Getting out of a "Rosary rut" with a treadmill and the Sorrowful Mysteries

Since I try to pray the Rosary every day, usually in conjunction with a workout, I occasionally get into a "Rosary rut."  I find it difficult to meditate and get easily distracted.  Part of this can be a stage of ongoing spiritual dryness, but I sometimes get out of the rut by changing things up a bit.

I make use of resources such as Scriptural Rosaries, online Rosaries, or audio Rosaries.  I might re-read one of my favorite books on the Rosary or visit a website devoted to the Rosary.  Sometimes a simple change of location helps such as praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, during Eucharistic Adoration or a in beautiful place in nature.

This morning, I needed to get a workout and decided to use my brother-in-law's treadmill since we're staying at his house.  I didn't have my ipod audio Rosary or my trusty finger Rosary, so I searched the treadmill console for 10 buttons I could use to keep track of the Hail Marys in each decade.  I found a series of 10 labeled buttons across the bottom of the screen, and I decided to be creative and incorporate them into my meditation.  The buttons were meant to be used to program a variety of workout programs, but I found a way to make them apply to the Sorrowful Mysteries.  I'll give an example of how I did this, using the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, The Carrying of the Cross.  The button labels are in bold type, and my new meaning for them as well as my reflection for each Hail Mary follows:

1.  Manual -  An overall view of the mystery, imaging myself panning across the scene with a camera.  I took in the scene of the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows), with Jesus patiently, painfully making his way toward Calvary, carrying the heavy cross through the jeering crowds.

2.  Fat Burning - This button made me think of flesh, so I focused on how much Jesus suffered from the open wounds from the scourging, the pressure of the cross digging into his shoulder, the sheer physical exhaustion of all He had endured so far.

3.  Hill - The obvious hill in this mystery is Golgotha, "place of the skull," where Jesus will die.  Yet He turns it into the "place of Redemption," sanctifying the ground with His Precious Blood.

4.  Cardio - This made me think of Jesus' heart and how it must have been so heavy as He listened to the taunts of the crowd and felt the cruel blows from the Roman soldiers on His battered body.  He loved every single one of them, yet they returned only scorn and hate.

5.  Strength - Imagine how much strength it took to get up from under the heavy cross after falling not once, nor even twice, but three times, knowing that even more cruel torture lies ahead.

6.  Interval - I applied this label to just a snapshot of the mystery, viewed through Jesus' eyes.  I imagined what it must have felt like, at the end of the road to Calvary (the Latin word for "skull"), looking up at the place where He would die, knowing that the intense suffering He had endured so far was just the beginning.

7.  User 1 - I used this button to view the mystery through the eyes of a bystander at the scene.  In this case, I thought of Simon the Cyrenean, pulled from the crowd to help Jesus carry the burden of the cross.  What must if have been like to walk, side by side, with the Son of God?  Simon was obviously affected as we know that his sons, Rufus and Alexander (Mark 15:21), were well-know Christians.  No doubt, their father told the story of how he carried the cross with the Savior over and over.

8.  User 2 - Another bystander, this time Veronica.  Although she is not mentioned in the Bible, the story of how she wiped Jesus' face with her veil is recalled in the Stations of the Cross.  How brave she must have been to push past the Roman soldiers to give a small measure of comfort to the suffering Messiah.  Did she know Jesus personally, or was she so overcome watching the "lamb led to the slaughter" that she had to do something -- anything -- to ease His pain?

9.  Heart Rate 1 - I used these last two buttons to consider the perspective of two people beloved by Jesus who were at the scene of the mystery.  The first person is His mother, Mary.  She must have recalled the words of Simeon, "... You yourself a sword will pierce." (Luke 2:35), as she watched her Divine Son stagger through the streets of Jerusalem.  Yet she must have known that it was all for us, that we would be saved through the shedding of His Precious Blood. 

10. Heart Rate 2 - The second person is St. John.  Since he was present at the foot of the cross, he somehow managed to quietly follow Jesus on the road to Calvary.  Did he have to duck into alleys or side streets or did he boldly walk the Via Dolorosa?  He was the only Apostle with enough courage to do so.

I hope this gives you some ideas to aid in your Rosary meditation.  You don't need buttons on a treadmill, but simply look at a given mystery from different angles to find a new perspective.  Ask the Blessed Mother, your Rosary guide, to help you.

The 5th Luminous Mystery and 2 New Sacraments

We have been traveling and visiting family for the past two weeks, so it has been a bit of a challenge to meet my goal of a daily Rosary.  On some days, we pray in the car as a family, taking turns leading the decades.  Other days, I listen to the Rosary on my ipod as I squeeze in a quick workout in the hotel fitness room.  Today, I prayed the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary in the car as I ran errands, one or two decades at a time as I drove from place to place.

As I meditated on the Fifth Luminous Mystery, The Institution of the Eucharist, I recalled that two new sacraments were initiated by Christ on Holy Thursday.  The obvious sacrament is, of course, Holy Communion.  In my parish, there is a beautiful carving of the Last Supper underneath the altar, serving as a visual reminder that the Last Supper is actually the first Mass. 

The second, less obvious, sacrament is Holy Orders.  When Jesus tells His Apostles, "Do this in remembrance of me..." he has ordained them as priests, giving them the authority to say Mass and to repeat the miracle of changing bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Remember that priests are the representatives of Jesus on earth.  Even if you dislike or don't agree with a particular priest, always respect this role.  Don't forget to pray for your parish priest and all priests.  In fact, why not offer your next Rosary for this intention.

