Rosary 2

[smaal]

I was going to write about some Mysteries tonight, but this is the first opportunity I have had to actually update the blog. So, I'll just focus on prayer and methods of praying the rosary.

Let me be clear, again, this is all from my perspective. I am not offering anything official, just my own personal devotion.

Prayer and the Rosary

Here are a few methods of praying the rosary that I use every so often. All of these involve meditating upon the Mysteries. This is key, if the rosary is going to be efficacious it can't be just a repetition of the same prayer. So, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the Christain Mysteries through meditating on them. But there are a variety of approaches. Again, here are some ...

1. I reflect on an image of the Mystery itself, holding it in my mind.
2. I use a Scriptural aid, especially one where there is a meditation for each bead. This is the approach used by the Virtual Rosary program. Needless to say, since I am providing a link to it, I recommend it.
3. I let my mind ponder some truth as I use the vocal recitation of the prayers more as a matra. This is a position first introduced to me by Fr. Benedict Groeschel in his book "The Rosary: Chain of Hope."
4. Engage in something akin to St Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises, where I try to put myself into the actual Mystery as if I were an observer.

Whichever method I choose, I feel it is very important that I do two things find meaning in the Mystery, and work it back to Scripture and the Liturgy.

I'll be sharing in the days to come some personal thoughts on each Mystery as they have occured to me while praying. And I hope in so doing you see how they tie back to Scripture and the Liturgies that mark our/my Catholic life.