Although my wife has heard me say these same words to her thousands of times, never once has she complained, “Stop saying the same thing over and over again!” In an intimate, personal relationship, two people may repeat to each other certain expressions of love, and each time the words express the heartfelt affection they have for one another. Repetition is part of the language of love.
In reciting the Hail Mary throughout the rosary, we participate over and over again the wonder-filled response of Gabriel and Elizabeth to the mystery of Christ. The name of Jesus, spoken with tender love, becomes the heartbeat of the the rosary.
–from the book Praying the Rosary Like Never Before:
We Christians sometimes submit to the Lord’s will begrudgingly, as if it were something burdensome—a sacrifice we must make for the kingdom of God. However, as we grow as God’s children, we begin to realize that his plan for our lives always corresponds to our heart’s deepest longings, to what will truly bring us fulfillment. Though at times very demanding and involving great sacrifices, God’s will is not simply an ethical test we must pass or an external code of behavior to which we must submit. Ultimately, God’s will is written on our hearts and is meant to lead us to a profound peace and happiness, even in the face of trials and sufferings. May we, like Mary, actively desire God’s will to be fulfilled in our lives. May we joyfully embrace his plan for us, not simply as a religious rule to obey but ultimately as the divine pathway to our hearts’ deepest and most noble desires.
—from the book Praying the Rosary Like Never Before: Encounter the Wonder of Heaven and Earth
by Edward Sri