Graces will descend upon you from your devotion to this prayer. Yet, many Catholics may hesitate to pray it, not knowing the concept of contemplative prayer. It may seem like mindless repetition, but the verbal prayers lend structure to our contemplation, and keep it focused. Contemplation of the mysteries of the Gospel message is the purpose of the Rosary. As I pray it, I allow the spoken prayers to become background music while I contemplate. You may hear some object that it is “vain repetition.” I was reminded that
repetitive prayer is not condemned, but
vain prayer is. Jesus taught us only one prayer. Are we to pray it only once? Saint Paul teaches us to pray without ceasing. What our Lord condemned was the
vanity with which the Pharisees prayed in public - so as to be noticed and admired by men.
That is vain repetition.
Here is something you might try: this
blogsite has paintings depicting the mysteries of the Rosary. As you pray each decade, move through the paintings, which can help you in your contemplation. On the home page, scroll down and the collections of paintings are along the right side of the page. Click on the appropriate collection, such as “The Annunciation” and a picture of a hand holding a Rosary will pop up. Click on that image and it will expand to full screen. Then, just use your arrow keys to scroll to the right as you pray your way through each decade. There are 20 collections, which coincide with the 20 mysteries of the Rosary.
It will certainly increase your understanding and appreciation for all that our Lord suffered and did for us.
