Saying the Rosary with meaning!

[super64]

We were wondering about when saying the Rosary in church why they(the prayer leaders) rush thru this prayer? According to the book by St. Louis De Montfort, “The Secret of the Rosary” we should be saying the prayer with reverence and sincerity. According to Blessed Alan and other writers one Hail Mary said slowly with meaning is worth more then 1000 said hurridly and absent mindly. (paraphasing) We are to think of our Gaurdian Angel on our right side catching each rose our Hail Mary and Our Fathers produces and weaving them into a crown for Jesus and Mary as well as for ourselves when we reach Heaven.(when said correctly) While on our left side sits the devil waiting to catch the ones we say insincerely. The Devil wants us to be distracted and rush thru our prayers because he fears the power of the Rosary to redeem and save souls more then any other prayers. So does this happen within your church?

Thanks
Scott and Kim…(not the Hahn’s )

 

[Toni]

Perhaps you should copy the part of the book about the guardian angels catching all those roses for your leaders. Just put it on their pews.
I tell the students all the time that one Hail Mary said with love and devotion is far better than saying 10 Hail Mary’s quickly.But thanks for the reminder.

 

[nobody]

My question is, though, aren’t we supposed to be meditating on the mystery while we pray the Hail Mary? Sometimes I’m thinking of the mystery, and I say a few Hail Mary’s without thinking - kind of like auto pilot - I think those might be the times Mary is helping me to understand the mystery better. Isn’t the point of the rosary the mysteries of Jesus’ life?

 

[Tonks40]

A couple of nights ago, I did something I never do - I actually recited my Rosary slowly, thinking of each prayer I said. I thought I would get impatient and want to rush through it, but you know, I was able not only to put more emphasis in the prayers, but also meditate on the mysteries more deeply! I think this is what Montefort meant by saying the Rosary with reverence!

 

[edward_george]

One time, a while back, I said at least part (I don’t remember if it was just one decade out of five or what) of a rosary in Latin…it really helps me to concentrate on the prayers when I have to process them back into English as I say them.

-ACEGC

 

[Dorothy]

nobody:

My question is, though, aren’t we supposed to be meditating on the mystery while we pray the Hail Mary? Sometimes I’m thinking of the mystery, and I say a few Hail Mary’s without thinking - kind of like auto pilot - I think those might be the times Mary is helping me to understand the mystery better. Isn’t the point of the rosary the mysteries of Jesus’ life?

Yes, the point of the Rosary is exactly to meditate on the mysteries. It’s okay to focus on the mystery, while the “background” music of the Hail Mary is said. To me, saying the Rosary with attention is like walking through the mysteries of Our Lord’s Life while holding our Blessed Mother’s hand!

And, who knew Him better than she did!

 

[gardenswithkids]

Do you think that some people rush through the Rosary because they can keep their minds focused for the shorter period of time?

super64:

…one Hail Mary said slowly with meaning is worth more then 1000 said hurridly and absent mindly. (paraphasing)…

I read a similar quote about one Our Father said with meaning being worth more than many absent mindly recited prayers. Yet I still struggle with thinking “more is more.” Many people speak of the power of the Rosary. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of mindlessly repeating the words.
Meditating through all the Rosary prayers has been a big problem for me. (I allow my mind to wander off after just a few Hail Marys on each decade.) I’ve been inconsistent in praying it in the past. The last couple of months I’ve tried to pray it daily, but I’m wondering now if it is better to stop reciting the whole Rosary and say fewer or different prayers instead.

I started limiting to just a decade to meditate on, unless I stay focused, then I may keep going. I feel a little guilty for not praying a whole Rosary, but I think I need to break the bad habit of letting my mind wander. I’m unsure if this is the right approach, but the mindless reciting while my mind wandered didn’t seem good either.

 

[Dorothy]

Gardenwithkids,

<<I started limiting to just a decade to meditate on, unless I stay focused, then I may keep going. I feel a little guilty for not praying a whole Rosary, but I think I need to break the bad habit of letting my mind wander. I’m unsure if this is the right approach, but the mindless reciting while my mind wandered didn’t seem good either.>>

Distractions in prayer is something we all struggle with. It is not the distractions that are wrong…but if we stay with the distractions and don’t bring ourselves back to the prayer then it is a problem. Every time we catch ourselves in a distraction and then bring ourselves back to the prayer we are making a choice for the Lord, and that is a good habit.

I highly recommend the Scriptural Rosary. It gives a line of Scripture before each Hail Mary that helps us to focus on the Mystery. So, for each decade we are focussing on ten different Scripture readings. We can stay with that line of Scripture for a few seconds before we begin the Hail Mary.

The Scriptural Rosary is a classic and can be purchased in a Catholic bookstore. It now contains Scriptures for the Luminous Mysteries as well.

If one Hail Mary said well is valuable, then imagine fifty!

 

[super64]

Meditating through all the Rosary prayers has been a big problem for me. (I allow my mind to wander off after just a few Hail Marys on each decade.) I’ve been inconsistent in praying it in the past. The last couple of months I’ve tried to pray it daily, but I’m wondering now if it is better to stop reciting the whole Rosary and say fewer or different prayers instead.

