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mass4life
Guest
Wondered if anyone had this problem and what you did to work on it…
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Jenlyn
Guest
Yep! I cannot picture anything in mind. I use pictures to help me. I have some prayer card pictures that I like and I use.
Peace,
Jen
Peace,
Jen
L
lassi
Guest
I have problems with the joyful and glorious mysteries, but ever scince I’ve seen “The Passion of the Christ”, I’ve had NO problems with the sorrowful mysteries.
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huskerfan
Guest
I did but I use a wonderul little book called “Praying The Rosary Without Distractions”. When I do the sorrowful mysteries I picture scenes from “The Passion Of The Christ”. I have to admit it is still hard to keep my mind from straying.
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Gracie2004
Guest
I don’t have this problem…I use Biblical quotes to bring to mind the specific mysteries and I guess I have a vivid imagination
Gracie
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stargazer257
Guest
I’ve got to agree with you there! I have a lengthy commute without too many distractions (other than deer, elk, etc.) which is my usual respite to pray the rosary. I find my mind drifting mid-decade at times. Sometimes I repeat the mystery halfway through the decade, or when I really have trouble focusing, before each Hail Mary.
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MooCowSteph
Guest
I’m glad I’m not the only one…and I tend to picture scenes from the Passion of the Christ as well.
J
Jenlyn
Guest
St. Teresa had this problem too. It can happen to the best of us!
D
dvberte
Guest
This is a sample of what I use. I don’t think the pictures will come through, and the fonts are screwy. If someone can tell me how, I could post the entire file for all four mysteries, with the pictures.
Eric
1st - The Annunciation of the Angel to Mary
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said: “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women”. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her:" Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shall conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest"… And Mary said:" Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word". And the angel departed from her. *(Luk 1,26-38) *
O Mary, Queen of Angels, you and Gabriel took part in a conversation that would renew the face of the earth. After your meeting a world formerly steeped in darkness and despair would emerge as one flooded with light and hope. The Angel was God’s messenger; you were the representative of humanity. Gabriel asked your consent on behalf of God to be his Mother. After learning that such would be accomplished by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit with the conception of Jesus in your Immaculate womb, you replied: “May it be done unto me according to thy word.” Becoming a Mother you would remain a Virgin. The Angel’s greeting: “AVE MARIA” is the self-same we repeat over and over in the recitation of the Rosary as we say the “HAIL MARY.”
O Mary with Your “yes” You have opened heaven’s ways, You have achieved the will of the Father. You will be blessed forever: Your intercession is heard in Heaven, because You have accepted God’s plan. Let us pray that we can say “yes” to the Father in every instance He asks it of us. Mary, help us to be humble and obedient to God’s will.
OUR FATHER, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.
Our Lady of the Rosary, obtain for me from your Son the grace of humility, so that I may recite the Beads with devotion.
Eric
1st - The Annunciation of the Angel to Mary
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said: “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women”. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her:" Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shall conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest"… And Mary said:" Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word". And the angel departed from her. *(Luk 1,26-38) *
O Mary, Queen of Angels, you and Gabriel took part in a conversation that would renew the face of the earth. After your meeting a world formerly steeped in darkness and despair would emerge as one flooded with light and hope. The Angel was God’s messenger; you were the representative of humanity. Gabriel asked your consent on behalf of God to be his Mother. After learning that such would be accomplished by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit with the conception of Jesus in your Immaculate womb, you replied: “May it be done unto me according to thy word.” Becoming a Mother you would remain a Virgin. The Angel’s greeting: “AVE MARIA” is the self-same we repeat over and over in the recitation of the Rosary as we say the “HAIL MARY.”
O Mary with Your “yes” You have opened heaven’s ways, You have achieved the will of the Father. You will be blessed forever: Your intercession is heard in Heaven, because You have accepted God’s plan. Let us pray that we can say “yes” to the Father in every instance He asks it of us. Mary, help us to be humble and obedient to God’s will.
