Rosary "Efficacy" Question

[mercygate]

This is a lovely post. Thank you so much - I will so try this. What you say about trust is true, I think. Maybe I’m not really ready to pray the rosary every day simply because the trust I have in Our Lady is rather limited right now.

It’s funny you mentioned coffee. She must have put those words in your mouth because I love coffee and going out for coffee is a favorite pasttime of mine. Neat!

Tracy

Here you go.

You can talk to Jesus gently and personally,as wellas to Our Lady, you know!

I often sit on the library sofa with my knees drawn up and a cup of coffee on the table to pray. I just try to listen and go back and forth between speaking and listening.

There are many forms of prayer; all you need to do is pray in the way that allows you the most personal integrity and intimacy with God AT THIS MOMENT.

Sometimes I get heavily involved in discursive, mental, meditative prayer on a text of Scripture. Sometimes, I am so distracted that all I can do is mumble through a Rosary in the hope that Our Lady will take my prayer, purify it, and present it to her Son. Sometimes, I am so keenly aware of the presence of the Lord, that there is just nothing I can do except remian “with” Him in silence: no words, no petititons, nothing but just “being there.”

With prayer, you just have to BE there. Don’t worry about “techniques.” That’s a trap.

 

[vee8]

There are other prayers you can say on the rosary besides the rosary like my fav the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/index.htm

I first heard about it almost one year ago on EWTN either listening to John Pridmore or Fr Donald Calloway I forget who mentioned it first but both of their stories really made an impact with me so I started praying the chaplet and wow! My life isnt perfect but Gods mercy combined with communion, confession, and charity and things are a lot better than they used to be!

I also like the chaplet because it is short so I can pray it in about five minutes and it fits easily into my day. I only say the rosary once a week right now with a specific prayer intention for Japan because a reader of my blog challenged me to do it for a year.

In the same spirit I challenge you to say the chaplet of divine mercy everyday for one week starting Friday June 20 to Friday June 27 and I will do the same. Deal?

 

[mercygate]

There are other prayers you can say on the rosary besides the rosary like my fav the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/index.htm

I first heard about it almost one year ago on EWTN either listening to John Pridmore or Fr Donald Calloway I forget who mentioned it first but both of their stories really made an impact with me so I started praying the chaplet and wow! My life isnt perfect but Gods mercy combined with communion, confession, and charity and things are a lot better than they used to be!

I also like the chaplet because it is short so I can pray it in about five minutes and it fits easily into my day. I only say the rosary once a week right now with a specific prayer intention for Japan because a reader of my blog challenged me to do it for a year.

In the same spirit I challenge you to say the chaplet of divine mercy everyday for one week starting Friday June 20 to Friday June 27 and I will do the same. Deal?

Come to think of it, the Divine Mercy Chaplet could be the VERY thing the OP needs!

 

[mangy_dog]

I do two and a half of the above things. I go to Confession when I have to - ironically, sometimes I do this in order to receive Communion. I go to Mass every weekend, either Sat. night or Sun. morning and receive Communion when I’m able, and the “half” is service to God and witness to others. I don’t have much time to volunteer for anything, so I pretty much just try to be nice to people. If they ask my views on abortion or whatever, I tell them straight up. I don’t bring up religion a lot because I live in the South with a bunch of Protestants. They wouldn’t “get it,” you know? And they have this persistent idea that they are right and everybody else is wrong, so why bother? The only thing I don’t do often is pray the rosary, but I guess as other people have said here already, if I’m not going to do that, then I’d better pray something - and fast.

Tracy

It sounds like you’re doing the basic things well, I thank God for catholics like you and me (I too live in the south, N.C.).

I find that just being myself (as a catholic) is plenty. For example I work at a hospital and when I go to the cafeteria I pray before every meal and I make the sign of the cross. At noon I go to the chapel and I finish the Rosary that I started in the morning on my way to work. And I have a little “Lady of Guadalupe” medal on my I.D. badge.

They are just little things but, if someone notices and asks me a question…well, that’s my chance to preach, teach or whatever.

