What "bothers" me about the Rosary

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Melchior

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Okay “bothers” is a strong word. But essentially I have trouble reconciling praying one thing while thinking about another thing.

When we pray are we not supposed to think about what we are saying and to whom we are saying it to? I mean I understand if we were reciting the Creed or something. But the rosary is actually praying to God and asking Mary for intercession while we are in effect not paying attention to what we are saying, but meditating on something else.

I know when someone talks to me I don’t want them daydreaming about something else, no matter how noble.

I dunno it just strikes me as a weird thing to do.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Mel
 
i feel the same way you do…

when i pray the rosary, i say a Hail Mary, then reflect on the
mystery… or read some passage partaining to that mystery…

i like St. Josemaria’ Escriva’s book, The Holy Rosary…

and his book, The Way of the Cross, i say a Hail Mary, then
read a passage…

course, it makes praying the rosary take a little more time to
do it this way, but i find it a wonderful devotion…

🙂
 
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Melchior:
Okay “bothers” is a strong word. But essentially I have trouble reconciling praying one thing while thinking about another thing.

When we pray are we not supposed to think about what we are saying and to whom we are saying it to? I mean I understand if we were reciting the Creed or something. But the rosary is actually praying to God and asking Mary for intercession while we are in effect not paying attention to what we are saying, but meditating on something else.

I know when someone talks to me I don’t want them daydreaming about something else, no matter how noble.

I dunno it just strikes me as a weird thing to do.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Mel
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You seem to have limited your understanding of prayer to the realm of talking to God. Look into the long tradition of contemplative prayer. Also, just because our whole minds aren’t consciously focused on the words of the prayer doesn’t mean that our intentions are not focused on what the prayer is actually asking.
Meditation is not “daydreaming.” It is a form of prayer. When we meditate on such subjects as the mysteries of the rosary, we grow closer to God and He imparts grace to live the virtues we see evident in those mysteries. (This is just what we ask for in the concluding prayer of the Rosary.) Combining meditation with other forms of prayer doesn’t take away from either form.
 
i think praying the rosary, meditating and praying only strenghens our prayer.
 
Mel:

Know exactly what you mean for we are for the majority linear thinkers…the rosary is demanding for us for it is a spiral method…we keep moving from praise of the incarnation and Mother Mary’s fiat, to meditation on the particular mystery and then the intention we are praying for…but it’s precisely this un linear method that makes it so effective, we get enlightened by the varying and dynamic angles of the mysteries of our relationship with God and many insights on the life of Christ. I don’t remember a single mystery in which I didn’t see something new. This method has infinite revelations waiting for us.

I think it’s a matter of accepting the difficulty of the method, but as all of the saints devoted to the rosary have shown, it is well worth it.

in XT.
 
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AquinasXVI:
Mel:

Know exactly what you mean for we are for the majority linear thinkers…the rosary is demanding for us for it is a spiral method…we keep moving from praise of the incarnation and Mother Mary’s fiat, to meditation on the particular mystery and then the intention we are praying for…but it’s precisely this un linear method that makes it so effective, we get enlightened by the varying and dynamic angles of the mysteries of our relationship with God and many insights on the life of Christ. I don’t remember a single mystery in which I didn’t see something new. This method has infinite revelations waiting for us.

I think it’s a matter of accepting the difficulty of the method, but as all of the saints devoted to the rosary have shown, it is well worth it.

in XT.
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i agree with you too… lol

i do find myself “lost in prayer”, sometime when i pray the
Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds, then
suddenly, i find i’ve just been staring at my hands, and have
reached the last bead in a decade…

but some time, if i am trying to contemplate, and say
the rosary, i catch myself … drifting… maybe with time that
will cease… i’m not sure… i don’t worry too much about it…
if i get 10 seconds of true spiritual communion, then
however long it took to get that was worth it…

i have grown to love my time with the rosary more and more…
i pray the rosary when i’m running, or when i’m driving…
oh, and of course, i love praying before mass… and sitting
quietly…

and, i have really received some gifts of wisdom and knowledge
while praying it… and believe me, i need all the wisdom and
knowledge i can get… lol

