The Holy Rosary is a very popular form of prayer for Catholics. Some of us try to say it daily, and others might like to grab their beads on special feast days or while visiting Jesus during Adoration. Getting through all 53 Hail Mary prayers is a key part of saying the Rosary, but far from being the most important. The feeling of just getting through the prayers while your mind is drifting elsewhere might happen sometimes, and that’s okay, but being mindful about your ability to bring back a focus on the words of the prayers and the Mysteries will make the power of the Rosary much stronger.

Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul.

St. Pope Paul VI

Fr. Mark-Mary describes how the importance of saying the Rosary is on the focus of relationship and not simply on recitation. Saying it should never be a burden, and sometimes forcing yourself to say it everyday can do just that. Taking a step back sometimes to fall in love with the Mysteries of the Rosary can help by picking up your Bible and reading about them in short sessions. So for example, we can slowly work up to saying the five decades of the Rosary daily by beginning with reading about the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) on one day, and then moving through the rest of the mysteries each following day. Pray one decade after reading the passages or even just three Hail Marys.

Vanessa (known as thatonecatholicgirl) talks about Matthew 6:7 which speaks against vain repetition, depending on your version of the Bible, it looks something like this: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” It is not for us to figure out when someone is at fault for participating in vain repetition, but if we say the Rosary with good intentions then we know for sure that God must be pleased.

We can conclude that praying the Rosary with the idea of quality over quantity is beneficial for it’s effectiveness and for building a better relationship with Mary and Jesus. We can slowly work up to focusing on the Mysteries while we pray and look forward to getting lost in each decade.

Click here to learn more about the Rosary and to see where to find each mystery in the Bible