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.