How I Pray The Rosary

If Our Blessed Lady were to speak to us today I have no doubt what she would include in her message to us. It would be part of the same message she gave to Bernadette at Lourdes and to Lucia, Jacinta and Francesco at Fatima, "Pray the Rosary every day for peace in the world and for the conversion of sinners."

Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Our Blessed Lady could say that if we love her we would do as she asks of us. So if we do not recite the Rosary every day could Our Lady question how fervent is our love for her?

It is not an easy prayer to say because it means trying to do two things at once and we find it hard to do one thing at a time well! You have to recite the Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be while, at the same time, picturing a scene of the lives of Jesus and Mary.

Since we know each decade of the Rosary takes roughly two minutes, why can we not just think about that mystery and forget about the prayers? Or why not just concentrate on the three prayers? Either option would prove to be too difficult a task! There is a delightful story told of a saint who was on his horse in when he met a weary traveller. He challenged him to recite the Our Father without a distraction in exchange for the horse. The traveller joined his hands, closed his eyes and slowly began. Half way through he opened one eye, saw the beautifully carved leather saddle and asked if he could have that as well! Even with the incentive of a horse that traveller was unable to say the Our Father without a distraction. How could we possibly get through the whole Rosary without distractions?

We are not meant to think of the actual words we say but the events in the lives of Jesus and Mary that we are supposed to be contemplating.

The words are meant to be a verbal clock ticking over and it helps to have a thought or picture for each Hail Mary in every decade to avoid distractions.

Let me demonstrate with the first Joyful Mystery the Annunciation how this works ...

1. Think of the family of Mary, Anne and Joachim. Her parents could not believe how fortunate they were to have such a delightful, loving and obedient child like Mary.
2. Mary at prayer. How did she pray? How do we pray?
3. The archangel Gabriel greets Mary. How excited Gabriel must have been to give this wonderful news of the Incarnation!
4. Mary's reaction is one of fear. She was not afraid of the angel; her fear came from hearing the glowing address of Gabriel, “Hail, full of grace." Mary had never perceived herself in this way.
5. "Do not be afraid; you are to bear a Child."
6. "How can this be for I know not man?" Mary did not doubt the angel. It appears it was her intention to remain a virgin. How could she be a mother and yet a virgin? All she wanted was clarification.
7. The angel tells Mary how the conception will take place. In doing so he reveals for the very first time to humankind that there are Three Persons in one God. How fitting that Mary should be the first person to hear about this intimate detail of God's Family!
8. Your cousin Elizabeth, too, is expecting a baby, Mary was told. This was to give her the opportunity to help Elizabeth who would need a young pair of hands.
9. The angel and all Heaven eagerly await Mary's reply.
10. With what humility, love, joy and gratitude Mary gave her consent. I can just see her joining her hands, bowing her head and saying with all the love and humility in her heart, "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let what you say be done unto me." And the angel left her.

Praying the Rosary in this way helps to cut out distractions. Now how can anyone ever say that the Rosary is a boring prayer?

It is said that our Capuchin Brother Saint Padre Pio was one day in the Friary garden with the Rosary beads in his hands when his Fr. Guardian asked how many Rosaries he had recited that day. His answer was 35, enough to tell me there must be something wonderful in this devotion. For him the Rosary was his weapon against the Devil. We should all use the Rosary as a means to holiness.

The words of a song I sing sums up all I have written for today ...

I carry a Rosary with me in my pocket day by day

When I touch the beads they remind me to God’s holy mother to pray.

When she appeared in Lourdes, her message was penance and prayer.

And when she appeared at Fatima her message was just the same there.

She showed the children her Rosary and this she asked to say.

Her request to them was so very clear, pray the Rosary day by day.

It’s not easy to say the Rosary distractions to our mind just flock.

But if we picture the mysteries, the prayers are a verbal clock.

Let’s take a simple example - our fingers move round the beads. But the beads are not important. It’s the pictures that our minds seize.

The prayers are repetitious, but the scenes are never dull

So before you start your Rosary just picture each scene to the full.

There are 200 pictures to look at and everyone different you’ll see

Do this when you say the Rosary from the Our Father to each Glory be.