Creativity and the Rosary A quote from Pope Francis: "The prayer of the rosary is, in many ways, the synthesis of the history of God's mercy, which becomes a history of salvation for all who let themselves be shaped by grace. The mysteries we have contemplated are concrete events by which God’s intervention on our behalf develops. Through prayer and meditation on the life of Jesus Christ, we see once more His merciful countenance, which he shows to everyone in all the many needs of life. Mary accompanies us along this journey, pointing to her Son Who radiates the very mercy of the Father. She is truly Hodegetria, the Mother who points to the path we are called to take in order to be true disciples of Jesus. In each mystery of the rosary, we feel her closeness and we contemplate her as the first disciple of her Son, for she does the Father’s will." — Praying of the Rosary for the Marian Jubilee, Oct. 8, 2016 ++++++++++ Many people do not think that the act of prayer is in reality, an art. Our ability to pray grows as we do, and for that reason, we have to allow ourselves to adjust our prayer to our actual level of performing this beautiful exercise as our dance and wrestling with God matures. Prayer, deepens trust, even though it is often difficult to let go enough to actually trust in God’s love for us. It is an ongoing process. Each person will recite/pray/contemplate with the rosary that will be specific to them. All forms of prayer are unique to each person. Trust comes to play when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us along the path of prayer. The prayers of the Rosary lead us to deeper prayer and union with God, as we contemplate the mysteries that the Rosary presents to us. The creative aspect of the Rosary can cover many levels, but one of the most important is to allow the creative process to bring our contemplation more life, and not merely repetitious. For me, I have found that I do not need to stay with a set mystery as I pray. For instance, I can spend time reflecting on the Good Shepherd, and what Jesus said about that. Or just observe the mystery without inner words, but simply notice in silence the reality of the love shown to us in this beautiful parable. I often use ‘Malchus’, the servant of the High Priest, who was in the Garden of Gethsemane leading the men to arrest Jesus. I try to enter into his experience with Jesus when in the midst of chaos, pain, and confusion, Jesus took the time to heal him. This is a powerful scene to ponder. I believe that the experience of Malchus is just as profound as that of St. Paul’s (Lude 22: 49-52). There is nothing in the New Testament that is not worth pondering. So the Rosary can be a great tool in deepening our love and trust in Jesus Christ. I believe that people in general, and me in particular have to work on trust. For the love of God that is shown to us by Christ Jesus takes a lifetime of prayer, and deepening trust to even begin to understand this deep reality, even a little bit. The Infinite is an ocean without a bottom or shores. We are asked to dive in and swim deep. The rosary can help with that. Yet it takes work and perseverance like with anything worthwhile. What is more important than deepening our love of God and of others? One need not say the total five mysteries if it is too much. Yet to say one decade slowly, pausing to reflect, observe the mystery, or simply focus on the power of the words can be a great help in our prayer life. It can calm the mind, and the prayers over time will flow from our hearts to God’s Heart easily.-Br.MD
