Praying the Rosary
Praying the rosary can be difficult and there is much to the method for a newcomer to grasp. So for a starter don't bother with the method, just look at the pictures and titles in the presentation here, and think on what it might mean; asking God to explain it to your inmost being.
If you then want to delve further into the method, It's important to know that there are two sides to the matter. The one that always gets a beginner's attention is probably the less imporatant one: that is, what words to say and how to use the beads (which are optional but recommended). Since there are quite a few web pages out on the internet explaining the practicalities of how to pray the rosary, I'll just give you the briefest outline here in a moment.
First though, a word about the other - more important - aspect. All the practicalities, are fundamentally just a grand method for time-keeping and prayer-balance. Whether said silently to yourself, our out loud, the rosary contains momentious words (that's the grand bit). These are repeated so as to form a 'canvas', upon which you paint the prayer of your heart and mind. But the words are only repeated for a while, until it is time to move on to a new theme of thought, and the cycle of prayers starts again to form a new canvas. So what might at first seem like monotony is actually a method to keep your thinking fresh (that's the balance bit)!
It takes a while to get the knack, which might at first seem to consist of saying one thing, while thinking another. The trick for me, is to start out thinking not so much different thoughts, but ones that grow out of the words themselves (see the tip next to the prayer-text below). In this way the words which are said with revence form the undertone to an active exploration of the life of Jesus and what it means for us today.
That's the theory, and I'm no expert. But people who are, often find - that because they pray the rosary regularly, and with beads in hand - that it becomes for them a great help. They find that simply starting to recite the formal prayers with beads in hand, is enough to quickly transport them to a deep level of prayer. The words and beads become a body-memory trigger or switch if you like. Taken further still, the practice of the rosary allows some to take the canvas with them in their daily lives, so the prayer they paint upon it is their very lives in the light of the life of Jesus and His saving work. I'm fortunate to have glimpsed these things, but haven't perservered as much as one might. Yet anyone can, even you, and there's always tomorrow to make a fresh start. I feel sorry for my protestant friends, who so often crave a deeper prayer life, but shut themselves off from this highway to prayer.
Method
This really is a raw overview - it leaves lots out, but might serve as a realistic starter for many:
Announce the mystery (e.g. the title of the 1st picture in the presentation here), then:
- Pray 1x: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kindom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen."
- Continue with 10x: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen." (Tip: The first line here equates to the events of the first two pictures in the series.)
- End with 1x: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen."
And then start over with the next picture..
Don't set your goal too high for a start, no more than five rounds in a single session? Or you could do just one round a day? Either way try to find some quiet space to get the most out of it. If you find you like it, then have a look at the fuller explanations: there are a couple of extra prayers that you can do to top and tial things, and you can learn how to use the beads. Finally bear in mind that doing this well can take time. If you don't have a lot of that, then why not try and commit to doing just a little, but in a focused way, every day?
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