The Hardest Mysteries

For about a year, I wrote a daily prayer out and found it to be very helpful in my faith life. I stopped doing that when I ceased being involved in the organization that I was actually doing that for which was not a Catholic organization but rather a protestant one (I left the organization when I converted). For some reason, I didn't carry over this journaling prayer habit after my conversion. I think because everything was all so new and different. I appreciate Sarah writing about this in her blog entry that follows as I believe it will help me out of the spiritual rut I have been in for a while now. Her thoughts on the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration and the links she provided are going to be very helpful as well.

The Hardest Mysteries: "
I’m back in a prayer routine that is comfortable and well-worn: getting up really early and spending the quiet, dark time in my kitchen, refilling my mug of coffee while using Divine Office, iPieta, and a variety of rosary resources.
A couple of weeks ago, as I struggled, yet again, with mental distraction while praying the rosary, I had a moment that had to be inspired by the Holy Spirit: why not journal while praying the rosary? When I go to Eucharistic Adoration, I have been in the habit for years of writing my prayer–it feels more natural, more like a real conversation instead of me sitting there and dozing (because that is what happens when I sit still).

Why not use my writing-praying technique for my morning rosary?

It does make it take longer. It is a little unwieldy for an admitted klutzy-type person. It’s changing my prayer experience, though, and it’s also helping me pay more attention and battle those mental distractions. (For now, anyway. It seems I have to change it up and keep it fresh or lose my mind while trying to pray the rosary.)

It has also helped me as I’ve continued my rosary meditations on Catholic Moments. I’ve been struggling with the set I’m working on right now, the Glorious Mysteries. While I was battling writing a reflection for the Ascension last week, I wondered “out loud” (on Twitter and Facebook, since my three-year-old was the only one with me and her answer is likely to involve horses and pink sparkles) what the hardest mysteries are. . .

My morning rosary writing is helping me, though it was in Adoration that I found myself able, finally, to write about the mysteries I still had to prepare for my upcoming Mary Moment segments.)