Related links:
Beautiful meditations on the 5th Luminous Mystery at How To Pray the Rosary Everyday
Questions about the Holy Eucharist
Sacrament of Holy Orders

Belated Notice: Taking a Much-Needed Vacation Break

I apologize for the sporadic blog posts this summer.  Our hectic summer vacation has left me little time for writing, and I had to hand over the laptop to my husband earlier this summer so that he could complete two masters classes in 4 weeks.

Now, we're on an extended family American history tour of New England.  I had hoped to write blog entries on the road, but the precious laptop battery time was used finding hotel rooms and backing up the quirky GPS routes.

I'll return next week with plenty of material for future blog posts.  Please pray for me and my family and know that you are in my prayers.

Happy Feast Day, St. Martha!

I've always liked St. Martha, despite the fact that she is "anxious and worried about many things." (Luke 10:41).  She and her siblings, Mary (Magdalene) and Lazurus, were very close friends of Jesus.  Can you imagine entertaining Jesus in your home?!  No wonder poor Martha was anxious and worried!  Talk about an important guest!

I once read somewhere that Jesus had a human personality and was no doubt drawn to certain people and personalities and not so much to others.  We all know the feeling of meeting someone and instantly "clicking" as well as the experience of meeting a person who doesn't seem to be our "type".  Of course, Jesus loved every person He encountered, but it is likely that He was especially fond of a select few.  Since St. Martha is one of those lucky people who was close to Jesus on earth, she must be a very powerful intercessor.

Today, on her feast day, pray to St. Martha to deepen your friendship with Jesus and to serve Him as she did.  You might also want to add a prayer to learn to listen to His good advice, a lesson St. Martha wisely learned.  For more on this topic, read my article at The Integrated Catholic Life, Lessons On Hospitality From St. Martha.

You might also enjoy an article by my friend, Theresa Doyle-Nelson on Catholic Exchange: Un-Named Holy Ones of the Bible. 

The Our Father and the Rosary

Since yesterday's Gospel reading focused on the Our Father, I thought it would be a good topic for a (brief) blog post.

It is most appropriate that the Our Father begins each decade of the Rosary. It is the prayer taught to us by Jesus Himself (Matthew 6: 9-13), and it focuses our attention to the heavenly origin of the mystery on which we are about to meditate.

"There are two kinds of prayer, one of praise with humiliation, the other petitions and is more subdued. When then you pray, do not first break forth into petition; but supplicate God as if of necessity forced to. When you begin to pray, forget all visible and invisible creatures, but commence with the praise of Him who created all things."
~ St. Basil

The next time you pray the Rosary, pray the Our Fathers slowly, thinking and meditating upon this prayer that we so often mindlessly rattle off.  Take it one step farther by offering the Rosary as praise to the Blessed Trinity rather than for a particular petition. 

Happy Feast Day, St. Bridget of Sweden!

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Bridget of Sweden.  It's interesting that it falls on a Friday this year as St. Bridget was very devoted to Jesus' Passion and Crucifixion.  You can read more in my article on The Integrated Catholic Life e-magazine, "How St. Bridget Taught Me Perseverance in Prayer."

I bought a translation of St. Bridget's book, Revelations of St. Bridget on the Life and Passion of Our Lord and the Life of His Blessed Mother    It's short and easy to read, and offers a fascinating account of the lives of Jesus and Mary.

Totally unrelated to St. Bridget, but too good not to share:  A Pool Noodle Rosary!

Have a blessed weekend!

A Healthy, Portable Breakfast-- Breakfast Cookies!

This is a bit of a departure from my usual posts, but I just finished an interview with Jerry Weber on his blog radio show, The Catholic Revolver.  (You can listen to the podcast at the link.)  During a discussion on healthy foods, I mentioned that I made Breakfast Cookies this morning.  A listener asked for the recipe, so I thought I'd post it here. 

Breakfast Cookies are healthy and nutritious and can be eaten "on the run."  You can whip them up at night (no mixer required!), refrigerate the dough and then bake them in the morning.  I always double the recipe so that I can make them throughout the week.  They do contain some sugar, and even real butter, but the total calories are just 200 per cookie.  Add a glass of milk, and you're out the door.  The recipe is based on a Cooking Light recipe for Breakfast Fig and Nut Cookies.  I've modified the original recipe a bit to suit our tastes:

Peggy's Breakfast Cookies

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 large eggs

1/3-1/2 cup Craisins

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of one orange

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (not quick-cooking)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir in cranberries, vanilla and zest.  Add flours, oatmeal, baking soda and spices until just moist.  Gently fold in nuts.  Drop by level 1/4 cup measures on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Place cookies about 2" apart.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until almost set.  (Cookies should look a little gooey as they will continue to cook while cooling.)  Cool 2 minutes in the pan, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely.  Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition information (per cookie):  Total calories:  201; Fat: 8.8 grams; Protein: 4.5 grams; Carbs: 26.4 grams

Modifications:  I've also made these with fresh blueberries instead of the Craisins.  In this case, I use lemon zest instead of orange.  If I don't have whole wheat flour on hand, I'll increase the all-purpose flour to 1 1/4 cups and add 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds.