Nothing has improved my spiritual life like praying the Rosary every day. I started doing it on a whim because I thought I should be praying more. At first, it was a challenge and something that I vied as a burden. But after a few weeks, I have grown to love it and say the Rosary daily has become something I look forward too.
Rosary for Increased Prayer
I am not good at prayer. I’ve joked that it often feels like I’m leaving voicemails that don’t get answered. I find free form prayer discouraging and quite frankly I just don’t get it. I’ve gotten the advice to “just talk to God.” And it is lousy advice and I don’t really know what it means. It may resonate with some people, but with me, it never made much sense. This has made making a daily prayer habit difficult.
This is where the Rosary has been so valuable. I don’t have to wing it or to “just talk to God.” I can follow the rosary, pray, and meditate in that way. It’s talking to God but in a way that works with my sensibilities. If you’ve also struggled to “just talk to God,” I highly recommend structuring your prayers and meditating on established prayers.
Tips For How To Say The Rosary Everyday
After doing this for some months, here are some of my tips for saying the Rosary every day.
Link it to a Habit
I almost always say my Rosary before I go to bed. It’s part of my nightly ritual. After I brush my teeth, I go to my room and pray.
Link the Rosary to a habit you already have. That way you’re just adding to a routine instead of creating a routine. It’s much easier to add another step to something you already do than, to make start something from scratch. If you have a long commute, say or listen to the Rosary while you drive. There are some great Rosary playlists on Spotify. Add the Rosary to your morning routine. There are rituals in habits that we all have during the day to which you can append the Rosary. Just make sure you have 15-20 within the habit. If you’re always rushed in the morning, then don’t add the Rosary to that routine.
Make sure you add it to a routine that can handle an extra 15-20 minutes.
Carry a Rosary with you
Carry a Rosary with you or use the same Rosary. I started saying my daily rosary using an app on my phone, and that was okay to start. But eventually, I got a physical Rosary and that was much better. It’s hard to explain, but after a while, you almost develop a relationship with the physical Rosary you use. It reminds you of Christ and his mother. It provides a certain comfort.
I highly recommend praying the Rosary using a physical Rosary. With the beads in your and the words on your lips and in your mind, the Rosary becomes a unique whole-body experience. This whole-body experience helps make it a unique part of your day. If you’re doing the Rosary with an app on your phone, then it’s just another app you use and it lacks meaning. Using a special tool and doing it at a specific time gives it meaning that will help to make a lasting habit.
Research The Rosary
Learn more about the Rosary! If you start the habit over time you’ll be spending significant time praying the rosary. Learn its origins. Learn about the Hail Mary. The Rosary encapsulates so much of the Catholic Faith. That by researching the Rosary, you’ll actually catechize yourself. It’s one of the amazing things about the Rosary. It’s not just a tool for prayer, but a tool for catechesis.
The more you learn about the Rosary, the more invested you’ll be.
Memorize it
The Rosary has a lot of parts. Several prayers, the Apostle’s creed, twenty mysteries, optional prayers, suggestions on when to prayer certain parts, it can all be a bit intimidating. Start memorizing it. As you memorize it will become less intimidating and it’s pretty fun to say you have the rosary memorized. Also, once you have the Rosary memorized you can say it anywhere. This makes it easier to fit praying the rosary into your daily life.
Why I like it – What it’s done for me – peace
Everyone’s faith is different. I’ve struggled with aspects of prayer and spirituality. But since starting a daily prayer routine I’ve started to chip away at those difficulties. Some things come naturally and some require work. It’s weird to think that spirituality requires work, but it does.
My daily Rosary habit has brought me peace and comfort in my faith as I’ve never experienced. I’ve often heard people talk about how it’s important to have a personal relationship with God. And similar to “just talk to God,” I’ve never understood it. After praying the Rosary daily, I’m starting to get it.
