) he showed that the rosary was the means of reuniting the Eastern Orthodox Churches with Rome.
In 1896, he was about sixty years ahead of his time, when he advocated the Family Rosary. Fr. Patrick Peyton would not begin this campaign until the 1940's. This Pope, in his last words, showed the real secret of his powerful influence in the Church and the world when he said, "Recite the Rosary, meditating upon it's mysteries and you will never stray from the guiding and protecting hand of Our Blessed Mother."
Pope John XXIII spoke out thirty eight times on Our Lady and her rosary. On September 26, 1959, he wrote Grata recordatio, Grateful Memory. In it he said, "The rosary, as is known to all, is in fact, a very excellent means of prayer and meditation in the form of a mystical crown in which the, prayers 'Our Father,' 'Hail Mary,' and 'Glory be to the Father' are intertwined with meditations on the greatest mysteries of Our Faith and which presents to the mind, like many pictures, the drama of the Incarnation of Our Lady and the Redemption.
'This sweet memory of our young years has never left us with the passing of time, nor has it weakened. It has, indeed, helped-and we say this with confidence-to make the Holy Rosary very dear to our soul; and we never fail to recite it in its entirety every day as an act of Marian piety which, above all, we desire to perform with particular fervor in the month of October." He prayed the joyful mysteries in the morning, the sorrowful in the afternoon, and glorious in the evening which is Papal household.
Throughout the history of the Church, the popes have all spoken out in favor of the rosary. Pope Gregory XIII said, "The Rosary is the means of appeasing God's anger and of imploring Our Lady's intercession."
Pope Saint Pius V, "It gives us the spiritual peace and consolation we need."
Pope Adrain VI called it, "The Scourge of the devils!" Pope Paul VI referred to it as the treasure of grace. Pope Saint Pius X, the first canonized pope in 500 years said, "Give one million families praying the rosary everyday and the World is saved."
Pope Saint Pius X added, "Give me an army praying the Rosary. I will conquer the world." He later stated, "After the Mass, there is no prayer that is more efficacious than the Holy Rosary." Our present Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has said many times that, "The Rosary is my favorite prayer."
For eight centuries the saints have prayed the Rosary with great devotion and love. Saint Francis de Sales, a prolific write and Doctor of the Church, who lived during the Protestant Revolt (Reformation), said that the rosary was a powerful means of his own sanctification. After, becoming bishop he established the confraternity of the Holy Rosary in every part of his diocese. This Holy Saint spent one hour a day meditating on the life and virtues of Our Heavenly Mother. He said that later in life he would like to retire to serve God, and the Church with his pen and his rosary.
The Rosary was very prominent in the lives of other Doctors of the Church, such as Saint Lawerence, Saint Peter Canisius, Saint Robert Bellarmine, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Francies de Sales, and Saint Alphonsus de Liguori. Such saints carried their rosary in their hands as Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Philip Neri, Saint Francis Xavier and Saint Louis de Montfort, the modern Apostle of Mary. The Holy Founders, Saint Camillus and Saint Ignatius wore their rosaries around their necks; as did Saint John Vianney, Saint Joseph Cafasso, Saint Margaret, Saint Bernadette, Saint Bertilla, Saint Stanislaus Kostka, and Saint John Berchmans.
We see the practice of praying the Holy Rosary by such illustrious Saints as Saint Dominic, Saint Maria Goretti, Saint Catherine of Sienna, (a Doctor of the Church and my patron saint), and Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
They prayed the rosary for strength, their own sanctification, and to defeat our common enemy, Satan. One day Saint Pius X was approached by a young boy who was caring the rosary around his neck. He looked at the boy and said, "Young man, I recommend that whatever you ask for, ask for it by means of the Rosary."
The Rosary is truly a treasure of graces, for in the words of Our Lady to Saint Dominic, "Whatever you ask for through my rosary, shall be given to you." But it was to Blessed Alan la Roche that Our Lady gave the fifteen promises of the Rosary.
