Distracted during the rosary?

[o_o_82]

I usually keep a little pamphlet in front of me with little pictures of each mystery. The pictures come alive in my mind as I meditate on each mystery, and even then my mind may drift off that particular mystery into something that at first seems not relevant to my action. But it may have a connection somehow. The pamphlet is called Praying the Rosary Daily, and it was my introduction on how to pray the Rosary, and I still use it. The pictures help a lot. I love the quote on the backside of it too from JP II - “After the Eucharist, the Rosary is my favorite prayer” And to me it is a perfect prayer for us that are imperfect.

emp

Thanks empacae. I think it is a good idea to have a pamphlet. I never considered that idea before. I would get around to trying it, if nothing else works for me.

Also I would like to mention that most of my distractions have nothing to do with the Rosary. Most of it is about something that I needed to do, or something that I had read about or talked about during the day.

O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

Thank for your post jmm08.

Certainly, distractions are a problem. For at least one of the Rosaries each day, it is a good idea to pray in a setting and in a place where nothing else is going on.

I live alone – and the place where I live is extremely silent. So I don’t think I have any external distractions. Also, I find time to say the Rosary only very late in the night – so I am sure that the only thing I can hear is my radiator, and my own breath.

Lately, for me I am starting to pray the Rosary more regularly in the bathtub.

You say your Rosary in a bathtub! I guess we Catholics are getting more innovative now ;) 

I have the privacy I need already. I used to formerly say the Rosary while sitting on my bed before going to sleep. However this used to give me the temptation to masturbate. 

Now I still say the Rosary before I go to sleep – but I sit on a chair and do it. If I feel uncomfortable, I don’t mind taking a break from saying it – but I try to do sitting.

Thanks again.
O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

Adoration is a great place to pray the rosary since there is no distractions.

Thanks dulcissima. Yes, you are right about this – but finding time for adoration on a daily basis is difficult i.e. you can say the Rosary whenever you want, but the Churches have fixed timings i.e. they close in the evenings at least.
O.O.

 

[pumpkinbeast]

Rosary is supposed to be a meditative prayer, but I do tend to meditate on things other than the mysteries. I try to say a rosary at least 4 times a week, and I’m trying to do it more often. I pray in the mornings before going to breakfast. I do let my mind wander, but I see prayer as a chance to relax a bit, focus my day on God, and think about things I need to think about in a prayerful context. The constant Hail Mary’s become a backdrop for the rest of my thoughts, and prevent my mind from completely straying.
Just my two cents… ^^

 

[o_o_82]

I am glad to have found this topic. I get distracted, too.
I like using a rosary leaflet to help myself visualize the mystery, while imagining to include each member of my family to meditate as well (i.e.one member for each mystery).
I try to imagine a real situation, for instance: the weather/how dark it was/was there a bit of moonlight during “the agony in the garden”; was there noise/any blood smell during “the scourging at the pillar”; was there any wood-dragging noise during “the carrying of the cross”,etc.
But whenever I join a home rosary, I can’t consentrate. I would keep tracking who is having the turn, I do not visualize any mystery. To me, it is useless, except for socialising with friends…
It is also comforting to say a decade or two at bed time, without meditating on the mystery. I feel peaceful ,drifting to sleep, leaving every concern into His hands…

Thanks bluemug. I guess this is your first post here at the CAF. So Welcome!

Thank you for sharing what you do during the “meditation”. I wonder how you guys feel that so easy. I can do it for one or two Hail Mary’s – but then I suddenly lose track. 

Yes, in a home Rosary, or a group Rosary it is impossible to actually meditate. I have said the Rosary with my family – but I have never meditated. However now once I am alone, I guess it is time to try to get things correct.

O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

Hey I remember St Therese saying that the Nuns behind her would rattle their beads and so on and instead of mentioning it she gave it up to Jesus and told Jesus that He went through more than that for her so …I do that to but, when the distraction is internal then I invite the spirits to join me and give praise to Jesus Christ they hate it and soon leave.

LittleOne, I guess I did not get this post at all.
Thanks anyway,
O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

If you can, i would get a picture of each mystery, so that way, if you start to drift off, the picture is there to remind you.

