Time for the Rosary

Time for the Rosary

Do you have time for the Rosary?  Many years ago, our family began saying the rosary together daily.  Our children were small, and it was often interrupted with diaper changes and skirmishes between the little ones.  Some days we said only a decade together; other days we only managed a few Hail Marys; some days we succeeded in saying the whole rosary together.

Over time, we adapted our prayer time to what the family needed.  Usually, that involves the daily readings, a reflection, and praying together.  We would still pray the rosary together.  We began keeping rosaries in the car.  We’d pass them out and say a decade of the rosary whenever we got into the car.

Even when the whole family doesn’t finish the whole rosary, I like to complete it on my own.  I spend many hours a day in the car these days.  Many times my trips are only to school and back, but it’s enough time to do one decade or two and by the time I’m finished driving for the day, I’ve been able to say a whole rosary.  Yes, there are definitely days when I feel my mind wandering or I think that I need to “change it up” in order to stay invigorated in my devotion.  I have thought about saying different prayers, but it always comes back to the rosary.

One of the times I thought about changing my driving prayer time, a non-Catholic friend came home with a beautiful rosewood rosary from Rome.  Ok, not changing.  Another time, we had taken a trip, and I had inadvertently left my bag with rosaries on the airplane on the way home.  I was heartbroken, but the person helping me was so sympathetic and kind.  We didn’t replace what we lost, but we didn’t stop saying the rosary either.  

Too many times to count, I have been saying a decade of the rosary while driving and only just avoided being hit by someone blowing a stop sign or a light.  

The rosary is not worshipping Mary, our Blessed Mother, as many mistakenly believe.  It is a beautiful walk through our faith.  The Rosary asks our Mother Mary to intercede for us because of her great faith and closeness to her Son and our Savior.  As I move through the mysteries each day, reflecting on each one and usually including an intention that is speaking in my heart at the moment, I am reflecting on Jesus’ life and ministry.  I am also reflecting on how God is moving in my life at that moment.  What is God trying to say to me today?  How is He speaking to me and am I ready to listen and act?  

Yes, I have days where I want to just turn on the radio or make a phone call instead of saying the Rosary.  It’s those days that the habit of reflecting can help me continue.  I know by making that phone call or turning on the radio, I am allowing the distractions of this world to take precedence over what God wants me to know.  It is in those times of “faking it until I make it” that I tend to hear and learn the most about my journey with God.

Yes, the Rosary is 53 Hail Marys in total.  It sounds tedious and repetitive, right?  However, taken one decade at a time, one prayer at a time, it is the most beautiful repetition I know.  Instead of causing boredom, it can invigorate my prayer time and my day, helping me to focus on what is truly important.  It helps me to push aside the things that can cloud the day and distract me from God’s plan for my day.  

One prayer, one decade, one Rosary at a time.. One way to follow God’s plan for each of our lives.
Hail Mary, Full of Grace…

Mother Mary

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