Enjoy Good Leisure, Have Fun and Play Well
October 7, 2025
Hello! How is each and every one? Gosh! How time flies! It is already the 7th of October, the month dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
7 October Our Lady of the Rosary
Pope St. Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose
was to thank God for the victory of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto - a
victory attributed to the praying of the rosary. Clement XI extended the feast
to the universal Church in 1716. The development of the rosary has a long
history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of
the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys.
Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's
giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as a legend, the development of
this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan
de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the
first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the
rosary was developed to its present form - with the 15 mysteries (joyful,
sorrowful and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of
Light to this devotion.
I hope you would not mind. I thought it good to take advantage of this
portion to insert the prayers and the traditional way of praying the Holy
Rosary that is so well loved by Our Lady and the prayers are so beneficial to
each one’s needs and sentiments for the country and the whole world. Jesus gave up His life that each one of us
may be saved and be happy with Him in Heaven.
You and I must have the same sentiments as Jesus had on the Cross when
we pray the Rosary every day. A rosary
takes only 25 minutes to pray. It is the
best prayer next only to the Holy Mass, the same Sacrifice of Jesus on the
Cross.
1. Begin with the Sign of the
Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Recite the Apostle’s Creed:
“I believe in God, the Father
Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our
Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into
hell; on the third day, He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there, He will
come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy
Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
3. Pray the Our Father (The
Lord’s Prayer):
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but
deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. Pray the Hail Mary (Repeated
Three Times):
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the
Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of
thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the
hour of our death. Amen.”
5. Pray the Glory Be:
“Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen.”
6. Announce the First Mystery
and Meditate:
There are four sets of Mysteries
in the Rosary: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous (introduced by Pope
John Paul II). Announce the first mystery (e.g., “The First Joyful Mystery: The
Annunciation” and meditate on while praying one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and
one Glory Be.
The
Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Birth of Jesus, The
Presentation, and Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Prayed on Monday’s
and Saturday’s)
7. Repeat Steps 6 for the
Remaining Three Mysteries:
Announce each mystery, meditate
on it, and pray the Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be, and Fatima
Prayer. Meditate on the mysteries and contemplate the significance of each
event in the life of Jesus and Mary. The Rosary can be a personal devotion or
prayed in a group, and it is a powerful way to deepen one’s faith and seek the
intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Luminous Mysteries: Baptism
of Jesus, Wedding Feast at Cana, Proclamation of the Kingdom, Transfiguration,
Institution of the Holy Eucharist (Prayed on Thursdays)
The Sorrowful Mysteries: The
Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning with Thorns,
Carrying of the Cross, and The Crucifixion. (Prayed on Tuesday’s and Friday’s)
The Glorious Mysteries: The
Resurrection, The Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, The Assumption and the
Coronation. (Prayed on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s)
8. Pray the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, holy Queen, mother of
mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished
children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this
valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward
us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O
clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
(Verse) Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
(Response) That we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ.
Rosary Prayer
(Verse) Let us pray,
(Response) O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and
resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we
beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and
obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
9. Litany to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have
mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ, graciously hear
us.
God the Father of
heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Pray
for us. (repeat after each line)
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of mercy,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother of hope,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comfort of Migrants,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of Families,
Queen of Peace,
Lamb of God, you take
away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O
Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
Pray for us, O holy
Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray, Grant,
we beseech you, Lord God, that we your servants may rejoice in continual health
of mind and body and, by the glorious intercession of Blessed Mary, ever
Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow to delight in joy eternal.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen
10. End with the Sign of the
Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Rosary Chain
Following now is the next superhabit, Eutrapelia (From SUPERHABITS, The Universal System for a Successful Life by Andrew V. Abela, PH.D., Dean, Busch School of Business, The Catholic University of America, 2024).
#8 EUTRAPELIA
There
is superhabit for dealing with the desire to have fun. The habit is called Eutrapelia, the habit of playing well – of having good leisure. Eutrapelia is a Greek word that means
wittiness or liveliness. We use it because there’s no English word that quite
describes the habit of playing well.
