WE have just celebrated the liturgical memorial of Our
Lady of the Rosary (October 7). It’s this celebration that has made
the whole month of October the month of the rosary. Let’s hope that we
appreciate the true value of this prayer.
I still remember my childhood days in the province when we
were “forced” or at least “pressured” to say the rosary with Lola and
Mama and other siblings who were “caught” at the time of this prayer.
We did it kneeling down. Of course, I didn’t quite like it, but
neither did I feel mistreated. Filial obedience played a big role in
this.
Since I could not escape, I just played along, but
wondered why this prayer was so important it had to be that way. In a
sense, I was both there and not there, my mind alternating between
praying and getting distracted. Pretension reigned often.
It was only late in my youth, while I was already
separated from the family to study in Manila, and therefore quite
independent but aware I had to fend for myself, that I realized how
important this prayer was. For a start, it gave me a tremendous
calming effect.
To a person who was extremely excitable and sensitive as I
was—though I would also know how to cover these traits—the rosary was
most welcome. It gave me time and space to breathe and consider things
more calmly.
But I soon discovered other more important aspects of this
Marian prayer. I realized the value of vocal prayers. What I tended to
take for granted actually contained precious ideas. I somehow
discerned a certain beauty in them, far removed from merely physical
beauty and transitory worldly pleasures.
And so to prevent me from falling into mere mechanical
praying, I would focus on some phrases of the prayers, one at a time,
and try to understand and fathom their meaning and figure out how they
can affect my life.
That’s when I relished the reality of God being a father
to me, of what my attitude should be toward him, what I can expect
from him, what I ought to ask from him, etc. Also, that Mary is such a
wonderful mother who is a most worthy model to follow, the most
competent teacher with respect to the virtues I ought to develop, etc.
More importantly, the rosary would start to give me a
global picture of the redemptive life of Christ which I used to take
for granted. Even a cursory meditation of the mysteries of the rosary
would elicit all kinds of insights and considerations that I felt were
very useful to me. I could use the youth-speak of ‘cool’ to describe
them.
With the rosary, I get the sensation that I am seeing the
different parts of the life Christ through the eyes of Mary, the one
who understood perfectly the life of Christ and conformed herself to
it is the most intimate way.
In other words, the rosary helped me to be a practical
contemplative right in the middle of the world, teaching me how to see
things through the eyes of faith and devotion. It inculcated in me a
living piety that knows how to be lived right in the midst of the
secular world.
This, to me, is the greatest effect of the rosary. It is
indeed an effective means to instill a supernatural outlook in us, a
handy tool to ask for special favors through our Mother’s
intercession, a good way to spend time and know more about Christ and
about her.
If there are pressures to bear, problems to solve,
challenges to face, and even special intentions to pray for, the
rosary is a good companion. Even when we get visited by insomnia, the
rosary helps us go to sleep.
Especially these days when we are buffeted with all kinds
of tension-causing predicaments, the rosary is a good antidote. It
puts our mind and heart in their proper place, firmly rooted on Christ
and oriented toward him. It makes us conscious of our human and
Christian duties.
The rosary can be done anytime, anywhere. It need not be
finished in one seating. And with the new technologies which enable us
to follow it while listening to its recording, it can be done quite
easily, even while we are driving.
It’s good to spread this devotion as widely as possible,
first in the family, then in the neighborhood, in schools, parishes,
offices, etc. We can also organize pilgrimages to shrines of our Lady.
All these can only have good effects on us all.
Lady of the Rosary (October 7). It’s this celebration that has made
the whole month of October the month of the rosary. Let’s hope that we
appreciate the true value of this prayer.
I still remember my childhood days in the province when we
were “forced” or at least “pressured” to say the rosary with Lola and
Mama and other siblings who were “caught” at the time of this prayer.
We did it kneeling down. Of course, I didn’t quite like it, but
neither did I feel mistreated. Filial obedience played a big role in
this.
Since I could not escape, I just played along, but
wondered why this prayer was so important it had to be that way. In a
sense, I was both there and not there, my mind alternating between
praying and getting distracted. Pretension reigned often.
It was only late in my youth, while I was already
separated from the family to study in Manila, and therefore quite
independent but aware I had to fend for myself, that I realized how
important this prayer was. For a start, it gave me a tremendous
calming effect.
To a person who was extremely excitable and sensitive as I
was—though I would also know how to cover these traits—the rosary was
most welcome. It gave me time and space to breathe and consider things
more calmly.
But I soon discovered other more important aspects of this
Marian prayer. I realized the value of vocal prayers. What I tended to
take for granted actually contained precious ideas. I somehow
discerned a certain beauty in them, far removed from merely physical
beauty and transitory worldly pleasures.
And so to prevent me from falling into mere mechanical
praying, I would focus on some phrases of the prayers, one at a time,
and try to understand and fathom their meaning and figure out how they
can affect my life.
That’s when I relished the reality of God being a father
to me, of what my attitude should be toward him, what I can expect
from him, what I ought to ask from him, etc. Also, that Mary is such a
wonderful mother who is a most worthy model to follow, the most
competent teacher with respect to the virtues I ought to develop, etc.
More importantly, the rosary would start to give me a
global picture of the redemptive life of Christ which I used to take
for granted. Even a cursory meditation of the mysteries of the rosary
would elicit all kinds of insights and considerations that I felt were
very useful to me. I could use the youth-speak of ‘cool’ to describe
them.
With the rosary, I get the sensation that I am seeing the
different parts of the life Christ through the eyes of Mary, the one
who understood perfectly the life of Christ and conformed herself to
it is the most intimate way.
In other words, the rosary helped me to be a practical
contemplative right in the middle of the world, teaching me how to see
things through the eyes of faith and devotion. It inculcated in me a
living piety that knows how to be lived right in the midst of the
secular world.
This, to me, is the greatest effect of the rosary. It is
indeed an effective means to instill a supernatural outlook in us, a
handy tool to ask for special favors through our Mother’s
intercession, a good way to spend time and know more about Christ and
about her.
If there are pressures to bear, problems to solve,
challenges to face, and even special intentions to pray for, the
rosary is a good companion. Even when we get visited by insomnia, the
rosary helps us go to sleep.
Especially these days when we are buffeted with all kinds
of tension-causing predicaments, the rosary is a good antidote. It
puts our mind and heart in their proper place, firmly rooted on Christ
and oriented toward him. It makes us conscious of our human and
Christian duties.
The rosary can be done anytime, anywhere. It need not be
finished in one seating. And with the new technologies which enable us
to follow it while listening to its recording, it can be done quite
easily, even while we are driving.
It’s good to spread this devotion as widely as possible,
first in the family, then in the neighborhood, in schools, parishes,
offices, etc. We can also organize pilgrimages to shrines of our Lady.
All these can only have good effects on us all.
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