I hate praying the rosary

[esieffe]

I personally enjoy using the rosary, however this is the first post I have run across where someone feels pressure for not liking it. Many threads have suggested that it has fallen by the wast side.

There is no requirement to use the rosary. I have never been even asked if I use it. It is and should be purely a personal matter.

 

[DesertSister62]

Posted by Medical Student;
I have never enjoyed praying the rosary or other Roman devotionals. However, it is popular in my Church which is heavily latinized and my relatives frequently pray it.

The syriac tradition focused more on meditating on holy scripture, hymns, and divine praises. But most have forgotten this and adopt Western traditions instead. I would much rather do this instead.

But i feel like i am trapped in roman ideals. I am also guilt tripped if i do not pray it, like i am sinning against god or offending st mary. i have not told my parents I don’t like praying the rosary (we pray it at night if i come back home), but they know i do not particularly like praying at night [the reason is i hate praying the rosary]. thus they think i hate praying, when in reality, i just hate the rosary.

**There were many good replies to this, not one better than the other, just different. I felt that your question had been answered very well with much food for thought, however, it came back to me while the day passed by and I realized that I needed to at least say something about a very important devotion for these end times.

First of all, I learned to take a page out of the Orthodox faith with the Jesus Prayer. It is much more relaxing to pray it and especially at night at the end of a long day. It’s personal and yet, very applicable to our times. Lately, however, I have realized that I am personally called to a devotion that is especially for our times and has been given to us through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It primarily has to do with adding a small petition to the Hail Mary itself. Yes, I know, red flags begin to go up when we mention adding to the Hail Mary, but keep in mind that the Spiritual Diary of the young woman that was given this devotion (Elizabeth Kindelmann) has been approved by Cardinal Ordo. You can read about it here;

theflameoflove.org/

The importance of the new “petition” in the Hail Mary causes all evil spirits, including the devil, to be blinded. Nothing else that we have or do has that particular kind of power. If we keep praying it, they remain blinded. ** Do you realize how important that is for our families and those in dire need of help in their greatest hours of need?
**
The Hail Mary with the petition is prayed like this:

***Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners;
Spread the effects of grace
of thy Flame of Love
over all of Humanity,***
Now and at the hour of our death,
AMEN.

**So, as awkward as it is to pray this Hail Mary on the Jesus Prayer rope, that is what I do at night. As long as I remain awake I try to pray it for all those out there that may need that kind of help at that particular time.

Just my two cents; . . .****

 

[Melodeonist]

I used to find the Rosary very boring, until I started praying it while I got ready in the Morning. I don’t know why, but when you pray the Rosary while doing something else, it feels more enjoyable, and I can focus on it better.

Try doing this, maybe it will help you too!

 

[Blind_Didymus]

Personally I’m not so keen on it either.

To keep your family happy, why not try some other alternative prayers or Marian devotions instead?

If for some reason your family is heavily insistent on you praying the rosary, could you compromise with them and pray the Camaldolese Crown instead together with some other prayers you do like?

If you’re not familiar with the Camaldolese Crown (aka the Crown of Our Lord, Corona Del Signore), it is basically a rosary of 3 decades instead of 5. As of next February, it will have had papal approval for 500 years. For more information on how to pray it (in both the short and long versions) please see here:
patroncatholicsaints.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/how-to-pray-camaldolese-crown-of-our.html

Or if you would like something even shorter, how about the Little Chaplet of Saint Anne?

 

[MaryHelp777]

I used to find the Rosary very boring, until I started praying it while I got ready in the Morning. I don’t know why, but when you pray the Rosary while doing something else, it feels more enjoyable, and I can focus on it better.

Try doing this, maybe it will help you too!

I am the exact same. Prayer usually makes me sleepy! So I might not get my prayers completed.

I can pray though while going on a walk, or jog, or doing a repetitive outdoor chore, and the prayer means much more to me and I can complete the prayers this way, (it also means my prayers are not left until last thing in the day).

Although there is a caution, St Theresa of Avila wrote, if you are praying while working and this makes you sleepy, stop praying, and pray when you are in your own room at the end of the day. Such as driving, this needs a lot of concentration for safety, it may not suit to pray while working, and may not be safe to do so.

