The Rosary: Part I

My mind wanders... a lot.  In attempting to pray the rosary when I was younger, I'd rush through my words as quickly as possible in order to say everything before I fell asleep.  Mostly I was unsuccessful.  I'd end up snoozing halfway through the 1st or 2nd decade.  Nice, right? 

As I noted in my "Reversion" story, I hadn't touched a rosary in years.  I simply didn't have the self-discipline to carry out the prayers.  They all seemed boring... insurmountable.  Don't get me wrong... I still struggle with getting myself started.  It's much easier to solicit motivation for the Divine Mercy chaplet.  It's less than half the time of a good rosary!  But I realized that I was going about the rosary in the wrong way.  I remembered a story I had heard as a child.  I'll share it with you, because it always stuck with me, gnawing the back of my mind, urging me to offer a similar gift to Our Lady.

An elderly woman lived in the city, and took the bus everywhere.  Having no family to rely on, she relied heavily on public transportation for her daily necessities: shopping, salon visits, doctor appointments, and Mass.  As a result, she spent a good amount of time waiting for notoriously late buses.  To pass the time, she'd pray her rosary, offering each one up to the Blessed Mother for whatever intentions She saw fit to use them for. 

One especially dreary day, this woman waded her way through the snow with her rosary in-hand.  She saw her bus coming and readied herself to board.  Unfortunately, the bus driver hit a patch of dry ice and slid into where she was waiting, killing her instantly.

Before she knew what was happening, she found herself being led to Heaven by her Guardian Angel.  Heaven was extremely festive that day... Heaven was celebrating the birth of the Blessed Mother.  The angels and saints surrounded Our Lady with the most exquisite gifts.  The elderly woman, embarrassed that she had no present to offer, humbly bowed before the Queen and apologized for her lack of offerings.  The Blessed Mother smiled and pulled the most beautifully wrapped present of them all from beside her.  Placing it on Her magestic lap, she said,"Daughter, the rosaries you've offered to me all these years are more precious to me than any offering given to me today.  Each represents intentions dearest to my heart, and they've translated into so many of my children finding their way home to my Son and I.  Thank you for your loving generosity."

Ever since hearing that story, I've wanted to go to Heaven with a beautiful box full of rosaries just for Her.  As a child, I used to resolve to say one rosary a day... then one a week... then one a month... and so on until I simply gave up saying them altogether.  I always felt guilty for my laziness ('cause that's really what it was), but I never really did much to change it... until reading about Our Lady's repeated requests for rosaries earlier this year.

I have no idea what it was, but something in me was deeply touched by this message and I really did resolve to pick up the rosary more often.  As I noted before, it had been so long since I'd prayed a rosary that I had to keep the mysteries open in front of me while I prayed for reference.  But it's a good thing I did!  In that first "Conversion Rosary" I made (Sorrowful Mysteries), I experienced the power of this beautiful prayer.  I meditated the moments surrounding each mystery and came away with such a profound appreciation for the Passion that all other aspects of my spiritual life suddenly found themselves lacking.  More on that in a later blog.

Anyway, the more I prayed the rosary, the more I contemplated the depth and and beauty of our faith.  More importantly, I began to understand (and appreciate) the unfolding of God's Will in everything.

So with that in mind, I'll be starting my Rosary series.  I've been itching to write about it for a while, and seems like this week is gearing up to be the perfect opportunity. 

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