Blessed Alan restored devotion to the rosary in the year 1416, after Our Lord appeared to him and told him, "You are crucifying me anew, because you possess the learning and the understanding needed to preach my Mother's Rosary and you are not doing it. If only you did this you could teach many souls the right path and lead them away from sin. You are not doing it, so you are guilty of the sins they commit." Blessed Alan died on September 8, 1475, on Our Lady's birthday. Our Lady taught him how to pray the rosary properly and gave him the most glorious privilege of being called her new spouse. In Ecc. 24:31 it is written, "They that explain me shall gain internal life." Saint Maxmillion Kolbe is recorded as saying, "You save many souls according to the number of rosaries you pray."
The saints I have talked about have literally taken to heart these words of Sacred Scripture, (Lk. 18:1), "Pray always", Saint Paul tells in his letter to the Thess. 5:17, "Pray without ceasing!"
Saint John Baptist de la Salle is called the priest of the rosary because his rosary was in constant use. So were the rosaries of Saint Louis de Montfort, Saint Camillius, Saint Anthony Mary Claret, and Padre Pio.
Of course the ideal place to pray the rosary is in Church in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Pope John XXIII told us this when he said, "My day must be one long day of prayer. Prayer is the breath of life. I propose to recite all fifteen mysteries of the rosary everyday, if possible in the chapel before The Blessed Sacrament."
With such examples as these how can we say, "I have no time to pray the rosary!" It can be prayed anywhere, at anytime. The saints have shown us that this is possible to do. They prayed it silently while traveling, they carried it visibly in streets while praying it, they literally sanctified the roads they walked by praying the rosary. Why are we afraid to pray the rosary today? Why are we afraid to hold it visibly in our hands while shopping in the stores or riding in our cars? Are we afraid someone might see us? Saint Francis de Sales encouraged others to pray the rosary with love and in the companion of your guardian angel. Saint Paul of the Cross tells us, "The Rosary should be said with great devotion because you are speaking to the Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God."
One time when Saint Alphonsus was an old man, he could not remember praying his rosary that day. He asked a Brother who was taking care of him if he had said his rosary. The Brother answered, "I think so." At this point Saint Alphonsus insisted, "You think so? You think so? But are you sure? Don't you know my salvation depends on this devotion?"
Padre Pio, after giving away a rosary exclaimed, "I'm entrusting you with my treasure. Remember to appreciate it and let us empty purgatory." Saint Teresa of Avila, while praying the rosary saw purgatory. The souls were being purified by the flames. At the first "Hail Mary" the souls were relieved of their sufferings by fresh water. With every succeeding "Hail Mary" they were comforted in this manner. Saint Teresa understood that the recitation of the Holy Rosary gave great comfort to the poor souls. Saint Alphonsus de Liguori confirmed this when he said, "If we want to help the souls in purgatory then we should say the Rosary for them because the Rosary gives them great relief."
For those of us who pray the rosary quickly without much thought, reflect on the example of Saint Bernadette to whom Our Lady appeared in 1858, Lourdes, France. When Saint Bernadette prayed the rosary, her eyes became celestial, as if in contemplation of Mary herself.
In 1830, Our Lady complained to Saint Catherine Laboure when she said, "They do not pray the rosary well!" These are Our Lady's words! Saint Catherine said she remembered those words for the rest of her life like a thorn in her heart.
