Reading Francis

Pope Leo has asked Catholics to pray the rosary every day in October as a call for peace. 

I’ve never really been one to pray the rosary. As a convert, I didn’t grow up with the devotion, and I’m still pretty sure I don’t have the whole order of prayers quite right. Beyond that, rote prayers have never been great for me. Whether I’m reading a prayer or reciting it from memory, it’s always been easy for me to say the words without really thinking about them, without really meaning them. Add to that the sort of 3-D nature of the rosary – you’re praying the prayers while meditating on a particular scene in Jesus’ or Mary’s life while holding an intention for something else. It’s a lot to keep track of. 

I do have several rosaries and rosary bracelets that mean a lot to me because they are gifts from people I love or are from a special place. Sometimes I will finger through the beads as I raise different intentions, though not in full rosary format. And when I swim, I will do a “kickboard rosary”, praying for different intentions during a kick set, using my fingers to keep track of a decade of prayers. 

This summer, though, I had probably my first meaningful experience of praying the actual rosary. When we are on retreat, we try to go to daily mass every day, and the church in downtown Portland that we walked to had a noon mass that was followed by a communal prayer of the rosary. (It was especially moving to see the active ministry to feed people in need gearing up in the basement as we went up to the sanctuary for mass.) 

Something about the setting, the priests who led it, and the rhythm of communal prayer helped me experience the stories of Jesus’ life in a new way, even though they were scenes I knew like the back of my hand. 

I don’t know what praying a rosary every day for a month will accomplish. I do know that we need peace in our world – in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, DRC, and a bunch of other places. Including in our country and our church. Including in my own heart. 

If nothing else, maybe a daily rosary will shape my heart to be more peace-seeking and help me see more clearly what peace I can help make. The least I can do is give it a try.