What Rosary meditations do you find useful?

[Xavier]

Dear friends, when praying the Rosary publicly, especially as a family, or in church or as a prayer community, do you use any particular meditations on the mysteries? For example, a Scripture reading of the passages of the Annunciation or Visitation, or something like that? St. Anthony Mary Claret has written some meditations on the Rosary, short and simple ones for each Hail Mary pertaining to the mystery of that decade. It's hard also not to feel that the Gospel of St. Luke seems perfectly arranged for the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary! In the second chapter, the Nativity has perfectly 20 verses, the Presentation the next 20 and the Finding the Next 12 after that! Thus, we could read 2 or 1 verses before each Hail Mary to combine prayerful Scripture reading with our Rosary meditations on the mysteries. Similarly, the first and second mystery are in the Gospel of St. Luke's First Chapter, about 12 and 16 verses each, where we read of the Angelic Salutation, and the Blessed Mother's own prophesy and promise of the Rosary when She says, "Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call Me blessed." (Luke 1:48) in Her beautiful Magnificat.

Since it is well known St. Luke had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and Her Divine Child, of which he has left us many paintings beside his Gospel, it is likely the Rosary in some form originated with and was known to the Apostles and the first disciples.

So, do you find any such Rosary meditation helpful? Or do you prefer simply to say the Rosary and meditate in your mind?

[mikemac]

The Fatima Center has a brochure with scriptural readings for each mystery.  It has the actual verses printed on the brochure but I'll just list the verse numbers.

Joyful Mysteries
Annunciation - Luke 1:28
The Visitation - Luke 1:41-42
Birth of Jesus - Luke 2:7
The Presentation - Luke 2:22-23
Finding Jesus in the Temple - Luke 2:46

Sorrowful Mysteries
The Agony in the Garden - Luke 22:44-45
The Scourging at the Pillar - Isaias 53:5
The Crowning with Thorns - Matthew 27:28-29
The Carrying of the Cross - John 19:17
The Crucifixion - Luke 23:46

Glorious Mysteries
The Resurrection - Mark 16:6
The Ascension - Mark 16:19
The Descent of the Holy Ghost - Acts 2:2
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin - Judith 15:10-11
Mary is Crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth - Apocalypse 12:1

[Michael Wilson]

I follow one of the methods recommended by St. Louis de Montfort in his book, "The Secret of the Rosary"; I make a short meditation on the Mystery that I am about to recite, and then I recite the Decade. It works for me. 

[Non Nobis]

I sometimes use a little blue and white hardback book called "Scriptural Rosary" (copyright 1961, Scriptural Rosary Center), with verses for each Hail Mary bead of every mystery.

I often say the Rosary (my daily Rosary) when I go for a walk; not very good for meditating.

I should probably be ashamed for admitting I sometimes say the Rosary using a Youtube video, and try to meditate on the scenes that are shown.

I need to work on disciplining my lazy mind (and body!), and in particular on devotion.

[MeanGene]

Over the past three months or so I've taken to saying the "Carthusian Rosary." It's actually mentioned in St. Louis de Montfort's "Secret of the Rosary." Basically it's a series of fifty short meditative interpolations that are inserted directly after "and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus" in such a way as to not break up the rhythm of each Hail Mary.

The phrases can be used as a jumping off point for contemplation via the approved methods of mental prayer the Church teaches. Instead of trying to necessarily get through all fifty I'll set a timer for about twenty minutes. Within that time frame I'll start and stop on various phrases as I feel moved to in the moment. When the twenty minutes are up if I haven't gotten through all fifty I'll mark where I stopped and pick up where I left off the next time around.

Using this method has yielded far better results as far as proper mental prayer then I've ever gotten out of the traditional Dominican style we are all raised on. I still sometimes use the traditional method of course, but for now I'm happy to focus on the Carthusian style.

Here's a link to the kindle version I've been using. It's only $0.99, so it's very affordable.
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Christ-Rosary-Known-Carthusian-ebook/dp/B00DAIUKCM

[mikemac]

Interesting.  I found this Scriptural Rosary online.  Is this how you say it Non Nobis?

http://www.presentationministries.com/publications/ScripturalRosary.asp

And I found this page listing the 50 interpolations for the Carthusian Rosary.  Is this how you say it MeanGene?

http://ihmhermitage.tripod.com/id16.html

[MeanGene]

And I found this page listing the 50 interpolations for the Carthusian Rosary.  Is this how you say it MeanGene?

http://ihmhermitage.tripod.com/id16.html

Those are the fifty phrases I use. So the basic setup is like this:

Hail May full of Grace
The Lord is with you
Blessed are you among women
And blessed is the Fruit of your womb Jesus,
(conceived of the Holy Spirit during the Annunciation of the Angel.)
Holy Mary, mother of God
Pray for us sinners, now
And at the hour of death
Amen.

If you go to that Amazon link I posted you can also pick up instructions for it in Kindle format. That's how I do it.

[mikemac]

Thanks.  I like it.