Hope this helps.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

 

[iamrefreshed]

A few years ago, I got the pamplet, showed it to him, and he flatly refused to go, just like almost everything else we’ve tried. The last counselor I was seeing I saw by myself - he never went once. The counselor himself had this unspoken attitude of his “hands being tied” regarding the whole thing. I don’t know how many of you here have been to college, but in the same way that papers don’t write themselves, and on the contrary, require a lot of digging, copying, rewording, TIME, so does fixing a marriage. A marriage is not going to fix itself. He does not get this at all. He thinks that counseling is a waste of time, and he thinks that retreats of any kind are stupid. Not me, however, I was willing to go.

Pray for him to change his mind. Keep bringing Retrouvaille up to him. Don’t stop. Maybe he will concede. If not, then go by yourself! We had one man who came without his wife! Show your husband your devotion to your marriage!

I would imagine that if you were cheated on, then yes, that would be very painful - ESP. if you felt like you were doing everything you thought was right and fair in the relationship. My husband has been a verbally abusive, caustic, nasty jerk on and off our entire marriage. The past two years it has gotten worse. My point is that I think that deep down, he knows that he contributed a good bit to my bad behavior, which I every day struggle to correct and/or prevent from happening again. I can quit cheating on him, but he won’t quit being nasty. In fact, it may give him some kind of sick ego boost to think of me as “damaged merchandise” while he never physically cheated on me - a feeling of “one-up-ness,” ya know? Trust me, if I was with a man who treated me properly and lovingly, then there is NO WAY I’d do this kind of thing to him. Really, I wouldn’t have to!

Tracy

I’m going to take issue with you here and possibly get you rather upset. Please realize ahead of time that I am not sitting in judgement of you. Rather, that because of my experiences, I may be able to offer you some insight.

Firstly, there is NEVER an excuse to commit adultery. Zero, none, nada, zilch.

Your husband contributed to the lousy state of your marriage NOT your bad behavior. That’s on you Tracy. I hope you do not tell your husband the adultery was his fault?

You stated here that chastity was an issue before you married so you need to own that, not lay it at the feet of your husband.

That said he should not use your indescretion to ‘one up’ you or put you in a position to walk on eggshells.

Tracy, you and your husband need to heal from the adultery. That is not something that can just be swept under the rug. You are both facing a tremendous uphill battle but it seems neither party is accepting their responsibility in the state of the marriage.

I’m certain that if you BOTH saw a priest that the first thing he would do is to get you both into counseling.

My prayers are with you Tracy. Please make the changes you need to make and save your marriage.

 

[KestrelRose]

This is a lovely post. Thank you so much - I will so try this. What you say about trust is true, I think. Maybe I’m not really ready to pray the rosary every day simply because the trust I have in Our Lady is rather limited right now.

It’s funny you mentioned coffee. She must have put those words in your mouth because I love coffee and going out for coffee is a favorite pasttime of mine. Neat!

Tracy

Maybe some day you and I can sit down for a cup of coffee. My favorite memories in life are visiting with friends and family with a cup of coffee in my hand.

All my love, Helen

 

[allhers]

I am glad to hear of a real-life example (or another one, rather) of how the rosary did not work right away for somebody. It makes me think that maybe time is all he needs and all I need. I have a rosary in my car, in my jewelry box, and I even know how to make them - pretty ones too, like ones from the store. So, I believe in the power of the rosary - not that the rosary itself has magical powers like a charm, I know better. I just feel better having them on hand - esp. in the car. I’m not the best driver.

Tracy

Here is something I ran across today that might help too.

“Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul if—and mark well what I say—if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly everyday until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”
—Saint Louis de Montfort

 

[Tracyms1974]

Pray for him to change his mind. Keep bringing Retrouvaille up to him. Don’t stop. Maybe he will concede. If not, then go by yourself! We had one man who came without his wife! Show your husband your devotion to your marriage!

I didn’t think Retroville would “take you” if you went by yourself.

I’m going to take issue with you here and possibly get you rather upset. Please realize ahead of time that I am not sitting in judgement of you. Rather, that because of my experiences, I may be able to offer you some insight.

Firstly, there is NEVER an excuse to commit adultery. Zero, none, nada, zilch.

Your husband contributed to the lousy state of your marriage NOT your bad behavior. That’s on you Tracy. I hope you do not tell your husband the adultery was his fault?

You stated here that chastity was an issue before you married so you need to own that, not lay it at the feet of your husband.

That said he should not use your indescretion to ‘one up’ you or put you in a position to walk on eggshells.

