Question about Mysteries of the Rosary

[Saber_Mom]

I have been praying the Rosary daily, for the most part, for about 3-4 years now. I feel lost on those days I don’t pray the Rosary.

That being said, there are a couple of mysteries I have a hard time meditating on.

For example - when I meditate on the Visitation, I always think of our Mother helping Elizabeth with common tasks - feeding the chickens, sweeping the house, doing the laundry, making Elizabeth feel comfortable, etc. This is a mystery in which I have no issues meditating on.

But, when it comes to these mysteries, I lose focus. Can you give me some ideas of things to think about so my mind doesn’t wander? Yes, I’ve used booklets and they’ve helped, but I tend to pray my rosary in bed and would prefer not to use a booklet of any kind.

The mysteries in question (and their respective virtue - at least how I was taught them):

From the Glorious:

*The Ascension of our Lord (The virtue of hope)
*The Assumption of our Blessed Mother (the virtue of a peaceful death).
*The Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth (worshiping Jesus through Mary)

From the Joyful:

*The Presentation of our Lord (Obedience and Sacrifice)

From the Luminous:

*The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Repentance)

Nothing from the Sorrowful. I don’t have any issues meditating on those mysteries. Sometimes I’m on the verge of tears when I pray them.

Thanks for any help you may be able to give me.

 

[Billy112]

Something that helps me tremendously is to make sure to ask the Holy Spirit to be upon me and to ask Mary to be with me and “show” me the mysteries. Also, looking for a common theme between the set of mysteries is helpful.

 

[AJB328]

I have been praying the Rosary daily, for the most part, for about 3-4 years now. I feel lost on those days I don’t pray the Rosary.

That being said, there are a couple of mysteries I have a hard time meditating on.

For example - when I meditate on the Visitation, I always think of our Mother helping Elizabeth with common tasks - feeding the chickens, sweeping the house, doing the laundry, making Elizabeth feel comfortable, etc. This is a mystery in which I have no issues meditating on.

But, when it comes to these mysteries, I lose focus. Can you give me some ideas of things to think about so my mind doesn’t wander? Yes, I’ve used booklets and they’ve helped, but I tend to pray my rosary in bed and would prefer not to use a booklet of any kind.

The mysteries in question (and their respective virtue - at least how I was taught them):

From the Glorious:

*The Ascension of our Lord (The virtue of hope)
*The Assumption of our Blessed Mother (the virtue of a peaceful death).
*The Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth (worshiping Jesus through Mary)

From the Joyful:

*The Presentation of our Lord (Obedience and Sacrifice)

From the Luminous:

*The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Repentance)

Nothing from the Sorrowful. I don’t have any issues meditating on those mysteries. Sometimes I’m on the verge of tears when I pray them.

Thanks for any help you may be able to give me.

For the Ascension I always try to imagine being in a crowd watching Jesus ascended into the sky. I try to imagine what it would look like, how it would feel to see a person just lift off the ground as an act of their own power and float upward. It has to be jarring.

The Assumption: there’s a few traditions in the eastern churches about Mary’s ascension. It pretty much goes that all the apostles were called back the Ephesus to be with her and they all waited for Peter to anoint her. They then placed her in a tomb and closed it and from inside heard the sound of trumpets and Angels singing. Flowers bloomed in front of the entrance and when they moved the stone, the tomb was empty. That’s what I always try to imagine.

For the presentation I just try to think of the idea of God being carried into his own temple. he resided there by way of the Ark for centuries, but this was the first time he was physically, in flesh and blood in the temple.

The others I have just as hard a time with.

 

[Della]

What might help with the Visitation is to recite parts of the exchange between Elizabeth and Mary from Lk. 1:39-56. Or incorporate Mary’s Magnificat and/or the Canticle of Zacharia. Also, gaining a biblical understanding of what those people were expecting by the coming of their Messiah might ground you in the significance of Mary’s visit to Elizabetth.

 

[Saber_Mom]

Thank you all.

 

[porthos11]

Oh there’s so much, where can you stop? If we keep in mind that Scripture is the Word of God, its riches must be inexhaustible. This is just off the top of my head, invoking God’s help as I type:

The agony in the garden: submission/conforming oneself to God’s will
The scourging: bearing wrongs patiently (a spiritual work of mercy)
The crowning: finding truth and beauty in suffering (Christ is King, even though his crown is of thorns)
The carrying of the cross: helping others bear their sorrows as Christ bore ours
The crucifixion: self-sacrifice, and uniting our own sufferings with Christ.