Some one please help me understand the mysteries of the rosary, I need to do a meeningful rosary, I was over whelmed with the kind of responses that I got for my earlier posting, I am ashamed to say I was a gy after a honest confession to my local Pastor , I promised never to do it any more in my life, well but when i sit to pray the sam ethings comes back to me , I am not able to concentrate in my prayers , kindly advise & help me to pray properly.

-- varun (varunsayshello@hotmail.com), December 22, 2002

Answers

Varun, I think that you may be helped by looking at this this thread and visiting the sites that are linked there.
-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), December 22, 2002.

Dear Varun,

Remember that the Scripture teaches that it is the Holy Spirit who prays through us. Ask Him to help you pray, and He will!

Don't worry about how you feel - your emotions, etc. - while you are praying. It's nice to feel close to God but it's not necessary in order for your prayers to be heard. Keep in mind that He is with you right now, knows all your thoughts, fears, and problems, and wants to help you.

And it might help you to know that some of the greatest saints had trouble praying the Rosary - St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, confessed that she always fell asleep during the Rosary! So you are certainly not alone. Perhaps you could ask her to help you as well. :-)

-- Christine L. :-) (christine_lehman@hotmail.com), December 23, 2002.

Varun,

Remember too that you are not a bad person if you try at something and fail. Christ wants us to improve ourselves, if we can do so the first time, great. If not, we get forgiven and try again. The most important thing is to keep trying and DON'T DESPAIR, CHRIST LOVES YOU!

Sooner or later you will succeed.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), December 23, 2002.

varun,

You are bound to be distracted, it is not easy just starting off, and it takes time and grace.

You might try sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament for a little while, if you can, and then pray. Or by sitting quietly, allowing yourself a moment of peace to focus yourself before praying the rosary.

Also, you might try kneeling before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, crucifix, or, again, if you can, the Blessed Sacrament. Allow yourself a moment of pause, even, perhaps after each decade to better focus yourself.

Incidentally, praying before a statue or Crucifix is not worshipping those things but using them as a means of remembering and focusing.

God Bless

-- (seminarian@ziplip.com), December 23, 2002.

For more information on the Rosary, try familyrosary.org. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future!

-- Patrick (prock@hcfm.org), January 02, 2003.

Try getting a Gospel meditated Rosary Book where there are 10 scripture versus for each bead of Hail Mary. Once you biheart it serves as a good way of concentration as you visualise the pictures it forms in your mind. I never could concentrate on the Rosary even though I desired to do so until God in His wonderful mercy put this idea in my mind as soon as I came across this book. Now I am able to say many Rosaries per day. Prais God. I also visualise the sorroful mysteries from this when I say the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Only I do not know where to get this book from. May be someone from this forum may be able to tell. Good luck and May God Bless you.

-- Ramanie Weerasinghe (lilanw@yahoo.com), February 11, 2004.

Varun,

Pope John Paul II has some guidelines on how to pray the rosary properly in his apostolic letter, ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE.

-- DC (DC13@aol.com), February 12, 2004.