|
|
ENHANCING YOUR ROSARY TIME |
|
The great Carmelite saint, Térèse Martin of Lisieux
(b. 1873, d. 1897), better known as St. Térèse
of the Child Jesus or "The Little Flower", once said
she had trouble keeping her mind from wandering when praying
the Rosary. Performing the Rosary devoutly takes only about 20
minutes. Try these methods to stay focused and enhance your prayer
experience. |
Holy Images.
For each Mystery, concentrate on a picture that illustrates
that event in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Many organizations
offer free, illustrated Rosary pamphlets. To
see a holy image of each Mystery, online:
Use the Illustrated
Mysteries menu on the Spiritual
Treasure home page, or pray the Rosary online using the Rosary Companion.
Mental Picture. For each Mystery, imagine the scene,
moment by moment. Example: For the First Joyful Mystery, the
Annunciation, what was the Virgin Mary doing when the Archangel
Gabriel arrived? What did the angel look like? How did Mary feel
when she saw the angel appear? When she heard the angel speak?
Virtues. Each Mystery represents a particular
virtue. Example: For the First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation,
the virtue is humility. Concentrate on the virtue associated
with the Mystery and ask God's grace to achieve it. To see the suggested virtue for each Mystery,
online: Use the Illustrated Mysteries menu on the Spiritual Treasure home page,
or pray the Rosary online using the Rosary
Companion..
Scripture Reading. Before reciting a decade, read a passage
in the Bible associated with that particular Mystery. Let the
passage guide your meditation. Rosary pamphlets often include
passages from the Bible. To see the
complete text of a Scripture reading for each Mystery, online: Use the Illustrated
Mysteries menu on the Spiritual
Treasure home page, or pray the Rosary online using the Rosary Companion.
Holy Name (European
Method). Roman Catholics
in Europe have the custom of adding a phrase after the name of
Jesus in each Hail Mary of a decade, to remember the theme of
the Mystery. Example: For the First Joyful Mystery, the Anunciation,
one says," ...and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
incarnate. Holy Mary, Mother of God..." St. Louis
Marie De Montfort (b.1673, d. 1716) especially advocated this
approach. In October 2002, Pope John Paul II recommended this
method in his apostolic letter, "Rosarium Virginis Mariæ".
To see the suggested Holy Name phrase
for each Mystery, online: Use
the Illustrated
Mysteries menu on the Spiritual
Treasure home page, or pray the Rosary online using the Rosary Companion.
Decade-a-Day. If your daily schedule is particularly
rushed, try praying just one decade per day. This lets you complete
all 20 Mysteries in twenty days. Each day, concentrate on one
Mystery with the help of any of the methods already described.
When you perform the First Joyful Mystery, include the opening
prayers of the Rosary, according to the customs in your locality
(for example, United States
or Mexico). Likewise,
when you perform the Fifth Glorious Mystery, add the customary
concluding prayers. To choose a Mystery,
online: Use the Illustrated Mysteries menu on the Spiritual Treasure home page. |
CREDITS
Illustration: "Sacred
Heart Meditation Window" (detail), © 2001 by E.M. Mulhare.
Texts of prayers in this work are traditional devotions
of the Roman Catholic Church and pertain to the public domain.
Scripture texts in English and Spanish are used with permision
of the copyright owners
and no part may be reproduced in any form without their permission
in writing. Text of the Apostolic Letter"Rosarium
Virginis Mariæ" is available from the official
Vatican Web site <http://www.vatican.va/>.
All other content, including graphics and artwork, Copyright
©1999-2003 by E. M. Mulhare, Hamilton, NY 13346 US, except
where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Published electronically
as part of About the Holy Rosary. Original created 04-Mar-1999. This
page last modified 13-Jan-2003.
|
|
