The Rosary: A Focused Devotion

Prayer has often been a challenge for me. There’s too much noise in the world and in my own head. Throughout most of my prayer life, I would start out with good intentions and rather simple prayers. I would try to simply speak to God, but as I did this, I would distract myself: “Oh, did I do my homework? Or what was the score of that hockey game last night? Did my brother give me my five bucks back?” Silly, simple things that really don’t matter all that much. But by the time I snapped back into focus on what I was supposed to be doing I would be frustrated and want to simply give up. 

Eventually, I started seeking new methods of praying and new strategies to keep my focus. I tried praying with Scripture, images, and more. While these helped, none of them really clicked for me. Soon enough, I stumbled onto the Rosary once more.

I had prayed the Rosary a handful of times throughout my life before that point, so it wasn’t a totally foreign concept to me, but it was rather daunting. I could hardly keep my prayers together, let alone the Mysteries. As you can imagine, all this confusion did not lead to a good reintroduction, so after a brief stint with it, I quickly let it go as another failed attempt to find a prayer that worked for me. 

The Rosary Beckons 

But, like a moth to a flame, I was drawn back again. After still struggling with the same issues I had before, I decided to give the Rosary another shot; this time, I would be more intentional and focus on the Mysteries. Gradually, I started to learn the different mysteries, where they fit, the associated Scripture and even quotes from the Catechism. In addition to this, I actively sought to identify places in my life that reflected the Mysteries. If I were dreading something that I had to do, I would pray with the Sorrowful mysteries, specifically the Agony in the Garden. This made the Rosary come to life for me. It became more than just a robotic repetition of prayers. 

With this newfound appreciation for the Mysteries and the Rosary as a whole, it started to reshape the way I interacted with prayer, and frustration turned into an opportunity. As I would pray, my mind would still wander. However, this time I had the decades of the Rosary to keep me grounded. In addition to this, even though I was not always hyper-focused on the Mysteries themselves, I could often find a way to relate wherever my mind drifted to what I was meditating on.  

My new devotion to the Rosary has greatly improved my prayer life and been an encouragement in moments of struggle or doubt. If I ever start to backslide into my previously fruitless prayers, or feel as if I get too distracted, the Rosary gives me comfort in knowing that I am at least praying, even if it isn’t always the most focused. 

Venerable Patrick Peyton, known as "The Rosary Priest," devoted his priestly life to encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary. This October, for the Month of the Holy Rosary, Family Rosary (an apostolate founded by Father Peyton) and Catholic Mom have teamed up for this daily series dedicated to the Rosary.