PENITENTIAL PRACTICES AS INSPIRED BY OUR LADY OF AKITA: My customized Rosary of Reparation and Restitution and Lectio Divina.

Posted on May 13, 2026 by thecenterforcontemplativepractice

I decided to write out this Rosary, even though it might be tedious to read, to provide you with the traditional Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary (in bold), along with my commentary on how I use this unique prayer of penance and reparation.

I fell into the trap that says all I have to do is recite the Rosary, and it gives me grace. The trap is not that I recite the Rosary, but that I don’t use it to place myself in Christ’s presence and wait. My tendency was not to wait for Christ to share with me through the Holy Spirit, but to rush, get on with it, and move forward. I became a hostage to praying (anything) without asking the Holy Spirit to take me deeper, so that I could simply be in Christ’s presence and wait. How simple! It is so complex that it took me nearly eighty years of my life to wake up (conversio morae) and realize that this priority is what the Catholic Church is all about.

I am that Cross on which Christ died, not only in my age of the twenty-first century, but in the framework of the unique years I have to figure it all out. It is the Christ Principle that is the key to unlocking the universe, and it is only available in the most unlikely of places: a human being who lives only seventy or eighty years, if they are strong. It is the Holy Spirit, altogether in that upper room of my inner self, giving me God’s own energy (as I can assimilate it– capacitas dei) to allow me to sit there in silence and solitude, my heart yearning to be in sync with Jesus’. It can’t be that simple! It is the complexity and consciousness of matter reduced to its final destination, waiting without chronological time, allowing my mind to pause from thinking of my human needs, merely waiting for the whispers of Christ to envelop me, overshadow me, in the deepest evolution of my humanity.

Theoretical? It is only theoretical when I think about it scientifically or, more realistically for me, conceptually. Actual reality is the lived experience I have of being in the NOW, and placing good there. Not the good that the world gives, which is often selfish and lustful, but the presence of Love (a person), Hope (a person), and Faith (a person), all one within me, to help me to be capable of digging deeper to find the gold of my humanity, and thus the presence of Christ.

Our Lady of Akita provided me with the inspiration to re-dedicate whatever time I have left to doing the only thing I can, with my advanced mind and body: to pray incessantly for God’s mercy for me and for others.

Read the following, as I did, and “Do what He tells you.” https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/message-from-our-lady–akita-japan-5167

DEDICATION: Having dedicated a bead to a specific person or group of persons, I can now recite the Rosary while praying for that person and their families that they be loosed from their sins each time I offer up this good work in reparation for my sins and those for whom this bead is offered. I do this every day until I die, then I do it forever in Heaven. My prayer does not stop when I die but becomes an eternal YES to the honor and glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

ASSUMPTIONS I USE WHEN PRAYING THIS ROSARY AS ONE FORM OF MY LECTIO DIVINA

I use the following format for Lectio Divina, following the tradition of St. Benedict of Nursia. What follows is what I lifted from Google AI.

image - The Center for Contemplative Practice

“The author who formalized the four steps of Lectio Divina (reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation) was Guigo II, a 12th-century Carthusian monk. He described these steps in his work Scala Claustralium, also known as The Ladder of Monks.

The Four Steps

Lectio (Reading): A thoughtful and slow reading of the text to understand its meaning.
Meditatio (Meditation): Biting and chewing on the text to understand its message and apply it to one’s own life.
Oratio (Prayer): Responding to God with devotion, asking for the virtues in the text to be attained.
Contemplatio (Contemplation): Basking in God’s presence and receiving the sweetness of his love.

Historical Context

The Second Vatican Council recommended Lectio Divina to the general public in the 20th century, and Pope Benedict XVI affirmed its importance in the 21st century.

The practice of Lectio Divina predates Guigo II and has roots in the monastic life established by St. Benedict of Nursia in the 6th century.

Guigo II’s contribution was to give a clear structure to the practice in his writing.” ( The quote above is excerpted from AI on Google under Guigo II.)

