The Wildflower Rosary, Introduction

Introduction:

The Wildflower Rosary is an expansion of the official Catholic Rosary which offers a new set of meditations for the days of the week that have been left empty. Each day of the week has a different theme. Thus, a little bit of rearranging was necessary, but I have tried to be as respectful as possible in order to keep our focus on daily prayers and the sacred character of the Rosary. Nothing has been omitted, only moved to a better place. It is my hope that the new mysteries will lead us into a deeper understanding of our Lord through meditating on more Gospel episodes, and looking at new aspects of his mission. 

As you look over the whole week of mysteries, of course, you will immediately recognize the original prayers of the Rosary, as we have always known it. But then you will see that there is more here than the familiar four sets. I believe this can enhance the central purpose that the Rosary was developed to serve, even beyond the Desert Fathers' intention to pray without ceasing. The Dominicans promoted the Holy Rosary as a means to help us to tell others about the Gospel, and Jesus' message for us. Each new set of mysteries tells about another aspect of Jesus' life and teaching, and can enrich our understanding of his mission here among us. 

And yet these new days' mysteries are not meant to be obligatory. The Church has not given any official recognition or approval of them. They are extras, to be added only if you wish to do so. They are being offered only for two purposes: to teach more about the life of Jesus, and to simply bring more flowers to our Blessed Mother. Perhaps they don't look as pretty as the other roses. You may call them wildflowers. They were carefully picked as a few of the more significant events from Jesus' biography in the Gospels. There could have been different choices, but these are the ones that spoke to my heart. 

However, if we pray and meditate on these extra mysteries, we must not think that they are any improvement over the Rosary that others still pray. These prayers have been slowly developing for over a millennium, and it took 500 years for the practice to take an official form. Then recently, our saintly Pope John Paul II chose to add a fourth set of mysteries. He knew that we all need more encouragement to pray, and the Rosary is a simple thing to memorize for those who feel that they don't know what, or how, to pray. If you feel that adding three more sets of mysteries serves only to increase the burden, then don't add them. They are merely wildflowers, not grown from any private revelations. They came simply from asking if I could bring a few more flowers, and which episodes could teach more about Jesus. There are still so many people in the world who know so little about Him. This ignorance saddens his heart. 

The idea of adding to the Rosary came from its traditional use as a teaching tool by friars in the Middle Ages. As they wandered from place to place, they would teach the poor how to pray, and spread the Gospel, by pointing to the beads on their Rosary. Then, our Pope set us his own example, with his own great devotion to our Mother Mary. By his authority, he gave us the Luminous mysteries, and recommended them to us, to remind us of important points in the Gospels. But that wonderful act yet served only to point out an emptiness. Four sets of mysteries would repeat irregularly in a week. Why would there not be an equally beautiful set of mysteries for each and every day of the week? And the question prompted its own answer. "Just do it. Find the episodes that speak to your heart, and try them out."

Please trust me when I say that this is not an act of pride or vanity. These wildflowers may not mix well with your bouquet of roses. They are a poor offering, brought by a silly child who saw others bring special flowers to our Mother. Sister Faustina, who was declared a saint by Pope John Paul II, also devised her own prayers to say on her Rosary. Of course, aspiring to imitate the saints is akin to trying to imitate Jesus, but anyone can seek to take refuge with the Holy Mother. 

All we have to do to come to Mother Mary is to desire to please Her, and listen to Her when she wants to teach us. She promises to help us to grow in obedience, so that we won't get our nice clothes dirty so often. And She takes care of us when we get scrapes and bruises, teaching us how to avoid them, or to call for help. Then She brings us to Jesus, and speaks for us, recommending us to his care. And that is where we want to be, as that is how we become his disciples. Up until that time, we are merely believers standing back in the crowd to hear Him talk.

So far, Mother Mary has been accepting of my poor offering. But Jesus admonished that adding so many new mysteries might seem too heavy a burden for those who already feel that their prayers are a chore. If that is indeed how you feel, then ignore them. Or only use them occasionally, as few as you wish. Surely, if you pray one set per day, you can decide to keep only the official ones, or you can bring wildflowers to our Mother once in a while. 

Thank you for tolerating my being so bold.