What is the purpose of the Rosary?

The purpose of the Rosary is twofold and corresponds to Jesus's commandments to love: firstly, the commandment to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and strength leads us to want to pray in such a way that we worship and glorify him; secondly, the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves leads us to seek prayer that brings spiritual and moral benefits to ourselves while at the same time is an act of intercession for others. The Rosary is all of these things, thanks be to God.

The Cornerstone

The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes.

It wasn't until today's Mass that I associated this familiar verse from Ps 117 with St Peter, the rock on which Christ built his Church. Usually we think of Christ as being that rejected but key foundation stone - and indeed such he is. Yet when this verse is considered in the light of Mt 16, there is a clear echo. Simon Peter, so prominent in the liturgy of the word in recent days, through his hotheaded declarations of loyalty, his subsequent disavowal, his witness of the risen Lord, and his repentance and commissioning by Our Lord at the sea of Galilee, is shown in today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles as the pre-eminent wonderworker and witness to the Resurrection, the Prince of the Apostles who continues the miraculous healing ministry of his master. Truly the rejected stone has now become the cornerstone of the newborn church, and is himself a builder of the community of believers through his words and his great miracles.

Doubt no more, but believe.