We all know the beauty and power of the Holy Rosary, and yet sometimes, even often, we do not think about how truly transcendent this gift from Heaven truly is. There is so much beyond the basic regarding this prayer that one would need years to even begin to scratch the surface.
Perhaps we can do our part by stepping back, away from the profound scholarly and theological writings of infinitely more qualified observers, and simply looking at the Rosary at a distance.
A Series of Steps
What we see from that vantage point is a series of steps leading to a destination. More accurately, we have a series of steps leading to major stops, and a series of those stops leading to the ultimate destination.
Is this not what our lives are? We are each taking steps toward a given direction of our own choosing, stopping at key places along our way, and continuing on our path toward our chosen target.
Whether we like it or not, we are all heading somewhere. We can’t stop and simply refuse to go somewhere because, in truth, such a stop and refusal would be going somewhere in and of itself. Thus, we are in constant motion toward a destination.
Next, as to what precisely that destination may be, some of us would like to think that this is out of our control, for that would be so much easier for our pride and responsibility. However, we should, and do, know better.
A Destination of Our Own Choosing
God has given us free will, and we are responsible for our actions, thoughts, and deeds. Therefore, again, like it or not, we are truly heading toward a destination of our own choosing.
Most of us move through our lives with our eyes down, only looking at our next step without regard to where these steps are leading us. The myopia of immediacy pulls us to worry only about what is right in front of us, never bothering to consider what lies beyond our next steps, much less where we are ultimately headed.
While it is true that 20/20 hindsight is a great teacher, Our Lord offers us so much more. He presents us with 20/20 Foresight in the form of looking up from our fixation with immediacy, and thinking about where we are truly headed.
We are all taking steps toward a destination, but that destination could be many things other than eternal salvation in our Heavenly home. The Rosary invites us to consider the importance of each step, and the value of each major stop in our lives. Much more importantly, however, it is a vivid call for us to fashion those steps and those stops all in the direction of God.
A Path to God
Any journey that does not end in God is a wasted one. One way or the other, our paths must lead us toward Heaven if they are to be of value to our eternity. Just as the Rosary includes paths of sorrow, of joy, of glory, and of light, so too, will we face such steps in our daily lives. These steps will provide us with the opportunity to come closer to God if we choose to accept the offer.
That offer, by the way, is also a challenge in a world which presents so many distractions, and so many obstacles to God. Our paths to God will surely not always be straight and direct ones.
Many times, we will stray and take winding roads of our own making and, if truth be told, of God’s plan. Our faith and dedication to serving God and loving others will provide us with the eventual compass or GPS to find our way despite any winding roads.
Through the Holy Rosary, we can honor Our Blessed Mother and thus please Her Son. Through the Holy Rosary, we can keep Our Lord and His Mother in our hearts and minds. However, we should also consider that the Rosary is a metaphor for life.
The Holy Family took steps across the desert to Bethlehem, and away from Bethlehem to safety from Herod. They took steps to and from Jerusalem when Our Lord was lost as a child. Our Lord took steps to the desert to be tempted and begin preparing for His ministry. He took millions of steps across His region to fulfill His mission of salvation. Of course, He took steps along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary, as recounted in the Stations of the Cross. How many steps have the saints who have followed taken to serve God?
Steps, stations, stops, paths along the way to a destination of our own choosing. Being a follower of Christ is as much about steps and stops along a path as anything else. It is our job to make sure those stops are only temporary and those steps lead us, and others, to God.
