A Tool For Handling the Rat Race

We live in a very busy world.  For some people work fills their entire lives as much as twelve hours a day or more, five…six…even seven days a week.  What good does this bring them?

Some people are busy with work and then add on top of work many hours of sports, plays, or concerts for their children or for themselves.  These can be fun but when does it become too much?

Add to the busyness the fact that while we are busy with many things, they are generally superficial and do little to nourish our souls.  People are beginning to realize they are not fulfilled by these things and looking for something more, something deeper…something that connects them to the transcendent even though they may not know what the transcendent is. 

Some of these people do attend church sometimes or even regularly.  Unfortunately, for them attending church may just one more thing on the list of things to do. 

Some of these people are turning to eastern meditation, even paying for lessons.  Our faith has something to offer on meditation and it is free!  It’s called the rosary. 

Thomas Philipp Reiter, reports on a new study that shows the mental health benefits of the rosary (“New study reveals the rosary rivals modern meditation for mental health benefits.”  Catholic News Agency.  June 21, 2025.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264845/new-study-reveals-the-rosary-rivals-modern-meditation-for-mental-health-benefits). 

In the study he discusses, “one participant said: “Praying the rosary saved my life. After my husband’s death, I couldn’t cope with the pain and emptiness. Every day, I reached for the rosary and it gave me the strength to survive these difficult moments. Without it, I don’t know how I would have managed.”

Regarding praying the rosary, the study showed that “Participants consistently reported that the practice provided “spiritual peace, calm, and confidence” (26.3%), helped with “coping with problems” (10.2%), and offered “protection against evil” (8.6%).”

Using repetitive prayer, the rosary is meditative.  The mysteries of the rosary provide content for meditation from the life of Jesus to help us grow as his disciples.  Meditating on these mysteries shows the nature of the rosary as pointing us to Jesus Christ rather than giving worship to Mary (a frequent misconception).

The rosary is easy to learn and it is free (instructions, including a video, are available online at https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary.  The prayers used in the rosary can be found at https://www.usccb.org/prayers/prayers-rosary).

We need quiet.  Sometimes the only place we can find our Lord (every though He is everywhere) is in silence but we live in a very noisy world.  The rosary can provide the opportunity for silence.

Praying the mysteries of the rosary can and should change one’s worldview.  One of the reasons some people spend all their time working is because they worry about having enough money.  So, they work and work.  When paid a low wage, some people need to work a lot.  Yet, we should not let the worry consume us.  Our concern is real but letting it become restless worrying helps no one.  We need to hand it over to Jesus who speaks of too much concern about having enough for the future in Matthew 6:25-34.  In verse 25, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear.”  He points to the birds who do not worry.  What good does worrying do?  Again, there is a distinction between legitimate concern and worry.  The difference lies in trusting Jesus.

What keeps us from focusing on Jesus? 

In our busy world, multitasking has become a norm.  Multitasking can leave us uncentered.  It gives the impression that thinking about several things at once brings more productivity.  Such thinking keeps us from focusing on our relationship with Jesus.  Multitasking may in the short-term lead to what seems like more quantity of work being done but the quality suffers for it.

Make time for Jesus!  Take time to stop and smell the roses.  Jesus made time to become human to teach us the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).  He made time to die for us on the Cross.  He deserves our undivided attention.  Giving it to him will help lead us to salvation.

One can pray the rosary anywhere.  If you are short on time, if you have a regular commute and have the prayers for the rosary memorized, you can even pray it during your commute!  No time lost! 

There is also centering prayer that invites us to let go of our worries to simply focus on being in the presence of our Lord.  He is everywhere so you can do centering prayer anyway but probably not while driving.  Generally, one does centering prayer with their eyes closed! (see https://renewaloffaith.org/contemplative-and-centering-prayer/).

While God is present everywhere, there can also be distractions present in many places.  For me, the best place to escape the distractions is in church.  If it is an option for you, I find the best time to pray in church is during Adoration.  You can pray the rosary, centering prayer, read the Bible, or simply sit in silence to give the time to Jesus. 

If you think you don’t need to make time to spend with Jesus in prayer, then check the gospels!  How many times did Jesus go off by himself to pray?  If Jesus, the Son of God, went off to pray by himself, certainly we all need to do the same.  It can save your soul.  It might even save your life in this world with the mental health benefits!

Before concluding, the Catholic News Agency article on the mental health benefits of praying the rosary mentioned “mindfulness” five times.  The article mention it in contrast to praying the rosary.  While the word “mindfulness” seems basic and innocent, please note that it is not Catholic practice.  For more on this, please see my article “New Age and Mindfulness.”

Peace,

Fr. Jeff