Photo courtesy/The Society for the Propagation of the Faith
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Please note that I am not talking about the best who-done-it novel here. I'm referring, of course, to the rosary, the devotional form of prayer that I love most. The rosary settles my mind and invites me to walk with Jesus and Mary during pivotal points in their lives. As I pray, I like to insert myself into the situation presented by each decade -- either as a spectator or a participant. What do I see, hear, or smell? How I would I feel if these events were happening to me?
My love for the rosary came early; first, my mother taught me that God gave me ten fingers so that I could pray the rosary even if I didn't have one in my hands! Praying regularly with my beads was part of my twelve years of Catholic education. When it wasn't "cool" during college to acknowledge my faith, I will admit, my rosary was tucked away. Ah, the power of peer pressure! My ten fingers quietly came back into play.
Imagine my joy when I began this Pontifical Mission ministry and found that I would spend a good part of my time promoting and praying Archbishop Fulton Sheen's World Mission Rosary! In Lent of 1951, he color coded the beads so that each decade stood for a different continent where missionaries were in ministry. By adding them to your meditation along with the subject of each mystery, Sheen said you "embrace the world in prayer."
Through the countless rosaries recited over the years, I acknowledge that, although I love them all, the Joyful Mysteries are my favorite. Maybe it's because I'm a mother and can identify with the details of each story. Although I wasn't told by an angel, it was an incredible moment every time I learned that I was with child. I will never forget each moment of birth, some more harrowing than others. Presenting our children to the Church for Baptism, starting them on their sacramental journeys, was a time of great hope. And yes, at one time, my middle child was missing -- we were in a strange city at a huge parade, and he became separated from us. Although it seemed like a lifetime of worry, it was only about twenty minutes before I heard a tiny "Mom?" from within the crowd. It gave me a small taste of Mary's worry -- and she didn't have the police searching for her son!
The Visitation is by far the dearest decade to me. I've experienced that as well.
To be continued ... why not say a rosary in the meantime?
- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.