Early Morning Rosary

The rather refreshing and surprising joy of a men's rosary group at 6am.

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The alarm goes, it’s five-thirty and it’s a morning in the tail end of dark January. I understand our mornings are getting lighter now but January seems darker than December. Why I am up this early? A little over a year ago I decided that I wanted to start an early morning rosary group for men during the week. My idea was to try and catch men before they go to work in a time that has little demand on them -certainly before the scramble of getting kids out to school anyway. I somehow had a thought that it would grow over time into a decent sized group – maybe 10? However, that was rather misplaced and there is after a year only the 3 of us. The getting up is the hard part but once out the door it becomes rather refreshing.

There is something about a church in the dark, it stands figuratively (and sometimes literally) above all the buildings around it, imposing itself on the psychogeography of the place. As I open the door with the cumbersome key set given to me and begin turning on some of the lights, there’s that brief pregnant moment as I walk into the Church and look to our Lord in the tabernacle. I am there alone, and in the silence, I can set myself ready for prayer, to put off all the tasks going through my mind for that day and wait for the men to arrive. One of the nice things about this has been the spontaneous fellowship that occurs, it has become a time not only for prayer but to talk about how we are, what’s happening in our lives and in a way that men often don’t. In that private space before our Lord we have been lowering our guards ever so slightly, which is pretty good for any bloke frankly.

But we are here for the main business of the rosary in this little parish along the Moray coast, with a sleepy assertion to grow in Christ.

In the year since starting we have all come to look forward to these six am rosary sessions, I know I feel much better afterwards anyway. Sacred Scripture teaches us the value of prayer:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:17).

Or as can be summed up by St Pio of Pietrelcina; ‘Pray, hope and don’t worry’.

We additionally have that great rosary warrior - Saint Louis De Montfort:

‘Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood’. Also; ‘When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.’

There is also another language used when thinking of the rosary, which is that of war.

‘Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world’. Pope Blessed Pius IX; and of course St Pio again - ‘the Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times’. But of course, this finds its root in scripture again, with St Paul in Ephesians chapter 6:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints...

The language of prayer and war go hand in hand. There are many purposes and acts of prayer but it is the chief weapon against the evil One and his coterie. It is by prayer we can stand firm against temptation and by prayer said in faith move mountains. It is by a strong prayerful interior life that we proceed closer and closer to the Lord’s sacred heart within us. Prayer interacts in the invisible realm of the Spirit, in the deep places of peoples hearts and from there can truly effect events around us. The rosary is then indispensable for all of this.

Our rosary ends, it is nearly seven o’clock and I am locking up the church, saying goodbyes. I believe all I said above, but as is often the case it is invisible and quiet and it is in hindsight that we can see – ah, that prayer affected me or this situation. It is also minus 5 outside and I am hurrying home to start the day, walk the dog, get ready for work – all the mundane things, but the time of prayer I just finished has done something to transform all that.

By Eric Hanna