HOW TO PRAY A GOOD, EFFECTIVE ROSARY

When praying the Rosary, one must keep several important points in mind:

* When asking for a favor through the Rosary, or through other prayers, having faith and confidence that your prayers will be heard and answered is essential.

* In addition, saying your Rosary with perseverance has always been proven most effective. Persevere in your Rosary no matter how bleak the situation may look at times. Listen to what St. Catherine de Ricci tells us: "When we desire to obtain a favor from Almighty God, we must go on asking for it until we get it; because He has determined the number of times we are to ask for it; and He will not grant our petition till that number is complete."

* When praying, you should also be trying to live a generally good life. You cannot expect God to hear and answer your prayers while you are purposely living a bad life otherwise. Making an effort to correct faults in your life (as far as you are able personally) while you pray for special intentions will make your prayers that much more effective.

* Sometimes, without realizing it, we may ask for things that are not good for us, though we may not realize it at the time. God, as a good Father, Who knows all things, will not give us anything that is not good for us. In these cases, however, our Rosaries are never wasted. God will use them for us in a different way.

* In the case of praying for a loved one to be delivered from a sinful life we can always have the greatest confidence because we know that what we are asking for is definitely good for them. In fact God wants what we want in this matter even more than we do, and therefore we can be sure that He will give the grace of conversion to those for whom we pray. "How" and "When" are up to Him. Sacred Scripture says: "There is a time for every purpose under heaven."

* The best way to obtain a favor through the Rosary is the 54-Day Rosary Novena, given to us by Our Lady herself. It consists of one Rosary (5 decades) a day for 27 days in petition, followed immediately by a Rosary each day for another 27 days in thanksgiving.

* The good God and the Virgin Mary will come through for you! Discouragement is the Devil's greatest tool. Don't fall into his trap.