Thanks BrooklynBoy200. empacae also suggested something like this in Post # 48. I would try to do something like this if nothing else works out.
O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

Rosary is supposed to be a meditative prayer, but I do tend to meditate on things other than the mysteries. I try to say a rosary at least 4 times a week, and I’m trying to do it more often. I pray in the mornings before going to breakfast. I do let my mind wander, but I see prayer as a chance to relax a bit, focus my day on God, and think about things I need to think about in a prayerful context. The constant Hail Mary’s become a backdrop for the rest of my thoughts, and prevent my mind from completely straying.
Just my two cents… ^^

Thanks pumpkinbeast. I say the Rosary before going to sleep at night, because that’s the only time when I really find the time. I am not too sleeply, but my mind wanders a lot on topics that are completely irrelevant.
I was initially wondering if my Rosaries are invalid because I could not concentrate – but I guess everyone has the same problem.
O.O.

 

[littleone]

LittleOne, I guess I did not get this post at all.
Thanks anyway,
O.O.

Sorry what I was saying is that St Therese used to be distracted from other nuns through their rattling the Rosary beeds and Therese would offer the rattling up to Jesus as He offered our sins up to His Father in Hesven. Maybe you could try offeriing the distractions you have up the same way.
I used to be distracted by thoughts that came into my head telling me different things, I became so tired of it that I would ask the spirits speaking in my mind to pray with me to Jesus, then I would go back to praying. I thought maybe you might find one of these ways asuitable for your situation. I don’t know
Godbless you keep up your prayers.
littleone

 

[Teelynn]

Ah, distractions, the common plague!! Sometimes I can get distracted and especially find this so when I’m tired. I am trying to say the Divine Chaplet of Mercy, especially during lent at 3:00 PM if at all possible. (I usually say a morning rosary and find my concentration better) It takes me about half as long to say the Divine Chaplet, but today I know it took me AT LEAST as long, as I was already tired and always apologizing and starting the decade again. I am more than sure, however, that the Lord still appreciates the effort.

Tee

 

[BrooklynBoy200]

Thanks BrooklynBoy200. empacae also suggested something like this in Post # 48. I would try to do something like this if nothing else works out.
O.O.

Sorry, didn’t see post #48.
When there are so many posts it is hard to read them all

 

[empacae]

Hey O.O.

The pamphlet works as a tool. But even it is not infallible. My mind still drifts from time to time. I can be on the second decade and I think about having toast for breakfast. I can be on the third decade and think about a cute girl that smiled at me… “OK OK back to praying… get that out of your head Mikey!” I would tell myself. I could be on the fourth decade and let worry drift in about finding a job, and then a reminder to pray to St Joseph to pray for me finding a job. Etcetra, etcetra… drift out into the world, and back to higher things, and it has this ocean motion effect. And even if you don’t think you are putting your full heart and mind into it… just keep plugging away. Consider it a practice run. Keep practicing. Some days you feel the Holy Spirit tremble inside you, other times you may feel you are talking to yourself (although you aren’t). Some days the world around you invades this most intimate time, and after some practice nothing can penetrate your telephone call to God. (which is what I sometimes think praying the rosary is) And even months and month can go great praying, and then like a test you may go through a spell where it doesn’t feel like it is doing any good, that you’re not connected with the Lord anymore. Keep plugging away… it’ll come back. Trust me, it will. What more can I tell you. I love the rosary. Jesus’ life plays out like a movie in my mind when I’m right into it. I have a wooden one from Mexico with little pictures on the Our Father and Hail Holy Queen beads. I have an olive wood one from Israel, and a cheap red plastic one that the nuns made which got me started and I love more than the others because it was my first, and given to me by someone really special. Although just a material item, they don’t mean much in the sense that I can see and touch them, but all of them have been blessed by a preist and hold a stronger connection… I could go on, but an oppurtunity just popped up at this moment to evangalize… so hope this helped… I’ll check back later and see and see how your doing.

 

[Larry1700]

On another thread I found a good idea about maintaining focus on the mysteries by inserting descriptive phrases after “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” For example, for the Agony in the Garden decade, you would say, “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, who sweated drops of blood for us sinners”.

Sorry, I don’t know how to link to another thread, but the thread title is Question about traditional rosary prayer.

 

[o_o_82]

Hi guys,
I was very busy in the last couple of days (or weeks ) and so I did not visit the CAF. I am now reading all of your posts.

Sorry what I was saying is that St Therese used to be distracted from other nuns through their rattling the Rosary beeds and Therese would offer the rattling up to Jesus as He offered our sins up to His Father in Hesven.

