I tried praying the rosary and fell promptly asleep

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Oneofthewomen said:
I will probably get flamed for this, but…

maybe the Rosary is not for you.

The best advice I ever received was from a priest who was my spiritual director.
I was having a really hard time with the Rosary, and had a lot of people telling me that I was a “bad Catholic” 😦 because it was not one of my favorite devotions. He told me that prayer is a very private thing and that nothing is a “one size fits all” solution.
Pray as you can, not as you can’t, was his mantra and it became mine.

The traditional rosary is still not one of my favorite methods of prayer, but I do say it occaisonally. My spirituality is very Ignatian, and I find that the triple collequy from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is a wonderful way to foster a devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Peace be with you on your journey! 🙂
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It would seem contrary to the spirituality of the Rosary to flame someone for not liking it. Perhaps a gentle sigh, or a suggestion that you give it one more try accompanied by a raised eyebrow of mild reproof. Is there a gentle sigh emoticon?

And by the way, I do think that your spiritual director was right. I treasure the Rosary now, but for many years I tried and could not get into it. I did keep on trying, and at some point I realized that I was really getting the Mysteries, so I am glad I did keep on trying.
 
I had a similar problem but it was on my knees yawning and getting soooo distracted…up and down constantly. Couldnt’ see how I was going to develop a habit or devotion this way.

Solution: a nightly/daily walk that is for the rosary. The reason religious (monks/brothers/sisters) have rosaries on their waists since the middle ages was to be able to walk and pray.
Today it much exists just to show example of the devout life.
How has the rosary changed my life?
Well it started with the Miraculous Medal and a yearning for God…then I started rolling down hill to the foot of the cross. A revert I am. Currently I am involved with gifted priests and gifted laity (mystics) with healing ministeries and other purposes within the Church. I know firsthand that God respects praying the rosary during a daily walk
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My fiance paces through the house mostly to pray her rosary, other times just sitting in a chair. She has been praying it with no breaks since childhood. Gifts and/or visions/words to guide her life at key times. Same with her mother. A little for key events/decisions for me.
 
i too have fallen asleep while praying the rosary till i realised i was always tried at the time so i made my prayer time a little earlier and not lying down also helped
try a little at a time like some of the other posters have suggested and read the secret of the rosary by st louis de montfort there are also some beautiful online rosary sites 👍
 
Marian_Devotee said:
Hi, TrueLight!

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but I recommend praying the scriptural Rosary here:
scripturalrosary.org/BeginningPrayers.html

Scroll down to the bottom and click on the Mystery (or Mysteries) that you want to pray. Read the grace/virtue associated with each decade, and ask that Our Blessed Mother may help you to obtain them.

Meditate upon each scripture verse that is listed - it will really help you.

Trust me, if you persevere, you will find the Rosary to be abundantly rich and fruitful in your life.

And welcome home, by the way! 🙂
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Thanks. I will check it out.

So are there different types of Rosary prayers?
 
Oneofthewomen said:
I will probably get flamed for this, but…

maybe the Rosary is not for you.

The best advice I ever received was from a priest who was my spiritual director.
I was having a really hard time with the Rosary, and had a lot of people telling me that I was a “bad Catholic” 😦 because it was not one of my favorite devotions. He told me that prayer is a very private thing and that nothing is a “one size fits all” solution.
Pray as you can, not as you can’t, was his mantra and it became mine.

The traditional rosary is still not one of my favorite methods of prayer, but I do say it occaisonally. My spirituality is very Ignatian, and I find that the triple collequy from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is a wonderful way to foster a devotion to the Blessed Mother.
This is interesting. Do you just say the prayers? Do you not use the beads?

Peace be with you on your journey! 🙂
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gurneyhalleck1 said:
Hi TrueLight,

If Marian devotion is giving you issues right now I’d say putting the rosary to the side a little might be beneficial for you at this point. I wouldn’t pray the rosary until I’m spiritually disposed to do so. If you’re struggling with those issues, the devil will use this as an obsession something to sidetrack you from the Passion, the heart of Lent.

I would say that the Rosary is devotion to Mary and Christ. The Hail Mary’s also have the Glory Be’s, the Our Father, the Fatima Prayer, and most mysteries are about Christ, especially the Sorrowful Mysteries, which are very relevent during Lent…

Mary is tied up in Jesus’s life and passion and really when one thinks about how Mary and Jesus share the same blood in their veins, mother and child, the rosary appropriately ties them together. Mary is not to be worshipped, but given hyperdulia. I would look into that and I would pray directly to the Lord until you can sort out your feelings about Marian dogmas.

At this point stay focused on Our Saviour this Lent and don’t let the devil take your eye off the prize, brother! He’s been trying to divert me, too!

PM me if you want to talk also! Anyone here knows I’ve actually struggled with Catholicism for a long time having left for Anglicanism more than once! 😊

Lenten blessings to you!
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Thanks for the advice Gurney. Maybe I need to be focusing on my Lenten journey instead of trying to do everything all at one time.
 
I’m famous for biting off more than I can chew, brother! I’ll try to read four different books at the same time and not finish any of them! 😛
TrueLight said:
Thanks for the advice Gurney. Maybe I need to be focusing on my Lenten journey instead of trying to do everything all at one time.
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For those coming from a Protestant tradition to the Catholic faith, there is the wonderful book “Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy” by Methodist Minister Neville Ward (a member of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

He offers great meditations on all 15 traditional mysteries from an Evangelical perspective.