My adaptations to Lectio Divina using the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary are:

Lectio: I have used only eight words in my Lectio Divina, “Have in you the mind of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

Meditatio: I recite the mysteries of the Rosary as my meditatio (Rosary contemplatio).

Oratio: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner; one who needs your saving grace this moment.

Contemplatio: Having completed this meditation on the life of Christ as I see it today, I retreat to my innermost self for fifteen minutes (or more) and sit in the presence of Christ, overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and wait in silence and solitude. No thoughts about the Rosary at all. I cross my mind and long for Christ to share with me.” Google AI.

And the results of my basking in the energy and love of Christ through the Holy Spirit are good works.

Actio: (Added by Pope Benedict XVI) Write out my Lectio Divina experience to share with you. I don’t speak FOR the Holy Spirit, nor the Catholic Church, nor Lay Cistercians as a Gathering. I am just a cranky, broken-down, old Lay Cistercian who, at 85.5, is trying to store up good works that will be acceptable to the Father when I decorate the mansion I have waiting for me. What you are reading is my Actio. https://thecenterfor comtemlativepractice.org

I am dedicating the rest of my life to having in me the mind of Christ Jesus, in particular, to focus on reparation for my sins and those in Purgatory by praying incessantly for God to be merciful to me and, through me, others. (Philippians 2:5)
I revisit my Lay Cistercian promises whenever I look at the printed and framed copy above my computer.
I have read the words of Our Lady of Akita and am using only the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary as my Penitential Rosary.
There is no time limit to my recitation.
My latest iteration of the Penitential Rosary has me resting in Christ’s presence for 15 minutes before and after my formal prayer. I use this time to sit in the presence of Christ and invite the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Michael, and Jesus, Son of God, Savior, to join me and enjoy being in each other’s presence.
I don’t care if I miss a few beads or get mixed up. I try to listen to Christ with the “ear of my heart.” (St. Benedict)
As you will see below, I have dedicated each decade to the following intentions:
- The Agony in the Garden — in reparation for my sins of neglect and thinking I was God (move over Adam and Eve).
- The Scourging at the Pillar — for everyone I ever saw or met in my life, including movie stars, politicians, and those whom I have offended by my arrogance.
- The Crowning with Thorns — For all monks and nuns and dedicated Laity, Cistercian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian; for my teachers and all those who have helped me in my medical trauma.
- Jesus Carries His Cross — All those in the Church Universal who are in Purgatory.
- Jesus Dies on the Cross– All those who are or have even been humans, that they be loosed from their sins and have eternal light shine on them.
There is one more dimension to my Penitential Rosary, that of dedicating one bead to a person I know, their family on both sides, their families down to the tenth generation, that they be loosed from their sins if in Purgatory, be strengthed in Faith, Love, and Service for those on earth, and to ask the intercession of those in Heaven for the rest of us awaiting the Hope of the Resurrection. Once I dedicate a bead, this is my automatic intention, and I don’t need to think of a person or group. This is why I use the term customized when I think of this special charism of my Lay Cistercian journey.
In all I do, in whatever comes my way each day, with all the health hazards I have endured, I focus on joining my aging body and mind to one center, “Reparation for my sins and, in silence and solitude, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” I pray the Psalm as part of my preparation to say this Penitential Rosary.
- Of David.
- A
- The LORD is my light and my salvation;
- Whom should I fear?
- The LORD is my life’s refuge;
- Of whom should I be afraid?
- 2 When evildoers come at me
- to devour my flesh,^*^b
- These are my enemies and foes
- They stumble and fall.
- 3 Though an army encamps against me,
- My heart does not fear;
- Though war be waged against me,
- Even then, I trust.
- II
- 4 One thing I ask of the LORD;
- this I seek: To dwell in the LORD’s house
- all the days of my life,
- To gaze on the LORD’s beauty,
- to visit his temple.^c
- 5 For God will hide me in his shelter
- in time of trouble,^d
- He will conceal me in the cover of his tent;
- and set me high upon a rock.
- 6 Even now, my head is held high
- above my enemies on every side!
- I will offer in his tent
- sacrifices with shouts of joy;
- I will sing and chant praise to the LORD.
- B
- 7 Hear my voice, LORD, when I call;
- Have mercy on me and answer me.
- 8 “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face”;^*
- your face, LORD, do I seek!^e
- 9 Do not hide your face from me;
- Do not repel your servant in anger.
- You are my salvation; do not cast me off;
- Do not forsake me, God, my savior!
- 10Even if my Father and mother forsake me,
- The LORD will take me in
- II
- 11 LORD, show me your way;
- lead me on a level path
- because of my enemies.^g
- 12 Do not abandon me to the desire of my foes;
- Malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me.
- 13 I believe I shall see the LORD’s goodness
- in the land of the living.^*^h
- 14 Wait for the LORD, take courage;
- Be stouthearted, wait for the LORD! (www.usccb.org)
Be contemplative (you and your companions) and don’t use “word jamming without assimilation.”

