Dumb rosary question?

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AlwaysAsking

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Hi,

I’m not even Catholic-- just studying-- but I’ve been trying to say a rosary (well, one lap) a day for my husband.

Anyway, is it okay to improvise? I don’t want to say the Hail Marys until I get totally distracted. But I’m not ready to say them AND mentally keep track of the mysteries.

So I’m mentally picturing one person I know, each time I ask Mary to pray for us sinners. I mentally hold up myself and somebody else at the same time, like a family member or even an old boyfriend or somebody I’ve held a grudge against in the past.

Am I missing the point of the discipline if I do this?
 
Hi and welcome to CAF! If we can be of any help to you, on your path… please let us know.

Your question is not dumb at all! I hope I understood correctly. It is perfectly OK to say each decade (group of 10 “Hail Mary’s”) for specific intentions :yup:.

This link has been extremely helpful to me. I keep a Rosary near my computer, and sometimes… pray it online.

pacifier.com/~rosarweb/howto.htm

If we can be of any further help… please ask. All are welcome. God bless.
 
*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

Sounds fine to me:)

If you want to concentrate better on the Most Holy Rosary, you might follow a suggestion of St. Louis Mary de Montfort’s in The Secret of The Rosary that, according to His Holiness Pope Paul VI, in Marialis Cultus: Apostolic Exhortation for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary used to be widely practiced but no longer is 😦 One can add a short line commemorating the mystery being said to the Jesus part of each hail mary within that decade. For example, if it is the First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden, one can say:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus in His agony. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

This suggestion on commemorating the life, death, and glory of Jesus and Mary in the Most Holy Rosary and way to curb our imagination and to lessen distractions, as well as other suggestions on praying the Most Holy Rosary most powerfully and with great respect and devotion are available in The Secret of the Rosary. And when you become Catholic, you may also want to read True Devotion to Mary practiced by none other than His Holiness Pope John Paul II. 👍

Free information on devoting oneself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
Online Adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament louisville-catholic.net/WebCameras/AdorationChapel/tabid/825/Default.aspx
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin montfort.org.uk/Writings/TrueDev.html
**Secret of the Rosary ** montfort.org.uk/Writings/Rosary.html
Preparation for 33 day consecration to the Blessed Virgin saintlouisdemontfort.com/consecration.cfm
Reflections on True Devotion to Mary by His Holiness Pope John Paul II http://www.michaeljournal.org/montfort.htm
**The Glories of Mary, ** by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, one of the 33 Doctors of the Catholic Church, explains Hail Holy Queen http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/glories.htm
On the Dolors of Mary by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, one of the 33 Doctors of the Catholic Church, explains the sufferings of Our Lady http://writer.zoho.com/public/immaculate/Seven-dolors
Marialis Cultus (Apostolic Exhortation for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of His Holiness, February 2, 1974 by His Holiness Pope Paul VI ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P6MARIAL.HTM
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus en.wikisource.org/wiki/Devotion_to_the_Sacred_Heart_of_Jesus#FIRST_POINT._.E2.80.94_The_ardent_desire_Jesus_Christ_feels_to_be_with_us.
Divine Mercy Chaplet ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm
Cathechism of the Catholic Church vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

​

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *
 
Hello,

thanks to both of you for your replies.

I’m curious what the following means (are you referring to my spouse?):
AveSantaMaria said:
Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.
*
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The Blessed Virgin is sometimes referred to as “Spouse of the Holy Spirit” because it was BY the Holy Spirit that Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary.

“The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

She has many other titles, as well. Hope this helps.
 
AlwaysAsking said:
…it almost sounds like Mary is married to the Holy Spirit?
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In a way she is - since she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Trinity) she has traditionally always been called the “spouse of the Holy Spirit”.
 
AlwaysAsking said:
…it almost sounds like Mary is married to the Holy Spirit?
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Well, she did conceive Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by Joseph. So, yes, she is the spouse of the Holy Spirit, but also the mother of God since Christ and the Father are one with the Holy Spirit (the Trinity). A true Mystery, I know, so I just believe it and don’t try to overthink it since my human brain is woefully inadequate to fully understand the relationships.

Peace be to you!

Simon
 
I’m sorry; this is a new concept for me and it’s kind of freaking me out. Poor Joseph!! Did they get an annulment? Protestants don’t discuss this (that I’ve ever heard of), I’m willing to consider it but go easy on me. This is tough.
 
Hi “AA”. Don’t be sorry. We’ll be happy to help.

No, Joseph did not get an annulment. As we see, in the Gospel of Matthew…

“But Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wishing to expose her to reproach, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Do not be afraid, Joseph, son of David, to take to thee Mary thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His Name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins”. Now all this came to pass that there might be fulfilled what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
“Behold, the virgin shall be with Child, and shall bring forth a Son; and they shall call His name Emmanuel”;
which is, interpretted, “God with us”. So Joseph, arising from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.”

(Matthew 1:19-25)

Mary and Joseph were already “betrothed” at the time of Jesus’ Conception. By Jewish Law, betrothal meant that they were already legally married; although, the woman didn’t live with her husband for another year, or more.

As Catholics, we believe that Mary was a Virgin… before, during and after the Birth of Our Lord. He was the only Son of Mary. And the Foster Son of Joseph. Joseph raised Jesus, as His earthly father.

Hope this helps.
 
thanks for taking me seriously, MarieVeronica; I’m really upset but I really want to understand the concept here.

OK: Mary was actually married to Joseph, and… metaphorically married to the Spirit? Is that like we’re the bride of Christ?
 
