WHAT’S  YOUR  TAKE 

ON  THE  ROSARY?

QUESTION

The title of my homily for this Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is, “What’s Your Take on the Rosary?”

October 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and October is the month of the Holy Rosary.

October is a good month to renew our use of the rosary - just in case, if they have disappeared into the back of our top drawer.

Here are two thoughts to ponder?

FIRST  - STANDARD USE

The Rosary is a great way to renew - meditate on - pray over - some of the key mysteries of our Christian Faith as well as our daily life.

Like Christ and Mary - we experience births - losing and finding - visitations and presentations - as well as the need for the Spirit and ascensions.

Like Christ and Mary - we experience agonies and sorrow, crosses and death.

So looking at our life, some moments are joyful and some moments are sorrowful when  the sword of pain stabs us in the heart. Sometimes we are in the dark and we need light in our darkness - in our marriages and in our everyday life. And like football and baseball players, sometimes it’s great to pause and “Give God the glory.”

Life has lots of ordinary mysteries - and sometimes we spot in them - moments and glimpses of resurrection and transfiguration.

In 2002 Pope John Paul II added 5 more mysteries to our rosary - bringing them to 20. He lined up 5 light giving moments of life. One was to take the time to reflect on how baptism, marriage, hearing Good News, transfiguring moments and the Eucharist, the Mass, has an impact on and in our lives.

So that’s part one: the rosary helps us to pray and to reflect on various mysteries and moments of our life.

SECONG - BEADS ARE OFTEN USED FOR SOMETHING TO HOLD ONTO.

Next there is the common human experience of using beads - and not just for decoration around our neck.

There is evidence of a statue of a Hindu using beads back in the 3^rd century B.C.

Type into Google, “Prayer Beads” and you’ll find various “hits” on the use of beads in prayer methods in Hindi, Muslim, Sikh,  Bahai, and various other faith traditions.

In the Christian world you’ll find “chotki” - ropes with knots (like beads) for prayer - when the person praying says over and over again,  the Jesus prayer: “Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

In Muslim circles you’ll find prayer beads that are also called, “Worry Beads”. Muslim worry beads usually have 33 beads and someone goes through the beads, 3 times - giving us 99 prayers.

People use beads as prayer beads. People use them as worry beads.

They are reminders to pray - and hope for help to be on the way.

I have been stressing for 35 years now: “Rosary beads aren’t just for Hail Mary’s anymore.”

They are for that - but please give your kids a rosary - and say they can be used for saying all kinds of prayers and thinking tricks.

There are 59 beads on the regular rosary. So for each bead, say, “Lord have mercy” or just “Mercy” or “Thanks!” or “Help” or “Sorry” or “Peace.”

People can pray just one decade - 10 prayers for “Help” or “Thanks” or what have you.

Beads can be used for just one decade - or 5 decades of Hail Mary’s or what have you.

I like to say: by taking out a rosary - or using a rosary - it’s like an announcement to oneself, “Now I’m going to pray!”  or “Now I’m going to meditate."

If we promote or get folks to use beads for daily prayer - they will serve as they have always served: as reminders of the spiritual, of God, of Mary as one of us, or others.

Start off slow.

For example, take your beads and see if you can come up with 59 names of God.  Peace, Joy, Artist, Creator ….

For example, using your beads, name 59 saints.

For example, you’re on a long line, use your rosary and see if you can come up with 59 people you went to school with.

I’ve seen Muslims use their prayer beads - sometimes in prayer - sometime just reflecting on the names of God - or what have you - asking God to bless each by name.

I’ve seen people on planes and trains - saying their prayers, using their beads, just sitting there very comfortable with themselves and their religion.

CONCLUSION

When we die, if we are known for saying the rosary, often family members will look for our beads - so as to put them in our hands in the casket - or next to an urn of our ashes if we have been cremated.

I’d suggest: ask the undertaker after the wake to take them out and give them to some family member as a memento or for prayer from someone in the next generation. Put it in the will, who gets our rosary.