The Rosary: Prayer to Meditation to Contemplation

VATICAN CITY (CNA) – It is interesting that in her appearances at Lourdes, Fatima and other locations, the mother of God repeatedly recommends praying the rosary. She does not invite us to pray the Divine Office, or to do spiritual reading, or eucharistic adoration, or practice interior prayer or mental prayer.  Why does Mary “only” place the rosary in our hearts?

We can find a possible answer by looking at the visionaries of Lourdes and Fatima. Mary revealed herself to children of little instruction, who could not even read or write correctly. The rosary was for them the appropriate school to learn how to pray well, since bead after bead, it leads us from vocal prayer, to meditation and eventually to contemplation. With the rosary, everyone who allows himself to be led by Mary can arrive at interior prayer without any kind of special technique or complicated practices.

All Christians are called to the kind of interior prayer that allows an experience of closeness with God and recognition of his action in our lives. We can compare the rosary to playing the guitar. The vocal prayers – the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be – are the central prayers of Christianity, rooted in Scripture. These are like the rhythm in a song.  

When praying the rosary, it is the song of our heart, as we place our own life before God, to the tempo of the prayers and meditations.  

With this understanding, the following tips can help those who pray the rosary move from vocal prayer to meditation to inner contemplation:

1) Schedule the time

Our schedule is full of appointments. More or less consciously, we also plan out the time we’re going to need for each task or appointment. Sometimes it is good to set aside 20 or 30 minutes to pray the rosary, and write it down in the schedule. This “appointment” with Jesus and Mary is then just as important as all the other ones planned. 

2) Don’t rush

We can learn a lesson about prayer by observing people in love. During a romantic candlelit dinner, no one would be constantly looking at the clock, or choking down their food, or leaving the dessert to one side to finish as quickly as possible. Rather, a romantic meal is stretched out. So it is with praying the rosary. It shouldn’t be treated as sets of Hail Mary’s to be performed as if one were lifting weights. I can spend time lingering on a thought. I can also break away from it. I can, principally at the beginning, simply be peaceful. If I keep this peaceful attitude and an awareness of how important this 20-minute “appointment” is, then I will have prayed well. 

3) Savor the experience

St. Ignatius recommends what’s called the “third form of prayer,” which consists in adjusting the words to the rhythm of one’s own breathing. Often it is sufficient in praying the rosary to briefly pause between the mysteries, and to remember that Jesus and Mary are looking at me full of joy and love, recognizing with gratitude that I am like a little child babbling words every so often to in some way affirm that I love God. To do this, it can be useful to pause and take a few breaths before resuming vocal prayer.

4) A gaze of love

The vocal prayers of the rosary only provide the rhythm of the prayer. With my thoughts, I can and should go out from the rhythm to encounter the mystery which is being contemplated. It’s a time to look your beloved in the eyes and let him look back, with eyes full of love. 

5) Allow yourself to be amazed

One of the first and most important steps for inner prayer is to go from thinking and speculation to looking upon and being amazed. Think of lovers who meet, not to plan out what they’re going to give each other or what they might do on the next vacation, but to enjoy the time together and to rejoice in each other. That’s how our gaze at Jesus and Mary ought to be in the rosary.

6) Allow your “inner cameraman” to notice details

Some people close their eyes while praying in order to concentrate. Others find it useful to focus their eyes on a certain point. Either way, what is important is for the eyes of the heart to be open. Praying the rosary is like going to the movies. It’s about seeing images. It’s useful to ask yourself: Who, what, where am I looking at when I contemplate the birth of Jesus, or his crucifixion, or his ascension into heaven? 

7) Pray in words, mind and heart

The words accompany, the mind opens, but it is the heart that has the leading role in prayer. All the great spiritual authors agree that inner prayer is about dwelling in the affections, that is, the inner sentiments and movements. St. Teresa of Avila says very simply: “Don’t think a lot, love a lot!” That is exactly what praying the rosary ought to lead us to.