I was given a rosary as a gift when I was ordained. Having been raised in a Presbyterian congregation and introduced to the Lutheran church as an adult, I wasn’t sure what to do with this gift. I wasn’t moved by the traditional methods for praying with a rosary. So I started my own pattern using the four sections. First, I pray for those in my congregation who are sick or in need. Then I pray for family, colleagues and friends. In the third section I pray for myself-things I need help with, like strength, stamina, patience, understanding. The fourth section is maybe the hardest one, I pray for what God wants to guide me in or tell me; no more words from me and I just stay silent. That’s the hard part, staying focused on listening.
These prayer beads have become part of my faith system. Some days just holding them connects me with God when I can’t even find the energy or the words for my usual pattern. I trust the prayer of faith will save me, too.
God of my faith, I trust in the prayers of all the faithful, in the prayers I will offer for others today, in other's prayers offered for me, and in the prayers that our hearts speak without words. Amen. — SJ