Curious...how do you guys meditate on the Rosary mysteries?

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MariaRita5

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Just curious: how do you guys meditate during the Rosary? What goes through your mind? I just got back into it. I have a highly verbal mind, and I’m very bad at creating images in my head. If I try, it’s very fuzzy and unfocused, and I lose the image quickly. Plus I get distracted because words are always running through my head. Since I’m so verbal, I have to pray with a Rosary app because I find it impossible to pray Hail Marys while thinking in words. So while the app recites, “Hail Mary, full of grace, etc.” I think about one aspect of the mystery in words, then I fully concentrate on praying “Holy Mary, Mother of God, etc.” without trying to think about anything.

So for example, during the first Sorrowful Mystery, I’ll think on the first Hail Mary, “Jesus asked His Father to take away the chalice of suffering.” Then on the second, I’ll think, “But He prayed, ‘Yet not my will, but yours be done.’” And so on. Sometimes I’ll try to think about how the mystery applies to my life or about what virtues Jesus and Mary showed during the mystery.

What do you guys do for your meditation? Do you think in pictures, words, or both? What aspects of the mysteries do you meditate on?

I’m not really asking for help, just to be clear. I’m just fascinated by how other people’s minds work and how everyone is different.
 
It use to be I said the words verbally and tried to stay focused on the mystery
Usually I had a video on the mystery playing in my head, usually a scene from the Jesus of Nazareth Movie. That was long ago

Since learning contemplative prayer, I say the prayers mentally and reflect on the mysteries at the same time. However, the mysteries take on a deeper meaning rather than a video playing in my head.
 
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Pictures focused on the virtue I am asking Mary to obtain for me. For instance in the visitation, I “see” Mary helping Elizabeth around the house, and imagine that as me in a modern setting doing the same. Or with the same mystery, I might see how Mary caused the sanctification of John in the wokb, and I’ll imagine how that is me in a state of grace aiding someone else to be blessed and sanctified.
 
Similar to the previous poster, I put myself standing behind the Blessed Virgin watching the scriptural verses related to the mysteries come to life and witnessing what is taking place.
 
My main method is found in this booklet below. Each bead has a sentence which you form an image of in your mind. I’ve memorized all 200 images (easier than it sounds) so that I can say the rosary without the booklet.

I also sometimes read one line of Scripture per bead, saying the Hail Mary while reading the verse.

My final method is I use a series of videos on YouTube (search "visual rosary, videos are by Reel something or other) that have a slideshow of images and I contemplate those while saying the Hail Mary’s.

Let’s Pray (Not Just Say) the Rosary: Classic Edition; Luminous Mysteries Added

https://www.amazon.com/dp/076481656X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_N4rDEbGM8BJWF
 
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I typically meditate on the virtues. Sometimes it’s scriptural, but I don’t find it as edifying as, say, during the sorrowful mysteries I would say during the first mystery: Agony in the Garden “Lord, help me to do your will”, During the second mystery: Scourging at the Pillar “Lord, help me to offer my sufferings to you” during the third Crowning of Thorns “Lord, give me strength to bear, if necessary, humiliation for your sake” and so on, kind of putting my own spin on intentions.

Pax
 
Nice. 🙂 it’s good that you know what works for you. I like praying the rosary outloud with my family. Most times, a piece of Scripture will come to mind such as “Do whatever He tells you” AMD I am reminded here that Mary interceded then and does now, before her Son. and I may dwell on that for a bit… . My preferred way of praying the rosary alone is mental prayer. I can recite the words mentally while thinking of the mystery in different ways. Like the previousposter, it is alot of times through the eyes of Mary. For example, I will be moved to sorrow imagining seeing my son beaten and tortured… and so on. It varies alot. I like to pick up a different booklet for the rosary once in a while, and get a fresh perspective. Alot of times, pieces of those booklets come to mind.
 
I like to do this, too. Asking the Lord for grace to imitate the virtues that He and Our Lady showed for each mystery helps me to feel more connected to the mystery.
 
I like praying the Rosary with my family, too. We just started back up again after a long hiatus (almost a year!) of not doing it. We’ve been praying after dinner for an end to coronavirus pandemic and for other intentions.

I hope that one day with the help of God’s grace I can move into mental prayer of the Rosary. Since I’ve just started praying it again, it’s more difficult. But I shall persevere!
 
Hallow is the one I use. I like that you can choose the length of time you pray (18, 20, or 25 minutes). There’s a short reflection with Scripture before each mystery for the longer ones.
 
Victory! Our most powerful weapon. A true blessing that your family is praying the rosary through this.
Yeah, you’ll get there mentally in the right time.

My husband and I just learned the rosary 3 years ago, (we are both converts) and I remember reading the hail Mary prayer ect.
It was alot to learn!! I would have never even thought I’d be able to mentally pray such a thing, but it really does leave a space open in the quiet.
 
Hey I’m a convert too! I came into the Church in Easter 2018. Mom came in Easter 2019, and Dad came back after 34 years. God bless you and your husband. It’s so amazing that you converted.
 
Ooh you and I came into the church the same Easter : D
Thank you.
God bless you too. ❤️❤️❤️
 
There are a number of podcasts online that have scriptural rosary. With each bead you hear and read another relevant verse from the Bible. This helps me immensely. I have the same problem you do!
 
I too suggest praying a Scriptural Rosary. Once committed to memory, you can pray the Rosary while engaged in mundane tasks, you know, “ora et labora”.

For the 4th Glorious Mystery, I meditate on a different virtue of Our Blessed Mother on each bead. See, The Ten Evangelical Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary as recorded in the Gospel.

For the 5th Glorious Mystery, I dedicate each bead to a different title of Our Blessed Mother. For example, “Our Lady of Fatima”, “Our Lady of Alta Gracia”, etc. Or, alternatively, you can dedicate the entire decade to Our Blessed Mother under one your favorite titles.
 
MariaRita5 said:
I’m not really asking for help, just to be clear. I’m just fascinated by how other people’s minds work and how everyone is different.
Click to expand...
Most of the time I do it the way you describe. In fact when meditating on the 4th sorrowful mystery I pretty much visit the first 10 stations of the cross.

Every now & then I’ll have an epiphany & meditate on that. A year or so ago I was meditating on the luminous mysteries & going into the 5th mystery the words, “I’ve longed to share this meal with you.” & that just hit me so hard I often meditate on that while the priest prays the Eucharistic prayers.

Same thing, about a year ago I was in the middle of saying a Hail Mary & I realized no matter when I say it, the Lord is with her & I started remembering St Louis de Montford’s teaching that it would be easier to separate the heat from the sun’s rays than to separate Jesus from Mary.
 
www.prayinglatin.com

Mysteries for Rosary Meditation - Deep and Profound Meditations

Mysteries and Scriptures for Rosary meditaitons and Latin titles with links to deep, profound meditations of the Rosary and all relevant Scriptures.
www.prayinglatin.com www.prayinglatin.com

Upon announcing the Mystery, I’ll gaze and reflect upon corresponding artwork, then go on to the Our Father. Preceeding each Hail Mary, I’ll read a verse/reflection corresponding to the mystery of given decade. I try to meditate between the prayers. While reciting a given prayer itself, I prefer to focus on the prayer itself. The site I linked offers a fair amount of inspiration /flexibility for one’s own style of devotion. I know that mine is always changing.
 
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