Back to the Rosary

I keep coming back to the rosary.

As much as I try to travel down the road of prayer that is "off the top of my head", most of the time, I come back to the prayers of the Church--the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Scripture reading and the Jesus Prayer.

I have discovered fervent, short prayer to be especially affective.  The fewer words I say, when praying "on my own", the better the outcome usually is.  For other times, though, my own prayers tend to be obsessive and too inwardly focused.  I find I do not benefit from setting aside time to worry as a spiritual practice.  The worries come.  God knows they are there.

Praying is necessary, however.  Praying is helpful.  Prayer is communion with God.  The rosary and other similar prayers are especially helpful when no words of my own will suffice, which, for me, is most of the time.

I also find pre-formulated prayer to be helpful in reining in spiritual pride. If I meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, I am focusing on Jesus' sacrifice and not on my own mind. 

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and October's devotion. 

Try praying this prayer with the Church this month

Back to the Rosary

I keep coming back to the rosary.

As much as I try to travel down the road of prayer that is "off the top of my head", most of the time, I come back to the prayers of the Church--the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Scripture reading and the Jesus Prayer.

I have discovered fervent, short prayer to be especially affective.  The fewer words I say, when praying "on my own", the better the outcome usually is.  For other times, though, my own prayers tend to be obsessive and too inwardly focused.  I find I do not benefit from setting aside time to worry as a spiritual practice.  The worries come.  God knows they are there.

Praying is necessary, however.  Praying is helpful.  Prayer is communion with God.  The rosary and other similar prayers are especially helpful when no words of my own will suffice, which, for me, is most of the time.

I also find pre-formulated prayer to be helpful in reining in spiritual pride. If I meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, I am focusing on Jesus' sacrifice and not on my own mind. 

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and October's devotion. 

Try praying this prayer with the Church this month

The Rosary as Life's Journey

I was saying the entire rosary last Saturday when I realized that it is a  metaphor of and a guide to our entire life's journey.

The rosary begins with the Joyful Mysteries.  We start with the Annunciation. God knows everything about us, has counted all the hairs of our heads and knows our name before we are born.  We are loved individually by our Creator.

Next we go to Mary's visitation to her cousin, Elizabeth.  God's love causes us to reach out to others no matter what our own troubles may be.  This is His Kingdom on earth.  Like the Nativity, Christ is born in our hearts and we continue to experience the joy that God has given us.  We have found the Child Jesus.

Next in the sequence are the Luminous Mysteries.  Baptism is God's way of imparting His Grace to the newborn Christian.  In our walk, our faith becomes fruitful as we continue to show His Love to everyone.  We commit ourselves to spreading this joy.  Our faith deepens as we continue to respond to His call to repentance and the turning around of our former way of life.  We are transfigured on the mountain top of indescribable happiness and long to be one with Him.

But, then something odd happens.  We are in darkness.  The Sorrowful Mysteries aptly illustrate this dry period that falls on each Christian.  Just when we thought we were going along fine and living the life God called us to live, darkness falls.  We find ourselves alone in the garden--a place we used to take joy in.  We cry out to God and are unsure if we are even heard. Our emotions and our circumstances torture us in innumerable ways.  We are mocked and laughed at.  Surely, we think, God has abandoned us.  The joy is gone. We have no choice but to die to ourself.

Just as inevitably, resurrection takes place.  We are bathed in the Light of Christ and are visited by the Holy Spirit.  We are given the strength to carry on and show others the love of Christ.  We realize anew that God has not left us orphans, but given us His Mother and His saints to accompany us on our journey to Him.

We join them in spreading the Kingdom.

The Rosary as Life's Journey

I was saying the entire rosary last Saturday when I realized that it is a  metaphor of and a guide to our entire life's journey.

The rosary begins with the Joyful Mysteries.  We start with the Annunciation. God knows everything about us, has counted all the hairs of our heads and knows our name before we are born.  We are loved individually by our Creator.

Next we go to Mary's visitation to her cousin, Elizabeth.  God's love causes us to reach out to others no matter what our own troubles may be.  This is His Kingdom on earth.  Like the Nativity, Christ is born in our hearts and we continue to experience the joy that God has given us.  We have found the Child Jesus.

Next in the sequence are the Luminous Mysteries.  Baptism is God's way of imparting His Grace to the newborn Christian.  In our walk, our faith becomes fruitful as we continue to show His Love to everyone.  We commit ourselves to spreading this joy.  Our faith deepens as we continue to respond to His call to repentance and the turning around of our former way of life.  We are transfigured on the mountain top of indescribable happiness and long to be one with Him.

