The art of praying the Rosary

Catholic News Service

We all say we should improve our daily lives by exercising, dieting, reading and, most of all, praying more, but where do we best begin? Perhaps one way would be through the aid of an old friend, the rosary.

Garry Wills, author of "Why I Am a Catholic" and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Lincoln at Gettysburg", has now written a study guide for those who meditate on sacred mysteries by reciting the rosary. "The Rosary" amplifies each of the 20 mysteries of the rosary through a short biblical passage (all translations from the Greek and Latin by Wills) and a two- to four-page commentary accompanied by a beautiful color reproduction of a Tintoretto painting on the same mystery.

The book intends to show how the rosary is much more than a string of beads to help you keep track of Hail Marys. It is a meditative path through the lives of Mary and Jesus, beginning with the annunciation of the incarnation of Our Lord and ending with the coronation of Our Lady. Wills is less comfortable with Mary as a subject than with Jesus, but he is, nonetheless, an astute observer of the mysteries of the rosary.

Like many Catholics, he first was taught to pray the rosary as a boy in elementary school. For Wills praying the rosary became a habit intertwined with all the great and small events of his life, from waiting for his first child to be delivered to taking an evening stroll after dinner.

He has also incorporated his intellectual pursuits into his devotion to the rosary and here is where he has something to offer Catholics. Pious devotion to Mary is not Wills first concern. Rather, he is focused on the stunning and explosive power of the mission of Christ. Christ and all the angelic announcements about Christ — to Mary, to shepherds, to the women at the tomb and to the men gazing at the sky after Christ’s ascension — are meant to compel humans to look anew at the world and exclaim at the presence of God in all of nature and in our neighbors.

Wills truly enhances our understanding of the mysteries without diminishing their mysterious quality. If you have ever puzzled over the literal or literary meaning of one of the mysteries, then here is the book to answer your questions.

There are a few slight flaws in his format. For instance, because he only selects artwork by Tintoretto, he leaves three of the 20 mysteries without any visual representation. Also, in his explanation of each rosary prayer he unaccountably leaves out the "Hail, Holy Queen," the prayer many use to end the rosary. Still, "The Rosary" is an intellectual feat for which Wills should be commended.

"The Rosary With Fra Angelico and Giotto" is a slim, portable guide in which each of the 20 mysteries is illustrated by a full-color reproduction. The 15 paintings that illustrate the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries are among the last works of Blessed Fra Angelico (1400-1455), the Italian painter and Dominican priest beatified in 1982. The paintings of the luminous mysteries are frescoes by Giotto di Bondone (1266-1337) from the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy. This pocket-size book on glossy paper is a visual and tactile delight.

It also provides a "meditative and reflective" variation to the recitation of 10 Hail Marys in each decade, a technique that reduces repetition and increases focus: After the name of "Jesus," in place of the second half of the prayer, the reader recites a phrase related to the mystery of that decade. For example, in the decade of "The Visitation," prayed for the intentions of expectant mothers and of missionaries, the meditative phrases include "Jesus, who dwelt for nine months in your womb" and "who is the savior of all the elect."

In this book, the commentary on the rosary and phrases to accompany the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries were written by Domenico Marcucci and translated from the Italian by Paulist Father Edmund C. Lane; the section on the luminous mysteries was written by Gary T. Johnson.