The repetitive nature of the Rosary can cause those who are not fully entering into or appreciating the Rosary, like myself, to become bored or distracted or allow their minds to wander. St. John Paul II directly addresses this point in his typical, gentle, fatherly manner in his apostolic letter on the Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. The repetition of the Rosary, he says, calls us to inner quietness against distraction and establishes a calm rhythm, giving us a “path to contemplation.” The rhythm allows us to address Mary the way God Himself “contemplates His masterpiece—the Incarnation of the Son in the womb of the Virgin Mary.”
Boredom and distractions are trials of our finite minds and our wounded nature. Because God is eternal, nothing grows old or stale in His mind, but everything is eternally new. To illustrate this, G.K. Chesterton wrote that God is so delighted at the beauty of the sunrise that each morning He says to the sun, “Do it again!” with infinite simplicity, like an enamored child. Thus, in the repetition of the Rosary, we are invited to share in the infinite newness of love.
God never tires of pouring out His love on the Virgin Mary, his greatest creature. For us, each Hail Mary is an opportunity to express our love for our Mother, and through her, we pour out our love and gratitude to the Father. God also never tires of hearing us tell Him we love Him. Venerable Fulton Sheen taught that because of our finite subjugation to time, each utterance of the phrase “I love You” is made in a different situation in our lives and carries with it a different meaning; thus, in God’s eyes, each one is new. Each time we confess our sins to Him in the Sacrament, he welcomes us back to the fold of sanctifying grace with the same exuberant joy as the father of the Prodigal Son. Our Lord once said to St. Teresa of Avila, “I would create the world all over again just to hear you say ‘I love You.’” Though we suffer in this “vale of tears” from distractions and frustrations with prayer, each lifting of our hearts to Him is received with unchanging, eternally new Love, because He never tires of loving us.
~ Miss Rachel