Sunday, March 11, 2007

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy


I feel moved to take it up. Can Massketeers advise?

If one does the daily rosary, and substitutes a Divine Mercy Chaplet on some days, is that still considered a rosary, or a Divine Mercy Chaplet that just happens to use rosary beads?

7 comments:

David Nybakke said...

Dear Porthos,

I will leave that to our dear friend, Athos for I am no one to answer your quetion. I find that any prayer activity that helps keep the image of God, in the Son and by way of the Holy Spirit, is our stairway to Heaven.

Athos said...

I would say, Porthos, that you are being called to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and, as Aramis says, whatever helps place and keep Our Lord at the center of your being will help you fulfill the two Great Commandments.

Porthos said...

Thanks, guys. What about the daily rosary? Substitutable? (I was thinking maybe the Chaplet Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and the Rosary Thursdays (luminous mysteries), Fridays (sorrowful mysteries), Saturdays (Joyful mysteries) and Sundays (glorious mysteries). Presently, joyful, sorrowful and joyful are repeated Mon, Tue and Wed, respectively.

The daily rosary has been my anchor and lifeline for probably over a decade, well before I became Catholic, actually. Keep in mind that I'm a pitifully distracted and undisciplined person. The rosary was not a substitute for spontaneous prayers of the heart; the rosary was a substitute for, essentially, no prayer at all. I basically did not pray at all until I prayed the rosary.

Athos said...

Try it and see. The point is not to pile up more sacramentals and prayer practices OCDingly, but what is truly nourishing; that is, what helps one love more. Cheers!

Porthos said...

N'kay. Good advice. Thanks.

David Nybakke said...

Dear Porthos,

Your remark, "I'm a pitifully distracted and undisciplined person" is so amazing really. Most people walk around in such a daze unaware of their distactedness and so they are clueless of their undisciplined lives; and therefore, they are so easily swept up into the next crowd or mob of the sacrifical mechanism.

Becoming aware of our leanings toward distraction and undiscipline lives allows us to begin our journey into Christ through prayer. Prayer is essential in withstanding the mezmerising effects of the crowd.

Porthos said...

Undoubtedly, Aramis! But the worst "crowd" to deal with has been the crowd of useless, insipid chatter-thoughts in my head. Finally these are beginning to clear out. But I'm going on fifty years! Blessed is he or she who is given the grace to turn off the internal chatter at twenty.