October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, so we wanted to honor Mary and reflect on her help during this time of singleness. How have you called on her intercession before? What is your relationship with our Blessed Mother like? If you don't know much about Mary or the Rosary, is there something keeping you from getting to know her?
There are two things that keep me sane as a single lady. One of them is the rosary and the other is this:
So I try to stick with the Rosary on most days! And today is a special feast for Our Lady of the Rosary so it's great that Morgan and Jen chose October 7th to talk about it!
A few years ago I was in a Women's Bible study and Immaculee came to speak in Charlotte at our Eucharistic Congress. A woman who I was very good friends with was with me and a few other ladies at lunch at the best Chinese Restaurant in Huntersville! She asked me if I was praying the Rosary for my husband. I said, "um... I try to pray a decade each evening during my night prayer." She said it wasn't enough! NOT ENOUGH if I wanted to get married to a good Catholic man! So in fear I began praying a daily rosary. This 'fear-filled task' lasted almost 3 years - and I was still single. So although I don't think Our Lady was withholding anything from me or has a lack of love, I don't think the Rosary is a magical tool to get what we want. I do think that it's an amazing gift to us from Our Lady to bring us closer to her Son.
After three years I decided to take a daily rosary break because I was focused more on completing the rosary each day rather than praying to Our Lady to bring me closer to Our Lord.
Over the course of a couple years I would pray the Rosary on and off and kept up my 'decade for the husband' at night, but I didn't have a daily devotion anymore.
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| "Love our Lady. And she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle." -- St. Josemaria Escriva |
Then this past May at the first Fatima Procession at our parish, I decided I would add in a daily rosary from May 13th to October 13th in honor of Our Lady of Fatima. I'm glad I decided - and although October 13th is right around the corner, I think I will continue the practice. If I have to go somewhere besides work (which is just 4 minutes away), I usually pray my rosary in the car. I know some people think this is a weird practice, but I find that I'm a better driver (both in my ability and in my reactions to everyone else) and have a calmer demeanor when I arrive at my location.
So all in all, having a devotion to Our Lady is an asset to my life. It's great to have a Heavenly Mother right there whenever I need her to intercede for me. Saying 'Hail Mary's' whenever I need help with anything - like light traffic when pulling out onto the road by my house. She always comes through for me.
A peaceful heart is her only guarantee and with that I can do almost anything!
Thanks for stopping by, check out the other ladies over at Jen's this week!
How fortuitous that I liked up my post right after yours. We've had such a similar yet opposite experience with praying the rosary both in traffic *and* for our future husbands! Oh, that Holy Spirit. He's such a kidder. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat a kidder! I was thinking about your comment this morning and might even expand upon that concept regarding Saint Christopher and whether he's a real person or not and what happens to the prayers. I read Emily Stimpson's book (the pink covered one I cannot recall the title of at this moment) and she talks about 'missed vocations.' Ever since I did an activity at our HS Youth Group when I was a teen, I've thought about how 1 in 4 people in our generation have been aborted. My youth minister said (as we were sitting three people then 1 empty chair all throughout the room), "if you're lonely and don't have a best friend, know that at least 25% of your generation isn't here, they just don't exist because of abortion." Since then I've had this fear that my husband is one of the 25%. We have a missed vocation to marriage because of a decision made back in the 80s. Anyway, not to be too depressing - but if that is the case, then the prayers I say for him, for the repose of his soul, are worth something. And if we are just 'missing each other' because of the broken mess of the world, maybe he needs my prayers more than if we were married (although I don't think that would be a life as easy as pie!). Anyway, just spewing some thoughts - thanks for reading along!
DeleteI read that book, too (The Catholic Girl's Survival Guide for the Single Years). That part stuck out to me, and I don't know if I follow her on the concept of a missed vocation, whether due to abortion or another sin. It seems to buy into the idea that God has one particular person chosen to be your spouse from the moment you both first existed. That's a lovely thought, but I don't think it's true. If it is true, then how do we explain remarriage of widows? Did God pick two versions of "the one" for them?
DeleteI don't know ... I go back and forth between both ways - there's one person for everyone, we are just searching for that person - AND you can be happy with anyone - the plan changes if the mess of the world gets in the way. I also like Cindy's 'veil' concept - that we are hidden from anyone who isn't the one that the Lord has chosen for us. But are all of those concepts just 'comforts' for us gals who are still single - things we tell ourselves so we aren't so upset being alone?
DeleteI hear you. The comfort of being happy with any good man is nice, but the challenge of finding one needle in a haystack is so disheartening! Let's both keep praying and keep our eyes open. :)
DeleteFor sure!
DeleteImmaculee is an incredible woman! So inspiring. :)
ReplyDeleteKeep up your rosary, girl! (and the wine, too! ;) )
I know right! I mean, 90 days in a 9sq ft bathroom with 6 other people ... I can do anything!
DeleteThe wine part cracked me up. Cupcake is good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe someone told you that you weren't praying enough for a husband. I'm sure she had the best of intentions but that's just the kind of Catholic guilt that makes us look bad.
That is really cool how you set up your own devotion. I started saying a Hail Mary as I'm heading out in the morning--originally to protect myself from someone scary at my old job--but I still do it now and it's such a comfort.
I know right! There are two things that drive me crazy:
Delete1. When people tell me the 'formula' for getting a man!
2. When people tell me the reason I don't have a man is because I didn't do a, b, or c!
And, I love the little Hail Mary devotion time!