Repeated prayers

On our way to January’s TX Tropical Trail Region (TTTR) outing in Vattmann and Sarita, I told Ruthie the story of my Franciscan Crown.

Then I asked what her favorite colors were.  Blue and beige, she said; and I left it at that.

Beautiful couple

We first met Ruthie and Bill on the Cozumel cruise with our church group in January 2010.  We sat together for dinner all but one evening.

To say she was a hoot is an understatement.  During
dinner our last evening on the ship, Ruthie got up to dance with the staff and didn’t sit back down until the entertainment was over! 

I took photos, but the lighting was so bad that Ruthie was just a blur, though I did catch Bill looking back at her over his shoulder. 

“OMG!  Here she goes again!” Bill’s rolling eyeballs seemed to say with combined humor and resignation.

Thinking about it still makes me laugh, as it was beyond hilarious! 

And memorable!

So, yes.  Ruthie is very special, very personable, oh-so full of life, and always up for another adventure.

Shared space

After the cruise, we saw each other a few times at church… after Sunday Mass and at the one fish fry I attended.  Ruthie and Bill were so much fun that even our good buddies, Mary Ellen (pictured here) and hubby, Steve… both part of our dinner group on the cruise… enjoyed their company, too.

They made such a lasting impression that Steven wished Ruthie and Bill were locals instead of winter Texans here only January and February.

So, of course, when they returned this year, we could hardly wait to spend time with them again.

We invited them to join us on our TTTR outing, which we were pretty sure they’d enjoy; and we followed up with dinner here at home.

Ruthie’s Crown

Before Ruthie and Bill arrived, I had enough time to bead her Franciscan Crown and put together a booklet with the stories and the prayers.

The Crown was blue, but it had white instead of beige, which Ruthie said was “close enough.  I like white, too.”

Then Ruthie told me that she loves to praise God, especially during her walks on the beach.  She’s never had to think twice about “going straight to him,” no matter what’s on her mind.  Ruthie knows she can always count on God’s guidance and love, so she’s never cultivated a relationship with the Blessed Mother.

“I used to be pretty much the same way.  Growing up, we’d take flowers to Mary during the month of May; and we said the rosary once in a while.  Then, during my doctoral studies, I took to praying the rosary at bedtime.  Still, I wasn’t particularly devoted to Mary, but it all changed after I broke my kneecap.  That’s when I asked God to give me a different way to pray the rosary ’cause I dreaded Tuesdays and Fridays.  The sorrowful mysteries made me very sad.”

“Couldn’t you just skip them?” Ruthie asked.

“Well, no.  I didn’t feel right doing that, so I prayed them anyway… until I discovered the Franciscan Crown.”

“I haven’t ever been into saying all those prayers,” Ruthie added.

“But that’s the beauty of the Franciscan Crown.  You only pray Our Fathers and Hail Marys.  There aren’t any extra prayers as with the traditional rosary.  It’s so simple to say that it only takes seventeen minutes.”

“But why are there so many repeated prayers?  I get lost after a while, and then I start thinking about all these other things that have nothing to do with prayer.”

“I’d never thought of it that way.  I’ve just never questioned the repeated prayers,” I said, knowing I’d be looking online to find some answers.  “But it’s okay to go off on tangents.  Think of it as your way of sharing what’s on your mind with the Blessed Mother.  I’m pretty sure she understands.”

I had lots to tell Ruthie about the Franciscan Crown, but we still had the blogs and her Yahoo email account to talk about; and dinner was almost ready.  Besides, I’d included everything she needed to know in the little booklet I’d bound for her; and she could always email me.

Comments welcome

Ruthie emailed three days later.

I actually was able to meditate and pray two decades on my Crown the other night waiting for sleep.  Deli, please help me understand how this repetition is honoring Mary.  I feel I am just saying words without meaning compared with my running dialogues with Jesus… praising Him, thanking Him, sharing my most inner thoughts, cares, worries (just as we do with each other).  HELP!!

I’d been so focused on catching up with my blog posts that I hadn’t yet completed my online search on repeated prayers.  I immediately got to work and found some answers to Ruthie’s questions.

Answers gleaned

I checked a lot of sources before settling on the few below.  I wasn’t really sure that my findings would even address Ruthie’s questions and/or concerns, but I found the reading interesting. 

One of Ruthie’s questions was, “Why pray to Mary?” 

It is commonly misunderstood that the Hail Mary elevates Mary to the status of Godhood.  This is not the case.  Instead, one merely is asking for Mary’s attention and prayers.  Since Christians believe in an afterlife, it is not uncommon to talk to one’s dead relatives, or to the saints and ask for their prayers.  This is different than supplications to God (Wisegeek, n. d.).

Catholics do pray spontaneously and “from the heart” just like any other Christian.  We don’t reach for the rosary beads whenever we wish to pray.  But we do when we want to pray while meditating on the life of Christ in this particular devotion. 

We say the prayers not as an empty repetition but [as] a means of reducing the distraction that often intrudes on prayer time.  This then allows us to think about and linger over events in the life of Christ — in praise, in wonder, and in thankfulness (Jack, n. d.; source).

The important number to remember is 150.  There are 150 psalms in the Old Testament and monks used to have a devotion in which they memorized and chanted all 150 psalms as a daily prayer.

The common people could not do that, so they used to pray 150 Our Fathers.  Later, the practice of praying to those in heaven for their intercession became popular, so the 150 Our Fathers were replaced with 150 Hail Marys.

