Another "Does It Count" Question

[Layp3rs0n]

Okay, I work in a bookstore so I am often shelving books throughout my shift.(sadly I don’t agree with ALL the material we sell, but I digress.) I often want to pray the Rosary but have both my hands occupied holding books. I can’t use my beads or even my fingers. So if I say an arbitrary number of Hail Mary’s (knowing I have said AT LEAST TEN) does each decade still “count”, or is this improper?

 

[Trishie]

The beads are a means for counting, they aren’t essential for saying the Rosary. If you say the right number of Lord’s prayers and Hail Marys you’ve legitimately said the Rosary

 

[jacie]

Hey, no one’s counting! Just do your best, all that matters is your intent and desire to pray. It’s not some magic formula. I pray in the car a lot, and when I’m driving I can’t exactly be counting beads. Although a rosary on cd is helpful. You could always put on some headphones, or get a rosary recorded on an MP3 player…?

 

[Belle10]

I would only suggest to try to make sure that you’re also meditating on the mysteries while praying.

If you’re looking for a recording of the Rosary, check out this post that I just made in the “How long does it take for you to pray the Rosary?” thread here: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=262768

I usually pray the Rosary on my commute to work in the morning – I use a CD so that I’m “hands-free.” The CD is a free one from www.CatholiCity.com. I find this particular recording to be very nice – not too slow, not too fast. It’s also nice to use because it’s like I’m not alone praying. At the end of the CD there’s a few minutes of information about the Rosary (where it came from, etc.). It says that the average Rosary takes about 17 minutes, which just happens to be the optimum attention span for an adult.

(After the Rosary there is a recording of the chaplet of Divine Mercy too and then some other prayers. It’s a nice CD.)

 

[graceandglory]

Hey, no one’s counting! Just do your best, all that matters is your intent and desire to pray. .?

Right, (I think)
some people can crank out a rosary in 15 minutes or less. It takes me about 30.

Isn’t a rosary kind of a “tool” for guiding you into prayer and meditating?

If you don’t get all the beads done in 15 minutes, is it “as good as” someone who finishes a rosary in 15 minutes? (If you’re really focused for 15 minutes?)

I guess this is my question too.

 

[pippin]

I use that CD on my comute to work as well. It also has the Divine Mercy Chaplet on it. It’s a no bells or whistles Rosary that’s easy to pray with.

 

[jacie]

I know I’ve read in several different places some quotes from various saints/visionaries who claim to have been told by God or Mary things such as if they fall asleep before finishing their rosary, that their Guardian Angel would finish it for them. I would hope that would also count towards things like getting interrupted during their rosary while driving or at work.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Some people, especially Catholics, treat God as sort of a prayer vending machine. X number of prayers returns X number of graces.

This isn’t the purpose of prayer and it borders superstition.

The purpose of prayer is to turn our focus toward God, in order to grow closer to Him and to be transformed by His grace, so that we can attain union with Him.

As you work throughout the day, just thinking about God, is prayer. It is our loving awe of the Divine that calls our hearts.

Faith is a relationship with the divine that is built on love.

Jim