It's been awhile since I've posted about praying the rosary and I thought of it again last night while we were praying it as a family. At one point, I looked over and my husband had draped a blanket over his head monk-style and was kneeling down and praying. This, of course, cracked everyone up and the solemn moment was interrupted.
"WAIT, hold on! Solemn moment??? When is there a solemn moment when we pray the rosary??" "You're right," I thought. Even though the kids are older and quite capable of praying reverently, our rosary still is fraught with distractions, conversation and a giggle or two now and again.
Many times our intentions go on for 20 minutes because they become a time for discussion of current affairs, as in, "I pray for the situation in Venezuela." "What situation in Venezuela?" At which point a sometimes lengthy discussion will ensue about what is currently going on in the world.
Or, "I pray for Great Aunt Zelda that she gets out of the hospital soon." "Wait, when did Aunt Zelda go into the hospital and what is wrong?" At which point a sometimes length discussion will ensue about what is currently going on with Aunt Zelda.
I don't mind this because it really has proven to be fruitful in terms of discussing current events as well as bringing everyone up to date on really important things they might have missed while they were out.
What bugs me, however, are the constant mini-discussions that go on during the rosary. Just because your kids get older, don't think they're going to stop talking! Mr 8 yo still squirms and gazes out into space during most of the time, which requires me to poke at him to bring him back down to earth. My husband still prays, on occasion, the rosary of the "person who has been up early and worked a long day". You know the one, "Hail Mary, full of grace, therkh;jddfjklskhf iahou la;jf;l......" Mr 13 yo old has entered that phase of leading in that fast paced, mumbled way, saying something about the fruit of wine and cheeses.
You know what, it isn't perfect, and that's okay. While it would be nice to have an entire rosary prayed on our knees with perfect meditation and recitation, more than likely it ain't gonna happen. But, and here's what I think is most important, as imperfect as it is, we still gather every night to try again. The kids still come willingly and make sure to ask what time we'll be praying so that they can structure their evening around it. So even though we are full of faults, I believe that the important thing is that we keep on keepin' on. May there be abundant graces in the trying and not just in the perfecting!
God Bless!