To add significance and meaning to the prayers of intercession, meditation of events in the life of Jesus found in the Gospels, or “mysteries,” were made part of the prayer.  [One-hundred-fifty] nicely divides into [ten times five], so a rosary is composed of [five] mysteries in which [ten] Hail Marys are prayed while a person reflects and meditates on the mysteries (Sldgman, n. d.; source).

Another question was, “Why pray ten Hail Marys with each rosary decade?” 

Saying [ten] Hail Marys is essentially saying a section of the rosary.  The Hail Mary is repeated [ten] times in each section.  As well as speaking or silently thinking the prayer, Catholics use the repetition of the Hail Mary as a way to meditate on Christ.  They might devote a section of the rosary to certain thoughts, or to family members.  For example, often prior to a Catholic funeral, a rosary and prayer service may be held.

Repetition of prayers is a quite common way to produce a meditative state in which one may have more access to the divine.  Most people do not have to fumble over the Hail Mary, since they know it by heart.  The repetition allows one to shut off the conscious part of one’s mind and achieve union with God in a very different way than a more consciously produced prayer (Wisegeek)

And what about distractions?

Some people find that their brains go into overdrive during meditation because it is an unfamiliar activity, and the mind takes the period of rest as an opportunity to delve into a wide assortment of topics, from what to eat to lunch to how to pay the mortgage.  It can help to have a point of focus to prevent this from happening.  Some people focus on their breath, or repeat a mantra as they meditate.  Others perform guided meditation, imagining a place and focusing on creating the details of that place in their minds so that they feel like they are there (Wisegeek).

Prayerful thoughts

St. Anthony’s thoughts on prayer came to mind as I pondered Ruthie’s questions and my online reading.

The Lord manifests himself to those who pause while in peace and humility of heart….  God, in order to be able to speak to the soul and fill it with the knowledge of his love, leads it to the solitude, detaching it from preoccupations of earthly things.  He speaks to the ears of those who are silent and makes them hear his secrets (St. Anthony of Padua, 1195-1231).

No doubt, Ruthie had engaged God in lots of conversation while waiting for my response; so, after much reflecting, I was ready to share.

Personalized prayer

First, thank you, Ruthie, for your perspective!

If you hadn’t shared your thoughts, I never would’ve wondered about repeated prayers, much less looked for enlightenment. 

Second, I agree with you on the personalized prayer.  God has your listening ear, and you have his.  I feel the same way, even though I keep company with the Infant throughout the day.  And St. Anthony.  And St. Jude.  And… and…  God did give us our intercessors, so I visit with many.

Third, you’re so delightful! 

That you’re an avid learner… a sponge absorbing new ideas… makes you stand out, but that you actually try to incorporate these new ideas in your prayer life says you’re open to endless possibilities. 

God is so diversified and so totally awesome that he loves for us to surprise him.  I think he laughs himself silly when we challenge ourselves to change.  I think God’s tickled pink when we look for ways to please him, don’t you?

My Franciscan Crown

Finally, the Franciscan Crown has special meaning for me; and, while I wish I could share it with everyone, it’s untraditional and not readily embraced.

I had to break my kneecap in three places to slow down enough to make time for change.  I had to pose the question: Isn’t there another way to say the rosary?  And I had to walk two miles plus daily for a few weeks to discover that the Blessed Mother loves me, too… not just God. 

My unexpected one on one time with the Blessed Mother kept me focused on our commonalities as mothers before I recognized what was important to her.  

Since then, she’s helped me understand that, as mothers, we experience many ups and downs in our lives; but, together, we can get past anything.  She’s in my corner!

Additionally, I’ve learned through our dialoguing and our laughter that God’s always present… gazing at us lovingly, listening to our conversations, encouraging our interactions, growing our devotion to one another, guiding us time and again to that very special place that we share together… where I feel at peace in the midst of all the chaos in my life and my heart’s desires are addressed. 

Moreover, I’ve learned that I don’t have to pray my Franciscan Crown every day for us to spend quality time thinking about that which concerns me, that which makes me happy, and that which I can do or change in my life to build community within God’s kingdom.

So, repeated prayer, while seemingly without purpose, has really been the opposite for me.

Through all those repeated prayers, I’ve learned to focus not only on my needs but also on the joyful experiences that the Blessed Mother had with her son, Jesus, whom I adore as an infant.  And I’ve learned to love the Blessed Mother because she shares her beloved son with me daily.  Unconditionally.

So, dear Ruthie, thanks for making it possible for me to explore something beyond what was.  Had you not posed the questions, I wouldn’t have revisited my innermost thoughts regarding the Blessed Mother and my Franciscan Crown, much less shared.

P.S.  November 14, 2011

The Lovely Ning sent me an interesting article from “dear Padre” (Hamrogue, 2011) that relates beautifully to Ruthie’s question.

Don’t be discouraged if your thoughts wander all over the place.  That’s part of the secret of the rosary: It opens your deeper self to you and to God.  The important thing is to want to pray, to walk with Mary, to honor and love Jesus.

Be faithful.  Keep praying.  It’s shaping you and guiding you even when what you feel is nothing and what you think is anything and everything.

Links of interest…  Catholic answers…  Holy rosary…  Mary’s crown of roses…  Mary’s psalter (fish eaters)…  Our Lady of Corpus Christi…  chapel (virtual tour)…  MMM novena hour…  retreats…  Prayers…  Rosary…  Rosary center (Dominican Fathers’ Confraternity)…  Rosary foundation…  Secret of the rosary…  Seven joys of the Blessed Virgin…  Seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin…  TX Tropical Trail Region…  Traditional prayers…  Virtual rosary…  Wonders of the rosary…

WP posts…  May flowers…  My Franciscan Crown…  Mary’s seven joys…  Mary’s miraculous medal…  Our Lady