Many miracles have been credited to the rosary. In his book, "The Secret of The Rosary," by Saint Louis de Montfort, the Modern Apostle of Our Mary recorded many of these miracles. He is quoted as saying, "The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, who loves His Mother so." In his book, "The Secret of The Rosary," Saint Louis relates the following incident from the life of Saint Dominic. He was praying the rosary when an Albingensian was brought to him who was possessed by the devil. In the presence of 12,000 people, Saint Dominic performed the Rite of Exercise and the devils were forced to answer Saint Dominic questions. He proposed three to them. They answered the first one by stating that there were 15,000 of them in this man, because he blasphemed and attacked the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary. They answered that Dominic by preaching the Holy Rosary put fear and horror into the very depths of hell and that they hated him because of the souls he snatched from them. Finally, he asked them, who they feared of all the saints in heaven. Screaming and howling the devils answered, him, pleading not to be made to answer that question. So Dominic to make the enemy answer that question, prayed to Our Lady to help him. Suddenly, standing there beside him he saw Our Lady surrounded by angels. Only Saint Dominic could see Our Lady. She struck the possessed man with a golden rod and said, 'Answer my son Dominic immediately.'
"The devils screamed out in horror and 12,000 people present heard them say, 'Oh, you who are our enemy, our downfall and our destruction, why have you come down from heaven to torture us so grievously? Oh, advocate of sinners, you who snatch from the very jaws of hell, you who are the very sure path to heaven, must we in spite of ourselves tell the who truth and confess before everyone who it is, who is the cause of our shame and our ruin? Oh, woe unto us prince of darkness! Then listen you Christians: the Mother of Jesus is all powerful and she can save her servants from falling into hell. She is the sun that destroys our wiles and subtles. It is she who uncovers our hidden plots, breaks our snares, makes our temptations useless and ineffective. We have to say reluctantly that not a single soul who has preserved in her service has ever been damned with us. One single sigh that she offers the Blessed Trinity is worth far more than all the prayers, desires and aspirations of all the saints. We fear her more than all the other Saints in heaven together and we have no success with her faithful servants. Many Christians who call upon her when they are at their hour of death and really ought to be damned according to our standards are saved by her intercession. Oh, if only Mary had not pitted her strength against ours and had not upset our plans, we should have conquered the Church and destroyed it long before this. We would have seen to it that all the Orders in the Church fell into error and disorder. Now we are forced to speak, we must also tell you this. Nobody who preserves in saying the rosary will be damned because she obtains for her servants the grace of true contrition for their sins and by means of this they obtain God's forgiveness and mercy!'"
Such powerful words to meditate upon. Yet Saint Bernard, who is a Doctor of the Church, tells us that the words, "Hail Mary" puts the devil to flight and makes all_hell tremble."
Saint Francais de Sales again sets an example for us. One night when he was quite exhausted from the visits of day, he remembered towards midnight that he had forgotten to pray the rest of his rosary. He would not go to bed until he finished it on his knees. This is fortitude, this is love, this is what we should be imitating.
Saint John de la Salle is called "The Priest of Rosary" because he was constantly praying the rosary. The beautiful title, "Apostle of the Rosary, " has been merited by several great Saints, such as Saint Louis de Montfort, Saint Peter Canisius, Saint Camillus de Lellis, Saint Anthony M. Claret, and of course, Saint Dominic!
In the life of Saint Joan of Arc it is recorded that while riding beside the King she appeared very recollected. The King inquired as to what she was dreaming about? She answered, "Dear sir, I am praying the rosary!"
Saint Louis de Montfort in his book, The Secret of the Rosary writes of a Fr. Alphonsus Rodregriz who prayed the rosary with such fervor, that it was often seen coming out of his mouth white roses for the Our Father's and red roses for the Hail Mary's.
King Alphonsus- King of Leon and Glacia wore a rosary around his waist like a belt, but he did not pray it, he encouraged other's to pray it. One night he dreamt he died, as he stood before the Judgement Seat of God, Satan accused him of his many sins. He was about to be condemned to hell, when Our Lady interceded and said he encouraged other's to pay the rosary, and this act out weighed his many sins. He was then told he would be given another chance. He spent the rest of his life praying the rosary as well encouraging others to pray it too.
