When I heard about adoptacardinal.org on EWTN radio and received two emails from family members about it all on the same day, I knew it was probably a sign from above to mention it on RosaryMeds. The “Adopt a Cardinal” website will randomly assign a Catholic cardinal to you whom you will support through prayer and fasting during the conclave and three days after they elect the new pope. My wife and I are praying for Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez of Guadalajara, Mexico.
In my book, The Rosary for the Rest of Us, I stress how important it is to offer specific intentions in your prayers.
In the rosary, you may have a specific intention each time you pray the Hail Mary. Or you may have a single intention for the entire mystery or even the entire rosary. It is up to you how many intentions you want to present. But it is important to have intentions, thanksgivings, and remorse even if they are just generic ones (for the poor or homeless, for peace, health, etc.). Without intentions you may just go into “auto-pilot” and just say the words without actually praying for anything.
Remember, you are conversing with God, Jesus, Mary, and the saints when you pray the rosary. You have their undivided attention. Don’t you want to have something meaningful to say? While we may speak the the same words as everyone else who prays the rosary, your intentions are uniquely yours. The rosary is your time with Jesus. Make the most of it. He’s listening. The question is, are you actually talking to Him?
I pray specifically for my adopted cardinal on the first Our Father right after the Apostles’ Creed. I usually reserve that Our Father for the pope’s intentions. Given that the Church currently does not have an active pope, I think it makes perfect sense to pray for one of the cardinals who will play a role in selecting the next pope.
Just don’t say the rosary, but pray the rosary. Make it yours. And adopt and support the cardinals who will choose St. Peter‘s successor.
Related articles
- 10 Ways NOT To Pray The Rosary (okay so it’s 11 and some are how to’s)… (catholicboyrichard.com)
- Book Review: Recovery Rosary for Alcoholics and Addicts (catholicalcoholic.com)
- How To Adopt A Cardinal (thedomesticmonk.wordpress.com)
- The Unborn – The Good, the Sad, and the Terrifying (rosarymeds.com)
- God’s Remedy For Evil! (deaconjohnspace.wordpress.com)
- Cardinal O’Malley blogs from Rome (bostonherald.com)
- Prayers for outgoing pope, and choice of a new one (blogs.courier-journal.com)
