Why do Catholics say the Rosary?

Some people who are Christians, but not Catholics, might wonder why we say the Rosary?

When we pray the Rosary, we are thinking about the life of Jesus on earth. It's kind of like reading our Bibles, where we spend a little focused time thinking prayerfully about different aspects of the life of Jesus when he lived on earth. The repetition of the vocal prayers is comforting and allows us to slow down and feel, as well as think.

Praying the Rosary helps us remember that we're not alone or helpless. It helps takes us out of our own selfish wants and think of higher things. It helps us feel connected with Jesus and His Mother Mary. It helps us feel comforted and encouraged when we're sad or worried.

Here are a few things you might not know about the Rosary if you're not Catholic:

We aren't required to say it. We can say a little of it or a lot. Anyone can say it, Catholic or not. There were originally 15 "Mysteries" or events, each accompanied by an Our Father (the Lord's prayer) and 10 Hail Marys (hence, the word "decade").

Praying a Rosary often refers to praying 5 "decades": five events or "mysteries". And then praying with 5 different "decades" or stories another day. Some examples of a "mystery" or a "decade" are: the birth of Jesus, His crucifixion, and his resurrection from the dead.

But some people only say one decade at a time, rather than five, and that's helpful too.

Although there were 15 decades originally, there are now 20. The additional 5 are more about the life of the Church but still focus on the life of Jesus when He was on earth.

Certain days have been recommended for different "mysteries", but anyone can pray any of them at any time. Depending on what we are dealing with in our own lives, sometimes one mystery is more comforting or encouraging than another.

Book Review of The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times

In this wonderful book about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Dawn Eden Goldstein presents the origins of this devotion with enthusiasm and with historical and doctrinal accuracy.

Throughout the book, she shares the lives of a variety of saints who practiced and taught this devotion through the ages, starting with St. John the Apostle. Most of all, she emphasizes the love of Jesus for all of us.

The author speaks of Christ’s love for each and every one of us individually. She says: “Margaret Mary’s vision affirms what we know about Christ from the Gospels: when he extends his love to us, he is not merely loving some vague idea of humanity. In gazing upon us, he sees each and every one of us – and not just from the outside. Through his personal experience of taking on human nature, as well as the omniscience he possesses in his divine nature, Jesus knows and loves each of us from within. This divine love that God has in Christ for all people, which is made personal in his love for each and every human being, is key to understanding why Jesus chose to reveal his Sacred Heart to Margaret Mary for the benefit of the faithful.”

Whether you were not already familiar with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - or whether you are already know a lot about it - I highly recommend this comprehensive and inspiring book.

If You Wonder Why

I was mostly a Republican voter until 2015. Up until that time, on the few occasions I didn't vote Republican, I picked an independent party (which party I picked was different at different times). But in 2015 I felt I had no choice but to vote against someone who lashed out against good people and who made fun of people by groups. I didn't take other people's word for it; I listened to his own words, and I listened to them in context, not just snippets. For the first time, I felt I could not just vote for who I liked best among independent parties, but that I needed to vote for who I felt could actually have a chance of getting into office, and who I felt would do the least harm.

You see, I had been in a cult, way back in 1971, the kind of cult for which you would give up your job, your home, and most of your belongings (I did); the kind of cult for which some people left their spouses if they didn't agree or approve of the cult leader; the kind of cult for which some mothers left their very young children behind in order to join...and all in the name of God. In the candidate of 2015, I saw some of the same traits and methods as the cult leader I had followed - and had then left - so many years ago.

Yesterday, we commemorated the horrific events of 9/11, and well we should. I hope some day we will also commemorate the horrific events of January 6th, 2021, when some of our own citizens marched to our capitol building to stop the vote - a huge and integral part of our democratic process - and to carry out the admonition of our own president to "fight like hell because if you don't fight like hell, you won't have a country". Yes, I listened to him say these words in context, watching the entire video. Yes, he said that as part of his speech to the crowd before he said the much quoted: "Now, march peacefully to the capitol." That last quote was emphasized during the more recent campaign, as if the previous urging to fight had not existed.

But after becoming president again this term, he pardoned every one of the people who stormed our capitol, each one of whom had gone through due process before being convicted, a process which took years and in which each person got different sentences, according to their own specific crimes. Some of those crimes involved extreme damage to our police, the police who protected the capitol and our Congress people and our vice president. These police should have been hailed as heroes. But he pardoned every one of their assailants.

And now, he has immigrants swooped up without due process, detained and often deported, sometimes to countries they don't know with languages they don't speak. Taken without due process. Yes, everyone in this country is supposed to be entitled to due process. That's why our country used to be a safe country to visit; but now our tourism is dropping because some people from other countries are afraid to come here.

And so, through all this, after hearing the maligning of various groups and the horrible treatment that has followed the words, when I hear someone say that Democrats - in particular - are hateful, I would laugh if it weren't so serious. There are hateful individuals in every group, be it a political party or anything else. But calling out rhetoric - speeches and writings - that foment hate against whole groups of people because of their race, nation of origin, gender orientation, etc. is not, in itself, hateful. Calling out injustice comes from love...love of all creation, not just whoever happens to be privileged in a specific area or era.

Don't Stop Priming the Pump

"Don't stop priming the pump." When I was a kid, my family bought a rustic cabin at the beach. Every weekend that we went there, we had to bring along a big jar of water to pour into the hand pump, out back, when we got there. After you poured the water in, you would pump, pump, pump; then let someone else pump, when your arm got tired. Even though I was a little girl, I got to do some of the pumping, but my older sister could put real enthusiasm and muscle into that thing.

With the water from home that we poured in and a lot of pumping, water would finally come gushing out of the pump. The rest of the weekend, all we had to do was go out and pump two or three times, and plenty of water would come. It was just getting it started that required water and muscles.

We never forgot to bring that jar of water, but if we had, we would have had to go into town and buy some water or something (if anyone was selling water in stores in those days)...or maybe find someone willing to give us some.

Why I started by saying, "Don't stop priming the pump" is that I sometimes see things online where parents talk about their children not calling them anymore or not coming over anymore. Presumably, when they were little, you did - we all did - a lot of priming the pump. But when they're adults, there may be times when we may need to pour some water in or put some muscle in. Maybe by being the one to call or text and touch bases. Maybe by being the one to give a little praise. Or to offer physical, financial, or emotional support. "Don't stop priming the pump."