October is the month dedicated to the Rosary. This is primarily due to the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. It seems that celebrating the power of the Rosary cannot be contained to just one day – it needs a whole month!
The month of the Rosary would be a wonderful time to start a dedication to praying the rosary or refresh the practice. Here are some ideas that work for me.
Make Time: One of the things that I have noticed about praying the Rosary is that I need to carve out the time to do it. In my experience, only having good intentions to pray the Rosary each day sometimes leads to it being pushed out of my daily agenda. But, when I specifically and intentionally mark a time, I stick to it.
Mix it Up: There are times, I must admit, that my Rosary praying can get stale. When I sense that happening, I mix it up. I might go for a walk while praying or sit in a different location. I might add singing a Marian hymn or refrain between decades. Praying with an audio Rosary is always good for a refresher.
Mystery Richness: I find it adds richness to the praying of the Rosary when I use the Bible to read about the events of each mystery. Sometimes I use a book of meditation or reflection.
Dedicate Decades: One of my favorite things that I do when I pray the Rosary is dedicate each decade to a particular intention. I try to match the intention to the event of the mystery. For example, when praying the second Luminous Mystery, the Wedding at Cana, I pray for married couples (often remembering couples by name) and couples preparing for marriage. I dedicate the third Glorious Mystery, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, to my Godchildren and those I have sponsored in Confirmation. When praying the Sorrowful Mystery, the Crucifixion, I remember our dearly departed, again often by name.
Don’t Give Up: I must admit that there are some days when I don’t pray my Rosary, or I fall asleep before I finish. But, that’s okay. I don’t give up. I rededicate to doing it the next time.
Mary, Queen of the Rosary…pray for us!
