Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7



Monday, October 03, 2011

Pray, pray, pray the rosary


By now you probably have noticed that I have a devotion to the rosary. Getting to this devotion has been the work of the Blessed Mother, without a doubt. I did not grow up with the rosary at home, just the infrequent occasion at Catholic day school. Praying the rosary never occurred to me in college or early in my marriage. In fact, it was after we had started homeschooling (my faith has grown by leaps and bounds since starting homeschooling) that a very dear friend asked me if I was I interested in learning how to make a rosary, and I answered "yes." Because my faith was depening more and more each day, a devotion to praying the rosary came hand-in-hand with making them. The Blessed Mother came to me through my hands because it was a sure way to get me!

I now depend on the rosary -- not just in time of extreme need, but when is there not a need in one way or another? As long as we are on this earth there will be a need. But every day does not offer a perfect time for quiet, prayerful contemplation with beads in-hand. Throughout most of the day, when we are not schooling, I have something I am trying to accomplish, whether cleaning, ironing, or working on a knitting or sewing project (usually a gift or necessary item like children's clothes). It's a rare moment that is completely free and all to myself.


My lap with knitting and iPhone this morning.



I recently discovered how wonderful the iPhone (or iPod/iPad) is for helping me pray. I can knit, sew, iron -- any quiet activity-- while praying the rosary with my iPhone nearby. I dislike using earphones but my iPhone has small speakers, so as long as it is fairly quiet, I have no trouble hearing it.

I thought I'd share this concept, in this month of the rosary, because it may not have occurred to you that you can use modern technology for this ancient devotion. You can use an app for this purpose, but there are plenty of online audio rosaries as well -- you can use them on an iPod/Pad/Phone or on the computer.

The apps might cost a few bucks (but this free one is very nice) but you don't need a data plan (or use data) to use it. Alternately if you have wifi, the online versions are free and some take no space on your device. I like a scriptural rosary and found this one to be very nice. I dislike scripture read with drama, but maybe that's not your preference. Just google "audio rosary online" or "audio scriptural rosary online" and you'll find a lot of choices. Some require you to download an mp3 file and some stream. Or if you like an app, search iTunes and find the multitude of apps out there.

Though technology can be so disruptive to our lives, it's a good thing when we use it to become closer to God.

10 comments:

  1. You can also download MP3 files of the Rosary at Rosaryarmy.com for free; then just play them through the ipod function. Great idea to pray the Rosary while your hands are busy!

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  2. I just got an ipod and I already like that I can read the Magnificat on it. I have a rosary on my playlist, but I will look at the app you mentioned. My playlist was set on shuffle when I got I the car and so my decades were all mixed up. I was on the interstate and couldn't mess with it then!

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  3. I do have an iPod and have my rosary taped on it from our CD...the Mary Foundation one....they are free and if anyone orders them, they can then upload them for free or whatever donation they send for them.

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  4. Right? The little thing that we can load music on is called an ipod, right?

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  5. Barb, I admit I tried rosary army's scriptural rosary but it was too dramatic. Maybe they have another...

    Jenny,
    Oh that would be a bad thing! Although one could offer up the confusion! In the car I use the CD Jamie mentioned. It's a good one and you can get it for a $1 donation! catholicity.com/cds/

    Thanks for the info, Jamie. I use that one In the car and it's one of my favorites.

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  6. Praying the rosary is a good thing, no matter how you do it! I often pray while sewing, it brings peace and makes me calm.

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  7. i have a rosary app and the St. Therese Rosary on CD, both of which I find the prayers extremely slow and awkward. I understand not racing through the prayers, but if I can't go slow enough to stay with them, I find myself getting cranky and irritated. That's not good, either. I'll try your suggestions today.

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  8. Yes, yes! I use my iPod for the rosary all the time! I pray it and the Divine Mercy Chaplet while I am on the treadmill -- which is a perfect time in so many ways. Even though I want to stop running, I WILL NOT quit in the middle of the rosary unless one of the children is bleeding, so on the treadmill I remain.

    I also have a simple rosary on CD (no music background or anything) that I use in the car. It is 17 minutes long, which is the perfect length for me because that's how long it takes me to get to Target or the grocery store, etc . . . Plus the little ones are always in the car with me, so they get the benefit of the rosary as well. When the kindergarten teacher at their school asks me how they always know how to pray the rosary at 5 years old, I tell her that I had a captive audience! ;)

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  9. Good for you, Anne!

    Sara, not sure if those online rosaries will be too slow for you but the CD from the Mary Foundation is the perfect speed for me. It's never too slow.

    You are good, Aimee -- you can offer the rosary and personal torture at the same time! I love that the k-teacher notices that your kids are pros!

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  10. Looking it up now! Dh just downloaded a rosary app but its manual - like you click on the beads as you go. Audio would be nice. Been awhile since I have had that. We always do the family mysteries together at night but for my others during the day I tend to do them while during other things.

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I appreciate your comments -- sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself!