My troubles doing the 54-day-rosary novena. Pls guide me

  • Thread starter Thread starter sorrowful1
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sorrowful1

Guest
So, I finally started doing the mentioned novena which I always thought, was quite a daunting one (that long!). Somehow, anyhow – I got myself to DO it.

But the problem, I’m facing is,perhaps - myself,and I don’t know how to tackle it. During this special novena prayers I feel so sleepy (I had never been this way before as I regularly do it at other usual times). Not just sleepy but in the midst of it, I dream and then, I struggle back to “awakening” myself.

I wash my face before the prayers - even so, half way I feel the heaviness of the drowsiness that slowly engulf me. I’m so ashamed of myself. I claim to be (or at least try to be so) a devotee of Mother Mary, and there you go - the foolish “child” surrendering to sleep. I’m on the sixteenth day of the novena, but I want to restart it all over – do it earlier at 6 pm ( I’m doing at 10:15 pm. But, just a few months ago, I could do it without falling asleep no matter how late. I did fall into a deep slumber only after the rosary prayers and not while doing it).

Would it be wiser to restart it? I’d like to do it without succumbing to these physical needs.
 
Last edited:
I don’t think you have to restart just to change the time that you do it. Try different times and see if there is one that is easier to stay awake. Another thing that might help is following along with a youtube rosary that has rotating pictures of each mystery and maybe some music that will help you focus and not fall asleep. Keep trying. God knows our weaknesses and our sincere intentions.
 
I pray the Rosary first thing in the morning. No way could I do it anytime after 6 p.m. or I’d fall asleep too. There must be sometime in your day when you are more awake and energized. We are all different, but find your “best” time, when you are most awake, and switch your prayer to then.
 
Could you,perhaps, provide the link to the YouTube? I tried to find it as suggested by you but not the one you’ve described (rotating). Thank you and God bless!!
 
I see, so how it’s done. Thank you! I shall change the routine. I was just worried I might have to start from the beginning again.
 
Last edited:
sorrowful1 said:
So, I finally started doing the mentioned novena which I always thought, was quite a daunting one (that long!). Somehow, anyhow – I got myself to DO it.

But the problem, I’m facing is,perhaps - myself,and I don’t know how to tackle it. During this special novena prayers I feel so sleepy (I had never been this way before as I regularly do it at other usual times). Not just sleepy but in the midst of it, I dream and then, I struggle back to “awakening” myself.

I wash my face before the prayers - even so, half way I feel the heaviness of the drowsiness that slowly engulf me. I’m so ashamed of myself. I claim to be (or at least try to be so) a devotee of Mother Mary, and there you go - the foolish “child” surrendering to sleep. I’m on the sixteenth day of the novena, but I want to restart it all over – do it earlier at 6 pm ( I’m doing at 10:15 pm. But, just a few months ago, I could do it without falling asleep no matter how late. I did fall into a deep slumber only after the rosary prayers and not while doing it).

Would it be wiser to restart it? I’d like to do it without succumbing to these physical needs.
Click to expand...
Padre Pio said that if he had to restart the Rosary every time he was distracted he would never finish one in his lifetime.
 
Agree with what was already said by the other posters. I am doing the same Novena and what is helping me is to divide the decades during the day and/or saying the five decades all at once while I am taking a walk outside.
 
So, for example I’m doing Joyful Mysteries; if I do the first and second decades (Annunciation, Visitation) I can do the rest of the three later? Also, @aroosi mentions that he/she does it while walking. I’ve seen here that many do it in the similar manner - while driving, gardening etc. Doesn’t it distract you instead? I thought it was sort of “meditating” too, during which we just focus on the prayers and nothing else!! Just my thought.
 
Point noted. But I just realized after checking my record on the notebook that I’ve really messed up the entire novena. It should’ve been Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mystery consecutively but this idiot has done it randomly. I did fall sick for almost a week and after that everything went the wrong way i.e. not in the order of sequence.

Thankyou everyone for your valuable insight.
 
@sorrowful1 try to do your prayers first thing in the morning. When you are wide awake and not exhausted from the busyness of the day. Set your alarm to wake you earlier than normal if you don’t have the time before your daily routine.

The Rosary is a wonderful tool when one is not able to sleep - I and many others (read over the years on this forum) have used the Rosary when too unsettled to sleep. Praying the rosary gives you peace and and helps with having a good nights sleep.

The Lord will let you know in your heart if you need to restart the Novena. None of us hear can answer that correctly for you.
 
@TheHolyTrinity Not long ago,I actually used to do the Rosary prayers to help myself to sleep; I had a big trouble sleeping then, and even if I did, I got frightening dreams. Now, no matter how much I try to stay awake, I fall asleep.Phew!!!

I shall keep in mind all the things suggested here. I’m starting it again not just because I got distracted, but like I said, the main reason is (I realized just a while ago) I haven’t done it in order of sequence (the mysteries). Sometimes, ive done Joyful → Luminous-> Sorrowful-Glorious, while at other times, Joyful->Luminous->Glorious->Sorrowful blah blah. Otherwise, I was continuing with the prayers after seeing the answers here. 🙂
 
Last edited:
@sorrowful1 Rosary is a private devotion, there are no specific rules about how to pray it except the sequence of the prayers (OF, 10XHM, GB etc) and of the mysteries in every set (for example in the Joyful mysteries annunciation followed by visitation etc). I have a pretty short attention span so for me it is easier to focus just for a short period (one decade at the time) or when I am walking. Near my home there is a public park and walking in the nature doesn’t distract me at all. If I pray at night in bed I know that I will end up sound asleep before the end of the first decade, Also at home there is always some kind of interruption from my child, husband, phone calls etc. Everybody is different, pray it as you see fit for you. Also if one day I mess up (it can happen) I just keep going; God looks at your heart not at a technical spotless prayer; if you are a perfectionist or have scruples the novena can become instead source of stress and anxiety and it shouldn’t be.
 
Last edited:
I did this novena. Its not with the luminius mysteries though? It just doesn’t add up with them.
3x3 of each mystery ie 9, x 3 =27 petition, same for thanksgiving.

So 54 in total.
 
@Jessie You can do it with or without the Luminous Mystery. I personally think without the Luminous Mysteries is easier to keep track of the days for the reason you already explained but there is nothing wrong meditating on the Luminous Mysteries also. It is a special time of prayer, not a magic spell.
 
Last edited:
Sorry. I know its not a magic spell. It just to my mind makes sense and is how it was originally.

St JPII put forward the luminius mysteries but it kind of feels like in this situation they are beung shoehorned in where they dont fit. But that is just my feeling.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top