I started limiting to just a decade to meditate on, unless I stay focused, then I may keep going. I feel a little guilty for not praying a whole Rosary, but I think I need to break the bad habit of letting my mind wander. I’m unsure if this is the right approach, but the mindless reciting while my mind wandered didn’t seem good either.

Gardenswithkids,
We know how you feel. I think we all can relate to what you are feeling. Remember ,though, “when we say the Little Office of Our Lady or the Seven Penitential Psalms or any other prayers other then the Rosary the variety of words and expressions keeps us alert, prevents our imagination from wandering, and so makes it easier to persevere” (from ‘The Secret of the Rosary’ page 90)

The Devil makes it difficult to say the prayer, by making us think it’s boring and not as important as saying other prayers.
‘To what ends does not the evil one go against us while we are engaged in saying our Rosary agaianst him.’

‘Always remember the best Rosary is the one with the most merit, and there is more merit in praying when it is hard than when it is easy’

It’s tough to to say the Rosary at times but we should never stop saying it. St. Francis would say the Rosary bit by bit throughout the day, but would finish at the end of the day no matter how late or tired he was. One suggestion would be to say a centering prayer, simply ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and to keep distraction away. To do a centering prayer you sit in a comfortable position,close your eyes and relax. After a few moments become aware of your relaxed breathing. As you breath out let the word ‘Jesus’ come from deep inside you. Just allow all your thoughts to flow like a stream of water over rocks. Concentrating only on the word ‘Jesus’. Do this a few moments every day before you pray and you will reach a state of concentration and awareness of Gods presence and peace.(taken from Father Kenneth Roberts, “Guide to Personal Prayer”)

Also, try this
www.ecrosaries.com/site/601007/page/185524

Warm wishes and our prayers,

Scott and Kim

 

[gardenswithkids]

Dorothy:

I highly recommend the Scriptural Rosary. It gives a line of Scripture before each Hail Mary that helps us to focus on the Mystery. So, for each decade we are focussing on ten different Scripture readings.

Thank you for that suggestion. I do find it easier to meditate on scripture verses, and that might just be the thing to help me stay focussed when praying the Rosary. My Advent resolution was to read scripture daily and meditate on it, so your idea fits in nicely with that part of my prayer life too!

 

[Dorothy]

I’d like to add that when saying the Rosary aloud with a group it is especially good to say the Scriptural Rosary. Usually this works with a small group, who all have the Scriptural Rosary book, or one that can be passed around.

It is important to stop for a few seconds after reading the Scripture, and then start the Hail Mary.

 

[super64]

Hi, This is for “Nobody” in reply to *aren’t we supposed to be meditating on the mystery while we pray the Hail Mary?*Yes we are but there is so much more to the Rosary. The Rosary is a combination of several prayers including The Angelic Salutation(Hail Mary) and The Lords Prayer(Our Father). These prayers along with the others in the Rosary were over the years combined into the Rosary as we know it today. The Rosary was many years in the making to get to what we have today. When the Angelics Salutation was so many years ago said seperately it was special for Mary as was the Our Father to Jesus/God.Now combined we send Glory to all. Mary sends all praise and glory given to her on to her son. So in answer to your question we do meditate on the mysteries but we also can put meaning into our Hail Marys.This can sometimes help keep our thoughts focused since we are paying more attention to our words and not just droning on as our mind wonders. I find by saying the Scriptual Rosary(with the scripture verse between each Hail Mary) and pausing after each scripture verse to mediate to be the most effective way of giving proper devotion and praise to Mary and Jesus. I hope this helps you…I too am a cradle Catholic who only recently awoke to my faith. Thanks be to God! Warm wishes and our prayers, Kim

 

[auppie]

We were wondering about when saying the Rosary in church why they(the prayer leaders) rush thru this prayer? According to the book by St. Louis De Montfort, “The Secret of the Rosary” we should be saying the prayer with reverence and sincerity. According to Blessed Alan and other writers one Hail Mary said slowly with meaning is worth more then 1000 said hurridly and absent mindly. (paraphasing) We are to think of our Gaurdian Angel on our right side catching each rose our Hail Mary and Our Fathers produces and weaving them into a crown for Jesus and Mary as well as for ourselves when we reach Heaven.(when said correctly) While on our left side sits the devil waiting to catch the ones we say insincerely. The Devil wants us to be distracted and rush thru our prayers because he fears the power of the Rosary to redeem and save souls more then any other prayers. So does this happen within your church?

Thanks
Scott and Kim…(not the Hahn’s )
[/quote]

My cd of the Rosary from the Mary Foundation, also gives a bit of background on the Rosary. This cd (initially thinking it was about the history, not the Rosary itself), goes through the Rosary rather fast, I thought, however, they do say later on that the 17 minutes to complete the prayer falls along the lines of being the optimal time of attention span (according to Fulton Sheen). I personally prefer to take my time, however when I have “one of those days” where I could use a few extra hours to get everything done, I do find the cd helpful in keeping up with the daily prayer.