The Little Things

"The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description."
-Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Sometimes therapists have patients meditate as part of their treatment. There is something about meditation that soothes the soul. Slowing your mind and your words, relaxing your body, the entire meditative process is really beneficial to one's health. Have you ever noticed the healing power of the rosary? No matter how busy a day, no matter how much pain is in our heart, stopping to pray the rosary almost stops time in our souls. It draws us into the most intense drama of salvation history and puts us right there beside Christ. The world around us seems to cease to be, and we are experiencing Christ's love moving in our hearts. One can feel Mary's mantle wrapped around them, enveloping them in her comfort and peace. It takes 15 minutes, we can say it anywhere at any time of the day, it is a simple prayer, yet it is one of the most intense experiences we can have in our prayer lives.

That is the beauty and the genius of the rosary. While many Christians today look at the rosary as "wrote prayer," the truth is that it is deeply meditative and probably one of the most profound prayers we as Catholics have. The power of the rosary truly is beyond description. It is a string of 59 beads, it can fit in your pocket, it is a small reminder of our faith that we can dangle over the rear view mirror, yet it yields more power than we could ever know.

One thing I have noticed about Catholicism is that the little things seem to have the most power. Maybe that's why St. Therese is a Doctor of the Church. The little way, the little things, create the most change in our lives. They are the things that, in my opinion, aggravate Satan the most.

The rosary is probably one of the most powerful tools we have against Satan. When we think about it, who is the one woman who terrifies him the most? Mary was the most powerful woman in history -her yes changed the entire world as we know it- yet she was a young, meek, humble, virgin girl. And Satan hates her for it.

A lot of this world glorifies the idea that real power and strength is held by the big guys. But the comfort of the faith is that while our battle is epic, and our fight against evil is real and exhausting, we can be any size to fight it. We can have the weakest faith in the world, but with the support of our Lady, and with a look to her and her Son, we are untouchable.

What does it say about Satan that he is so threatened by our Lady? That every conversion, every "hail Mary," every celebration of the Mass, has him trembling? That's the image that I get. I think that in the little ways we say yes to God every day, we show Satan that he has no power over us.

Moving forward can seem overwhelming when we have so far to go. Trying to make progress in leaps and bounds can oftentimes lead to disappointment. It is in small steps and increments that we make the most fruitful progress -whether it be financially, our spiritual lives, or in our relationships with each other, focusing on the little things and using them to better ourselves can take a bunch of tiny steps and turn them into the long journey toward peace in Christ.