But, then something odd happens.  We are in darkness.  The Sorrowful Mysteries aptly illustrate this dry period that falls on each Christian.  Just when we thought we were going along fine and living the life God called us to live, darkness falls.  We find ourselves alone in the garden--a place we used to take joy in.  We cry out to God and are unsure if we are even heard. Our emotions and our circumstances torture us in innumerable ways.  We are mocked and laughed at.  Surely, we think, God has abandoned us.  The joy is gone. We have no choice but to die to ourself.

Just as inevitably, resurrection takes place.  We are bathed in the Light of Christ and are visited by the Holy Spirit.  We are given the strength to carry on and show others the love of Christ.  We realize anew that God has not left us orphans, but given us His Mother and His saints to accompany us on our journey to Him.

We join them in spreading the Kingdom.

The Rosary

The Rosary is what I always go back to.  It is the prayer that I turn to when I don't know what to pray.  It opens the passageways of my spirit and lets in what God wants me to absorb.  It softens my heart against cynicism and despair and unites my prayer with Our Lady's.

The Rosary

The Rosary is what I always go back to.  It is the prayer that I turn to when I don't know what to pray.  It opens the passageways of my spirit and lets in what God wants me to absorb.  It softens my heart against cynicism and despair and unites my prayer with Our Lady's.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The "telling of the beads" has been popular among Catholics for centuries. The 150 Hail Marys reflect the 150 Psalms, used in monastic prayer.

The Rosary wraps you in the life of Christ through the woman he chose to be his mother.

It is comforting.

It is powerful.

The Rosary is an accessible prayer

when you have no bible,

when you have no energy,

when you have no words.

The Rosary can be said while lying down, sitting, kneeling, walking or even driving. It can even be said without a Rosary.

There are rosary bracelets, rosary rings, and rosary CDs. We need never be without the Rosary, a reminder that God is always ready to hear our prayers.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The "telling of the beads" has been popular among Catholics for centuries. The 150 Hail Marys reflect the 150 Psalms, used in monastic prayer.

The Rosary wraps you in the life of Christ through the woman he chose to be his mother.

It is comforting.

It is powerful.

The Rosary is an accessible prayer

when you have no bible,

when you have no energy,

when you have no words.

The Rosary can be said while lying down, sitting, kneeling, walking or even driving. It can even be said without a Rosary.

There are rosary bracelets, rosary rings, and rosary CDs. We need never be without the Rosary, a reminder that God is always ready to hear our prayers.

The Rosary

Here is a beautiful film on the Rosary by Steve Silvia.

The Rosary

Here is a beautiful film on the Rosary by Steve Silvia.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The Rosary is a biblical prayer given to us by God, via the Angel Gabriel at his Annunciation to Our Lady.

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
~Luke 1:28,42

The second portion of the prayer comes from Elizabeth's greeting to Mary.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
~Luke 1:42-43

The Biblical origins of the Rosary are further enhanced by the mysteries. Each decade has associated with it, a different set of mysteries. While praying that decade, we are to meditate on these scenes from the life of Christ. When praying the entire 20 decades of the Rosary, we have gone all the way through the life of Christ, from the Mary's "Yes" to God at the Annunciation, to Christ's ministry on earth, His death, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, to the descent of the promised Holy Spirit on the Apostles.

The Assumption of the Virgin is based on the idea of Mary as Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant held the very tablets with which God Himself wrote the ten commandments, and as such, the ark was very special and had to be built to God's exact specifications (Ex 25:9, 39:42-3). In 2 Samuel 6, the Israelites had lost the Ark. When King David sees the Ark being brought back, he says, "Who am I that the ark of the Lord should come to me?" (2 Sam 6:9). This directly foreshadows Elizabeth's prophesy in Luke:"And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43)

As the bearer of the Lord (Theotokos) Mary was kept free from sin, not by her own merit, but by God's saving grace. God the Father exists fully outside of time. He is the One who has existed from all time, since He is uncreated. As such, God knew that Mary's answer to His angel would be, "Yes" and He created her without stain of original sin. Without Christ's death on the cross, Mary's salvation would not be possible. Hence, Mary is able to say with all of us, "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1:47)

The Five Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation
2. The Visitation
3. The Nativity
4. The Presentation
5. The Finding in the Temple

The Five Mysteries of Light

1. His Baptism in the Jordan
2. His self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana,
3. His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion.
4. His transfiguration,
5. His institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal
mystery.


The Five Sorrowful Mysteries

1. The Agony in the Garden
2. The Scourging at the Pillar
3. The Crowning of Thorns
4. The Carrying of the Cross
5. The Crucifixion

The Five Glorious Mysteries

1. The Resurrection
2. The Ascension
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
4. The Assumption
5. The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The Rosary is a biblical prayer given to us by God, via the Angel Gabriel at his Annunciation to Our Lady.

