The Comfort of the Beads
There is a certain comfort in praying on beads that are beautiful and sturdy, beads that somehow feel like they were destined to be held, caressed, and cherished. The beads are, after all, a visible, tangible sign of the prayer by which we place our hand in the hand of Mary, and bind our heart to hers.
Sacramentals should be things of beauty. The soul thrives in an environment of chaste loveliness, harmony, and order. Finely crafted beads invite to prayer. It is right that we should go to God by means of the senses He has given us. The Word became flesh so that we, in our flesh and not in spite of it, might be able to go to God.
Although one can obtain Seven Dolours Beads from the Servite Fathers and from any number of other sources, my own were made by the wonderful ladies at the Rosary Workshop.
BLESSING OF THE ROSARY OF THE SEVEN SORROWS
(Formerly reserved to the Order of Servites)
The priest, vested in surplice and white stole, says:V. Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, who, out of exceeding love for us, willed that Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, should descend to earth for our salvation, taking our flesh and suffering the torment of the cross; we humbly beseech You in Your boundless goodness to bless + and to hallow + this rosary, which your faithful Church has consecrated to the memory of the Seven Sorrows of the Mother of your Son. Let it be endowed with such power of the Holy + Spirit, that whoever recites it, or carries it on his person, or reverently keeps it in his home, may always and everywhere in this life be shielded from all enemies, visible and invisible, and at the hour of death attain the grace of being presented to You by the Blessed Virgin Mary, crowned with the shining wreath of good works. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.The priest sprinkles the rosary with holy water.
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Father Mark, I could not find contact information for you other than your blog.Your blog is wonderful! but what I really need is information about the Spiritual Motherhood of Priests initiated by the Congregation of the Clergy and how it was implemented in your diocese of Tulsa. I am a widow with grown children and want to live the rest of my life as a consecrated member of the Church.During my holy hours(prior to learning of the Spiritual Motherhood for priests) I became convinced that Christ was asking me to pray for the priests of my diocese(Toronto,Canada)and our Archbishop Thomas Collins.After reading the document from the Congregation for the Clergy and with the approval of my Spiritual Director I want to propose beginning a society of woman whose sole purpose is to live in Perpetual Adoration offering intercession and reparation for our priests and to organize woman to become Spiritual Mothers for each of them. I think you and your bishop have really responded to this initiative in a beautiful way and I have questions about how it was done. I am hoping you can retrieve my contact information and respond to me. I will look for it over the next few days and I will call the Tulsa Diocese Office if I have not heard from you. Count on my prayers, In Christ, Ilona
Fr. Mark, thank you so much for the wonderful service that you provide with this blog. I love the title of this blog. My rosary beads are so comfortable to me that I sleep with them in my hand every night, and during bouts of insomnia the repetitious prayers lull me right back to sleep.
I too, like your commenter above, am very interested in learning more about Spiritual Motherhood. My friend Marge and I have just sent a letter to Bishop Callahan in Milwaukee asking his blessings so that we may work at establishing a Motherhood here in our archdiocese. I ask for your prayers for this effort.