The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-10-21
THE ROSARY BEST OF DAILY
PRAYERS.

If we were asked which was the best
form of prayer for daily use, we would
unhesitatingly answer, the Rosary
for, by it's very comprehensivenes
and form, it is made for everyday use.
1t is meditation, and that is the high
est recommendation. 1t permits one
to pray and mediate at the same
time. Meditation, we are told, is the
necessary daily practice to insure re-
ligious perfection. We must think, and
think deeply, if we are to profit by
prayer God will not take lip service,
for it was on account of this that our
Lord rejected the prayers of the
Pharisees These adore Me with
their lips" He said of them, "but their
hearts are far from Me-" We must
feel what we say, and this we easily
do when we mediate.
Now, meditation is most difficult
thing to do we'll, because of the noisy
world about us. 1t is difficult for the
long-tried religious man or woman
who is consecrated to the service of
God. How much more difficult, then,
is meditation for the one who must
live in the world? Still, even such
one must mediate to some degree,
if stability in Gods service is to be
acquired, "for with desolation is the
world made desolate," says the
Psalmist, because no one thinketh
in his heart" The Rosary might well
be called the daily meditation for the
people, for, in piously considering its
different mysteries day after day, one
will have most useful subjects for
meditation which, united with the pre-
scribed Our Fathers and Hail Marys,
make up an easy and most effective
exercise of prayerful union with God.
The Rosary was instituted by the
Blessed Virgin herself, who taught it
to St. Dominic and babe him teach it
to the people. 1t is sometimes called
the Psalter of Mary, for in the one
hundred and fifty Hail Marys which
are said, there is correspondence
to the one hundred and fifty Psalms.
The very repetition of the Hail Marys
gives renewed strength to the prayer.
1t is a humble perseverance which
God appreciates and responds to His
injunction that we are to keep asking
and asking that we may receive.
When we think of it said daily the
world over by all the religious and
by countless holy souls living in the
world, we see what a wonderful Of
fering it is, going up to God every
fhn of HiC
Blessed Mother, which overioys His
heart, and causes Him to shower
down His choicest blessing upon
those saying their Rosaries. The very
name Rosary suggests the sweetness
of the prayer. It tells us that every
bead is like beautiful rose spring.
ing from the virgin soil of simple
and innocent heart. We give the
chaplet to our Blessed Lady and she
gratefully lays it at the feet of he1
Divine Son.
Our late glorious pontiff, Leo XIII
was called the Apostle of the Rosary
for he ordered that it be said daily In
every cathedral and recommended
that the same be the rule in all the
churches. He prescribed that in the
month of October it be said unitedly
by the priests and the people in the
churches and chapels, and that il
should close with Benediction of the
Most Blessed Sacrament when said
in the evenings. He well knew the
value of the Rosary as prayer ant
hence his desire to reap great fruit
through it-fruit for Gods glory II
bringing souls into holy union will
Him-and fruit for the Church il
spiritualizing her children, and max
ing them examples of piety and holi
ness that may influence for it's bet
terment all the world around them.
1t is easy to say the Rosary well
A determination to be recollectet
during it is all that it required t.
make it a most acceptable offering t,
Cod 1t is easy also to say the Rosar,
by reason of the short time in which
one may say it-say, ten to twelv'
minutes-and it may be said kneeling
standing, or sitting, as one desires
Yes, walking to and from business o
our daily avocation person may sa
the Rosary well, and this should in
duce everyone to say it, and to neve
omit it. What power Of good it vii
do for the one who will recite tn
beads daily. Great graces will atten
that soul the special love of God an
that of His Bessed Mother will eve
be his to keep him in the right patti
and he will be brought close to bot
one day in heaven, after he has bee
SO closely united with them on eartt
Let us all carry with us a Rosary
and recite it daily; recite it earnestl
every day of our lives.