Background Music

Last week I promised to cite the written testimony of Fr. Willigis Jäger, a German monk, who wrote: “The rosary is the mantric prayer that is best known among Christians, especially Catholics. It has its greatest effects in group recitation, and the more monotonously and rhythmically it is led, the more dynamic are its effects.

My first prayer experiences are connected with the rosary. When I was about six years old, I participated in the rosary at church. It was led by a few women in the customary droning and monotonous manner, with mumbling continued by the parishioners. The combination of the droning and mumbled responses would lead me into a condition of consciousness that was no longer ordinary. Even as a young child, I knew that a reality beyond ordinary reality stood behind the words. A litany could have similar effects in me; the singsong, repetitive sound could lead me into a deeper prayer experience.

Rhythm, droning, and monotony are necessary parts of mantric prayer. Unfortunately, this practice is easily misunderstood and dismissed by many Christians today, yet it can lead to a profound experience of the Divine. Something similar happens with the Jesus Prayer, which has a similar effect.” (Contemplation: A Christian Path, p. 30, Triumph Books, Liguori, Missouri, 1994).

Doesn’t this language sound familiar? Our old folks would agree. But they would be surprised to find out Fr. Jäger was writing about parishioners in Germany, not the Philippines!