One of the most capable and upright of our statesmen in the past was Mr. Edward McGrady, former Assistant Secretary of Labor. He was particularly skillful in settling disputes between management and labor. He was just; he was informed; he was courteous; he was fearless. Many an hour and many a day he spent at the tables of arbitration. Many a delicate situation he solved to the satisfaction of both parties.
Almost as well known as his achievements in the field of labor was the fact that McGrady carried a Rosary with him constantly, and that during the disputes his hand often reached into his pocket, there to finger his beads in a prayer for help in solving the difficulty before them. He was calling God into those conferences.
Of this practice of McGrady an eminent co-worker has spoken, none other than General Hugh Johnson, a rough and ready unsentimental soul if there ever was one. Johnson declared:
"McGrady has done more for industrial peace than any single man. He goes into a fierce conference with a Rosary in his pocket where his fingers can touch it at every critical point."What an inspiration! Before government and radical agitators, before friend and foe, he was unafraid to have it known that he drew help from his Rosary.
Even the ancient Greeks, pagan as they were, had a similar practice. They carried what they called "Conversation Beads." That is, while they talked they fingered a string of beads, usually made of amber. No, they were not Rosary beads, but they were a mechanical help to conversation. The Greeks did like to talk about deep and serious topics. They did like to converse about things that required keeping the mind on the subject. They found that these "Conversation Beads" were a big help.
All the more so are your Rosary beads. Not only do they keep your mind on the subject under discussion, your beads will also help you solve that problem. I can see several advantages of carrying a Rosary constantly:
1. It is a big help to concentration. How difficult it is to keep one's mind on a certain topic. How easy it is to wander in thought and speech from the subject at hand. Holding your Rosary in your hand will help keep your attention on what you are doing or saying.
Certainly it is a big help in spiritual concentration. Talking to God meets with many distractions. If you have some object you can touch, some material things you can conveniently carry, you have a help for the mind.
2. According to psychiatry, holding something is also an outlet for what we call "nerves" or the tensions of everyday life. Whether it is the sense of holding on to something material, something solid, something certain, or the physical grip itself, we cannot say. Certainly the nerves are quieted.
3. Holding your Rosary is also an excellent form of physical and mental relaxation. You can even close your eyes; you can even sit down or walk as you finger bead after bead with our Blessed Mother before your mind's eye. The power and practice of relaxing is one means to health. The stress and strain of every day both on the body and the mind will find pleasant relief in the few minutes you spend saying your Rosary or even some part of it.
4. The Rosary is also an excellent substitute for some of the more harmful helps to conversation, like cigarettes and intoxicating drink.
Over and above these material considerations is the overwhelming fact that the Rosary is a prayer, first and last. It is a tangible means of keeping our minds on God and His Blessed Mother. It is the sound track on which the soul reels off the divine movies of the joyful, sorrowful and glorious highpoints in the life of God's Mother. [And in the Luminous mysteries, on the life of Christ].
It is a string of pearls which we graciously hang about the neck of our heavenly Queen. It is the diamond-studded diary of the most lovable, the most beautiful, the most kindly, the most influential woman who ever lived. It is a bouquet of fresh, fragrant flowers culled from the human heart, simply and attractively arranged, tied with a ribbon of love and admiration, and presented to the most perfect Lady. It is the favorite prayer of the statesman like McGrady and the ordinary citizen like the Catholic who lives next door.
Sometimes we hear this objection to saying the Rosary:
"What is the use of mumbling the same prayer over and over and over, five times, ten times, fifty times? It seems to be merely words repeated without any meaning."In answer we remind you that our Lord Himself repeated certain prayers. In the Garden of Olives He said the same prayer three times. He taught us to say the "Our Father." In the same way, when we recite the Hail Mary, we are repeating the beautiful, the most important words, spoken by the Angel Gabriel to our Blessed Mother.
Furthermore, a child will repeat time and again such simple phrases as: "I love you, mother." A lover will repeatedly express his affection for his beloved, even though it is in the very same words every time.
There is plenty of variety in the Rosary, when one thinks about the various mysteries and what they imply, if one offers a particular bead, or a particular decade for some special purpose, if one keeps in mind that he is talking to the Queen of heaven and earth, directly in contact with her on the walkie-talkie of his Rosary.
Too many intelligent people recite the Rosary, for anyone to say that it is monotonous or thoughtless or uninspiring. I hope you are among these spiritually intelligent sons and daughters of Mary, who every day tell your beads to her, who every day keep in contact with her Mother heart through the Rosary. Amen.
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Adapted from Occasional Talks
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1949)
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