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
~Luke 1:28,42

The second portion of the prayer comes from Elizabeth's greeting to Mary.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
~Luke 1:42-43

The Biblical origins of the Rosary are further enhanced by the mysteries. Each decade has associated with it, a different set of mysteries. While praying that decade, we are to meditate on these scenes from the life of Christ. When praying the entire 20 decades of the Rosary, we have gone all the way through the life of Christ, from the Mary's "Yes" to God at the Annunciation, to Christ's ministry on earth, His death, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, to the descent of the promised Holy Spirit on the Apostles.

The Assumption of the Virgin is based on the idea of Mary as Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant held the very tablets with which God Himself wrote the ten commandments, and as such, the ark was very special and had to be built to God's exact specifications (Ex 25:9, 39:42-3). In 2 Samuel 6, the Israelites had lost the Ark. When King David sees the Ark being brought back, he says, "Who am I that the ark of the Lord should come to me?" (2 Sam 6:9). This directly foreshadows Elizabeth's prophesy in Luke:"And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43)

As the bearer of the Lord (Theotokos) Mary was kept free from sin, not by her own merit, but by God's saving grace. God the Father exists fully outside of time. He is the One who has existed from all time, since He is uncreated. As such, God knew that Mary's answer to His angel would be, "Yes" and He created her without stain of original sin. Without Christ's death on the cross, Mary's salvation would not be possible. Hence, Mary is able to say with all of us, "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1:47)

The Five Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation
2. The Visitation
3. The Nativity
4. The Presentation
5. The Finding in the Temple

The Five Mysteries of Light

1. His Baptism in the Jordan
2. His self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana,
3. His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion.
4. His transfiguration,
5. His institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal
mystery.


The Five Sorrowful Mysteries

1. The Agony in the Garden
2. The Scourging at the Pillar
3. The Crowning of Thorns
4. The Carrying of the Cross
5. The Crucifixion

The Five Glorious Mysteries

1. The Resurrection
2. The Ascension
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
4. The Assumption
5. The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin

The Rosary--a gift from our mother

Tomorrow is Mother's Day in the U.S. and the 90th anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady at Fatima. On May 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary. Our Lady asked Jacinta and Franciso Marta and Lucia dos Santos to pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world, and to do penance for conversion of sinners.

I think Our Lady gave us a great gift when she asked us to pray the Rosary for peace. I think, in every age, we worry about what goes on in the world, especially those things beyond our control. There are times when we don't feel there is anything we can do ourselves, to further peace in our time. Praying the Rosary for Peace is one thing we can do.

Pray the Rosary for peace. Pray the rosary for mothers.

The Rosary--a gift from our mother

Tomorrow is Mother's Day in the U.S. and the 90th anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady at Fatima. On May 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary. Our Lady asked Jacinta and Franciso Marta and Lucia dos Santos to pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world, and to do penance for conversion of sinners.

I think Our Lady gave us a great gift when she asked us to pray the Rosary for peace. I think, in every age, we worry about what goes on in the world, especially those things beyond our control. There are times when we don't feel there is anything we can do ourselves, to further peace in our time. Praying the Rosary for Peace is one thing we can do.

Pray the Rosary for peace. Pray the rosary for mothers.

The Rosary

For the month of May, I thought I would post a few thoughts on the Rosary. As one who is easily distracted, I really appreciate the gift that is the Holy Rosary. It is so multisensory. Your fingers travel over the beads as you pray the prayers and contemplate the mysteries. The crucifix can be used as a way to center your thoughts on the sacrifice of Christ.

In saying all 15 (or 20) decades in a complete rosary, we follow the life of Christ from His conception, to his return to heaven. The Rosary is a mini-bible that holds within it, the teachings and creed of the Church.

In praying the rosary, we are not contemplating ourselves, but our God. We are remembering His teachings, and asking His mother to pray for us as we live our lives, as well as at the moment of our death, which we all will experience.

The rosary developed from a need that the laity had to "pray without ceasing"--to pray throughout the day, as they observed the monks of their day doing. Many were not literate enough to pray the 150 psalms or the daily office, but they could memorize the prayers of the rosary and meditate on its mysteries.

The rosary gives us something holy with which to fill our minds--something to work against the filth that so easily fills our minds in today's media-saturated society.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

~Phillipians 4:8

We are multi demensional human beings. We are body, soul and spirit. We need to fill our minds with "whatever is true." Jesus said,

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
~John 14:6

Our Lord warned us what can happen if we empty our minds and souls without filling them with Him:

When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.
~Matthew 12: 43-45

Another beautiful, multi-sensory prayer is the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which is perfect for those who are not comfortable saying the Hail Mary. It more directly focuses on Christ and His sacrifice for us.