Thank you for your clarification LittleOne. I never knew that rattling the Rosary beads could make so much of a noise. (When I read your original post, I thought that “rattle their beads” meant that they would be rather loud when saying the “Hail Mary’s” – so it is difficult for someone else to concentrate and mediate.)

For me my thoughts are just mundane. After I posted this thread, and the questions that you guys asked as to what my thoughts were, I realized that my thoughts are normal thoughts that do not come up during the day, because I am so busy always doing something. Now when I sit down and pray – all of these suppressed thoughts come out. These thoughts are usually just the stuff I forgot to do , or something that I should consider doing etc.

Thanks again,
O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

Thanks Teelyn,

Sometimes I can get distracted and especially find this so when I’m tired.

This is true with me i.e. if I say the Rosary in the morning then I can do it with much less distractions – but I always get up so late, that I cannot get anything done in the morning except on weekends.
In my case when I am tired it is more difficult for me to oppose an distraction.

O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

Sorry, didn’t see post #48.
When there are so many posts it is hard to read them all

Thanks BrooklynBoy200. There should be someway of letting the person who started the post to close it.

I am a few months old in this forum. I normally start new threads – not for the purpose of discussing but to get Catholic answers to my questions. When I do get these answers – I go about thanking the people who posted. The problem is that every post I make commenting on these answers (or thanking these people for their time) – pushes my post again to the top of the forum list. So that means still other people see it, and send me replies. Now I reply to them … and the cycle goes on.

Thanks again anyway,
O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

Thanks for your post empacae.

I can be on the second decade and I think about having toast for breakfast. I can be on the third decade and think about a cute girl that smiled at me… “OK OK back to praying… get that out of your head Mikey!” I would tell myself. I could be on the fourth decade and let worry drift in about finding a job, and then a reminder to pray to St Joseph to pray for me finding a job. Etcetra, etcetra… drift out into the world, and back to higher things, and it has this ocean motion effect.

That is exactly what is happening to me. I don’t have a problem about meditating on the life of Jesus, I also don’t have a problem reciting the Hail Mary’s. However I do have a problem doing both the things at the same time.

So, I thought that either I was doing something wrong, or there was something wrong with the Rosary, or everybody was having a hard time with it – So I guess God would understand.

Regards,
O.O.

 

[o_o_82]

On another thread I found a good idea about maintaining focus on the mysteries by inserting descriptive phrases after “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” For example, for the Agony in the Garden decade, you would say, “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, who sweated drops of blood for us sinners”.

Sorry, I don’t know how to link to another thread, but the thread title is Question about traditional rosary prayer.

Thanks for noticing this Larry.
I never considered doing something like this before. I would try this.
Regards,
O.O.
P.S. To link to another post do it like this. (Click on the Quote button below this post, to see the tokens.

 

[maryjk]

Jumping in at the end here, but I also had the same problem.

I bought a book called Scriptural Rosary. It has a bible passage for each Hail Mary.

Example:

Jesus came with them to Gethsemane./ And sadness came over him, and great distress.
Hail Mary…
Then he said, "My soul is sorrowful to the point of death./ Wait here and keep awake with me.
Hail Mary…
Then he withdrew from them,/ and knelt down and prayed.
Hail Mary…
and it goes on from there.

It has every Mystery and a bible passage for every Hail Mary. It helps with the meditation and with keeping your mind on what you are doing.

 

[o_o_82]

Jumping in at the end here, but I also had the same problem.

I bought a book called Scriptural Rosary. It has a bible passage for each Hail Mary.

Example:

Jesus came with them to Gethsemane./ And sadness came over him, and great distress.
Hail Mary…
Then he said, "My soul is sorrowful to the point of death./ Wait here and keep awake with me.
Hail Mary…
Then he withdrew from them,/ and knelt down and prayed.
Hail Mary…
and it goes on from there.

It has every Mystery and a bible passage for every Hail Mary. It helps with the meditation and with keeping your mind on what you are doing.

Thanks maryjk.
Actually **mommyof4 **posted something similar in Post #2 where for each Hail Mary there is something specific – also it has some pictures. (So that you don’t need to go back the links are: Joyful Mysteries, Luminous Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries and Glorious Mysteries)

These are not exactly quotes from the Bible – so I guess what you have is much better. I would try this out – and I think that it would help.

Regards,
O.O.