Saint Louis de Montfort tells us that in 1578 a women in Anvers had given herself to the devil and signing a contract with her own blood. Shortly later she had remorse for this horrible act but did not know what to do. She was told to seek out a priest named, Father Henry, a Dominican father known for his sanctity and excellent counsel. But on the way to see him she met the devil disguised as Father Henry. The evil one told her she had no hope of God's mercy, love and forgiveness. She left greatly distressed but later again sought out Father Henry only to be met by the devil a second time, being told the same words. Finally, she sought out the priest a third time, this time with success. He met her with great kindness and counselled her to pray the rosary if she wanted to get her soul back. She obeyed and prayed the rosary everyday. One day, while saying Mass, Father Henry, saw Our Heavenly Mother force the devil to give her the poor woman's contract.
Saint Louis de Montfort prophesied that the greatest saints, greater than the early Christian martyrs, would live_in the later half of the twentieth century. Saint John Bosco, who lived in the nineteenth century, foresaw a great rosary victory taking place just about this time in our century.
Remember, as Saint Louis said, that the roses of our Rosary will never wilt or die. They will be just as exquisite thousands of years from now as they are today. He went on to warn us against the ignorant and the scholars who would regard the rosary as something of little importance. Bear in mind the rosary is a priceless treasure, which was inspired by God Himself.
In this day and age the devil is running rampant, and everywhere you look you see the decadence and decay of our society, and all seems lost. Never in the history of the world has the Church been assaulted like she is today, by the evil forces coming after her.
At Fatima, Our Lady gave us a remedy for these evils when she said, "Pray the Rosary everyday! I want you to pray the rosary everyday! Continue to pray the rosary everyday! You must pray the rosary everyday!"
I have briefly shown you the power of the rosary in the past. But what of today? Is the rosary just as powerful today as it was several hundred years ago? Is still the answer to the problems of today. In this century we have_evidence of the power of the Holy Rosary.
Louis Kaczmarek, author of three books and custodian of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima for 20 years, in one of his many lectures illustrated just how powerful the Rosary really is! From 1939-1945, World War II almost destroyed the world. Fifty-five million people died in that war. That war opened up new horrors to mankind that were previously unknown and inconceivable. Women, children, and the elderly were now the victims of war, along with the brave young men who died. This War showed us mans inhumanity to man, through the systematical liquidation of millions of people. Yet during that period from 1939-1945, more rosaries were prayed than at any given time in the history of the Church. What effort do you think that had on World War II? The following are documented facts.
1 August 15, 1940, the greatest air battle ever fought took place in the skies of London, England, when 27 British squadrons shot down 187 of Germany's finest planes putting an end to the secret codes operation Sea lion. August 15 is the feast of the Assumption. Coincidence, or the power of the rosary?
2 December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor is bombed, but it is on December 8, 1941 that the United States officially entered the War. December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and our country is under the Patronage of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
3 May 13, 1943, the North African campaign came to an end. All German and Italian soldiers surrendered. May 13th is the first anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima where she said to the children, "You must pray the rosary, everyday for peace."
4 May 13, 1945, the United States issues a proclamation that this day be a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God for victory in Europe. Again this is the feast of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima.
5 August 15, 1945, Japan surrenders. This is the feast of The Assumption of Our Lady in Heaven.
6 September 1, 1945, the battleship Missouri steams into Tokyo Bay Harbor when General MacAurthur receives the unconditional surrender of the Japanese. In that year 1945, September 1st was on the first Saturday. Saturday is traditionally Our Lady's day and at Fatima she asked for the 1st five Saturdays of Reparation!
7 September 8, 1945, the first American flag flew over Japan. That is Our Lady's birthday. This is Our Lady's way of showing the power of her rosary!