Tracy, you and your husband need to heal from the adultery. That is not something that can just be swept under the rug. You are both facing a tremendous uphill battle but it seems neither party is accepting their responsibility in the state of the marriage.

I’m certain that if you BOTH saw a priest that the first thing he would do is to get you both into counseling.

My prayers are with you Tracy. Please make the changes you need to make and save your marriage.

I agree that technically my adultery was not my husband’s fault. A few months ago I was so mad I would have told you that it was and there have been a few times that I have told him that “If I was getting what I needed from you, I wouldn’t have to look elsewhere!” But here I am pregnant in the worst of circumstances, and I am starting to realize that blaming other people is not going to “fix” me. I’m finally tired of playing the victim because for a while, playing the victim was a written permission slip for me to sin, really. Maybe it took this baby to help me realize that. Now my struggle is breaking my bad habits for good, because I realize that if there were no husband right now - as I speak - I’d be looking for the company of men almost immediately, and you can’t even do that single in this Church. So there I am. All I’m trying to say is that it is MUCH easier to sin under duress, stress, in times of trouble, what have you, and I think this is true for anybody. What I failed to realize before I got pregnant is that my sin, unfortunately, took on a “life of its own,” so to speak, and I was no longer in control of the situation, although I would have liked to think I was. Now that I’m really and truly trying to find chastity - without the help of my husband, mind you - I see that I have really created a problem for myself. And when I say no help, I mean NO HELP. (My husband refuses to have any relations with me.) So I feel llike a single woman technically married, really. And this used to make me very angry. But you know what? No more. I’m what matters here if he doesn’t want to do the work. I need to fix me, and he sees that and it works for him, then great. No doubt that it will help the relationship I have with the daughter I already have. I need to be her good example and her loving mother. Fixing my problems and learing to pray more will do this for me.

Tracy

 

[Tracyms1974]

Here is something I ran across today that might help too.

“Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul if—and mark well what I say—if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly everyday until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”
—Saint Louis de Montfort

I’ve heard this before. Isn’t it one of the promises of the rosary? I wonder how many people have experienced this firsthand. Well, wait, lemme answer my own question - #17 in this thread is an example of this, so never mind.

Do you think that “knowing the truth” lead such a person to start attending Mass or something similar? I’m trying not to get too technical here, I swear. It would take an initial “Divine Voice” of some kind to get that poor soul thinking if you asked me because prayer and/or the rosary if not even on this person’s radar screen, ya know? God knows what can work for everybody, I guess.

Tracy

 

[Bill_Cherry]

I would like to know if reading a scriptural rosary book is just as effective.The book is all lined out.It seems to me it should be the same as actually counting the beads. Reading the book and counting the beads seems superfluous(superflous?).I Do this.Because it seems right. But the thought enters my head that its overkill.Am I being superstitious?Please help!:banghead:

 

[Tracyms1974]

I would like to know if reading a scriptural rosary book is just as effective.The book is all lined out.It seems to me it should be the same as actually counting the beads. Reading the book and counting the beads seems superfluous(superflous?).I Do this.Because it seems right. But the thought enters my head that its overkill.Am I being superstitious?Please help!:banghead:

Do you mean that you use a book/pamphlet because you don’t know the prayers yet? If that’s the case, I’ve been told that that’s okay because hey, if you don’t know it, you don’t know it. If that’s not what you mean, then I’ll let somebody else who knows better help you.

Tracy

 

[Tracyms1974]

There are other prayers you can say on the rosary besides the rosary like my fav the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/index.htm

I first heard about it almost one year ago on EWTN either listening to John Pridmore or Fr Donald Calloway I forget who mentioned it first but both of their stories really made an impact with me so I started praying the chaplet and wow! My life isnt perfect but Gods mercy combined with communion, confession, and charity and things are a lot better than they used to be!

I also like the chaplet because it is short so I can pray it in about five minutes and it fits easily into my day. I only say the rosary once a week right now with a specific prayer intention for Japan because a reader of my blog challenged me to do it for a year.

In the same spirit I challenge you to say the chaplet of divine mercy everyday for one week starting Friday June 20 to Friday June 27 and I will do the same. Deal?

I suppose I could try it. I don’t know the words, but that link you gave me - I copied and pasted it into a document, so now it’s saved on my computer. I’ll have to read it the first few times, not many more than that, I hope. I guess I start tomorrow. You folks really know how to twist a girl’s arm - but in a good way, I promise!