AlwaysAsking said:
thanks for taking me seriously, MarieVeronica; I’m really upset but I really want to understand the concept here.

OK: Mary was actually married to Joseph, and… metaphorically married to the Spirit? Is that like we’re the bride of Christ?
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No, I don’t think “metaphorically” is the correct term. I would say that Mary is spiritually married to the Holy Spirit… by virtue of the Birth of Jesus Christ; thus, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. And in a legal, earthly sense… married to St. Joseph.

To my Catholic brothers and sisters… if I have mis-stated the teaching, please correct me… so that I don’t mislead. Thank you.
 
AlwaysAsking said:
Hi,

I’m not even Catholic-- just studying-- but I’ve been trying to say a rosary (well, one lap) a day for my husband.

Anyway, is it okay to improvise? I don’t want to say the Hail Marys until I get totally distracted. But I’m not ready to say them AND mentally keep track of the mysteries.

So I’m mentally picturing one person I know, each time I ask Mary to pray for us sinners. I mentally hold up myself and somebody else at the same time, like a family member or even an old boyfriend or somebody I’ve held a grudge against in the past.

Am I missing the point of the discipline if I do this?
Click to expand...
This might help you out: blogsofasoul.blogspot.com/2008/10/on-crown-of-martyrydom.html
 
AlwaysAsking said:
Is that like we’re the bride of Christ?
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…wow, I sound so ignorant right now. I’m talking about how the church will be married to Jesus. Or maybe, is it true that nuns say they are married to Jesus… something like that?
 
I think if you see it in the light of the Spirit, “AA”. It won’t seem so strange to you. We’re not talking marriage in the earthly sense.

Therefore, the Church is referred to as Bride of Christ. And yes, professed nuns receive the title “Spouse of Christ”.

You might want to pick up a copy of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”… for more concise answers. The CCC contains the entire teaching of the Church… and is available in most bookstores.
 
AlwaysAsking said:
…wow, I sound so ignorant right now. I’m talking about how the church will be married to Jesus. Or maybe, is it true that nuns say they are married to Jesus… something like that?
Click to expand...
By baptism we enter into a spirtual marriage with Jesus. We are betrothed to the Lord. The Church is the Bride of Christ, and because in marriage a man and woman are no longer two but one flesh, the Church is the Body of Christ. The Eucharist makes the Church, for the Eucharist is Jesus.

Consecrated women are spiritual spouses of the Lord.
 
thank you for your patience, MV!

the CCC seems a little deep for where I am, I was going to put if off for awhile, but I guess it’s time to buckle down to it.

and thanks everybody for all the rosary links. They’ll keep me busy, too!
 
AlwaysAsking said:
thank you for your patience, MV!

the CCC seems a little deep for where I am, I was going to put if off for awhile, but I guess it’s time to buckle down to it.

and thanks everybody for all the rosary links. They’ll keep me busy, too!
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“AA” You are more than welcome. Please feel free to private message me… if I can be of any further help. God bless you.
 
AlwaysAsking said:
…it almost sounds like Mary is married to the Holy Spirit?
Click to expand...
Welcome to CAF, AlwaysAsking…and do not hold back from asking all that you would like here. To my mind if one can frame a question, then it is a question worthy of an answer. I have learnt so much here on CAF and indeed continue almost daily to learn more and more - deeper insights into my Faith and journey. I’ll look forward to seeing your name crop up on posts and threads:thumbsup:

The Church is the Spouse of Christ since She will be united to Christ fully at the end of time. Since The Church is its membership, the first of whom is Mary, Mother of Christ, we are all by our Baptism spouses of Christ or espoused to Christ because we are called individually by our Baptism and collectively as The Church into full unity with Christ.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm
It is thus manifest that, when we regard the Church simply as the society of disciples, we are considering its external form only. Its inward life is found in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, the gifts of faith, hope, and charity, the grace communicated by the sacraments, and the other prerogatives by which the children of God differ from the children of the world.

This aspect of the Church is described by the Apostles
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in figurative language. They represent it as the Body of Christ, the Spouse of Christ, the Temple of God.
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Once it used to be considered that only religious sisters and nuns were spouses of Christ or espoused to Christ…this we now recognize was too limited an application and it is no longer commonly used in connection with religious sisters and nuns - although it does still apply as it does apply to all the baptized. And religious life is simply a deeper and more radical committment to one’s Baptism and is an expression of an aspect of the Life of Baptism that is a radical one. Of course, one does not have to enter religious life to make such a radical committment and sometimes those who have not made such a formal and public radical committment actually live the Gospel and their Baptism in a far more radical way than some (perhaps many) religious etc.

Your method of praying The Rosary is quite beautiful I think! You have found your own personal way to have a true uniquely personal prayerful disposition when you pray The Rosary. Many do not.

God’s blessings on your journey…Barb:)
 
Mystical Spouse of Christ - Bride of The Holy Spirit etc. are very ancient titles of Our Lady given by The Church straining to give her the greatest praise that they can for any human being outside of Christ Second Person of The Blessed Trinity, Truly God and Truly Man and The Blessed Trinity.
In truth through baptism, we now recognize that we are all mystical spouses of Christ and espoused to the Holy Spirit - not only religious and Our Lady. These words are also connected to marriage which is where two people become united as one, which is why we transferred them, I think, to Our Lady and later to religious and now to all the baptised, since our destiny and our vocation and call is unity with Christ, unity with The Blessed Trinity. To become as one with them. We are all spouses of Christ. Human marriage is another matter although it is a call to unity with another human being - to become as one, and ultimately to become one with Christ. Marraige hence is a true reflection of Baptism.

Barb:)
 
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