Rosary Promise #1

Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.

So exactly what is a “signal grace”?

       Recently I was discerning whether or not to send my daughter to a Catholic youth  conference.  On one hand, I knew the overall content and message of the weekend would be good for her to hear.  In a world where our kids are bombarded with not so great stuff on a consistent basis,  I wanted her to be able to escape the culture vacuum and encounter Jesus in a place where it wasn’t weird or awkward to worship God.  I wanted her to know that she could live a life of joy, on fire for Christ, as a 15 year old high school girl.

But here was the thing… she would not know a soul going to this conference.  She would be riding a bus, 5 hours away, with kids she did not know.  Many adults would struggle to get on board with this.  But this daughter, though shy and reserved in places of unfamiliarity, is strong and courageous at her core.  She has a silent strength that will carry her far in life.  However,  I worried that my hope for the weekend would backfire and she would be completely turned off to any attempt to bolster her faith development.  I wanted her to encounter Jesus, but I didn’t want to do it in a way that had her so anxious and upset that the entire idea turned out to be a bust.

            So I asked for help from from above.  While praying on my morning run, I said, “Lord, I want to do what you are asking of me as her mother.  I know this is a great opportunity for her to hear and learn things about our faith that are authentic and true.  But I don’t know if this is the right time for her to receive this weekend.”  I then asked St. Therese of Lisieux, known for sending “roses from Heaven” for a little help in the decision making.  I asked her to send me a rose to let me know if she should go.

Upon arriving home, I quickly got busy with household chores and went out to my back deck to water my hanging baskets.  Along our fence line, we have a row of pink knock out rose bushes that had yet to bloom.  In fact, at dinner the night before, my older daughter remarked that the roses hadn’t bloomed yet and wondered when that would happen.  Not thinking of that conversation in the moment, my eyes were drawn to a SINGLE bloom on the row of about 10 bushes.  I immediately smiled and remarked, “Well that was quick!”

That is a signal grace.  An answered prayer that often can be dismissed as a coincidence.  They happen all the time, as God’s way of telling us we are on the right path as He continues to guide us and point us in the direction in which He wants us to go.

           The first promise to those devoted to the saying the rosary daily is the frequent reception of signal graces.