Giving advice to a rosary novice in another thread made me think about my rosary prayer habits again. And I am curious about yours. Do you light candles, do you use aids, such as special books, pictures, music, or do you pray with a tape?
As for me… I don't do it any time I pray the rosary, but I like to make it a little prayer service. Sometimes I light a small candle, or the large one under my picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa. On very rare occasions I also burn incense (I have a small censer and the churches are usually generous enough to give you a little incense and a piece of fast-burning charcoal.) I like to read certain short excerpts from the Bible before each decade. I have two small Bibles that have my favorite parts marked in different colors. Joyful mysteries -- green, luminous -- yellow, sorrowful -- red, glorious -- blue. I also have some books with pictures in it, but I don't use them often. One is my Living Rosary book with the traditional images, the same ones as on the prayer cards the sponsor hands out each month. Another one is a little different. It doesn't have images depicting each mystery, but other pictures that can lead you through a whole chaplet. For example, in the middle of the sorrowful mysteries there are photos of Roman whips. I use these books when praying in church -- it can be difficult to concentrate with all these people entering and leaving the pews. I also have several other books with meditations, some with pictures, some without. I usually use them when organizing rosary prayers in a church or oratory…with other people present.
I also have rosary CDs, but I only used them once. They have readings from the Bible, very beautiful music and the late John Paul II praying the decades. But I prefer either to pray alone or with people actually present.
As for me… I don't do it any time I pray the rosary, but I like to make it a little prayer service. Sometimes I light a small candle, or the large one under my picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa. On very rare occasions I also burn incense (I have a small censer and the churches are usually generous enough to give you a little incense and a piece of fast-burning charcoal.) I like to read certain short excerpts from the Bible before each decade. I have two small Bibles that have my favorite parts marked in different colors. Joyful mysteries -- green, luminous -- yellow, sorrowful -- red, glorious -- blue. I also have some books with pictures in it, but I don't use them often. One is my Living Rosary book with the traditional images, the same ones as on the prayer cards the sponsor hands out each month. Another one is a little different. It doesn't have images depicting each mystery, but other pictures that can lead you through a whole chaplet. For example, in the middle of the sorrowful mysteries there are photos of Roman whips. I use these books when praying in church -- it can be difficult to concentrate with all these people entering and leaving the pews. I also have several other books with meditations, some with pictures, some without. I usually use them when organizing rosary prayers in a church or oratory…with other people present.
I also have rosary CDs, but I only used them once. They have readings from the Bible, very beautiful music and the late John Paul II praying the decades. But I prefer either to pray alone or with people actually present.
