Modified Rosary

[SammyJankis90]

As someone just entering the Church, one of the first things I did was a buy a Rosary. I’ve definitely been surprised by how much I can get out of the time spent in this prayer, meditating so intently on the various Mysteries.
There’s another part of me, though, that is uncomfortable with the traditional Rosary. It probably has something to do with almost 21 years as an Evangelical who balked at the idea of praying to Mary, or any other saint. I’m gradually coming to a greater appreciation of asking Our Lady to intercede with her Son for us, but I guess I’m still uncomfortable with the specific prayers of the Rosary. I don’t like the idea of praying 53 Hail Marys and only 6 Our Fathers. I feel like, if I’m going to be praying that many prayers to someone, I’d rather it be Christ Himself. Does that make sense?
So, to enable myself to continue meditating on the Mysteries with the aid of the Rosary beads and without being distracted by this discomfort, I’ve come up with a sort of modified method of praying the Rosary. I don’t eliminate all presence of Our Lady, but I do add in more of a presence of the Trinity. Is there anything wrong with this? Is the Rosary so set in stone that no alteration ought ever to be done? For the record, I pray it as follows:

Crucifix: Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Apostles’ Creed, Prayer before a Crucifix
First bead: Act of Contrition or Confiteor
Next three: Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, respectively
Next bead: Salve Regina
Decades

• First knot: Glory Be, announce mystery
• Decade: Alternate Our Father and Hail Mary
• Last knot: O My Jesus
• Intermediate beads: Come, Holy Ghost
  Conclusion: Prayer After the Rosary, Daily Consecration to the Holy Spirit, Sign of the Cross

 

[justtryin]

Have you ever considered a Chaplet? Maybe you can find a Chaplet you are more comfortable with. Perhaps this will help ease your discomfort and bring you closer to the Rosary over time.

Here are a few:

catholicdoors.com/prayers/chaplets.htm

Many Chaplets can be prayed using a Rosary.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

The rosary beads can be used for other prayers such as the chaplet of Divine Mercy. I see nothing wrong in what you’re doing. You are praying and meditating on the mysteries of the life of Jesus. It may not be ‘the’ rosary but it sounds like good prayer. You might also like to get a scriptural rosary booklet and try praying the rosary that way, with a scripture verse before each Hail Mary.

 

[SammyJankis90]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll be sure to look into both of those options.

 

[Benadam]

I’m not sure if this will help but…

I think the pattern of the beads describe a sublime ryhthm of life that permeates human experience. It is a primordial rythm of holy human life submerged in the depth of human history.

• Seth was the first born in the image of his father. He is the patriarch of a sacred lineage of human kind. He would represent an Our Father.
• Just as for Seth, the maternity of the children of this line determined the character of it’s patriarchs. This part of the age is represented by the 10 Hail Mary’s.
• Untill Noah who is the last patriarch of the age of patriarch’s and the patriarch of the age that follows. He is represented by an Our Father.

I think this rythm repeats it’self subliminally through out salvation history. This is represented by the loop that ends and begins with the Incarnation and the life of Christ. So for me the pattern of beads describe a sublime truth.