THE KEY EXPLANATIONS: You will notice that there are three elements to each bead:

ROSARY: The prayer of the Sorrowful Mystery I say on each bead.

COMMENTARY, where I offer a meditation on my customized Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. This section explains how I have customized the Rosary to be unique to the Rosary Cistercian Way. I provide the information below for your reference. I don’t recite the Commentary section when praying my Rosary of reparation.

DEDICATION OR CONSECRATION OF A BEAD TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS. I do not usually share this personal designation, but keep it “in pectore,” within my heart.

THE PENITENTIAL ROSARY OF REPARATION AND RESTITUTION

ROSARY: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

COMMENTARY: Recently, I have been experiencing an urge to connect everything using the Christ Principle. By that, I mean that when I sign myself with the Cross and dedicate it to the Trinity, I am conscious that it is the same Cross that was made on my forehead on September 29, 1940, at my baptism, one that is tattooed irrevocably on my spirit. I am aware that all prayers in the Catholic Church begin with this sign of the Cross. I have tried to take a few minutes before each prayer time to be present to Christ, placing myself in the proper spiritual frame to wait and receive what follows. I find that this deceptively simple act of silence and solitude awakens all those connections with Christ I have made in the past and builds on what is already there (capacitas dei). Every prayer begins with a salutation to the Trinity. It ends with Christ as mediator to the Father, doing what no human could ever do, claiming inheritance as an adopted son or daughter of the Father. I am beginning to treat each prayer, and especially this Penitential Rosary, as the last one I will ever offer to the Trinity in reparation for my sins. I have a Benedictine medal on my Cross to keep me protected from the Wiley One.

I have incorporated the Lectio Divina into my Penitential Rosary by customizing my day, using a conversational chat with my four companions between recitation of the beads, and then adding a ten to fifteen minute contemplation in silence of the upper room of my inner self with my four companions in Faith, Hope, and Love after each decade.

CONTEMPLATION: Sit in the presence of Christ and wait.

ROSARY: The Apostles 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 life everlasting.

Amen.

ROSARY: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Commentary: I dedicate this bead to my four horsemen of my Endtime, my four companions that are with me each day as I come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that I might have life in His name (John 20). They are, in this order:

Holy Mary, Mother of God, who wraps me in the blanket that overshadowed her to protect me from evil (and from my own inclinations to believe my false self and its promises) and intercedes with Jesus, her Son, to tell him to be merciful to me, a sinner.
St. Joseph, who guided the Holy Family to safety and keeps me safe on the road again (most of the time).
St. Michael, my patron and protector, whom I have asked to watch my 6. (St. Michael doesn’t suffer fools gladly.)
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior to whom I cannot raise my eyes, only muttering, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Do you notice something odd here? Why do I have Jesus as number four in my hierarchy of Mount Rushmore heroes? Shouldn’t Jesus be first because He is God? I thought that way, too, until, in one of my Lectio Divina sessions in the upper room of my inner self, while entertaining the presence of the four, Jesus leaned over and whispered to me.

