praying the rosary

for those of us who are new to or curious about catholicism and its odd practices, jonathan bennett has some good thoughts on praying the rosary over @ ancient and future xtian musings. last night just before bed i caught a glimpse of my rosary (given to me by fr. martin of st. basil's of methuen, mass. when i made cursillo years ago) and i chided myself for not praying it except on days when the pats or sox have a playoff game. it ain't a rabbit's foot to rub for good luck before particularly important sporting events (and in the case of the sox, it doesn't even seem to work, unless mary is somehow a yankee fan -- heresy!), but it has, in times past, helped your struggling evangelical protestant blog author here to pray when he can't seem to pull it off any other way. some of you (read: renee') think it smacks of mariolatry, but i think it can be an aid to spiritual growth through prayer and meditation. just a thought.

(hat tip: chas everson)