The
vice of “frivolity” opposes Eutrapelia from one extreme: too much playfulness. Frivolity tends to come in one of three
types. The first is joking that is
harmful or offensive. Hook’s Berners
Street Hoax is an example of this. The second type is joking around at the
wrong time or place. Putting a fake
spider on a friend’s shoulder might be funny in a locker room, for example, but
not in a courtroom. The third type of
excessive playfulness is using your leisure time in ways that would undo any of
the superhabits that you have developed.
If you’ve spent weeks or months developing the superhabit of Restraint
for example, it would be contrary to Eutrapelia to spend your vacation giving
in to every single desire, because you’d be undoing all your efforts to build
Restraint.
The opposite extreme is having too little playfulness, or none at all. It is the vice of mirthlessness, the inability or unwillingness to relax, to enjoy leisure time. Mirthlessness is a vice, because playfulness is good for you. Studies show that playful adults have greater life satisfaction, for example. Too little playfulness can also cause serious problems.
Playfulness
is when you indulge in activities where your mind rests; meaning, pleasant
activities, activities that you do for their own sake, the sorts of things we
do during leisure time. Your mind is
almost always working to achieve something.
But when you’re involved in doing something just for its own sake – just
for the fun of it – then there is nothing for it to achieve. If your mind isn’t trying to achieve
anything, it can, in a certain sense, rest.
There
is empirical evidence that leisure activities are good for your brain. For example, studies show that playing games
can improve cognitive function, and that having hobbies can lower dementia
risk. More generally, extensive research
over several decades shows that leisure activities improve both mental and
physical health. I think that Aquinas
was spot on when he wrote that “enjoyment is rest for the soul.”
Not having enough leisure prevents us from dealing with the bigger questions in our lives. It’s not just that we don’t have the time to deal with these questions. It’s also that we don’t have sufficient mental energy to engage with them. Leisure replenishes that energy.
What
sorts of leisure activities are restful to your mind? And how do you determine what’s the right
amount of playfulness? First, avoid the
three types of excessive playfulness discussed above: playfulness that is offensive, at the wrong
time or place, or that undoes your efforts toward some other superhabit. If you avoid those, then all you have to do
is choose something – anything – that you enjoy doing just for its own sake,
where you’re not trying to achieve anything.
The sort of thing where, if someone asks you why you’re doing it, your
answer is simply, “Because I enjoy it.”
Be careful, though. It is possible to have multiple motives for doing something. For example, you might work out at the gym because you enjoy it, but also for its health benefits. You could eat a meal for nourishment and for companionship and for the pleasure of it. Indeed, there may be many things that you do for some functional reason that you also enjoy. Ideally, we all enjoy significant parts of our work, our studies and our chores.
However, unless your primary reason of doing something is that you enjoy it, then what you’re doing doesn’t count as leisure, in the sense that we’re talking about here – in the sense of giving you mental rest. Your mind is at rest when it’s not trying to achieve something, so if you’re doing something primarily to achieve some result, not just for the joy of it, then it’s not leisure. If you’re trying to achieve something, then your mind is at work.
Even if you’re trying to do something as simple, and apparently as mindless, as digging a hole in the ground, your mind is still working. Since you have a goal – a hole in the ground, or a certain size – your mind will be constantly checking to see how close you are to achieving your goal. A little deeper… a little more dirt out of this side… until you’ve achieved your goal.
And
if you’re thinking “I’m trying to achieve leisure,” or “I’m trying to achieve
mental rest,” then you’re missing the point entirely. Leisure, or rest for the mind, is exactly
that thing that cannot be achieved. It
only occurs when you are doing something you enjoy, just because you enjoy it.
Here’s
a way to figure out whether what you’re doing is true leisure. Do you remember the Staples advertising
campaign where people pushed a large red button labeled “Easy” and then the
thing that they wanted done got done? If
you had an Easy Button of your own, and pressing it would achieve the normal result
of the activity you’re doing, would you press it? If so, then it’s not a leisure activity, at
least not in the sense that we’re talking about here: it’s not giving you mental rest.
