power of prayer | how to pray the rosary | pray the rosary
Reflecting on three powerful, inspirational, and practical ways to incorporate the Rosary into your prayer life.
Spiritual Abacus
My mind wanders a lot, and keeping my thoughts on a subject for longer than 15 seconds can sometimes be challenging. My short attention span wreaked havoc on my ability to complete a Rosary until the Holy Spirit inspired a perfect plan for my brain. The beads on one of my favorite rosaries slide and stay in place, resembling, to me anyway, a Chinese abacus. One day while struggling to remain focused on the prayers, I suddenly had a revelation, “What if I use each bead as a counter—creating a spiritual abacus?” As I moved from bead to bead, I would call to mind a particular person or intention.
Being very visual, as I pray, I picture the person or where they live, which often leads to the next intention, as I imagine another person in the same house, building, or neighborhood. Sometimes, the person will remind me of others facing a similar challenge or cross. Soon I found myself organizing intentions from decade to decade—praying for ten women having babies, ten neighbors from my childhood, or ten people needing work or new jobs. Before I knew it, the Rosary was complete, and I had remained on task the entire time. The best part? Much-needed prayers had been offered for at least 55 people—though that count was typically much higher as multiple names would sometimes pop into my head halfway through the Hail Mary!
Fitness Coach
The Spiritual Abacus mindset worked wonders to keep me focused (most days); however, many external forces in my home were still vying for my attention. One day the Holy Spirit showed me a great way to overcome that obstacle. As I sat down to be the first prayer in a 54-Rosary Novena, I had a nudge to head outside to walk and pray. At first, I chuckled to myself at the thought—Lord, you know I do not DO outside. There are creepy critters and air (which, where I live, can sometimes be frigid or oppressively hot), not to mention walking on the roads near my home can be treacherous. Since ignoring the movement of the Spirit seemed unwise, I decided to at least give it a try.
Quickly, I discovered that not only could my Rosary walk help me focus, but it could also help answer my prayer to become a healthier me. I could even use my Rosary to keep track of my exercise time. A Rosary typically takes about 17 minutes to recite; most people aim to move 20 to 30 minutes daily—this equals (roughly) a Rosary and a few extra laps. One priest I know prays all four mysteries on his walk, helping him reach his hour-a-day goal. I’ve never been that ambitious, but I have been known to add a Divine Mercy Chaplet or an express (or emergency) novena of nine consecutive Memorare prayers (thanks, Mother Teresa of Kolkata) now and then.
Better than Counting Sheep
One sweet childhood memory involves a sleepover at my grandparent's house. During the day, I enjoyed helping my grandmother around the house, running errands, and attending daily Mass; however, my bedtime separation anxiety was extreme. My father's parents lived almost an hour away, so bringing me home at 9 p.m. was not an option. My wise and faithful Grandma Perry handed me her delicate purple rosary and told me to pray it to fall asleep. Great idea, Grammie! It is so boring; I will be out like a light in minutes.
Actually, her plan was far more holy and helpful than that. She wasn't instructing me to pray the Rosary to lull me to sleep. This faithful woman understood the power of prayer, especially the Rosary. Instead, she offered me the Blessed Mother's hand as I clung to the smooth string of beads. Although I did not know of the Mysteries of the Rosary, the repetition of the Our Fathers and Hail Marys filled my heart with peace, introducing me to the puissance of this beautiful devotion.
So, I would pray the Rosary to help me sleep, though sometimes I fell asleep before finishing all the prayers. Feeling guilty, I confessed this to my grandmother; she had an answer for that as well. She believed that if we fell asleep praying the Rosary, our dear Guardian Angels would finish the remaining prayers for us. To this day, if I struggle to fall asleep because I'm anxious, my mind won't shut down after a busy day, or trying to fall asleep in an unfamiliar location when I travel, I pull out my trusty Rosary and pray!