The Christophers: The Healing Power of Praying the Rosary

Tony Rossi,

Director of Communications,

The Christophers

As a boy, Gary Jansen believed that Jesus didn’t like him. It might seem strange for a Catholic school student to hold that view, but it stemmed more from environment than theology. Because Gary’s family was poor, he got ostracized by other kids and thought that God looked down on him the same way they did. Over time, Gary learned that wasn’t how God actually saw him. And in retrospect, those experiences of being made to feel “less than” taught him not to be judgmental of others based on outer circumstances because you never know what is going on behind the scenes. 

As the practice of his faith became a key part of Gary’s adult life, he spent more time in prayer, eventually turning to the Rosary he had learned as a child. During an interview about his new book “The Healing Power of Praying the Rosary,” he said he appreciates the fact that the prayer “incorporates body, mind, and soul” through the dimensions of vocal prayer, holding rosary beads, and contemplating the events of Jesus’ life: “I like to think of the Rosary itself as a scrapbook of Mary’s memories. There’s four different parts to this scrapbook that she keeps, and it’s the early years, the middle years, and the later years, and then also times when her son suffered. I think if you want to get to know someone, ask their mom lots of questions. The Rosary is a great place to ask Mary, and to be in [her] presence, because she can give you great insights about her son.”

This is exactly what happened for Gary. Because he practices Ignatian spirituality—which encourages people to mentally and spiritually put themselves into specific Bible scenes—Gary felt the Scriptures come alive. He explained, “Coming back to the idea of this scrapbook—let’s say the nativity of Jesus—it’s like you’re sitting next to Mary. She’s going through all these pages, and [says], ‘This is the day I had my son. You’re not going to believe who showed up, and they brought all these gifts.’ It’s a way of making Jesus relatable without taking away the importance of who He is and His story.”

Gary has also learned that the Rosary is not just good for the soul, it benefits the body. “Chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease, arthritis, or cancer over time,” Gary noted. “The leading factor that a lot of researchers and medical professionals see now is stress…It made me think: if chronic inflammation happens in the body, it must also happen in the soul and in the intellect. The book talks about both spiritual inflammation and physical inflammation. Meditative practices like the Rosary can ease that. There’s been a lot of studies over the years that meditation and prayer can help reduce stress, reduce blood pressure, lower your heart rate, boost your immune system…First and foremost, the Rosary is about praying and being in the presence of Jesus, but there’s a healing quality to it that’s a byproduct that can help us mentally and physically.”

Ultimately, Gary hopes that people who read his book get to “fall deeper into love with Jesus and see that, through the Rosary, we’ve been given a great gift. One, to be in the presence of Jesus, to learn through these mysteries. And two, realize that there’s a byproduct for engaging in this: that it can make people healthier. So give it a shot.”

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org