“Michael, I am so glad you brought us here to share in your humanity. Would you do me a favor?”
“Yes, Master, anything you want,” I replied, gushingly. I was surprised that Jesus knew my name.
He continued very softly, “You would do me a great honor if you would change the priority of the four companions from putting me first to placing my name last. Would you do that for me?”
Stunned and flushed with blood in my cheeks, I stammered out, “My Lord, and My God,” thinking all the while of that other upper room where Thomas sought proof that Christ was there. I had goosebumps on my arms. I still get them to this day. All my companions just smiled that knowing look, telling me they knew I knew what had just happened and would happen forever.

ROSARY: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death, Amen. (Three times)

COMMENTARY: Having asked my four companions to pray for me and Christ to have mercy on me, as I recite this prayer of penance, I now petition Christ to bestow on me the energy of Faith, then Hope, and finally Love, so that I might be more worthy to be in the presence of Christ without becoming too embarrassed by my past inconsiderations.

CARDINAL VIRTUES: Recite Hail Mary for each of the Cardinal Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Love). I have asked my four companions to join me on this journey from my false self to my true self. Now I ask God’s grace to overshadow me as it sits in the upper room of my inner self and, in humility and obedience, wait for the Lord, then Do What He Tells Me. I need God’s energy to sustain me.

ROSARY: Recite: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever will be, world without end. Amen.

COMMENTARY: This is the last in the introduction beads before I begin my reflections on the Passion of Christ and how I have contributed to it by my Sloth and Disrespect of Philippians 2:5-12. With this bead, I ask for the prayers of the whole Church Universal for me, the Body of Christ.

DEDICATION: I say this dedicated bead as a member of the Body of Christ for all the popes from Peter through Pope Leo XIV, asking God to give them what they need to keep the Bark of Peter afloat and to patch up all the holes in the hull, ones that all the rowers in the world can’t fix, without Christ.

THE FIRST SORROWFUL MYSTERY: THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN

The Agony in the Garden — in reparation for my sins of neglect and thinking I was God (move over Adam and Eve).

ROSARY: Recite ten Hail Marys slowly, thinking of the following about you and Christ.

COMMENTARY: Focus on Christ’s agony in the Garden for my sins, and how I repaid him too many times with spiritual sloth. Jesus cried out to the Father, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” My prayer is “My God, My God, Why have I forsaken you. Have mercy on me, a sinner.” Say it between each bead, as I do. Take your time with this. Make this rosary, and indeed, all of our prayers, the last ones we say before meeting Christ for our accounting of stewardship.

CONTEMPLATION: Wait until He tells you what to do, then make ready to do it.

THE SECOND SORROWFUL MYSTERY: THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR.

ROSARY: Recite the Our Father.

The Scourging at the Pillar — for everyone I ever saw or met in my life, including movie stars, politicians, and those whom I have offended by my arrogance. May they be loosed from their sins.

ROSARY: Recite ten Hail Marys slowly, thinking of the following about you and Christ.

COMMENTARY: I focus on Christ’s scourging at the pillar, all for my sins, and how I repaid him too many times with spiritual sloth. Jesus cried out to the Father, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” My prayer is “My God, My God, Why have I forsaken you. Have mercy on me, a sinner.” I now add, “I am the one who whips you, Jesus, with my heart being far from you. Have mercy on me, a penitent Catholic.”

CONTEMPLATION: Listen for the heartbeat of Christ next to you.

This Penitential Rosary is to make real the words of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Akita, to focus on reparation for my sins and pray unceasingly for others to be loosed from their sins.

THE THIRD SORROWFUL MYSTERY: THE CROWNING WITH THORNS

ROSARY: Recite the Our Father.

