No small thing: Praying the rosary is great in God's eyes, pope says

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- It may seem insignificant to some, but praying the rosary every day is huge in the eyes of God, Pope Francis told an association of laywomen dedicated to the Holy Family and prayer.

"God loves what is small and makes it bear fruit," he told members of the "Sentinelles de la Sainte Famille" (Sentinels of the Holy Family) during an audience at the Vatican Jan. 11.

Founded in Brussels in 2013, the group coordinates an international prayer network of women, known as "sentinels," to pray the rosary every day for the pope, priests, consecrated women, vocations, families and evangelization.

"The commitment required of someone who wants to become a 'sentinel' is simple, it might even seem laughable: recite a decade of the rosary every day," the pope said.

The "very simple" requirement, he said, and may seem "small in the eyes of mankind, but it is much in the eyes of God if it is done faithfully over time, with faith and fervor and in a spirit of communion among you."

Their prayer and commitment as "sentinels" are guided by Mary and her special attributes of looking upon the world with her maternal gaze, holding the world's troubles in her heart and her tenderness, he said.

"Our world, as well as our brothers and sisters, need tenderness more than ever," the pope said.

"How harsh today's world is sometimes, merciless, deaf and indifferent to the suffering and needs of our neighbor. Mary was tenderness for Jesus, and she is tenderness for the church and the world," he said.

The pope encouraged the women to help people "discover the meaning of what they experience, and to always hold on to hope and confidence in the future," and he asked them to "persevere with courage."

"May your growth, numerical and geographical, not cause you to lose simplicity and smallness of heart," he added.