Fifteen decades of the Rosary a day—Pope Francis

Since I read that Pope Francis prays fifteen decades of the Rosary a day, I thought I would try it, at least during Holy Week.

Now it is over a month that God has given me the graces to do so every day since, with perhaps two or three days where I did not complete the third set.

It’s been a glorious journey into a deepened prayer life, where the Rosary pulls me like a gentle rope into intercession, contemplative prayer, and a desire to search out Scripture in new ways.   And, oddly enough, when I used to find it difficult to find the time to do one set of mysteries a day, time has opened up.   Then, Our Lady seems to drop graces in my lap to make up for the time I’ve spent with her contemplating Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Phone calls get returned in a timely fashion.  I come to my work with clarity and focus.

My interest in blogging and the Internet has lessened.  But perhaps that’s a good thing.

Here’s an article about how and why Pope Francis began praying three decades of the Rosary a day:

In a tribute to Pope John Paul II written after the Pontiff’s death in 2005, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires recounted how the Pope’s example inspired him to “recite the 15 mysteries of the Rosary every day.”

“If I remember well it was 1985,” Cardinal Bergoglio wrote. “One evening I went to recite the Holy Rosary that was being led by the Holy Father. He was in front of everybody, on his knees. The group was numerous; I saw the Holy Father from the back and, little by little, I got lost in prayer. I was not alone: I was praying in the middle of the people of God to which I and all those there belonged, led by our Pastor.”

And—this discipline has also opened up the time and the desire to do both daily offices.

How I hope and pray the graces supplying the motivation for this continue!