# The Rosary of the Father
*2020-07-31*

> In honor of the month of August, Bill Young leads a special prayer called the Rosary of the Father, focusing on God's mercy and the triumph of His love over sin and death.

## Understanding the Rosary of the Father

The Rosary of the Father is composed of five decades designed to help us reflect on God's mercy, which is more powerful than evil, sin, and death. It reminds us that we are called to be instruments of the triumph of the Father's love by responding to Him fully with our 'fiat.' Through this prayer, we learn to live the mystery of suffering as a gift, allowing us to bear witness to our love for the Father and permitting Him to manifest Himself within us.

There are profound promises associated with this devotion. It is said that for every Our Father recited, many souls will be saved from eternal damnation and freed from the pains of purgatory. Furthermore, God the Father grants particular graces to the families who recite this rosary, graces that are transmitted from generation to generation for those who live according to the Gospel.

## Opening Prayers

The prayer begins with a plea for the Father to return to the roads of the world, to rule the nations, and to bring peace and justice through the fire of His love. This is followed by the Glory Be, the Apostles' Creed, and a prayer to the Guardian Angel: 'Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day or night be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide.'

## The Five Mysteries

The first mystery reflects on the promise of a Savior after the fall of Adam and Eve, quoting the scripture where God tells the serpent that the offspring of the woman will crush its head. The second mystery contemplates the Annunciation and Mary's fiat, where she accepts her role as the handmaid of the Lord to bear the Son of the Most High.

The third mystery focuses on the Agony in the Garden, where Jesus prays, 'Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine,' and His subsequent betrayal. The fourth mystery reflects on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, highlighting the Father's mercy and joy when the lost son returns home. The fifth mystery looks forward to the New Jerusalem, where God dwells among human beings and wipes away every tear, ending all death, mourning, and pain.

## The Structure of the Prayer

Unlike the traditional Dominican Rosary, each decade of this prayer consists of ten 'Our Father' prayers rather than 'Hail Marys,' though the 'Hail Mary' is used to introduce each mystery. Each decade concludes with the Glory Be, an offering of self to the Father, and the prayer to the Guardian Angel.

*By reciting the Rosary of the Father, we align our will with God's and open our families to the transformative power of His mercy.*