The Beauty of the Rosary

Looking back over the course of the years which have been accumulated thus far in my  life, one of the items to which I have always returned has been the Rosary.

Praying the Rosary

Whether it was said as part of a primary school assembly  in a grotto in front of a statue of the Blessed Virgin, in my car on the way to or from work, or prayer before daily Mass with a small group of like-minded people, this remarkable prayer has been a welcome companion.

As a revert, of course, there have been chunks of time when I did not pray the Rosary which made its return much more profound. Since I have returned, there are rosaries in strategic locations so I am never far from them. This is not because of some “magic power” they have but so they are used as a prayer aid when needed. I carry a small purse with rosary beads, however, when driving reaching into a front pocket may be problematic. For the car, there are beads in a coin tray, and in the center console, should there be a passenger who cannot reach theirs. Should I not have my purse with me, there are beads in the living room near the CD player.

Most Moving

I am a member of the Knights of Columbus, and one of the councils to which I had belonged in an earlier location was also the home of an emotionally moving rosary.  Before the start of the meeting, those Knights who wished, would meet in the small adoration chapel of the church and pray the rosary. The chapel was quite small, carpeted, and was enclosed so that the sounds of the nave of the church would not disrupt those in prayer.

Fifteen to twenty of the Knights would assemble a half-hour prior to the start of the meeting, reach for their rosaries, kneel and begin, “In the name of the …” These men were of various education levels, some white collar, some blue, some retired, some built somewhat close to the ground and some that appeared to be the size of professional rugby players.  Fifteen to twenty powerful male voices in prayer made the hairs on my neck stand up and cause my skin to become a mass of goosebumps.

Just a bunch of guys, some in sports coats, one or two in suits, a couple in tradesmen uniforms, a few in jeans, one or two in shorts all praying the rosary by choice, with clarity and bound by the principles of the Knights, was perhaps the most consistently moving group prayer experience I have  ever had.

Prayer or Recitation?

The good nuns during the primary schools assemblies, or Marian events, reminded us that even though we, as children, had learned the prayers of the rosary by rote, they were still prayers and not simple mental exercises.  That is one of the features of the prayer which I have tried to carry with me each time it is prayed.

To give you an example of the distinction between prayer and recitation, I will tell you of a fellow who attends daily mass and prays the rosary before Mass.  His is more of the recitation side of life, coupled with a serious pile of up-speak.  His “Hail Mary’s” are used as part of the attempt to set a new land speed record. “HailMaryfullofgracetheLordiswithThee?Blessedaretthouamoungwomenandblessedsisthefruitofthywomb, Jesus??”

Each morning, those of us present divide up the task of praying the rosary, and we each take a decade. The speed record fellow typically takes the first decade.  The next fellow in line is closer to the prayer side of life and is relatively distanced from the recitation side of life.

My decade is usually the third or fourth, and my prayers are far more deliberate and attentive.  With the “Hail Mary”, I tend to repeat what I am hearing as part of the Annunciation when the angel speaks to Mary.  When the remaining attendees have completed the “Holy Mary” portion, I tend to wait for a second or two for any echo in the room to cease before I start the next “Hail Mary”.  In that way, I can prevent any sort of cacophony from assailing the doors of Heaven. Clearly, that is not an issue, but it remains as a vestigial guideline from the good nuns.

The closing prayers are said by the 8 to 10 people in attendance. Then a period of silence while the attendees prepare themselves for Mass, a few more people arrive, and Mass begins, s great way to start the day.

Is There a Correct Way?

Which method is correct, the land speed record or the more deliberate? In reality, they are probably both quite good.  It is, to me, a matter of intent rather than performance.  By that, I mean, if you intend to blast through the prayers just to get them done, there is no benefit to that at all.  If you are so painfully slow that the remaining people in the room are planning to take you out, there is no benefit to that either.

In reality, the ideal or most beautiful rosary is the one which allows you to meditate on the mysteries of each decade, allowing you to focus on the prayers and become aware of the intentions being offered at that time.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said of the rosary,

“The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order.”

He also said,

“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.”