DEDICATION: The Crowning with Thorns — For all monks and nuns and dedicated Laity, Cistercian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian; for my teachers and all those who have helped me in my medical trauma. May God have mercy on all of us.

ROSARY: Recite ten Hail Marys slowly, thinking of the following about you and Christ.

This Penitential Rosary is to make real the words of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Akita, to focus on reparation for my sins and pray unceasingly for others to be loosed from their sins. It is all about being present to Jesus with the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and St. Michael, and “Doing what he tells me.”

CONTEMPLATION: Wait in the presence of Mary, St. Joseph, St Michael, and Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

THE FOURTH SORROWFUL MYSTERY: JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS.

ROSARY: Recite the Our Father.

DEDICATION: Jesus Carries His Cross — Unite me with all those in the Church Universal who are in Purgatory, on Earth, and in Heaven, to the glory of God.

ROSARY: Recite ten Hail Marys slowly, thinking of the following about you and Christ.

COMMENTARY: I focus on Christ being crowned, and I think of all the time I have caused a painful headache for Jesus, because of all my Seven Deadly Sins, and how I repaid him too many times with spiritual sloth. Jesus cried out to the Father, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” My prayer is “My God, My God, Why have I forsaken you. Have mercy on me, a sinner.” I now add, “I am the one who whips you, Jesus, with my heart being far from you. Have mercy on me, a penitent Catholic.” To that I add, “Most of my life has been replacing the mind of Christ Jesus with my own. I woke up. The Holy Spirit told me what and who I was in the sight of God. It scared the Hell out of me. I thought of all the dissonance caused by the Golden Calf, rather than the Ten Commandments. All I can say is: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I am the Cross, along with all the Church Universal, that Christ carried just so that I could say, “Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” To all of the above penitential statements, I humbly add, “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.Â Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.“

CONTEMPLATION: Sit next to Jesus in silence and solitude and wait.

THE FIFTH SORROWFUL MYSTERY: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS.

ROSARY: Recite the Our Father.

DEDICATION: Jesus Dies on the Cross– All those who are or have even been humans, that they be loosed from their sins and have eternal light shine on them. All humans are the good, the bad, and the ugly, without my judging who goes to Heaven or not. This is above my pay grade.

ROSARY: Recite ten Hail Marys slowly, thinking of the following about you and Christ.

COMMENTARY: I focus on Christ being crowned, and I think of all the time I have caused a painful headache for Jesus, because of all my Seven Deadly Sins, and how I repaid him too many times with spiritual sloth. Jesus cried out to the Father, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” My prayer is “My God, My God, Why have I forsaken you. Have mercy on me, a sinner.” I now add, “I am the one who whips you, Jesus, with my heart being far from you. Have mercy on me, a penitent Catholic.” To that I add, “Most of my life has been replacing the mind of Christ Jesus with my own. I woke up. The Holy Spirit told me what and who I was in the sight of God. It scared the Hell out of me. I thought of all the dissonance caused by the Golden Calf, rather than the Ten Commandments. All I can say is: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The reason Jesus came was to allow me to choose to move to the highest level of my evolution, one where I must choose to do so rather than remain a part of the ongoing consciousness and complexity of nature. God made me in His Image and Likeness to walk the Way of Jesus, taking up my Cross, dying on my Cross each day to my false self so that I could participate in the Resurrection of All reality to its rightful order and purpose. My final addition is: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.”

CONTEMPLATION: Take the Cross of this rosary and hold it as the price Christ paid for your sins (Philippians 2:5-12) and the way of the Cross that you and I must walk in humility and obedience, to fulfill in me what Christ fulfilled for the Father.

PRAYER: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. The God who is, who was, and who is to come at the end of the ages. (Cistercian doxology)

Category: contemplative prayer

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PENITENTIAL PRACTICES AS INSPIRED BY OUR LADY OF AKITA: My customized Rosary of Reparation and Restitution and Lectio Divina.

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