In 1945, the war in Europe ended, yet Russia systematically gobbled up all the eastern block countries, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. For three years Catholic Austria was under the yoke of Communism. What could they do? They were only seven million against the vast army of athestistic communism. They were strategically located in Europe, rich in mineral and oil resources, besides Russia never backed out of a country once she pulled in. What could they do? One priest, went through the country and told them, if you live Our Lady's peace plan, if you pray your rosary everyday, offer up daily duties and consecrate yourself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, you will have peace. Ten percent of the population lived Our Lady's message. 700,000 people prayed their rosary everyday. Seven years later, on May 13, 1955, Russia announced to a stunned world that she was pulling out of Catholic Austria and she would never went back. Austria succeeded with prayer what Hungary failed to achieve one year later with guns when 250,000 people died in a blood bath. That is the power of Our Lady's rosary!
There is a quote I have taken from Father Patrick Peyton's book. In 1964 Brazil was on the verge of a bloody revolution. On March 19, (The feast of Saint Joseph) one million women strong jammed the downtown boulevard of Son Paulos carrying their rosaries, asking that the Mother of God preserve them from the fate and sufferings of the martyred women of Cuba, Poland, Hungary and other enslaved nations. By April 1, Brazilians everywhere were giving thanks to the Virgin of Fatima for this miracle of a revolution without blood shed. That again is the power of Our Lady's rosary!
Bishop Sheen, who died in 1979, a spiritual giant of this century, was once asked to describe the power of the rosary. "Describe the power of the rosary, there are just no words to describe the power of the rosary!" He went on to further state, "The trouble with the world today is that there are not enough rosaries being prayed!"
Pope Paul VI said, "Do you know what the world needs today? Saints! Thousands upon tens of thousands of Saints!" And, in my own opinion, until we have thousands upon tens of thousands of people praying the rosary, we are not going to have those Saints! You are the saints that Pope Paul VI said the world needed. You are the people who have to take your rosaries in your hands and start praying. You have to imitate the saints I have told about.
The Rosary is the answer to all the evils facing the world today! It is the only answer! Our Lady told us this at Fatima, and she was not backed up by mere mortal man when she came down and told us this, she is backed up by the Triune God!
Knowing the menace that is facing the world and our youth today, what is keeping you from getting down on your knees and praying the rosary? Our Lady has repeatedly asked for the recitation of the Rosary.
On May 5, 1917, Pope Benedict XIV implored the world, which at that time was engaged in World War I, to make a nine day novenna to Our Lady for peace. Eight days later, on May 13, 1917, at the Cova de Ira, Fatima, Portugal, Our Lady came and answered Our Holy Father's plea, with her Peace Plan from Heaven. This plan asks us to pray the rosary everyday, offer up our daily duties, to consecrate ourselves to his Immaculate Heart by wearing Her Brown Scapular. Every Pope in this century has advocated the use of the Holy Rosary. John Paul II has told us the Rosary is his favorite prayer and he prays a fifteen decade rosary everyday. He also gives everyone who has an audience with him a rosary.
In 1974, Paul VI urged all Catholic families to pray the rosary everyday. He said, "We now desire as a continuation of the thought of Our predecessors, to recommend strongly the recitation of the family rosary. There is no doubt that the rosary should be considered as one of the best and most efficacious prayers in common that the Christian is invited to recite. We like to think and sincerely hope that when the family gathering becomes a time of prayer, the rosary is a frequent and favorite manner of praying."
Pope Pius XII expressed the desire to go down in history known as the Fatima Pope. Pope Pius XI wrote an encyclical showing that the rosary is the answer to the problems in the world today. Pope Pius IX (he gave us the dogma of the Immaculate Conception) said, "If you want peace in your country, is you want peace in your home, if you want peace in your heart, then pray the rosary in common every night together.
But I feel nobody says it better than Padre Pio. He prayed many rosaries everyday and is the spiritual father of all Blue Army members. He said, "Love the Blessed Mother and get others to love her. Is there a prayer more beautiful, or more pleasing than the one she herself taught us, more beautiful than the rosary? Always pray the rosary!"
Recommended reading
The Secret of The Rosary
by Saint Louis de Montfort. Tan Publishers Inc. Rockford, Il.