A valued and venerated prayer in our Catholic
tradition is the Rosary. Our own Fulton J. Sheen once compared the
experience of saying the Rosary to that of making music. Like playing an
instrument, praying the Rosary is a tactile experience as we pass the beads
through our fingers. Like music, we hear the sound of the words we speak taken
almost entirely from the scriptures, and emotionally experience the mysteries
these words recall to memory. The Rosary
can make space in our busy day for God to speak to our hearts, even when we are
tired and distracted. The words of the Rosary, like the words of love, again
and again repeat those truths that give us hope and reassurance.
I would like to share a few thoughts
about quiet prayer and contemplation. Have you ever noticed the way we usually
relate quite differently with a stranger than with a close friend or loved one.
With a stranger, for the sake of politeness, we must always keep a conversation
going. Silence might indicate boredom or disinterest, so we usually chatter on
about the weather, politics, or sports. When we are alone with someone we know
and love, however, words may become unnecessary. Silently sharing a journey, a
work, or just a few precious moments together can become an opportunity for
quiet intimacy and communion. Confidence in a relationship, a deep commitment
to the other, and the experience of being cherished may signify a growing love
that finally is too deep for words. In the same way, one can be completely
quiet and yet remain entirely intent upon the Lord. The more we know God when
we are alone, silent, and recollected, the more of God we will desire.
According to our Catholic tradition, ordinary believers, not just monks, nuns,
and mystics, are all called by God in many different ways to share in this
awesome spiritual reality. In fact, without tasting the goodness of the Lord, all our religious practice and even all our commitment to
service becomes merely an outward show without any inward conviction or
reality.
And so let us pray as Mary prayed, when she
held in her heart those things she did not understand. Let us pray faithfully
like our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, when in our own lives we know
darkness, fear, discouragement, and spiritual dryness. Let us pray like Peter
prayed with tears of repentance after he had denied his Lord. Let us also pray
in moments of exultation and thanksgiving when God may enkindle our hearts and
illuminate our minds with the consolation of His love. Let us pray in the Holy
Spirit who pleads on our behalf with words that may not be spoken. Let us pray
together when we are assembled in our churches; let us pray before the Most
Blessed Sacrament; let us pray in the Liturgy and in our devotions; let us pray
with our families and friends; let us pray alone in our inner rooms with the
door shut. Let us pray for ourselves, for one another, for our beloved dead and
for all the faithful departed, for those who have no one else to pray for them,
and even for our enemies. According to the Lord’s own example and as He
commanded, let us pray always, so that we may know, love, and serve God here on
earth, and in eternity enter into that Beatific Vision for which we were all
created.