🙂
 
This takes me back to my Catholic school days. Sister Angela always told us that each time we pray the rosary, we are earning merits in Heaven that are stored up for us. Each Hail Mary and Our Father, can be offered for someone or something, but only if we dedicate it at that time.Otherwise merits earned will be used at the end of our life to shorten our stay in Purgatory because Mary herself will intercede for us at that time.“Now and at the **** hour of our death. Amen” If you should not be able to finish the roasry, ( maybe you fall asleep if you pray it at bedtime) then Mary will finish it for you . Each Hail Mary is like the scent of roses as it reaches Heaven. So don’t worry so much about not always being completely focused when you pray the rosary, just be sure to do it daily or even better several times a day. At times it will become more like a spiritual realm for you, it may be that you are searching for a deeper more intimate relationship with Jesus and Mary, so to you, it may not seem ok for your mind to wander off. May God bring you closer to Him in your spiritual journey. Look for Him in everything you do and you will find Him.
Blessings :blessyou:
 
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johnshelby:
i agree with you too… lol

i do find myself “lost in prayer”, sometime when i pray the
Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds, then
suddenly, i find i’ve just been staring at my hands, and have
reached the last bead in a decade…

but some time, if i am trying to contemplate, and say
the rosary, i catch myself … drifting… maybe with time that
will cease… i’m not sure… i don’t worry too much about it…
if i get 10 seconds of true spiritual communion, then
however long it took to get that was worth it…

i have grown to love my time with the rosary more and more…
i pray the rosary when i’m running, or when i’m driving…
oh, and of course, i love praying before mass… and sitting
quietly…

and, i have really received some gifts of wisdom and knowledge
while praying it… and believe me, i need all the wisdom and
knowledge i can get… lol

🙂
Click to expand...
This is a beautiful testimony that you have shared with us. I have been given the grace of wisdom as well during prayer. I remember the exact moment when I prayed the “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy” for the repose of my son’s soul, and I KNEW at that moment he had been forgiven for taking his own life. God Will (His will be done) enlighten you about things in your life through prayer. We as Christians are obligated to share this testimony with others. Always pray for the discernment to know with who and when to share it. The Holy Spirit will guide you.
:amen:
 
The Rosary doesn’t bother me. I think I bother the Rosary.
What I mean is, that when I pray it, my mind wanders and doesn’t always stay focused on the particular mystery I’m contemplating. I find that very frustrating, but I still love the Rosary.
God bless,
Jaypeeto3
 
What I have a hard time with is concentrating on saying it plus meditating on what I’m suppose to be meditating on. That’s why I don’t pray it because I can’t do both things simultaneously!

Suggestions? Advice?
 
Paris Blues:
What I have a hard time with is concentrating on saying it plus meditating on what I’m suppose to be meditating on. That’s why I don’t pray it because I can’t do both things simultaneously!

Suggestions? Advice?
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I like the spiral example given by AquinasXVI. Great image. I have always thought of it like singing and playing an instrument. As someone who sings while playing guitar, I think of the prayers as the playing the instrument part and the meditation as the singing. The Psalmist wrote about praying with the “murmuring sound of the harp” and referred to playing a “ten-stringed harp”, which puts me in mind of the decades, with their ten beads, of the rosary. I don’t know if this example helps you, but it works for me.
 
Paris Blues:
What I have a hard time with is concentrating on saying it plus meditating on what I’m suppose to be meditating on. That’s why I don’t pray it because I can’t do both things simultaneously!

Suggestions? Advice?
Click to expand...
Persevere, and it will become easier. I don’t imagine that either God or the Virgin are annoyed by a Christian who sincerely but imperfectly prays the Rosary. Distractions come during all kinds of prayer, all kinds of prayer can be difficult, and all require practice and discipline. I can’t remember who said this, but I think it’s a worthwhile saying: “We are all beginners in prayer.” Even people who have been praying the Rosary for years can be distracted or suddenly find it difficult. God is glorified when we persevere through these difficulties.
 
I like saying it when I walk…it allows me to feel ( for want of a better word ) more contemplative, I guess. I can feel as though my entire being is engaged in the prayer itself, all my senses. When it has been too cold or raining and I cannot walk while saying my ‘break time Rosary’ I am in more danger of being interrupted, so I find myself not as engaged…I am half- listening for that phone to ring or for a knock at the door of my office!
 
I have only been praying the rosary for a few months now and do not claim to have mastered it by any means. Why did I take years to start praying it? I am an “EX”-protestant (PRAISE GOD, I saw the light!) and so Blessed Mary was a massive ‘stone’ in my path to Jesus. I had a hard time asking others to pray for me let alone ‘asking’ (praying to) ‘Saints’.

The first part of the rosary involves saying the prayers with complete focus on what you say. To mean everything you say. A vain prayer is wasted and you must NEVER pray in vain.

