October is the month of the Rosary and today we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Rosary has always been one of my favorite devotions. I like praying the Rosary and meditating on Holy Scripture while reciting the mysteries. Sometimes, when I can't seem to get in the mood for prayer, I simply unite my voice with Gabriel's and say with him, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee." I picture him standing next to me with Our Lady in front of me as I do this. Then, I say with St. Elizabeth,"Blessed are you among woman. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb." This usually is enough to put some heart into my prayer. When you place yourself right on the scene and take part in what's going on it's impossible to do half-heartedly. After all, our imaginations are gifts from God so I might as well find good use for it. Praying in this manner keeps my mind from wandering and helps me focus when I am very distracted.
Allowing yourself to be drawn deep into the mysteries of the Rosary opens up a huge avenue of grace for those who pray it. It is a powerful weapon in our battle against evil. It gives Our Lady joy to intercede for us and to obtain the graces and virtues necessary for our sanctification. Padre Pio called the Rosary the "weapon" for our times.
I'm inclined to believe him :)
Pope John-Paul I used to say: When we speak of "adult Christians" in prayer, at times we exaggerate. Personally when I speak tête-à-tête with God or with the Blessed Virgin Mary, more than an adult I prefer to think of myself as a child. The rosary, a simple and easy prayer, helps me to be at times a child again and of this I am not in the least ashamed.
ReplyDeleteMary, I'm convinced that the Rosary is one of the biggest weapons we have against the enemy! There are stories all over the world that tell of the miracles and protection from the rosary. I'm sad for our Protestant brothers and sisters that just can't get passed the whole "Mary" thing and therefore miss out on this God given devotion!
ReplyDeleteEligelavida,
ReplyDeleteI am this way, too! I think even the oldest among us are like little children in God's eyes. I love having heart-to-heart talks with Our Lord and the Blessed Mother :)
The Rosary is my favorite Picture Book filled with colorful, life-like pictures of the complete story of Christ's Life narrated by His Beloved Mother. Who best to tell the story of her Child? Yes, Nancy, how much about our Saviour our Protestant brethern miss out on because of their stubborn resistance to this beautiful devotion. Thanks, Mary, for this post. N
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Nancy,
ReplyDeleteI agree! Many of the saints have thought this way, too. I put up a few quotes on The Mystical Rose about the Rosary and a common theme among the saints is the Rosary as a weapon against evil.
Nanette,
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention picture books because occasionally I even use my daughter's Rosary picture book during my Rosary. It's got some great meditations in it (lol). I know this is not what you meant but I couldn't help but mention it :) Michaela's even caught me using it. "I don't mind, Mommy, you can use my beads if you want, too."
I just read on someone's blog that the devil sits at your left hand while you are reciting your rosary, ready to snatch away your ill-said prayers and use them as evidence against you at your judgement. The Blessed Virgin and your angel, however, sit at your right hand, ready to take each pious, well said Hail Mary and use it to fashion a jewel in your eternal crown.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember whose blog I read that on, but I often think of it when I become distracted at prayer.
Paramedicgirl,
ReplyDeleteAnother good reason to say them well:)
Mary,
ReplyDeleteYour imagery is amazing! When you say that you unite your voice with Gabriel's and say with him, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee." I can see that so clearly!
I use to say at least 3 Rosaries a day, but recently I am trying to say one rosary for each family member, that's 14 just for immediate. It's a challenge but I've never ran form a challenge in my life and I'm determined to keep up with it...I am also very thankful to have all the mysteries on my ipod..it really helps!
Thanks for the wonderful post.
DG,
ReplyDeleteI find this manner of praying very fruitful for some reason :)
God bless you! That's a lot of Rosaries!