In the good old days when I could still walk easily and without assistance, like a normal healthy person, and wasn’t tethered to an oxygen machine, and both of my beloved dawgs were still with me—man, I miss those days—back in those days of youth and health I would take our small pack to the park every day, and while the dawgs sniffed every blade of grass and chased each other and all the squirrels, I would pray the Rosary. I usually took them to the back of the park where we could be alone and they could enjoy some measure of freedom.

One day as I walked along praying the Rosary, I was watching the birds or squirrels or something in the trees overhead. A man passed us going in the other direction and of course, he spied my Rosary beads. And he couldn’t resist saying something about them. 

Him: “Counting your prayers?”

Me: “Nope, just counting how many seconds it would take you to make some snarky remark. Not many, as it turned out.”

Did I really say that? Yeah. Just now, in my mind. If I could only go back in time and say all the things I’ve thought of years later. Sigh. Maybe it’s for the best that I can’t.

But, argh! The condescending, insulting way he said it. 

At least he didn’t say anything rude about the Blessed Mother. I don’t love her more than I do Jesus, but I do love her. And I hope that my love for her grows deeper and deeper over the years, however many more of them I may have.

Praying the Rosary, seeing the Life of our Lord through the eyes of His mother—the one who was always there for Him, always faithful, always united to His Sacred Heart in her heart of hearts, united in her will to the Will of God, the living God and creator of the universe—praying and meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary has led me to a deeper relationship with Christ, a knowledge that goes beyond words in books (though I have that and treasure it, too, thanks be to God), a knowledge borne of praying and meditating on the Word of God in the Scriptures and the Tradition handed on by the Apostles down through the centuries. 

Praying the Rosary has helped me BE Catholic instead of merely reading about being Catholic. It’s helped me BE a disciple, poor example that I am, instead of merely reading about being a disciple. That’s always a danger for me, merely reading instead of being or doing. Not all reading is mere reading, but I have a tendency to read just to read because I enjoy the act of reading. (I’d already become more selective in my reading choices over the years. Now that my eyes are beginning to fail me, I find that I must become more selective yet again.)

I think I’ll close here tonight and go to the Rosary Project pages and pray the Joyful Mysteries. Whoever you are, wherever you are, you’re invited to come along and pray with me. And that offer is open, just like the Rosary pages, 24/7/365. Hope to see you there. Thanks for reading. God bless you and may His peace be always with you and yours. Amen.

This has been a post in the Something About Mary Every Day In May series. Stay tuned for more, all month long. :)

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