I had already started praying the Rosary daily, for some time, when I watched an interesting video of a Brazilian priest, in 2016, with very good ideas (link at the end of the text, in Portuguese; I will try to explain it here).
I must confess that before adopting the priest's advice, I often fell asleep during my prayers. And I'm not the only one, there is even advice given to the faithful to ask their guardian angel to finish praying if they fall asleep. No, I didn't do it, because when I learned about these additional cares that our angelic guide and protector brings us, I had already learned the priest's advice and, since I started using it, I no longer fall asleep during the Rosary.
Indeed, as many say, repeating the "Hail Mary" and the "Our Father" is a monotonous process that is not conducive to meditation. We end up pronouncing the words automatically, without thinking about the content, we start thinking about our daily concerns or diverting our attention to what we see or hear around us.
But the good news is that speaking automatically, in this case, is not a problem, according to the priest, if we keep in mind that we are dedicating these moments to pray and, even better, if we meditate on the mysteries of the life of Christ, while we pray. It is like background music, whose words we already know very well. Even if it may seem "automatic", it is a voluntary act. Our brain knows what we are saying, by our will. It is not like an action of the autonomic nervous system, independent of the will, like the heartbeat, for example. Sorry for the examples I give, they are vices of the profession, even if I am already retired :-)
When we contemplate the mysteries of Christ's life, these moments become captivating. It is not difficult, believe me. In a short time, we have learned them all by heart, because it is the story of Jesus. This is why we say that the Rosary is not a prayer dedicated only to Our Lady. In fact, it is she who leads us to her Son.
I loved this advice so much that I gave free rein to my imagination, completely transforming my disposition to pray the Holy Rosary. While my words continue as if I were singing the sacred song of the ten Hail Marys, praising and asking for the intercession of the Mother of God, my thoughts visualize the scenario of each mystery contemplated.
Who needs "streaming" or other technologies to see the story of our Savior? Just follow the script of the Rosary, every day of the week. I choose, in my imagination, the setting, the look of the characters, the clothes, the way that seems close to reality. Then I relive each passage, with the relevant dialogues. Once I am used to the sequence, I can even go through the film quicker. I will not go into the details of my films, I will let everyone's imagination play.
Monday: Joyful Mysteries (Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation in the Temple,
Finding in the Temple).
Tuesday: Sorrowful (Agony, Scourging, Crowning with Thorns, Carrying the Cross, Crucifixion).
Wednesday:
Glorious (Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, Assumption of Mary,
Coronation of Mary).
Thursday: Luminous (Baptism of Jesus,
Wedding at Cana, Proclamation of the Kingdom, Transfiguration,
Institution of the Eucharist).
Friday: replay of the Sorrowful.
Saturday: replay of the Joyful.
Sunday: replay of the Glorious.
A good piece of advice that Pope John Paul II gave: at every “Hail Mary,” after… blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus… we remember the mystery in which we are – what is called the “clause”. For example, in the first Luminous ten: blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus – baptism – Holy Mary…
At the end of the text I have placed the link to the video of Father Paulo Ricardo, on the page where he also presents links to advice on the clauses.
We pray other prayers at the beginning (Creed, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be, Fatima Prayer, Our Father), between each ten (Glory Be, Fatima Prayer, Our Father), and at the end (Glory Be, Fatima Prayer, Our Father, Salve Regina); I imagine all Catholics know them. If not, they are easy to find on Google. This text was just to help with the most repetitive part of the Rosary.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Related links:
