Divine Intimacy Rosary

by

John P. Gross

Travel writer and co-author with wife, Donna, of
Secrets To An Affordable Walt Disney World® Vacation

Author of

Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child

The Divine Word + Sacred Art Rosary:
Praying the Rosary with Sacred Scripture and Art

Achieving Weight Loss through the Prayers
of the Divine Office of the Virgin Mary

Rosary Poetry: Poems on the Life of Jesus Christ

Rosary Meditations: A Bouquet of Roses for Our Lady

Beads of Salvation: Praying the Rosary to Reach Heaven

100 Prayers of Purity for the Mission of Our Lady of America

Remember me in your prayers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what's a rosary doing on a Disney travel site?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Divine Intimacy Rosary" is based on a masterpiece of Carmelite spirituality, "Divine Intimacy: Meditations on the Interior Life for Every Day of the Liturgical Year." ¹ It is one of the most inspiring books of meditations I have ever read! You can buy it at http://www.baroniuspress.com.

The leather edition from Baronius Press was published before the second Vatican Council that ended in 1965. There is a new paperback edition in 4 volumes that was published post Vatican 11 which is not nearly as inspiring. Although the single volume edition's meditations follow the Church calendar prior to Vatican 11, the meditations and prayers are too good to abandon for the modern treatment.

In short, each day of the year begins with a brief statement identified as "Presence of God" that serves to focus our attention on God. Then follow two full-page meditations and a full-page colloquy. A colloquy is a prayerful conversation with God. For a more detailed explanation, see the introduction in "Divine Intimacy."

Here is a sample of the texts in section 29 under the Nativity of Our Lord:

"Presence of God - Behold, I am at the feet of my Incarnate God, who has become a Child for love of me! I adore, I thank, I love!"

Meditation

1. God is charity: He has loved us with an everlasting love! "I think God must have said to Himself: Man does not love Me because he does not see Me; I will show Myself to him and thus make him love Me. God's love for man was very great, and had been great from all eternity, but this love had not yet become visible...."
   

2. "The touching description of the birth of Jesus as man alternates with the sublime one of the eternal birth of the Word in the bosom of the Father; and there are also allusions to Christ's birth in our souls by grace. However, this three-fold birth is but one single manifestation of God who is Charity. No one on earth could know God's love; but the Word, who is in the bosom of the Father, knows it and can reveal it to us."

Colloquy

"O my God what a luminous sublime contrast! O eternal Word, Incarnate Word, source of life, salvation, grace, and sanctity! O Redemption and Light of all mankind! You are about to show Yourself to the world! All creation should exult, all nature should tremble with joy, all men should run to You, their God, their King and Savior!" ²

There are two methods of praying the "Divine Intimacy rosary:

Method 1

Typically, one would recite the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary on Monday and Saturday; the Luminous Mysteries on Thursday; the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday and Friday; the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesday and Sunday. (For those unfamiliar with the prayers of the rosary or methods of praying the rosary, see my other prayer books listed above.) Although the days just mentioned are the usual way to proceed, there is no requirement that the mysteries be said on any particular day.

Fortunately, that makes praying the rosary according to the pre-Vatican 11 calendar in "Divine Intimacy" a simple process to follow. As the title implies, the soul is on a journey to union with God. The meditations and colloquy under each calendar month are aids to achieving that divine union. The calendar year is divided into nine periods:

1. December: Incarnation, Nativity and Holy Family
2. January: Jesus' Ministry, the Church and the Sacraments
3. February and March: Purification, Abnegation, Passion and Resurrection
4. April: Life of Prayer
5. May: Month of Mary and the Holy Spirit
6. June: Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart and the Trinity
7. July: Theological Virtues
8. August and September: Moral virtues, Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Beatitudes
9. October and November: Apostolates and Union with God

All of the normal mysteries of the rosary are covered in the readings under December to May. The readings from June to November stress the continued spiritual growth of the soul from the prayer life begun in April to meditating upon God, the Trinity, and the virtues; the gifts of the Holy Spirit (that help us on our pilgrimage); to becoming apostles ourselves and attaining union with God on earth and then in heaven.

I pray each Hail Mary of the decade out loud as I read a part of the reflection to myself. I read about half of a meditation per decade and the whole colloquy for the last decade. It sounds more difficult than it is.

Method 2

For those who would like to pray the mysteries of the rosary on the traditional days, I have gone through the meditations and colloquys and selected those that pertain to each mystery. I've included comments along the way so you will know what the theme is of each particular meditation or colloquy.

For example, the First Sorrowful Mystery, the Agony in the Garden, begins in the chart with "Prayer lifts our hearts to God": 12,1; 12,2; and 12,c. That means that meditations 1 and 2 and colloquy (c) in section 12 pertain to the idea of lifting our hearts to God when we pray, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. You only need to pray one of the meditations or colloquy per Mystery. So you will have enough meditations under each Mystery to last you six months to a year!

Here are the links to each Mystery and its appropriate chart. I created them to print with boxes so you could check off each meditation/colloquy after you pray it. I print them so two pages fit on one piece of 8x11 paper. That way I can fold the pages in half and form a little book that I take with me to Mass. (There is a group that stays after morning Mass and we recite the rosary together then.)

Joyful Mysteries: Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation, and Finding in the Temple.

Luminous Mysteries: Baptism, Wedding at Cana, Proclamation of the Kingdom, Transfiguration, and Institution of the Eucharist.

Sorrowful Mysteries: Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning with Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion. (Note: Scourging at the Pillar and Crowning with Thorns are identical since both refer to meditations about the Passion of Christ.)

Glorious Mysteries: Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption, and Coronation.

I hope you find the meditations as spiritually rewarding as I have. God bless!+

¹ Gabriel, Father. Divine Intimacy: Meditations on the Interior Life for Every Day of the Liturgical Year. Rockford, IL: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1996. Print.

² Gabriel 85-86.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would you like to support Mary's Mountain?

Donna and I are fortunate to live near Emmitsburg, Maryland which is the home of the Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Saint Mary's Seminary, and the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes. The Grotto, known affectionately as "Mary's Mountain," is a replica of the shrine in Lourdes, France and draws thousands of visitors from around the world who come to pay homage annually to our Blessed Mother. They are in  much need of funds to build a Visitors Welcome Center. If you feel that our books have been of value to you and would like to show your appreciation, we invite you to make a donation to their wonderful cause securely online at:
https://www.msmary.edu/support-mount/givingform/giving_form.
Choose "Grotto Fund" as your gift purpose. Thanks and may God bless you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copyright © 2011 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This publication is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge for the glory of God, in deep appreciation for the mercy and grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Affordable Disney Vacations!   Copyright   Terms & Privacy
About Us   Testimonials   Contact Us   Site Map