Second, when you master the vocal prayer you must then master the meditative thought. You must learn to focus your thought on the miracles of the rosary. Just to learn them takes time. But then again, when you pray the rosary you are actually just praying Sacred Scripture! The rosary IS Scripture in prayer!👍

Third you might learn to combine them and ‘mean’ them both simultaneously. This is difficult and sometimes difficult at first. With practice you will see the improvement and joy of the rosary.

I sit in the hot-tub to get away from the noise of the house and I pray there often. I have cheat sheets I use to help when I forget the words or mysteries. I just copied some pamplets and put them in zip-lock baggies. I have a plastic rosary I keep outside too. Part of the rosary is the tactile feel of the crucifix and beads. If you have a a picture or Crucifix or statue or religious painting in your house you can also look at it. Use all your senses to focus you mind on prayer to Jesus.

I also have a rosary program for my computer. Click here to download it. I use this one in the house (with my non-waterproof rosary). This program lets you say the rosary and then read each Bible verse that supports it. You say the prayer then read the verse. Great program too.

A child must cry before it can speak. A child must crawl before it can walk. You must pray the rosary and meditate inbetween prayers at first. With practice, skill and Faith, someday you will be able to use your eyes to see religous symbols to focus on them, to feel religious symbols to focus on them, to voice your prayers and foucus on them. You will be able to use each sense to enhance your prayer and foucus your prayer-life on Jesus. Can you drive and listen to the radio? If yes, you can pray and meditate at the same time. (You don’t stop driving to singalong do you?😉 )

If you cannot mean your prayer and focus on the medatation then slow down and do them seperately. There is no law that says you ‘have to’ do both at the same time so don’t if you can’t. Not everyone can be a mathmatician so just stop when you master the basic addition rules and be happy with it.

Jesus loves us all wether we pray the rosay or not. it is optional but with practice, will bring GR8 rewards!

Good luck,

JMJ
 
Paris Blues:
What I have a hard time with is concentrating on saying it plus meditating on what I’m suppose to be meditating on. That’s why I don’t pray it because I can’t do both things simultaneously!

Suggestions? Advice?
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well, you could try doing like i do… as i said, i say the Hail
Mary, then i contemplate the mystery… say another Hail
Mary, then contemplate…

maybe someday, i’ll learn to… be in harmony… and be able
to make it like the ‘music’ Della spoke of…

🙂
 
Melchior:
Code: 
  An excert from John Paul II's " Rosarium Virginis Maria",click "Power of the Rosary" @  [www.theholyrosary.org:](www.theholyrosary.org:)
A path of contemplation
Code: 
           5. But the most important reason for strongly              encouraging the practice of the Rosary is that it represents a most              effective means of fostering among the faithful that *commitment              to the contemplation of the Christian mystery *which I have              proposed in the Apostolic Letter *[Novo              Millennio Ineunte](http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2MIL3.HTM)* as a genuine “training in holiness”: “What              is needed is a Christian life distinguished above all in the *art              of prayer*”.9 Inasmuch as contemporary culture, even              amid so many indications to the contrary, has witnessed the              flowering of a new call for spirituality, due also to the influence              of other religions, it is more urgent than ever that our Christian              communities should become “genuine schools of              prayer”.10 

           The Rosary belongs among the finest and most              praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation. Developed in the              West, it is a typically meditative prayer, corresponding in some way              to the “prayer of the heart” or “Jesus prayer” which took root in              the soil of the Christian East.


  Andy
 
Guess what? Even if you don’t meditate on the mysteries but just think about the words of the Hail Mary, that also “counts” as saying a Rosary! Even just one Hail Mary is worth many years of sufferings on Earth!

Here’s an excerpt from St. Louis de Montfort’s book, Secret of the Rosary (the nineteenth Rose):

“Blessed Alan says that a nun who had always had a great devotion to the Holy Rosary appeared after death to one of her sisters in religion and said to her: “If I were allowed to go back into my body, to have the chance of saying just one single Hail Mary - even if I said it quickly and without great fervor - I would gladly go through the sufferings that I had during my last illness all over again, in order to gain the merit of this prayer.” (Blessed Alan de la Roche, De Dignitate Psalterii, Chapter LXIX) This is all the more compelling because she had been bedridden and had suffered agonizing pains for several years before she died.”
 
Paris Blues:
What I have a hard time with is concentrating on saying it plus meditating on what I’m suppose to be meditating on. That’s why I don’t pray it because I can’t do both things simultaneously!

Suggestions? Advice?
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Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray? Ask for the gift of tongues. Its perfect prayer. 😉 God Bless
 
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SPOKENWORD:
Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray? Ask for the gift of tongues. Its perfect prayer. 😉 God Bless
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So is the rosary. It’s scriptural prayer.
 
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