I am not sure the direction that I want this "blog" to take. I mean, at first I thought it would be a way for me to record important times, dates, occasions, celebrations and festivities with my family...highlighting my kiddos. However, over the past few weeks I have been thinking about this "blogging" thing and the many different subjects that could make for interesting posts.
So, that being said...I thought that today I would write about a "Catholic thing" (I know, I wrote about the Blessed Mother a couple days ago). But, today I was driving in my car with my MIL (she is visiting for a few days from Boston). She in NOT Catholic (in fact, she is actually not a fan of the Catholic Church.....that is another story/post for another time). At any rate, she commented on the rosary beads that I have hanging from my rear view mirror and inquired as to why they were there. I suppose for a moment I had to think about my answer. I mean, it is not like I hold the steering wheel with one hand and pray my Rosary with with other while driving (however, with the new California "hands-free" law, I guess I could). I began to think about why I have these rosary beads in my car in such wide open view for all to see? I told my MIL that a dear friend brought the rosary back from Italy and it was blessed by our Holy Father. It means a great deal to me because my friend is not Catholic and she knew that a gift of rosary beads blessed by the Pope would be a something special for me. So, I guess that is why I decided to hang them over my rear-view mirror. Having them there remind me not only of my friend but also to use my time in the car (my second home) as opportunity to pray and to talk to my children about praying It is amazing how many decades of the rosary you can get through while waiting in the pick-up line at school.
For those of you who may be reading this post and not know much about "The Rosary", here is my brief explanation. The Rosary is a very old form of prayer that can be defined as a scriptural meditation. The Rosary is divided into five decades. Each decade represents a mystery or event in the life of Jesus. There are four sets of "Mysteries of the Rosary" (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious). As we pray the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys, we concentrate on the mysteries in the lives of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
So, that being said...I thought that today I would write about a "Catholic thing" (I know, I wrote about the Blessed Mother a couple days ago). But, today I was driving in my car with my MIL (she is visiting for a few days from Boston). She in NOT Catholic (in fact, she is actually not a fan of the Catholic Church.....that is another story/post for another time). At any rate, she commented on the rosary beads that I have hanging from my rear view mirror and inquired as to why they were there. I suppose for a moment I had to think about my answer. I mean, it is not like I hold the steering wheel with one hand and pray my Rosary with with other while driving (however, with the new California "hands-free" law, I guess I could). I began to think about why I have these rosary beads in my car in such wide open view for all to see? I told my MIL that a dear friend brought the rosary back from Italy and it was blessed by our Holy Father. It means a great deal to me because my friend is not Catholic and she knew that a gift of rosary beads blessed by the Pope would be a something special for me. So, I guess that is why I decided to hang them over my rear-view mirror. Having them there remind me not only of my friend but also to use my time in the car (my second home) as opportunity to pray and to talk to my children about praying It is amazing how many decades of the rosary you can get through while waiting in the pick-up line at school.
For those of you who may be reading this post and not know much about "The Rosary", here is my brief explanation. The Rosary is a very old form of prayer that can be defined as a scriptural meditation. The Rosary is divided into five decades. Each decade represents a mystery or event in the life of Jesus. There are four sets of "Mysteries of the Rosary" (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious). As we pray the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys, we concentrate on the mysteries in the lives of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Rosary is not for everyone. I know many Catholics that do not pray or even know how to pray it, but Catholics love their rosary beads. Large ones, small ones, stone or plastic or wood, most Catholics have lots of rosaries in their house. Lying near the family bible, around the neck of a Mary statue, hanging from a bed-post, dangling from the rear-view mirror in their cars. They may never use them or even remember how but they are there. They might have been a hand-me down from a dead grandmother or a 1st communion present or maybe they bought themselves a new pair when they started having kids and wanted to teach them.
The elderly in particular are fond of them. You can see them before, during and after Mass fingering their beads. Praying for deceased husbands, wayward children, the grand-kids, their arthritis, or for any myriad of other intentions. Hopefully some of them are praying for me too.
Kids of course love rosaries, the large wooden painted ones and the plastic glow in the dark ones in particular. They wear them around their necks, whip their little siblings with them, play tug-of-war with them until they break and the beads go flying all over the place. Mike and I have been trying to teach the children to pray the Rosary, but like many things in the Catholic Church, their appreciation for it may not develop for many years. In the meantime we will do our part to expose them to this form of prayer by example and assist them in learning the rubrics. From there, we will let the Spirit do the rest.
Whatever your reason to have and/or to pray/display the Rosary, TRY IT! It is an amazing mediation and devotion.
The elderly in particular are fond of them. You can see them before, during and after Mass fingering their beads. Praying for deceased husbands, wayward children, the grand-kids, their arthritis, or for any myriad of other intentions. Hopefully some of them are praying for me too.
Kids of course love rosaries, the large wooden painted ones and the plastic glow in the dark ones in particular. They wear them around their necks, whip their little siblings with them, play tug-of-war with them until they break and the beads go flying all over the place. Mike and I have been trying to teach the children to pray the Rosary, but like many things in the Catholic Church, their appreciation for it may not develop for many years. In the meantime we will do our part to expose them to this form of prayer by example and assist them in learning the rubrics. From there, we will let the Spirit do the rest.
Whatever your reason to have and/or to pray/display the Rosary, TRY IT! It is an amazing mediation and devotion.
