USES OF ROSARY

tmpooja December 11, 2017 ability, anxiety, attention, chuckled, complete, consecutive, discovered, intention, multiple names, oppressively, particular, separation

By Allison Gingras

Spiritual Abacus

My mind likes to wander, keeping my thoughts on a subject for longer than 15 seconds can sometimes be a challenge. My short attention span wreaked havoc on my ability to complete a Rosary until the Holy Suddenly, I thought, “What if I use each bead to as a counter – creating a ‘spiritual abacus’?” My idea was to recall a particular person or intention as I moved from bead to bead.

Being a very visual person, I actually picture the person or where they live. That often leads to my mind shifting to, either another person in the same house, or another intention related to the same subject matter. 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 half way through the Hail Mary!

Mileage Counter

The ‘Spiritual Abacus’ mindset worked wonders to keep me focused (most days), however, there were still lots of external forces in my home vying for my attention. One day the Holy Spirit showed me a great way to overcome that obstacle as well. At first I chuckled to myself at the thought – I do not DO outside. There are bugs and air (which can sometimes being very cold or oppressively hot), not to mention walking on the roads near my home can be dangerous.

Quickly I discovered that not only could my rosary walk help me focus but could also help answer my prayer to become a healthier me. 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 and /or an express novena of 9 consecutive Memorare prayers (via St. Mother Teresa) now and then.

Better than Counting Sheep

One of my sweetest childhood memories was the sleepovers at my grandparent’s house. The only trouble was my bedtime separation anxiety. She would hand me her Rosary, and tell me to pray it to fall asleep. “Great idea Gram! It is really boring and I will be out like a light in minutes.”

Actually, her plan was far more holy and helpful than that. She wasn’t giving me the rosary to bore me, but to empower me to be brave and fill me with the peace I needed to sleep. Grammie knew the power of prayer, especially to our Blessed Mother!

So, I would pray it and it would help me sleep; though the next morning there was sometimes this guilty feeling that I fell asleep before finishing all the prayyo this day if I am struggling to fall asleep because I can either not calm my mind after a busy day or I am traveling and my sleeping arrangements are less than idea; I pull out my trusty Rosary and pray!

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