I am thinking of two of the deepest and most fruitful prayers of Christendom, which are always leading us anew into the mighty river of the Eucharist: the Stations of the Cross and the Rosary. If nowadays we are so dangerously exposed to the attractions of Asiatic religious practices, it is surely in part because we have forgotten these prayers. If the Rosary is prayed as tradition envisages, it draws us into a rhythm of calm which makes us flexible and well balanced, giving a name to this peace: Jesus, the blessed fruit of Mary. ~ Benedict XVI, The Ratzinger Report

This is an excellent observation from Benedict XVI, speaking then as Cardinal Ratzinger. It highlights a point made in an earlier post, i.e., the forgetting of our heritage of traditional Eucharistic-centered personal prayers and the subsequent turning to “Asiatic religious practices.” Let’s rediscover the need for personal prayer in light of the Church’s tradition, which should always lead us to the Eucharist. As Catholics, if we are searching for a “rhythm of calm” in our daily lives, there can be no better tool than the Rosary “prayed as tradition envisages,” and guided by our Blessed Mother.

*CNS photo of Pope Benedict XVI