Another false doctrine of the evil antichrists

“The Most Pleasing Prayer We Can Offer”

Lucia describes how she believes that, besides the Holy Mass, the Rosary “is the most pleasing prayer we can offer to God and one which is most advantageous to our own souls. If such were not the case, Our Lady would not have asked for it so insistently.”

Lúcia dos Santos (standing) with her cousin, Jacinta Marto, 1917 / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

Lucia on the Need for Counting Prayers in the Rosary

Lucia answers questions about why the Rosary requires a fixed number of prayers. She explains that counting helps us have “a clear and vivid idea of what we are doing” and lets us know whether we have completed our daily offering to God. This practice helps preserve and deepen our intimate relationship with God and strengthens our faith, hope, and charity.

Lucia also notes that very few souls maintain “a relationship of intimate familiarity with God” that prepares them to receive Christ in the Eucharist worthily. For these souls, vocal prayer is necessary too—prayed with meditation and reflection, as the Rosary encourages.

While many prayers can prepare us to receive Jesus in the Eucharist and keep us close to God, Lucia believes, “I do not think that we shall find one more suited to people in general than the praying of the five or fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.”

The Power of the Rosary

Sister Lucia beautifully explains the power of the Rosary:

Even for those who don’t know how or cannot fully recollect themselves to meditate, simply holding the Rosary to pray makes them mindful of God. Each decade’s mention of a mystery of Christ’s life recalls Him to their minds, kindling a gentle light of faith that supports the soul’s flame, preventing it from going out.

What happens if we neglect this guidance from Our Lady at Fatima? Sister Lucia is clear:

Those who give up saying the Rosary and who do not attend daily Mass have nothing to sustain them and end up lost in the materialism of earthly life.

She concludes firmly: “Thus, the Rosary is the prayer God, through His Church and Our Lady, has most insistently recommended as a path and gateway to salvation: ‘Pray the Rosary every day.’”

John Paul II’s Daily Rosary

John Paul II, closely connected with Fatima, shared his thoughts on the Rosary in his 2002 apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. He described the Rosary as “clearly Marian in character” but “at heart a Christocentric prayer.” It contains “all the depth of the Gospel message,” serving as a compendium of the faith.

He explained that the Rosary places us in “the school of Mary,” leading us to contemplate “the beauty on the face of Christ and experience the depths of His love.” Through this prayer, we receive “abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.”

John Paul II called the Rosary his favorite prayer, praising it as “marvelous in its simplicity and depth.” To pray it is “nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ.” It should be our favorite prayer too.

The Rosary for Peace and the Family

John Paul II emphasized the Rosary’s role in promoting peace and protecting the family. This echoes Our Lady’s message at Fatima on July 13, when she urged the seers to “Continue to say the Rosary every day… to obtain the peace of the world and the end of the war.”

He pointed out the family’s growing threats from ideological and practical forces, saying:

The family, the primary cell of society, is increasingly menaced, raising fears for the future of this essential institution and society as a whole.

His remedy was clear:

The revival of the Rosary in Christian families, alongside broader pastoral care, will help counter the effects of this crisis. It’s also “beautiful and fruitful to entrust the growth and development of children to the Rosary.”

The Rosary as a Prayer for the World’s Challenges

John Paul II spoke with urgency about the world’s difficulties at the millennium’s start:

Only a divine intervention can guide the hearts of those living in conflict and the leaders of nations toward hope.

Echoing Our Lady’s Fatima message, he stated:

The Rosary is by nature a prayer for peace, centered on Christ, the Prince of Peace. Those who deeply embrace the mystery of Christ through the Rosary learn the secret of peace and make it their life’s mission.

This peace begins with individuals, as meditating on each mystery alongside the “tranquil succession of Hail Marys” brings a calming effect and the gift of peace from the risen Jesus.

The Family Rosary: A Vital Tradition

John Paul II returned to the importance of family prayer:

The Rosary is and always has been a prayer of and for the family.

He urged not to let this precious tradition slip away:

We must return to family prayer, continuing the practice of praying the Rosary together. As Father Patrick Peyton famously said, “The family that prays together stays together.”

By age-old tradition, the Rosary has proven especially effective in uniting families.

He ended with a strong plea to everyone—from the sick and elderly to young people:

Confidently take up the Rosary again. Rediscover it in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the Liturgy, and in your daily lives.