Rosary Prayer Book
Gaetane Eary
The repetition in the Rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer related to each Mystery. The gentle repetition of the words helps us to enter into the silence of our hearts, where Christ's spirit dwells. The Rosary can be said privately or with a group.
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. [Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.'] They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, 'He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.' Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, 'If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.' Above him there was an inscription that read, 'This is the King of the Jews.' Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, 'Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.' The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, 'Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' He replied to him, 'Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'
But the idea persisted. I felt guilty for not wanting to do it while at the same time feeling like I did want to do it. Not wanting it to be an obligation; I wanted to do it in love. I started with a weekly Rosary and began having some lovely prayer experiences. This summer when I found my life upended, I started praying it daily. It became an important part of each day.
Newly pregnant, Mary walks several days to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth greets her with great joy and Mary exclaims her Magnificat. While knowing that all will call her blessed, she spends several months serving Elizabeth. I imagine her performing the tasks of life so that Elizabeth, in her third trimester when the physical burden of pregnancy is greatest, can rest. Despite her own possible exhaustion and morning sickness, she serves her cousin. I imagine them at the end of the day sitting together and sharing their feelings about these two miraculous babies. I pray that I can serve as Mary did.
Jesus went about the land preaching the coming of the kingdom of heaven. He healed the sick and cast out demons. I imagine the awe of the people watching this man proclaim the importance of repenting of our sins as he healed people of their paralysis or leprosy. He preached about love and forgiveness. We too need healing and repentance. I pray for the ability to be humbly and genuinely sorry for my sins against others and against the God who loves me and made me.
Jesus did as he foretold, he rose from death, thus securing for us everlasting life in heaven with him and his father. An angel greets the women who went to visit him. He gives them this good news. They see him on their way to Galilee and he tells them to tell the disciples of his resurrection. I imagine the joy they feel when they see the one they love living again, the celebration of the disciples and Mary when they are able to touch him and talk to him. I pray for faith that I too may one day be with Jesus in heaven.
The apostles and Mary are hiding in the upper room in fear of the future. When the Holy Spirit, the Advocate Jesus said he would send, comes to them, they are filled with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are the gifts they need to go out into the world and spread the Good News of the Gospel: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. We receive these same gifts at our baptism and confirmation. I pray that I can use these gifts to share the love of Jesus and the story of his Good News.
Mary is taken to heaven to her rightful place with Jesus where she intercedes for us in prayer. I imagine her excitement at being with her son again, and her pleasure at being in heaven with God. I pray for her intercession and help in growing closer to Jesus, while asking her to help me love him more. She will keep pointing the way toward her son.
Thank you for these meditations. I was asked to lead the Rosary for a 23 year old young man who died unexpectedly. There were many non-Catholics there. I used your Glorious Mysteries meditations and received many comments on how beautiful and meaningful it was. A former Catholic told me she dreaded attending the Rosary, but hearing the meditations, it had touched her and gave her a new perspective.
I would like to ask permission to use these meditations for our staff rosary on September 14th. If everyone who is invited shows up there will be about 60 people who will hear these meditations. Please let me know if this would be permissible. Thanks.
Please consider reading about Fatima and what lies ahead. Also please go to Sensus Fidelium on YouTube. You will begin to learn the fullness of the Faith from these exceptional and highly intelligent Latin Rite Priests. The luminous mysteries were not given to us by our Blessed Mother.
But does Jesus mean to exclude the possibility of devotions like the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet which repeat prayers? No, he does not. This becomes evident when, in the very next verses of Matthew 6, Jesus says,
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: 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 debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
The purpose of the Rosary is to help keep in memory certain principal events in the history of our salvation. There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary, and these are divided into the five Joyful Mysteries (said on Monday and Saturday), the five Luminous Mysteries (said on Thursday), the five Sorrowful Mysteries (said on Tuesday and Friday), and the five Glorious Mysteries (said on Wednesday and Sunday). As an exception, the Joyful Mysteries may be said on Sundays during Advent and Christmas, while the Sorrowful Mysteries may be said on the Sundays of Lent.
There is also a manner of praying the Rosary according to the Order of Preachers, which is more ancient, although identical to the normal Roman Catholic manner, except that the introductory prayers are based on the opening prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours. This harkens to the idea that the Rosary was "the layperson's breviary."
As we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, Reverend Ismael N. Ayala, Associate Rector and Director of Liturgy at the Basilica, offers a reflection on the practice of praying the Rosary.
The Rosary is a meditative prayer that can transform hearts and change lives. The Rosary is our prayer to God through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. When we gather for a funeral vigil, family and friends gather to pray the Rosary. It offers us peace of mind. When a close friend of mine learned that a family member fell ill, he prayed the Rosary, offering his worries and prayer intentions to God. As we meditate on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, be it the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, or Luminous mysteries, we reflect on Scripture and enter key moments of the life of Jesus Christ. And the closer we dwell on the love of God for us, the more our own faith, hope, love for, and trust in God increases.
Praying the Rosary allows us to encounter Mary and to enter the mysteries of Jesus Christ. From his Incarnation, to the Cross, to the Resurrection, we come to understand that God has revealed himself and saved us. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, continue to inspire us to a life of discipleship.
According to pious Catholic tradition, in the 13th century, Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to St. Dominic de Guzman, gave him a Rosary, and asked that instead of praying the Psalms on the beads or knots, the faithful pray the Hail Mary, the Our Father, and the Glory Be.
Fifteen decades made up the original Dominican Rosary, but it was later abbreviated. A decade refers to ten Hail Marys preceded by the Our Father and ending with a Glory Be. Today, most Catholics use the five-decade Rosary and its set of Rosary prayers.
Both the divinity and humanity of Jesus are presented in these mysteries. Only God could be born of a virgin, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven, and yet only a man could be born, get lost, be found, suffer, and die.
Sacraments were instituted by Christ, whereas devotions are classified as sacramentals, meaning they were created by the Church. The seven sacraments confer sanctifying grace to the soul, meaning they make it holy. Sacramentals, on the other hand, confer actual grace to the soul, which encourages and enables the person to do good deeds.
Likewise, the Stations of the Cross, a traditional Lenten devotion, should never be celebrated during adoration of the Holy Eucharist or in the middle of Mass, but it can be said before or after Mass. And adoration of the Holy Eucharist should be separate from Mass to differentiate the two.
Every time I get on an airplane, I pray the rosary. Flying is nerve-racking for me, even after several years of routine air travel. Praying the rosary comforts me and keeps me calm: I feel protected and able to trust that the plane will be a safe place for me, no matter what happens.
Some people would probably find that surprising. The rosary is not a particularly common devotion for Episcopalians. In fact, the invention of the so-called Anglican rosary in the latter half of the last century was intended to give Episcopalians a way of praying with beads without being associated with anything that seemed too Roman Catholic.
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