Also, the Evangelical Anglican author, John de Satge, has written a wonderful book on Mary where he presents all the Catholic teachings on Mary from an Evangelical POV and shows how they can be understood from the Evangelical Protestant POV.

Alex
 
TrueLight said:
This is interesting. Do you just say the prayers? Do you not use the beads?
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Actually, I do use the beads, and I have developed a way of praying the rosary based on the Collequy and the Examen (also a part of the Exercices).

I have never actually written it down, it’s something that I just kind of do, but if you are interested I would be happy to share it with you.
 
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gurneyhalleck1 said:
Mary is tied up in Jesus’s life and passion and really when one thinks about how Mary and Jesus share the same blood in their veins, mother and child, the rosary appropriately ties them together. Mary is not to be worshipped, but given hyperdulia. I would look into that and I would pray directly to the Lord until you can sort out your feelings about Marian dogmas.
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Yes, Yes. The essence of the Rosary: the meditations of the most intimate relationship of Jesus: Mother for Child. The empathy for Jesus found in Mary, is as powerful as it gets. Worthy of our thoughts. It’s the empathetic meditations!

Glennonite
 
Monte_RCMS said:
**I love falling asleep while saying the Rosary. That way if I die during the night, I will have Jesus’ name on my lips and in my thoughts as my last reflection from this life.
**
And when I wake up, the beads will be in my hands.

I also say the rosary while in the supermarket checkout line. Really long lines seem to disappear very quickly. Maybe I should pray more quietly … JUST KIDDING!

But it does seem that, even praying silently, the lines don’t even let me say one decade before the clerk processes the other customers and it is my turn.
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This is a great insight. Just to let you know. I have also fell asleep saying the rosary while kneeling at my bed.
 
I pray the rosary while doing household cleaning, driving, watching kids sporting events and exercising and I never fall asleep. I do , however, find it hard to focus on my prayer while doing other activities. I have found rosary cds very helpful to keep me focused and have some on my ipod as well. As a busy mother I don’t often find the time to just sit and pray the rosary and so often combine it with other activivties. If I have insomnia, I do pray the rosary or chaplet of devine mercy in bed at night and I have fallen asleep when doing that. Funny thing, if anyone ever mentions or asks about insomnia around my mom her response is always “Catholics don’t need sleeping pills. They have the Rosary for that.”🙂 I did not start praying the rosary until a few years ago and actually did not know how. I first prayed with Mother Angelica on TV and started praying it with a cd on the way to work. It has become a part of my normal routine now. Continue to pray the Rosary regularly and don’t beat yourself up if you fall asleep or your mind wanders. Or try praying one decade at a time.
 
If I’m driving someplace and traffic gets crazy … becomes “combat driving” … I start praying the Rosary … and for some reason the whole drive becomes peaceful.

Maybe when I’m praying, I just drive a little slower and allow more space between cars … I dunno … but the whole “traffic experience” becomes calmer.

Gets me home alive and in one piece.
 
Monte_RCMS said:
If I’m driving someplace and traffic gets crazy … becomes “combat driving” … I start praying the Rosary … and for some reason the whole drive becomes peaceful.

Maybe when I’m praying, I just drive a little slower and allow more space between cars … I dunno … but the whole “traffic experience” becomes calmer.

Gets me home alive and in one piece.
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Me too, but my rosary is not on display hopelessly dangling from the mirror.
That tends to be a ‘culturally Catholic in name only’ habit.
Its on the gearshift and emminently accesible.
 
I have been learning how to pray a rosary for some time now (something like a couple of month) and I’ve found it to be one of the best things I do during the course of an average day.

The first time I did the full 5-decade rosary, I was filled with so much joy I actually began something between laughing and crying. I felt warm, safe from the world.

I now keep my rosary with me at all times, usually in the outside pockets of the bag I’m carrying (so I can easily get to it) or my gigbag (if I am at band practice).
 
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Monte_RCMS said:
Maybe when I’m praying, I just drive a little slower and allow more space between cars … I dunno … but the whole “traffic experience” becomes calmer.

Gets me home alive and in one piece.
Click to expand...
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I have a beautiful drive through the woods, near a stream which winds along the one and a half-lane road. Very little traffic. I use my 10 fingers on the steering wheel and have a beautiful prayer-time each morning. This really sets me up for a great day.

If I begin to have conflict during the day, my hand grasps the Rosary in my pocket and I remember the sufferings of Mary experiencing the sufferings of Christ. I feel calm and strong. I can calmly accept someones abuse if I am meditating on the Crowning of Thorns.

Glennonite
 
Hi TrueLight – I also came from a Protestant backround and had many of the same problems with the Rosary at first. The Assumption and Coronation mysteries were hard for me, too. I kept with it, though, and continued to pray for understanding. I found that after I was able to receive the Eucharist, my understanding of and appreciation for the Rosary were greatly increased. I say it daily now (sometimes I miss on Saturdays :() and I have learned that I need to say it in the morning. I get up at 5:00 and usually start my Rosary about 5:30 (after the coffee is brewed) 😉 I don’t always feel touched or moved by it. Feelings are unreliable and can easily be used by satan to mislead us. God honors persistence in prayer (Luke 11) and He has greatly blessed me with the Rosary. I can’t say it at bedtime though. I have a better chance of making it through the Divine Mercy Chaplet so I say that while I am laying in bed! God bless you in your journey!
 
By the way, I really like the title of this thread. I get a little chuckle every time I get a reminder in my mailbox that there is another post. If there is anyone who never fell asleep trying to say the Rosary I greatly admire them, but they are so far beyond me that I don’t think I can learn anything from them.
 
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