For
example, would working-out at the gym count as leisure for you? It depends.
Try the Easy Button test: if you
could push a button and get the health, strength, and physique benefits without
going to the gym, would you push that button and stop going to the gym? If your answer is yes, then going to the gym
isn’t really leisure time for you. It’s
just another kind of work. That’s not a
bad thing. It might be fun work. But it’s not leisure. Your mind is not resting because you’re
trying to achieve something.
Here’s another issue: some potential leisure activities do require work before they can serve as leisure for you. When you first try to learn how to play guitar, for example, it’s going to take work. But at a certain point, you become good enough that you can just pick up the guitar and start playing, and the main reason you do it is for the fun of it. Yes, each time you play it, you’re getting better. But that’s no longer the main reason that you’re playing guitar. If the main reason you play guitar is now for the joy of it, then it’s leisure, even if you are getting better each time you play.
The
possibility of mixed motives means that here’s a good chance that you could be
deceiving yourself. You could be filling
your life with enjoyable activities, which nevertheless each have their own
goal. You socialize for networking
purposes; you exercise to keep fit; you read to improve your mind; you listen
to music because it pumps you up and gets you motivated to tackle
challenges. All of these are good
things, but none of them are leisure.
You need to find some activity that you’ll enjoy just for itself, or you are running a serious risk of not having the mental energy to engage the bigger questions in life.
Here’s another example. If you have a family, one of the best kinds of leisure is to have dinner together as often as you can, ideally several evenings each week. Research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University shows that family dinners make important contributions to parent-child relationships, including preventing drug abuse among teens.
My
own experience, after twenty-seven years of marriage, is that the highlight of
my day is usually our family dinner, even now after some of our older children
have moved out. And when the older ones
return for a visit, every dinner is a family reunion. Though the family dinner does have its
functional benefits – we need nourishment (and it keeps our kids off drugs, apparently)
– if I could push that Easy Button to provide the same nutrition, I absolutely
would not push that button, because I
get so much enjoyment from our family dinners.
So
we have superhabits for play, as well as for literally everything in life. Why?
Because there’s no part of your life that doesn’t deserve to be the best
that it can be. The wisdom that we are
rediscovering includes an integrated set of habits that cover every aspect of human life.
How
can we know that there’s a superhabit for every situation in life?
Because
of the genius of the medieval philosopher-monk Thomas Aquinas, and something to
do with the child’s game of “Twenty Questions.”
The game Pinoy Genio
must have been patterned after this game “Twenty Questions”. And why associated with St. Thomas Aquinas is
because Summa Theologiae is like a
Question Answer format.
Much has been said on this post about playfulness,
wittiness, sense of humor as a superhabit for leisure that provides rest,
mental, spiritual, physical rest to restore energy that has been spent through
the days of work. Hence it is a virtue
to cultivate the superhabit of eutrapelia. You and I need leisure to keep our
sanity and live a holy life that is God centered as He is the beginning and end
of our life on earth. Sharing with you St. Thomas More’s Prayer for Good
Humor.
St Thomas More’s Prayer for Good Humor
Grant me, O Lord, good digestion,
and also something to digest.
Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good
humor to maintain it.
Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure
all that is good
and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight
of evil,
but rather finds the means to put things back
in their place.
Give me a soul that knows not boredom,
grumblings, sighs and laments,
nor excess of stress, because of that
obstructing thing called “I.”
Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor.
Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to
discover in life a bit of joy,
and to be able to share it with others.
Again as always to get the most out of this post you
and I need to talk to God about everything that has been shared above on the
virtue of eutrapelia in our quiet moments of intimate dialogue with him in
prayer, reflection, meditation. Schedule a specific time for praying the Rosary
with our mother Mary. She will also help
us in our prayer and dialogue with God and Jesus.
See you in the next post, “May tomorrow be a perfect day; may you find love and
laughter along the way; may God keep you in his tender care; ‘til He brings us
together again.”
Affectionately,
Guadalupinky
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