Tracy

 

[Bill_Cherry]

Do you mean that you use a book/pamphlet because you don’t know the prayers yet? If that’s the case, I’ve been told that that’s okay because hey, if you don’t know it, you don’t know it. If that’s not what you mean, then I’ll let somebody else who knows better help you.

Tracy

No.I know the basic prayers.I mean the scriptural go along with the mysteries booklet.It gives a brief little scripture and even a ‘meditation’ paragragh before each ‘Hail Mary’;therefore ,you could basically do the entire Rosary without picking up the physical necklace.
I know the Rosary is an effective tool/gift.I’ve even acquired ‘stuff’ by using it.I’ve tried to stop this practice,as it seems wrong to try and get Mary to get Jesus to give me stuff.I like to think that in the beginning She did just to get me started.
Anyway,I think I know the answer already.But,I like the “device” itself.And maybe it’s a stupid question.I,ve never actually tried it like that;and I don’t want to.But, at the same time,I don’t want to be attributing ‘magic powers’ to the necklace. The “ROSARY” proper are the prayers in the chain-right. or no? Am I overthinking this?

 

[vee8]

I suppose I could try it. I don’t know the words, but that link you gave me - I copied and pasted it into a document, so now it’s saved on my computer. I’ll have to read it the first few times, not many more than that, I hope. I guess I start tomorrow. You folks really know how to twist a girl’s arm - but in a good way, I promise!

Tracy

Great !
Ive already said mine for Friday. Keep in mind that you may have as one of your intentions while you pray those who are dying at the hour you say it as Jesus told St Faustina
*"…When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I
will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior".

*You dont have to be physically next to the person either so if anyone would like sources for that this page has quotes from St Faustina about praying for the dying.
thedivinemercy.org/eadm/praying.php

Even if you dont feel any effects in your life by saying the chaplet you are likely making a big difference in a stranger`s dying hour.

 

[Tracyms1974]

No.I know the basic prayers.I mean the scriptural go along with the mysteries booklet.It gives a brief little scripture and even a ‘meditation’ paragragh before each ‘Hail Mary’;therefore ,you could basically do the entire Rosary without picking up the physical necklace.
I know the Rosary is an effective tool/gift.I’ve even acquired ‘stuff’ by using it.I’ve tried to stop this practice,as it seems wrong to try and get Mary to get Jesus to give me stuff.I like to think that in the beginning She did just to get me started.
Anyway,I think I know the answer already.But,I like the “device” itself.And maybe it’s a stupid question.I,ve never actually tried it like that;and I don’t want to.But, at the same time,I don’t want to be attributing ‘magic powers’ to the necklace. The “ROSARY” proper are the prayers in the chain-right. or no? Am I overthinking this?

I’ll just tell you what all these nice folks have told me here: Do what works for you. If you like the book, use it. I’m the opposite of you. I have to get into the habit of praying something period, so you are way ahead of me - pat yourself on the back, my friend. If the fine Folks in Heaven want to give you stuff and you have not asked for it in any way shape or form, then in MY way of thinking, that’s not your fault. Maybe it is a testament to how much they all appreciate your prayers and how much help these prayers are giving to others. I agree that God is not a Santa Claus, but there is nothing wrong with asking for what you feel like you honestly and truly need. I am learning that now. I’m really kinda new to this personal prayer stuff, so I’m just trying to help as much as I can.

Tracy

 

[allhers]

I’ve heard this before. Isn’t it one of the promises of the rosary? I wonder how many people have experienced this firsthand. Well, wait, lemme answer my own question - #17 in this thread is an example of this, so never mind.

Do you think that “knowing the truth” lead such a person to start attending Mass or something similar? I’m trying not to get too technical here, I swear. It would take an initial “Divine Voice” of some kind to get that poor soul thinking if you asked me because prayer and/or the rosary if not even on this person’s radar screen, ya know? God knows what can work for everybody, I guess.

