Q&A: There are times when I find it so tedious to repeat the identical Mysteries day after day as I pray the Rosary. Some days I’d like to spend the entire Rosary meditating on the Trinity, but that’s not permitted. Is it?
Father J. Patrick Gaffney, SMM
Not permitted? Read Saint Louis de Montfort’s methods for praying the rosary and you’ll see that he suggests other mysteries. In fact, his “fifth method” deals with meditating on the motives impelling us to pray the rosary, like the rosary prefigured by the small stone which “fell upon the statue on Nebuchadnezzar and broke it into pieces.”
Don’t hesitate to make one of the mysteries of the rosary the contemplation of the Trinity. At times it may be the theme of the entire fifteen decades. You will find that the background murmur of the Hail Mary possesses a powerful influence to draw us into the very heart of God.
Moreover, the traditional mysteries should not be taken too restrictedly. Saint Louis de Montfort, when praying the first Joyful Mystery, meditates on Adam and Eve, the patriarchs, Mary’s marriage to Joseph, etc. And even one of these topics may be the theme of the entire decade, if not the rosary itself. Look up Methods for Saying the Rosary in God Alone: The Collected Works of Saint Louis de Montfort, pp. 233—259 and the article Rosary in the Handbook of the Spirituality of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort.
Editor’s Note: Throughout the year, various audio of the Rosary are featured that focus on a number of meditation topics. For example, during the Lenten Season, this site will make available the Rosary focusing on one Mystery, the Mystery of the Incarnation. Another example is The Four Sets of The Rosary focusing on the Mysteries in context with the Holy Service of the Honorable Atonement. Look in the Spiritual Media section of this website for additional Rosary meditations.