OUR FATHER, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
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The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked her to be the mother of the Messiah. -
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She said yes. Mary had such faith! She always complied with the Father's will. -
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She was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. -
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There was such a bond between Jesus and Mary from the very moment of conception! -
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She felt His life grow within her womb. His Most Sacred Heart was formed in her womb through the Holy Spirit. -
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Jesus wants to be alive in our hearts. We should carry His life with great joy in our being. -
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The Spirit wants to be alive in our very being with the fire of His love. -
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We are children of God. Mary mothers us as she mothered Jesus. -
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It is through Mary that we are led to intense love in His most precious Heart. -
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It is truly the love of these Two Hearts that will lead us to union with God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.
Our Lady of the Rosary, obtain for me from your Son the grace of humility, so that I may recite the Beads with devotion.
C
chuffle
Guest
Yup, I sure have problems praying the rosary and meditating at the same time. It is almost as if I need to split my brain into two parts, one for the prayers and one for the meditation.
I think that I am so tuned into the words of the prayers, that I have a rough time going into auto-pilot and meditating upon the mysteries.
Of course, it doesn’t help that I am not much of a vocal prayer kind of person, except for Mass and so on. All in all, I do have a rough go of it.
I look forward to what others have to say about this.
Joe
I think that I am so tuned into the words of the prayers, that I have a rough time going into auto-pilot and meditating upon the mysteries.
Of course, it doesn’t help that I am not much of a vocal prayer kind of person, except for Mass and so on. All in all, I do have a rough go of it.
I look forward to what others have to say about this.
Joe
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wOoKiE
Guest
A very holy priest once told me, when I had told him that I was having trouble concentrating on my hail Marys, that Our Lady hears them as a mother hears the cries of her child - she knows what is best for it and understands it even though the cries are not perfectly formed words.
When I have a really hard time concentrating on the mysteries, I just apologise and ask Our Lady to hear what my heart is troubled with instead of the usual mysteries and carry on with the rosary.
Dunno… I guess the sacrifice of carrying on even though you’re distracted has to be worth something!
When I have a really hard time concentrating on the mysteries, I just apologise and ask Our Lady to hear what my heart is troubled with instead of the usual mysteries and carry on with the rosary.
Dunno… I guess the sacrifice of carrying on even though you’re distracted has to be worth something!
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Mt19_26
Guest
I’ve tried to picture a scene from one of the mysteries between each Hail Mary. I also bought a CD that recites the Rosary and before each decade the mystery is described in detail. This helps me ‘picture’ the decade more easily while saying the Rosary.
A
asquared
Guest
John Paul II our beloved pope wrote a guide to saying the rosary when he gave us the luminous myteries. Unfortunately the guide was not as widely disseminated as the mysteries. Praying the rosary should always be grounded in the scriptural basis for each mystery, and the appropriate scripture passage should be proclaimed before the recitation of each mystery. The rosary is a guided meditation on the Gospel, and without that grounding does indeed become a meaningless repetition of vain words. someone who has been devoutly hearing and reading scripture and praying the rosary for years automatically returns to those proclamations, and may not need to hear them audibly or read them. someone still learning to pray should begin with the scriptures.
Also it is not necessary to always have a “play by play” or re-run of the events alluded to in each mystery running in your head as you pray. What is necessary is to place yourself in the scene with our Lord and our Blessed Mother. since it is a contempletive prayer, it follows meditation on scripture, not necessarily coinciding with that meditation. As previous poster reminds us, simply calling on our Blessed Mother is enough, the heart does the rest of the prayer. It is not necessary to be active and focused mentally while reciting the rosary as long as you begin with intentional focus. Those who have been praying the rosary for a long time naturally enter into the contemplative phase, since the words of the gospel are already so engraved in their hearts. there is no “thinking” going on in this phase, only loving. for someone in this phase, to try and return deliberately to mental prayer and active imagination could actually be damaging.
Also it is not necessary to always have a “play by play” or re-run of the events alluded to in each mystery running in your head as you pray. What is necessary is to place yourself in the scene with our Lord and our Blessed Mother. since it is a contempletive prayer, it follows meditation on scripture, not necessarily coinciding with that meditation. As previous poster reminds us, simply calling on our Blessed Mother is enough, the heart does the rest of the prayer. It is not necessary to be active and focused mentally while reciting the rosary as long as you begin with intentional focus. Those who have been praying the rosary for a long time naturally enter into the contemplative phase, since the words of the gospel are already so engraved in their hearts. there is no “thinking” going on in this phase, only loving. for someone in this phase, to try and return deliberately to mental prayer and active imagination could actually be damaging.
