MIDWEEK PRAYER

 Instead of offering you a prayer today, I want to encourage you to pray the rosary.  If you don't have  rosary beads, not to worry; just keep track of the number of prayers.  It's not hard.  I used to pray the rosary in my car on the way to work.  Fifteen to twenty minutes is all you need for five decades. 

Saint Dominic, who founded the Dominican order of priests and friars, was himself dedicated to preaching and encouraging everyone to pray the rosary.  He lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.  

Rosary means "crown of roses."  The prayer is dedicated to Mary the Mother of Jesus and the Queen of Heaven.  The purpose is to remind us and help us to contemplate the life of Mary and her Son.  

The prayers are simple.  You can find instructions on the internet.  Here's the basics.

There are four groups of five mysteries which you recall interspersed between basic prayers.  Those prayers are The Lord's prayer; the Hail Mary 10 times; the Glory be to the Trinity.  The mysteries are thus:  the Joyful which remind us of five major events in the life of Mary; the Luminous which remind us of five major events in the life of Jesus; the Sorrowful which remind us of five major events surrounding the death of Jesus; the Glorious which remind us of five events after Jesus death.  

It's a beautiful combination.  Most people do a different set of five mysteries each day.  Again, you can easily find them mysteries on the internet.

Mary has made appearances to Bernadette at Lourdes, France; the children of Fatima, Portugal;  Juan Diego in Guadalupe,  Mexico (to name just a few) in which she encouraged us to pray the Rosary often if we want peace in the world.  

Let it be.