The 80 Miles per Hour Rosary

rosary“You always leave the Rosary for later, and you end up not saying it at all because you are sleepy. If there is no other time, say it in the street without letting anybody notice it. It will, moreover, help you to have presence of God.”
–St. Josemaria Escriva

As any on the road salesman can tell you, it gets mighty boring travelling for hours in the car.  On the way home from a recent client trip, I was bored to tears with every radio station on the dial.  I tried seek, scan, button pushing, AM, FM, XM, nothing seemed to keep my attention.

As I merged onto I-275 around Cincinnati, a balding, chubby guy in a Mercedes Benz passed me as if I was standing still.  That guy had to be going 80!  As he passed, I noticed a rosary draped over his steering wheel as he fingered the beads.

“That’s it,” I thought.  “I’ll pray the rosary too!”

I reached into my glove compartment, got out my rosary and draped it over the steering wheel.  I began to pray as I pulled into the passing lane and sped up until I was right behind the Benz!

I think he spotted my rosary, but as we prayed we made the quickest loop around Cincinnati ever. (Now, I am not advocating speeding, but I have never been pulled over while praying the rosary…..just saying.)

As we finished the rosary, I saw that the man in the Benz had put on his blinker and was heading for the exit, just one exit before mine.  As he slowed down approaching the exit, we were again side by side and made the sign of the cross together!  He smiled and nodded, and I smiled back.

Moments later, I reached my exit.  As I did the Catholic radio station was airing the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the one with the singing nuns that I really like, so, since my rosary was already in my hands, I prayed along.

Boredom curbed, at least for the moment, with three hours of driving remaining, I slowed down to the speed limit, and relaxed with my rosary in hand.

Next time you are driving and bored, try praying a rosary, just do it at the speed limit!

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