Reading a book while saying the rosary

[ResoluteSheep]

I think there was an advice given before that:

We can pray the rosary while listening to music, but we should not listen to music while praying the rosary. Is it okay to read a spiritual book while praying the rosary at the same time? I find it really ‘‘lightens up’’ the situation as to be honest, praying the rosary can be kinda dry and boring at times

 

[paperwight66]

Do you mean a spiritual book about the rosary - in other words, is the book taking you through the mysteries as you pray them? I’d have thought that was fine.

But a spiritual book not of this kind? Sorry, but that doesn’t sound right. Don’t forget, you don’t have to pray the rosary at all.

 

[friardchips]

I think there was an advice given before that:

We can pray the rosary while listening to music, but we should not listen to music while praying the rosary. Is it okay to read a spiritual book while praying the rosary at the same time? I find it really ‘‘lightens up’’ the situation as to be honest, praying the rosary can be kinda dry and boring at times

I would imagine that prayerful reading is prayerful reading and praying is praying.

It can be a creative idea to mix up one’s spiritual efforts, maybe praying some prayers and then doing some spiritual reading. But unless the reading is actually some kind of meditative reading then I would have thought they’d be two separate instances. However, that is between God and the individual.

‘A Way To Pray The Rosary’, by Sister Mary Francis, is a great aid, which can help people who find it harder to concentrate and imagine, and become absorbed into the Mysteries.

 

[Mary_Estelle]

Good, soft, non distracting music in the background while praying the Rosary is OK. I just don’t see how reading a book while praying is advantagious at all, but totally distracting. Do one or the other and do it well. Just my opinion. Peace.

 

[St_Francis]

We can not use the same part of our mind to do two things at the same time. Praying the Rosary is not supposed to be an automatic thing we do mindlessly, we are supposed to think about the mysteries.

The Rosary is actually hard work, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. Often, our minds are not accustomed to serious sustained thought, or if it is, only in one or two areas.

Just as when we start doing anything, from studying a new subject to learning a new sport, the beginning is rough. We don’t feel any of what we will feel later because we aren’t good enough at it.

There are many threads about how to pray the Rosary, how to deal with dryness and distraction. Check out the advice in those threads

 

[oldgraymare2]

I think there was an advice given before that:

We can pray the rosary while listening to music, but we should not listen to music while praying the rosary. Is it okay to read a spiritual book while praying the rosary at the same time? I find it really ‘‘lightens up’’ the situation as to be honest, praying the rosary can be kinda dry and boring at times

I like to pray it while looking at a small Rosary booklet that has pictures in it of the mystery that we are supposed to be focusing on at that moment. It helps to keep my mind focused.

I also like to pray the Rosary with others, like with an audio CD or like an on-line YouTube video.

It helps me to stay focused and less distracted, and with something like that if you’re watching a video, there’s usually something to watch/look at that accompanies it, like religious art work, too.

 

[thistle]

I think there was an advice given before that:

We can pray the rosary while listening to music, but we should not listen to music while praying the rosary. Is it okay to read a spiritual book while praying the rosary at the same time? I find it really ‘‘lightens up’’ the situation as to be honest, praying the rosary can be kinda dry and boring at times

I don’t see how it is possible to read a book while praying the Rosary. Totally impractical. How can that work. Read a sentence of a book then say a Hail Mary. That does not make sense at all.