Tracy

Here is a link to the 15 Promises with explanation for each one:

ourladyswarriors.org/prayer/15promise.htm

 

[iamrefreshed]

I agree that technically my adultery was not my husband’s fault. A few months ago I was so mad I would have told you that it was and there have been a few times that I have told him that “If I was getting what I needed from you, I wouldn’t have to look elsewhere!” But here I am pregnant in the worst of circumstances, and I am starting to realize that blaming other people is not going to “fix” me. I’m finally tired of playing the victim because for a while, playing the victim was a written permission slip for me to sin, really. Maybe it took this baby to help me realize that. Now my struggle is breaking my bad habits for good, because I realize that if there were no husband right now - as I speak - I’d be looking for the company of men almost immediately, and you can’t even do that single in this Church. So there I am. All I’m trying to say is that it is MUCH easier to sin under duress, stress, in times of trouble, what have you, and I think this is true for anybody. What I failed to realize before I got pregnant is that my sin, unfortunately, took on a “life of its own,” so to speak, and I was no longer in control of the situation, although I would have liked to think I was. Now that I’m really and truly trying to find chastity - without the help of my husband, mind you - I see that I have really created a problem for myself. And when I say no help, I mean NO HELP. (My husband refuses to have any relations with me.) So I feel llike a single woman technically married, really. And this used to make me very angry. But you know what? No more. I’m what matters here if he doesn’t want to do the work. I need to fix me, and he sees that and it works for him, then great. No doubt that it will help the relationship I have with the daughter I already have. I need to be her good example and her loving mother. Fixing my problems and learing to pray more will do this for me.

Tracy

God bless you Tracy!!

You are the only one you can fix. You CANNOT fix someone else. You can attempt to ‘fix’ your husband by example.

I urge you to attend Retrouvaille, even if alone. Show your husband by example. Show him you are an adult and will make adult decisions. Take that first step toward reconciliation.

It takes a strong person to face celibacy. I’m sure you CAN do that Tracy! Pray your rosary. Talk to the Blessed Mother. Ask for her prayers.

Here is the link to Retrouvaille.

retrouvaille.org/

 

[Tracyms1974]

Great !
Ive already said mine for Friday. Keep in mind that you may have as one of your intentions while you pray those who are dying at the hour you say it as Jesus told St Faustina
*"…When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I
will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior".

*You dont have to be physically next to the person either so if anyone would like sources for that this page has quotes from St Faustina about praying for the dying.
thedivinemercy.org/eadm/praying.php

Even if you dont feel any effects in your life by saying the chaplet you are likely making a big difference in a stranger`s dying hour.

I like the idea that this Chaplet is not just a prayer but an act of charity, really. I find myself offerring up sufferings sometimes to the poor souls in Purgatory, so maybe this Chaplet is a good thing for me personally.

I’ve prayed the chaplet every day so far, but today is the first day I had to try to pray from memory. I hope I didn’t screw it up too bad. I’ve had to work all weekend (tomorrow too) and I have to get up very early and come home at dinnertime. (12 hour days.) God help me I’m tired. And 7 1/2 months pregnant, too. I hope I don’t have a pre-term labor. My first one was late; let’s hope history repeats itself.

Tracy

 

[TrueDevotionMar]

I hope you are well. How are things going now?

‘There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessings upon the family . . than the daily recitation of the Rosary’ (Pope Pius XII).

`If families will but listen to my message and give our Lady ten minutes of their twenty-four hours, by reciting the daily Family Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God’s grace, peaceful, prayerful places . . . little heavens, which God the Author of home-life has intended they should be.’ (Father Peyton).

(Note: making a weekly commitment to the whole rosary and enrolling in the Confraternity of the rosary gives us access to other people’s prayers as well)
english.op.org/~rudolf/rosary.html

“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves, we will sanctify ourselves, we will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.” (Sister Lucy of Fatima)

 

[Tracyms1974]

I hope you are well. How are things going now?

‘There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessings upon the family . . than the daily recitation of the Rosary’ (Pope Pius XII).

“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves, we will sanctify ourselves, we will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.” (Sister Lucy of Fatima)

I like what you say here. Unfortunately, the rosary did not save our marriage. My husband found somebody else that he wants to be with and I live every day listening to his nasty attitude and just wanting to be out out out. I have been told that his behavior constitutes verbal and emotional abuse and I qualify for free counseling. I would write more, but he is telling me to get off this computer right now. I am at the end of my rope. If the rosary is going to save anyone it will be me, myself, and I - not him and certainly not us as a couple. Please pray that I somehow find the money to get out of this horrible situation. thank you so much for writing.

Tracy