 

[BarbG]

I love the rosary – the rosary I use (I have many rosaries) is the one my granddaughter sent me from Paris, France. I say the first two decades with my first cup of coffee – the second decade when I’m walking to Mass or to public transportation – the third decade when I’m taking a rest in the afternoon – the fourth decade sometime when I’m on-line at EWTN – and the last decade before I turnout the light at night. I pray for my children, my grandchildren, my great grandson, the 4th grade class at my local Catholic school, and other people who are close to me. I couldn’t get through the day without my rosary.

 

[DeniseNY]

It’s a personal preference. At first I found it really boring, but the more I do it, the more I like it. I just finished a 54 day rosary novena (there’s a Facebook group for it!) and another is about to start on Jan 1. I also now greatly enjoy the Mary, Undoer of Knots novena. It is POWERFUL!

I pray along with the Mother Angelica rosary tape my mother gave me years and years ago. I think having an aid like this is incredibly helpful.

At least for me, the more I pray the rosary, the more meaningful it becomes and the more devoted I become to it.

 

[LongingSoul]

When I was going through chemo three years ago the Rosary was the only prayer I could say. Sometimes I was gripped by such fear that praying to our holy mother seemed to be the only thing which held me together. It truly is a powerful prayer. It seems that I have passed through that dark valley with a good prognoses, but whenever I am depressed, or fearful I find saying the rosary very comforting.

It is in these sorts of times that the rosary reveals its efficacy as Mothers arms enveloping you. As children we said the Rosary most nights at home around my parents bed. My parents still pray it everyday as well. My father has fairly advanced Alzheimer and doesn’t remember much but he can recite the entire rosary and prayers along with my mother as though there was nothing wrong with him.

I say one decade of the Rosary for each of my children, one for my husband and the last for myself nearly everyday. I know that it is powerful and unfailing grace. Unfailing.

Years and years ago I had an unbidden image of an ill Emilia Wojtyła entrusting her little son to the motherhood of Our Lady and from then on I felt strong maternal feeling for Pope John Paul II even though he was more like an elderly father age wise. When I am alone I even rock when I say the Rosary as I identify it so much with the repetitiveness of comforting another especially a little motherless child.

 

[CompSciGuy]

I have to take breaks from it personally sometimes (I know, it’s terrible of me to say it) because of how repetitive it is. It sometimes feels like it is a prayer that is designed so that you are easily distracted. I prefer lectio divina myself or just sitting in front of the sacrament and talking to God. I like using other prayers too like the “we fly to your patronage O holy mother of God” prayer and others. As someone stated earlier, I love the liturgy of the hours since it is different every day and has the scriptures in it.

Granted, I must admit that the rosary has gotten me through some tough moments. I pray it sometimes when I am putting my six-week old son to sleep and it helps to calm me and soothe him.

I see you are a Syro Malabar Catholic. This is my opinion, but I think that you need to prioritize the traditions and prayers of your own spiritual heritage first and foremost before the latin ones. I am Roman Catholic myself so obviously I don’t think there is anything wrong with the Latin prayers and traditions, but I think it is sad when eastern and oriental Catholic traditions become latinized or overly influenced by Latin spirituality. The Eastern churches are astonishingly beatiful in their liturgies and traditions and prayers, they ought to be preserved to the utmost. I am afraid that too much latinization may cause some aspects of these traditions to be lost.

 

[SyroMalankara]

I have never enjoyed praying the rosary or other Roman devotionals. However, it is popular in my Church which is heavily latinized and my relatives frequently pray it.

The syriac tradition focused more on meditating on holy scripture, hymns, and divine praises. But most have forgotten this and adopt Western traditions instead. I would much rather do this instead.

But i feel like i am trapped in roman ideals. I am also guilt tripped if i do not pray it, like i am sinning against god or offending st mary. i have not told my parents I don’t like praying the rosary (we pray it at night if i come back home), but they know i do not particularly like praying at night [the reason is i hate praying the rosary]. thus they think i hate praying, when in reality, i just hate the rosary.

i do not doubt that the rosary is a good prayer, or its history. I just do not want to pray it.

does anyone else not like praying it ?

Why not substitute something like this: malankara.com/prayer-midnight.html

Ask your parents to pray it with you, they might enjoy it and since there is a few Hail Mary’s included, they will see you don’t hate praying or St. Mary, just that you don’t resonate with the Rosary.

