The Rosary is a reflection on the life of Our Savior. Praying the Rosary daily has become part of my morning prayer and meditation. (Here is a link to learn how to pray the Rosary: http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm) Recently, one of my daughter's asked how I focus on the teaching while saying the Our Father and Hail Mary's. Well . . . all I could tell her was practice! And, yes, my mind does wander at times. And that is OK. Each decade of the mystery you are praying (Sorrowful, Glorious, Luminous and Joyful mysteries) represents different times in the history of our salvation. And with each decade, there is a fruit. For example, in the Sorrowful Mysteries, the first decade is The Agony in the Garden. "In His anguish He prayed with all the greater intensity, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. Then He rose from prayer and came to His disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted with grief." The fruit of this mystery is sorrow for sin. Christ suffered for our sins, so meditating on this decade brings to mind my own sins and how much harder I want to try to avoid sin in the future. And, the Rosary is a prayer to ask the Blessed Mother's intercession with her Son for us. Something my mother always said sticks in my mind. "If you pray for something, also pray for Mary's intercession. What son doesn't listen to his mother?"
In the December 1, 2009 Monthly Message, Jesus has this to say about distraction in prayer:
"My dear apostle, you must remember that we are not separated. Sometimes, in your weariness, you pray and seek understanding of the situations in your life. When you do this, please remember that I am with you. You are not separated from Me when your thoughts seek to provide you with answers. If you remind your self that I am not separate from you, you will search for truth more calmly and with more confidence that there is an answer to your many dilemmas. Please do not concern yourself if you are distracted in prayer. Use these times of distraction to talk to Me. Tell me what is distracting you and we will talk about it together. We are together, after all, so I am there. If a certain pattern of sin is troubling you, ask Me how I feel about it. Ask for My observations. You, my beloved apostle, are a studier of Me and how I treated others. Because of your desire to know me, you have a familiarity with My heart that others lack. I will give you the answers you seek, both in terms of your spiritual condition and in terms of the holiest way to conduct yourself in each situation you confront. We are not separate. We are together. Worries of major proportion would only be problematic for you if you were being asked to assure a holy outcome alone or if you were being asked to travel through the period without Me. I promise you that I will be with you and that the outcomes occurring around you will be consistent with My will. I cannot promise you that in your humanity you will always rejoice in My will, especially when there is pain. But I can promise you that the greatest amount of mercy will be obtained through your commitment to remaining with Me, united in the life that is yours. All is well. I am with you. I will be generous to My beloved apostles in this holy time of Advent. Be acutely aware of My presence. When you look at all around you, look with My eyes. This will give you the understanding that will insure peace for you. All is well. The infant returns through your heart, as the King."
Praying the Rosary isn't just for Catholics, it's for anyone wanting to reflect on the life of Christ. I am so thankful to Anne and the DFOT mission for encouraging lay apostles to pray the Rosary in addition to our usual prayers. I, for one, never prayed the Rosary until I became a lay apostle. I can't imagine life without it now.
Thank you, Lord, for the abounding graces in praying the Rosary. It has enriched my life and given me strength despite my wandering mind. I am so happy you have unlimited patience!
God bless,
Bonnie
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