family prayer | Catholicism | pray the rosary
If there were a show of hands of those who get distracted while they pray the Rosary, mine would be the first to go up. I often need to stop to refocus because I’ve lost my place or have gotten distracted. Even with the challenge to stay focused, I don’t plan to give up the Rosary because it has been a life preserver of grace.
What better way to honor Our Lady — the one whom "all ages will call ... blessed" (Luke 1:48) — than to commit to praying the Rosary wholeheartedly. As we hold Mary's hand and meditate upon the mysteries of the life of Jesus, she takes our prayers to Him, who refuses her nothing (John 2:1-12).
Seven ways to keep your focus
I find the following techniques helpful in keeping focused, or at least to re-center when distracted:
Pray out loud and vary the speed.
Praying out loud helps with staying on track. Alternating between varying speeds may also do the trick. Try praying out loud S-L-O-W-L-Y, then the next Hail Mary at regular speed. Faster than normal speed is not better for me but it may help others.
A companion to vocalize the prayers can be found on ComePrayTheRosary.org, which has recordings of all the Mysteries as well as images of sacred places in the Holy Land.
Read Scripture. Add a reflection.
One can easily find online Scripture verses and reflections that correspond to each Mystery. Along with Scripture, there are books and resources that set the tone for prayer.
- Quick meditations (along with the fruit) of each Mystery of the Rosary
- The book, The Family that Prays Together Stays Together by Fr. Willy Raymond, C.S.C., has prompts, prayers, and reflections that draw upon the words and life of Venerable Patrick Peyton. The intentions that pertain to mothers and families in this book are the same ones we tend to vocalize for our own families. [Editor's note: Purchase your copy from Ave Maria Press and use coupon code FRPEYTON to receive 20% off the price of this book. Expires Dec. 31, 2024.]
- If audio or video reflections are preferred, Family Rosary offers a variety of Rosary options that lend depth to the prayers.
Write the distraction.
It’s gentler to gaze upon a distraction, acknowledge it, and look beyond it than it is to rip it out altogether. Rather than banishing a tangent, jot down the random thought — then continue on your merry Rosary way. Later, go back and read your list. You never know: You may find your stray thoughts contain some insights from the Holy Spirit.
Pray with images or icons
Gazing upon sacred art while praying the Rosary is a favorite way to engage the mind. Formed.org offers sacred art, many of them from famous masters, with orchestral sounds that set the mood.
Likewise, the Holy Land Rosary on EWTN on demand contains images and videos of each mystery.
While the Byzantine icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is not particularly related to a Mystery of the Rosary, I find the image especially helpful. Whenever I spot the dangling sandal from the frightened child Jesus’ foot (who has run to His Mother at spotting the instruments of his torture), I want to pray more and be better. During the Rosary, I sometimes draw upon the emotions derived from this image.
Look for YouTube videos that display sacred art images combined with classical background music. These feed the senses or keep them close to center.
Mix it up.
Generally, the Mysteries of the Rosary are prayed on these days:
- Joyful: Monday and Saturday
- Luminous: Thursday
- Sorrowful: Tuesday and Friday
- Glorious: Wednesday and Sunday
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a popular prayer using Rosary beads. Many people pray the Rosary, and then the Divine Mercy chaplet, back-to-back. Another popular prayer is the Rosary to Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. These meditations reflect the Seven Sorrows Mother Mary experienced in her lifetime. There are seven sets of seven Hail Marys.
Mix it up by praying the Rosary to Our Lady of Seven Sorrows on Fridays. The more Hail Marys the better, so one could pray both the Seven Sorrows and the Sorrowful Mysteries on Fridays, or add the Seven Sorrows to another day.
Sing.
Music stirs some people like nothing else. Singing a Marian jingle before launching into the Rosary can settle the mind and set the mood. Sing the Rosary to a familiar tune or favorite tune, Marian or otherwise.
A musically inclined person could compose an original tune or play an instrument. Naturally, a musician could traverse through the Rosary with their fingers on an instrument and eyes along a musical staff, over the Rosary beads in hand and mediations on the mind.
Contemplate using the imagination.
Saint Ignatius experienced God speaking to him through his imagination, as well as, through his thoughts and memories. This began a 500-year-old tradition (based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola), called contemplation, which includes praying with the imagination.
A method of contemplation is to place oneself as a character in the Scripture scene, Imagining what the character would say and do, as well as, listening for the sounds, and noticing the smells, is an active prayer that engages the mind and senses.
Family Rosary offers an entire series of praying the Mysteries of the Rosary with images; an activity the entire family can participate in.
Praying the Rosary calms me down when I’m anxious or nervous. It helps me feel closer to the Holy Family, the apostles, and the saints. It encourages me to carry my cross, especially during the Sorrowful Mysterious; it emerges a desire to keep Him company in His agony.
Through the Rosary, we can discover the tenderness of a Mother who stays with us during this life’s journey.