Rosary a perfect prayer.

The form makes the Rosary both an excellent devotion and a perfect
prayer. Prayer is the first duty of all men. It is an article of faith
that no man can work out his salvation without prayer. The real essence
of prayer consists in the union of vocal prayer with meditation, or
interior prayer. The true prayer is a conversation, or intercourse, of
man with God. The combination of meditating with vocal prayer is an
excellent means of participating in Divine grace. Meditation makes us
realize our needs, the faults which we should lay aside, and the
virtues which we must acquire. Sin makes man blind, meditation opens
his eyes. Vocal prayer alone is not of itself a protection from sin,
daily experience teaches this. There are many who say vocal prayers and
yet fall into grievous sin and remain in that state. The reason is
because they omit the contemplative prayer. Those who combine vocal
prayer with meditation do not easily incur God's disfavor, or if they
do they at once resolve to amend and they lose no time in returning to
God. A combination of meditation and vocal prayer is therefore
calculated to preserve us from sin, and to rescue us from that state,
if unfortunately we find ourselves in it. It is also the most effective
means for us to reach Christian perfection and eternal salvation.

We should therefore combine with vocal prayers proper meditation if we
desire our prayers to be more perfect. When we say the "Our Father," or
the "Hail Mary," we should not merely utter the words with our lips,
but should contemplate the purport of the words, lifting the mind to
God, to whom we are praying, otherwise our prayer will be merely a
prayer of the lips. Remember the words of our Divine Saviour: "These
people glorify Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me."

In saying the Rosary we combine vocal prayer with meditation upon the
Sacred Mysteries. Where there is time for it a longer meditation is
very beneficial and of great spiritual advantage. But if time is
lacking, or when the Rosary is said in common with others, one should
at least at every decade briefly put the mystery before the mind.
Pondering upon the mysteries whilst saying the prayers is ordinarily
requisite to gain the indulgences attached to the Rosary.

The Rosary in its union of vocal prayer and meditation is a perfect
prayer. The parts of the Rosary so appropriately succeed one another as
to form a beautiful chain of