I’ve fallen out of the habit of carrying a Rosary in my pocket. During this Month of the Rosary, it’s time to reboot that habit. Let’s look all the way back at 2005 for this week’s “Worth Revisiting.”

A Friar suggested to me that a good way to deal with anger is to say the Rosary. I’ve never been much of a Rosary person but I figured, what can it hurt? I started keeping one in my pocket (and I am rarely without a pocket). The idea is that when I start to get angry I should take a time-out and pray for a decade or more, with the intention of relieving my anger and finding a good way to resolve the situation.

Around the same time, I started to think about the fact that people, myself included, say they will pray for some intention. I don’t want to forget that I have promised a friend that I will pray for their grandmother, or whatever it is. So I began to dedicate my “pocket Rosary” for a certain intention each day. If someone asks me to pray for their intention, I dedicate my day’s “pocket Rosary” for that. Each time I notice the Rosary in my pocket, I saw a quick prayer for the day’s intention. And of course any decades I might complete are also offered for that intention.

It helps me to know that I am following up on the situation somehow. I know some people keep notebooks, or whatever. This is what works for me, right now.

I read somewhere–and if I can remember where, I will credit it properly–that the best response when someone asks you to pray for them is to say something like, “I will pray for you, as the Lord brings you to my mind.” Whenever you think of this person, just say a quick prayer for them. Chances are, the Lord will bring them to your mind often.

The two Rosaries pictured above are perfect for carrying in your pocket. As they’re knotted-cord Rosaries, they won’t be harmed if they happen to go through the wash cycle in your pocket. Even better, they were made for me by friends: the red one by Barbara, who makes beautiful bead Rosaries as well as knotted cord ones, and the green by Lisa “Franciscat.”

Sometimes it helps just to hold that Pocket Rosary in your hand. (At the dentist’s office, for example). Maybe you don’t get a whole Rosary in. But the call to prayer is real.

What’s in your pocket?

I’m linking up with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb for #WorthRevisit Wednesday, a place where you can come and bring a past & treasured post to share, and link up with fellow bloggers!