The Rosary

For the month of May, I thought I would post a few thoughts on the Rosary. As one who is easily distracted, I really appreciate the gift that is the Holy Rosary. It is so multisensory. Your fingers travel over the beads as you pray the prayers and contemplate the mysteries. The crucifix can be used as a way to center your thoughts on the sacrifice of Christ.

In saying all 15 (or 20) decades in a complete rosary, we follow the life of Christ from His conception, to his return to heaven. The Rosary is a mini-bible that holds within it, the teachings and creed of the Church.

In praying the rosary, we are not contemplating ourselves, but our God. We are remembering His teachings, and asking His mother to pray for us as we live our lives, as well as at the moment of our death, which we all will experience.

The rosary developed from a need that the laity had to "pray without ceasing"--to pray throughout the day, as they observed the monks of their day doing. Many were not literate enough to pray the 150 psalms or the daily office, but they could memorize the prayers of the rosary and meditate on its mysteries.

The rosary gives us something holy with which to fill our minds--something to work against the filth that so easily fills our minds in today's media-saturated society.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

~Phillipians 4:8

We are multi demensional human beings. We are body, soul and spirit. We need to fill our minds with "whatever is true." Jesus said,

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
~John 14:6

Our Lord warned us what can happen if we empty our minds and souls without filling them with Him:

When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.
~Matthew 12: 43-45

Another beautiful, multi-sensory prayer is the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which is perfect for those who are not comfortable saying the Hail Mary. It more directly focuses on Christ and His sacrifice for us.

Meditating on the Virtues of the Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries

Fridays hold a special place in Catholic spirituality, because it is the day that Christ died on the cross for our sins and, therefore, it is the day that we meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Catholics are *still* required to either fast from meat on that day, or substitute another penance. This penetential flavor of Fridays is in direct contrast to society's view of Fridays as a day to "party."


Sorrowful Mysteries
Tuesdays and Fridays. Also Sundays in Lent.

1. The Agony in the Garden.
Virtue: Praying in a manner pleasing to God. Contrition for sin.

2. The Scourging at the Pillar.
Virtue: Purity. Mortification

3. The Crowning of Our Lord with Thorns.
Virtue: Moral Courage.

4. The Carrying of the Cross.
Virtue: Patience in suffering.

5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord.
Virtue: Self-Denial.

Meditating on the Virtues of the Holy Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries

Fridays hold a special place in Catholic spirituality, because it is the day that Christ died on the cross for our sins and, therefore, it is the day that we meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Catholics are *still* required to either fast from meat on that day, or substitute another penance. This penetential flavor of Fridays is in direct contrast to society's view of Fridays as a day to "party."


Sorrowful Mysteries
Tuesdays and Fridays. Also Sundays in Lent.

1. The Agony in the Garden.
Virtue: Praying in a manner pleasing to God. Contrition for sin.

2. The Scourging at the Pillar.
Virtue: Purity. Mortification

3. The Crowning of Our Lord with Thorns.
Virtue: Moral Courage.

4. The Carrying of the Cross.
Virtue: Patience in suffering.

5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord.
Virtue: Self-Denial.

Meditating on the Virtues of the Holy Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

In the papal document ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE, Pope John Paul II declared October 2002 – October 2003 The Year of the Rosary and proposed 5 new mysteries reflecting on the public life of Christ.

This new cycle of mysteries, which in a sense, complete the rosary as a prayerful meditation on the entire life of Christ will, no doubt, go down in Church history as one of the late pontiff's greatest contributions to Catholic spirituality.

Luminous Mysteries
Thursdays.

1. The Baptism of Our Lord.
Virtue: Rebirth in Christ. Fidelity to one's vocation

2. The Wedding at Cana.
Virtue: Trust in the Lord and His Mother.

3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom.
Virtue: Perseverance. Evangelization. Conversion of heart

4. The Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Virtue: Reverence. Unity with God and His Will.

5. The Institution of the Eucharist.
Virtue: Devotion to and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament.

Meditating on the Virtues of the Holy Rosary--The Luminous Mysteries

In the papal document ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE, Pope John Paul II declared October 2002 – October 2003 The Year of the Rosary and proposed 5 new mysteries reflecting on the public life of Christ.

This new cycle of mysteries, which in a sense, complete the rosary as a prayerful meditation on the entire life of Christ will, no doubt, go down in Church history as one of the late pontiff's greatest contributions to Catholic spirituality.

Luminous Mysteries
Thursdays.

1. The Baptism of Our Lord.
Virtue: Rebirth in Christ. Fidelity to one's vocation

2. The Wedding at Cana.
Virtue: Trust in the Lord and His Mother.

3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom.
Virtue: Perseverance. Evangelization. Conversion of heart

4. The Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Virtue: Reverence. Unity with God and His Will.

5. The Institution of the Eucharist.
Virtue: Devotion to and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament.