In the strict sense of the word, the rosary is a « little hat » similar to a crown. In the Middle Ages, people used to put a crown of roses on Our Lady’s statues, each rose representing a prayer, therefore the word « rosary ».
Saint Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort (1673-1716) was always encouraging his faithful to pray the rosary. He used to teach them how to go « to Jesus through Our Lady », among other things, by a consecration to Our Lady in a sort of intimacy that leads us directly to Our Lord. He wrote several book. You you will find some extracts of them thereafter :
« The Ave Maria is the most beautiful prayer after the Our Father. It is a beautiful compliment given to Our Lady. It was the compliment that God gave Her through the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel. After receiving such a compliment and, although she was humble, She said fiat to the incarnation of the Word. The Ave Maria moves Her Heart.
Many Saints have said that an Ave Maria properly recited, that is, with attention, devotion and humility, is Satan’s enemy. It makes the Devil run away. An Ave Maria sanctifies our souls, is a joy for the Angels, the hymn of the New Testament. It brings joy to Our Lady and glory to the Holy Trinity. » Extract of Traité de la vraie dévotion à la Sainte Vierge.
« A bead of your rosary is like a rose bud, it seems such a small thing but it is very precious. It will blossom if you pray it devotely. If you cannot say a whole rosary every day, then, at least, say five decades a day. It is a « little hat of roses » that you put on Our Lady’s head. Listen to me and remember this beautiful story.
« Two little girls, two sisters, were sitting on their doorstep and were devotely praying the rosary when a beautiful Lady appeared to them. She came near the yougest girl, who was only seven years old, and took her by the hand. Her eldest sister started looking for her but she could not find her. She went home in tears and told her parents that she had disappeared. The parents started looking for their daughter. After three days, they found her smiling on the doorstep. They asked her where she had been. She answered that Our Lady had taken her to a very nice place, given her very good things to eat and showed her a very nice child whom she had kissed over and over again.The parents, who had recently converted to the Catholic Church, called the Jesuit priest who had taught them the Faith and told him what had happened. This story happened in Paraguay and was related by the priest. So, my dear children, let us imitate these girls and pray our rosary every day. And then, at the hour of our death, God will lead us to Heaven where we will see Jesus and Mary during all eternity. May wise men as well as ignorants, just and sinners, children and adults, greet Our Lord and our Lady, night and day, through the recitation of the rosary. Salute Mariam, quae multum laboravit in vobis (Romans, 16.6). Extract of Le secret admirable du Très Saint Rosaire pour se convertir et se sauver.