 

[Sarcelle]

I pray the rosary everyday, at the end of the day. I think of it as quality time between me and God. Just the two of us for a whole 15 minutes. To me that is an immense comfort.

 

[andrewstx]

We’re not obligated to pray the rosary, but keep in mind that praying it carries with it several spiritual benefits. You might not like it, but then, there are probably medicines that are very good for you which you greatly dislike.

I personally like the Rosary, but find it very difficult to concentrate while praying it. ADHD for the win >_>

I have adhd as well and to top it off, I am a stroke patient as well. It is impossible for mw to pray the rosary correctly. Because it means you have to do two different things with my mind So I prefer the prayer rope, Jesus prayer.

 

[Teabag]

Praying the rosary can be hard. I know as there has been many times when i just ‘forced’ myself to say it!! I feel terrible saying that but i am going to try to pray better in 2016 and the rosary is going to be said every day by my if i can.

It is a wonderful prayer which the devil hates us saying! He will try all ways to pull you away from it.

God bless you

 

[Crusaderbear]

I like it, its about the only time during the day I can clear my mind of all but a single idea.

Like many above have said, there are plenty of alternatives. It is a personal devotion after all.

 

[mo3]

For many years I did not like praying the rosary. I would meditate on scripture and use personal “from the heart” prayers. I made a commitment to pray 15-20 minutes every day. If you can make this commitment, I believe your prayer life begins to grow.

After 6-7 years I got tired of “from the heart” prayers because I was repeating the same things over and over anyways. These prayers did not last 20 minutes, maybe 1-2 minutes. I still make this type of prayer but I realized it was not enough.

Then I started praying the rosary in my car. I found it to be an effective technique to keep me focused on the biblical mysteries. Remember the rosary is not all about Mary, but about using the Hail Mary to meditate on the biblical mysteries.

God bless.

 

[Teabag]

For me, i always pray the Sorrowful mysteries. That is ok i guess? Its the mystery that means a lot to me.

 

[gus]

I have never enjoyed praying the rosary or other Roman devotionals. However, it is popular in my Church which is heavily latinized and my relatives frequently pray it.

The syriac tradition focused more on meditating on holy scripture, hymns, and divine praises. But most have forgotten this and adopt Western traditions instead. I would much rather do this instead.

But i feel like i am trapped in roman ideals. I am also guilt tripped if i do not pray it, like i am sinning against god or offending st mary. i have not told my parents I don’t like praying the rosary (we pray it at night if i come back home), but they know i do not particularly like praying at night [the reason is i hate praying the rosary]. thus they think i hate praying, when in reality, i just hate the rosary.

i do not doubt that the rosary is a good prayer, or its history. I just do not want to pray it.

does anyone else not like praying it ?

I must have missed your point.
The Rosery is a meditation on scripture

 

[gus]

I have never enjoyed praying the rosary or other Roman devotionals. However, it is popular in my Church which is heavily latinized and my relatives frequently pray it.

The syriac tradition focused more on meditating on holy scripture, hymns, and divine praises. But most have forgotten this and adopt Western traditions instead. I would much rather do this instead.

But i feel like i am trapped in roman ideals. I am also guilt tripped if i do not pray it, like i am sinning against god or offending st mary. i have not told my parents I don’t like praying the rosary (we pray it at night if i come back home), but they know i do not particularly like praying at night [the reason is i hate praying the rosary]. thus they think i hate praying, when in reality, i just hate the rosary.

i do not doubt that the rosary is a good prayer, or its history. I just do not want to pray it.

does anyone else not like praying it ?

I must have missed your point.
The Rosery is a meditation on scripture

 

[Smfm]

does anyone else not like praying it ?

I never liked praying the Rosary, but was rewarded by the sweet scent of roses, now I love it, satan hates it which is a good reason to say it. You can only know the value of the Rosary in the next life. Saint Pio, " The Rosary is the weapon."

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

I find my mind wanders, unintentionally, and the only way to keep the repetition on track is to look at the beads in my hands while I’m saying it, and look at the pictures of the Mysteries. I’ve tried shutting my eyes, but this is when my mind wanders, and after a while, I think…What am I doing?! Then I start over, and feel it wasn’t even valid then.