“As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19
It was the pattern of Mary’s warm relationship with Jesus and her contemplation of his “virtues and example” that would be the model for the Missionary:
… the Blessed Virgin, to whom they will all have a special devotion and great affection.
To this effect they will recite the rosary every day.
1818 Rule, Part Two, Chapter One. §5 On prayer and exercises of piety
Today:
With Mary Immaculate, the faithful handmaid of the Lord, and under the guidance of the Spirit, we enter into closer union with Jesus Christ. We will contemplate with her the mysteries of the Incarnate Word, especially in praying the rosary.
CC&RR, Constitution 36
“When we have spiritual reading at meals, when we have the rosary at night, when we have study groups, forums, when we go out to distribute literature at meetings, or sell it on the street corners, Christ is there with us.” Dorothy Day
It sounds like such a chore – praying the Rosary everyday! And when I first started it was a chore sometimes. But now my own experience of it , of the Rosary is just the opposite – it is natural, a joy and many times a consolation. It becomes my time with Mary in a specif and special way. It can be done on the bus on the way to work, walking down the street, running – it can be done in the peace and quiet of my room or on a packed plane going to wherever. But you get my drift. I sometimes find it difficult to stay focussed – for me the beads help – whether using a Rosary ring or small set of beads – 1 decade’s worth – they don’t have to be big and noticeable for me as I don’t think it’s necessary for everyone to know wht I am doing. And in times of stress the Rosary really is a consolation to me/for me. I guess you can tell I am pro-Rosary!
I loved what Dorothy Day said “…..when we have the Rosary at night (or during the day) …. Christ is there with us.” I know that – but those little reminders help me to refocus and remember why I am doing it, why it is no longer a chore but a way of looking inward so that I can be prepared, ready when that inward moves out. Don’t laugh – when I somes forget and am late in starting it’s not an apology I make but more a statement of ruefullness and I find that I have “missed” that connection.