In the late afternoon, if the weather is nice and if it is still daylight, I will often take my dog, Bayley, on a long walk – about 3.5 miles. It is certainly my dog’s favorite activity (except for eating) and it is also something I enjoy. I find that a long walk is not only good exercise, but it also clears my head.
But not always. Years ago, when I first started taking long walks, I would use the time to mull over problems and challenges. Before long, though, I found that doing so defeated one of the prime benefits of walking, namely, clearing my head. As I walked along, rolling over in my mind whatever it was that was worrying me, my mind and heart grew more cluttered, not less. In fact, I returned home more worried than ever.
I happened to mention this to a mentor. He proceeded to ask me why I would waste such a valuable opportunity really to clear my mind and heart. “Why don’t you pray the rosary while you walk?” he asked. And he added, “I mean the whole rosary, all four sets of mysteries – the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious.” He was right, of course, but why?
Pope St. John II described the rosary as a prayer in which we see Christ and the saving events of his life “through the eyes of Mary.” As I pray the rosary on my walks, it rescues me from stewing about problems and worries and instead elevates my mind and heart to contemplate all that the Lord said and did for the world’s salvation – and for mine too!
Repeating the Hail Mary over and over again, Christ himself comes more clearly into focus. With Mary’s help, I am reminded how deeply the Lord loves me, what an undeserved grace it is to be an adopted son of the Heavenly Father, and indeed what a grace and joy it is to serve the Church. Along the way, I also remember the many people who ask me to pray for them. As for my problems and worries? I commend them to Christ together with the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This doesn’t mean that I’m entirely free of distraction as I walk along the streets of Baltimore. There is plenty to divert my attention away from Christ and his Mother. It might be a helicopter overhead or a flashy new car or the unpleasant scent of marijuana. But the rosary always pulls me back to the Lord and to Mary.
And strangely enough, something else often happens. As I make my way through the mysteries of the rosary, I am amazed to find that I have been given a new perspective on my challenges and opportunities. Surrounded by Mary’s prayers, problems don’t loom so large. And more often than not, at the end of my rosary walk, I see a way forward, if not a solution to whatever it is I’m facing. For me, the mantra, “Keep Calm and Carry On” doesn’t work. “Keep Calm and Pray the Rosary” is better.
Pope Francis once asked those attending his weekly audience if they carried a rosary. Many held them up for him to see. But he challenged them: “Do you pray the rosary?” It is a challenge we should make our own. There’s no better time to begin or resume praying the rosary than this beautiful month of May dedicated to our Blessed Lady. Indeed, the rosary is a wonderful way to grow in love and intimacy with the Lord. And while you’re at it, please offer a decade of the rosary for me.
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