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| Rose-colored Rosary |
When I first became Catholic,
praying the Rosary seemed like a chore. It wasn’t something I looked forward to
and had no desire to pray it every
day. However, along came Forty Days For
Life and my husband suggested we pray a Rosary everyday in support of those
praying outside abortion clinics and for an end to abortion. Here is a link to their home page: 40 Days for Life
After Lent, and the end of those first
40 days, we began only praying the Rosary occasionally, not daily. However,
over time we realized that we enjoyed praying the Rosary. And, if
we prayed the Rosary before going to bed, we immediately went to sleep and
slept soundly. It seemed to banish sleeplessness.
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| The Piata in The Grotto, Portland, Oregon |
Last year, we decided to
begin praying the Rosary daily. Now I look forward to it and occasionally pray
it alone too. It brings comfort and peace. No longer does it seem that
it’s going to take a long time to
finish it. Instead, the Rosary seems to end so quickly. This, in spite of the fact we have added our special intentions,
increasing its length.
As a former Protestant I had no idea
why Catholics prayed the rosary and knew very little about it. Interesting enough, my first
introduction to the roasary came from an Episcopal
priest. He mentioned the traditional, or Catholic, rosary, but also spoke of the Anglican Rosary which is unfamiliar to many people. Rather than sets of ten beads, decades, it has sets of seven beads known as weeks. It also has four sets instead of the traditional five. The four groups of seven plus the other beads total thirty-three...the age at which Jesus died. When praying it, many Anglicans say prayers to Jesus rather than to Mary.
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| My Rosary from The Grotto |
Odd, since the word Rosary
is for Mary, the Mystical Rose, Rich in Mercy Rose Ever Blooming. Roses
are the queen of flowers as Mary is Queen of Heaven. They also represent beauty
and love, also representative of Mary.
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| Mystical Rose |
“Our Lady of the rosary is Our Lady of the roses, because the flowers are the symbols of greeting offered to the Mother of God. We greet her with spiritual flowers [through the Rosary].” If you want to know more, the quote above was taken from: The Rose, A Marian Symbol
I believe that even in the late 1980’s,
I was being led to the Catholic Church. My
husband and I made a trip to tour The
Grotto in Portland, Oregon. It
was beautiful and, although I saw it through Protestant eyes, it was moving. I hope
to return there someday to view it as a Catholic. The Grotto, Portland, Oregon
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| Photo taken in Gardens at The Grotto |
In The Grotto gift shop my eye caught
sight of lovely Rosaries. One in particular seemed to speak to me and I
bought it. I’ve had this Rosary 25 years and recently noticed that it has Italy stamped on the back of the
crucifix. (There’s a potential post topic…the choice of a crucifix over the simple
cross).
Although we have others, this blue
Rosary from The Grotto is very dear
to me. I recently handed it to a woman in the pew behind me who was asked to
lead a decade of the Rosary before Mass and couldn’t find hers. Later, she
told me it warmed her and she felt a mystical holiness from it. This woman is
preparing to join a convent and will be a nun. I treasure her observation.
You can pray the Rosary without
Rosary beads, however, they make it easier than counting on your fingers. As I ease my way through my smooth, cool Rosary beads, they slide past my fingertips
one bead at a time, and I feel love, peace, blessings and joy encompass me.
Peace & Blessings!
