The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Growing up in a devout Catholic family in India, the rhythm of my evenings was set by the steady, familiar hum of my father’s voice leading us in the rosary. It was a beautiful tradition carried down through generations in our household. While it brought a deep sense of peace to our home, I struggled to grasp its deeper purpose.
Whenever I asked my parents why we repeated these prayers daily, their answer was always the same: “It is the tradition of our ancestors. Mary is Jesus’ mother, and she will take our prayers to Him.”
A decade ago, my life changed when I moved to the United States. For the first time, I encountered Protestant friends who held a deep, active aversion to Mary. They challenged me, claiming that the rosary was a form of worship that stripped away the glory due to God alone.
Rather than shaking my faith, their objections ignited a fire in me. I embarked on a deeply personal, intellectual journey to study the Catholic faith as I never had before. I wanted to understand the biblical and historical roots of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sacred Tradition.
I immersed myself in transformative books, including:
- Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn
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Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary by Brant Pitre
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Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples
These writings opened my eyes. I finally understood Mary not just as a historical figure, but as the Theotokos, the Mother of God, and the royal Queen Mother, standing at the right hand of her Son, Jesus, actively interceding on our behalf. Most importantly, I began to see her as the one designed by God to crush the influence of the enemy.
In the Protoevangelium, or the "first Gospel" in Genesis 3:15, God declares to the serpent:
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
This prophecy finds its glorious scriptural conclusion in the Book of Revelation. The scriptures reveal the woman clothed with the sun, assumed into Heaven, who delivers the Son destined to rule the nations with an iron rod. It depicts a spiritual war waged between the dragon (Satan) and the woman’s offspring. Through the death and resurrection of her Son, Mary’s seed wins the ultimate victory, crushing the head of the serpent.
Learning this changed everything for me. I realized that the rosary is not a passive, repetitive exercise. It is a powerful spiritual weapon.
When we pray the rosary, we are not taking glory away from God; we are joining the Mother of God in the spiritual warfare waged against the darkness of our times. Countless saints have heralded the rosary as the most potent defense we have, promising that those who pray it faithfully will be led straight to the glory of the Beatific Vision.
My sincere prayer is that everyone, whether discovering it for the first time or returning to it after years away, develops the daily habit of praying the rosary. By doing so, you shield your life, protect your family, and run toward the ultimate crown: complete, beautiful union with Jesus Christ.
Jithesh Augustine is a senior scientist at a reputed cancer institute finding novel treatments for Lymphoma/Myeloma cancer. He enjoys reading science and spiritual books and listening to podcasts in both these fields. He grasps at every opportunity to evangelize and engage young adults in his community.