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mass4life
Guest
This simple advice has helped me, thank you! I never thought of this before.
I have a feeling there is a simple answer to this problem. After all, the Rosary was given to a peasant man, and has survived for centuries in poor communities where no books or prayer cards existed, and probably poor parishes with no stained glass.
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Sanctus
Guest
I also sometimes use the Scriptural Rosary. I find it’s a wonderful way to meditate on each mystery.I don’t have this problem…I use Biblical quotes to bring to mind the specific mysteries and I guess I have a vivid imagination
Gracie
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Melissa
Guest
I have a book w/ pictures by Michael O’Brien for each mystery (not Luminous, though, as the book pre-dates that) which helps me keep my focus.
It can help to use St. Louis de Montfort’s ‘shorter’ way (I learned to pray the rosary by reading his The Secret of the Rosary, but usually use the first method). I’m sure someone could come up with the words to add for the Luminous mysteries, because again, this book pre-dates that.
The ‘shorter’ way adds a word or two at this point:
“… and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus _____”
First mystery: “Jesus Incarnate”
Second: “Jesus sanctifying”
Third: “Jesus born in poverty”
Fourth: “Jesus sacrificed”
Fifth: “Jesus, Saint among saints”
Sixth: “Jesus in His agony”
Seventh: “Jesus scourged”
Eighth: “Jesus crowned with thorns”
Ninth: “Jesus carrying His Cross”
Tenth: “Jesus crucified”
Eleventh: “Jesus risen from the dead”
Twelfth: “Jesus ascending to heaven”
Thirteenth: “Jesus filling thee with the Holy Spirit”
Fourteenth: “Jesus raising thee up”
Fifteenth: “Jesus crowning thee”
It can help to use St. Louis de Montfort’s ‘shorter’ way (I learned to pray the rosary by reading his The Secret of the Rosary, but usually use the first method). I’m sure someone could come up with the words to add for the Luminous mysteries, because again, this book pre-dates that.
The ‘shorter’ way adds a word or two at this point:
“… and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus _____”
First mystery: “Jesus Incarnate”
Second: “Jesus sanctifying”
Third: “Jesus born in poverty”
Fourth: “Jesus sacrificed”
Fifth: “Jesus, Saint among saints”
Sixth: “Jesus in His agony”
Seventh: “Jesus scourged”
Eighth: “Jesus crowned with thorns”
Ninth: “Jesus carrying His Cross”
Tenth: “Jesus crucified”
Eleventh: “Jesus risen from the dead”
Twelfth: “Jesus ascending to heaven”
Thirteenth: “Jesus filling thee with the Holy Spirit”
Fourteenth: “Jesus raising thee up”
Fifteenth: “Jesus crowning thee”
D
Deacon_Tony560
Guest
A Franciscan priest told our secular group about a form of prayer where you would picture yourself at the scene of these mysteries. Takes a little practice but keeps you focused.
U
urquhart
Guest
Several helpful suggestions have been made, but if you still find it impossible to meditate on the mysteries even with these aids, don’t worry about it. Humbly announce the mystery at the beginning of the decade, then say the prayers fervently, concentrating on their meaning.
R
romano
Guest
For me, the best way of picturing the mysteries is to look at a picture, and someone seems to have realized that the best pictures of all to look at (because packed with the most meaning) are Russian Icons. A good review of a book – ‘Praying the Rosary’ by Michael Dubruiel and Amy Welborn – which features these icons along with scriptural references, etc., can be found at:
amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592760376/qid%3D1113400129/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-7263732-1539835
The twenty icons illustrating the twenty mysteries of the Rosary are in color and glorious. Although personally I would have preferred something a bit larger and in a stitched binding, they have been printed rather small in a stapled pocket-size booklet. Still, it’s a good start!
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WhatMeWorry
Guest
Same here for the sorrowful mysteries…and for the others, I often think of scenes from the movie “Jesus of Nazareth” (Zefferelli), while meditating on verses from Scripture for that mystery.
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