A Real Treasure, The Rosary Beads

Father Robert Greene, a Maryknoll missionary in China, in the 1950’s, one of the heroes of my early Priesthood, found himself in a desperate situation.  Imprisoned by the Chinese Communists, he sat on the bare ground of his cell with none of his religious possessions.  The Communists had stripped him of everything.  With foresight, the priest had put a small part of a Consecrated Host in a match box.  With no Rosary beads, he broke five match sticks in halves to form a decade.

With these sticks on the table before him, Father Greene would offer his Rosary to his Heavenly Mother.  After a Hail Mary, he would move a stick to the other side of the table.  At times, when I find saying my Rosary difficult because of repetition and distractions, I adopt his method.

With the ten sticks before me, I pretend I am in a Chinese prison, desperate for consolation and courage.  My prayers take on a new intensity and meaning.  Maybe, all of us might try this way of prayer in times of dryness.  Father Greene came home, safe and sound.

Perhaps, we are overlooking the value of the Rosary, our prayer beads, sometimes called the “Apron Strings of our Mother Mary.”  For myself, I need to break up the Rosary by saying one decade in the morning and the others through the day at different times.  In this way, I pray the beads with more meaning and fewer distractions.  Learn the Mysteries.

Another use of the Rosary beads has helped my prayer life immensely.  When I’m sitting in Church or waiting in a doctor’s office, I finger my beads and put a short prayer on each one.  Impossible to be distracted!  Some examples of such prayers are, “Lord, help me to live today”, “My Jesus, mercy”, “Mary, be my mother.”  This method of making up my own prayers deepens my union with God.

So, treasure our Rosary beads.  As we lie in death in our coffin, a Rosary will be entwined in our fingers.  Carry it with us at all times.  Tell the children the power of this prayer of the Church.  If we can only say one decade a day, do this.  In five days, we will have said the Rosary. 

Try making up your own prayers on the beads.  Your children would enjoy such a creative way to talk to God.

Fr. George Mc Kenna