guide | the rosary
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the rosary is a prayer said on a string of beads. while a few short prayers repeat, you go through the life of Jesus one scene at a time, from the angel's visit to Mary to the resurrection, with Mary beside you. John Paul II called it a "compendium of the gospel": twenty short scenes that together hold the whole story.
you don't need to know much to start.
→ why the repetition
ten hail Marys in a row can sound boring. John Paul II answers with an image from love: people in love say "i love you" over and over, and it's never quite the same twice, because the feeling behind it is alive. the words stay the same so the heart doesn't have to look for new ones, and can stay on Him.
but doesn't Jesus warn against repeating words? in Matthew 6:7 He says: "when you pray, don't babble on and on as the Gentiles do. they think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again." what He criticizes is empty words, piled up to wear God down. He doesn't forbid repetition: in Gethsemane He prayed a third time, "saying the same things again" (Matthew 26:44). Psalm 136 repeats "His faithful love endures forever" twenty-six times, and in Revelation 4:8 the living beings keep saying "holy, holy, holy" day after day and night after night. the Catechism (2668) says that a name repeated "by a humbly attentive heart" is not "heaping up empty phrases". the rosary becomes vain repetition only when the heart is somewhere else.
→ what you need
a rosary. you can count on your fingers, but holding something helps: the beads keep your hands busy and tell you where you are, so you don't have to count.
a rosary has two parts:
* a short strand hanging from the loop: the crucifix, 1 large bead, 3 small beads. this is where you start.
✝ ● ○ ○ ○
* the loop: five decades, one after the other. a decade is 1 large bead and 10 small ones.
● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
on the large beads you say an our father, on the small ones a hail Mary.
the beads all lead back to the crucifix, where the prayer starts and ends. John Paul II reads this as a picture of the christian life: everything starts from Christ and leads back to Him.
→ step by step
1. make the sign of the cross.
2. holding the crucifix, say the apostles' creed.
3. on the first large bead, say an our father.
4. on each of the next three beads, say a hail Mary.
5. say a glory be.
6. then, for each of the five decades:
⭢ announce the mystery and read its passage (below)
⭢ an our father on the large bead
⭢ a hail Mary on each of the ten small beads
⭢ a glory be
⭢ the Fatima prayer, if you want
7. after the fifth decade, say the hail holy queen and the closing prayer, then make the sign of the cross.
→ each decade, slowly
the steps above are only the frame. the praying happens inside each decade, and John Paul II describes how:
* announce the mystery and picture the scene: the place, the people, what's happening.
* read the short passage that goes with it.
* stay silent for a moment before starting the words.
* say the hail Marys without rushing them. in the middle of each one is the name of Jesus, which John Paul II calls "the centre of gravity" of the prayer. if your mind wanders, go back to the scene, not to the count.
* you don't have to hold the mystery, the words and your intentions in mind all at once. the main thing is to be with Him. you can ask Him: "what are You saying to me?"
* at the end, ask for the grace that mystery points to (its "fruit", listed with each one below).
→ the mysteries and their days
⭢ monday, saturday joyful
⭢ tuesday, friday sorrowful
⭢ wednesday, sunday glorious
⭢ thursday luminous
on the sundays of Advent many pray the joyful mysteries, and on the sundays of Lent the sorrowful ones. today's set is marked below. each mystery has a short passage from Scripture (the ones suggested by the US bishops) and the grace to ask for.
↳ joyful mysteries // monday and saturday
1. the annunciation
Luke 1:26-27
26 in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27 to a virgin named Mary.
She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of king David.
fruit: humility 2. the visitation
Luke 1:39-42
39 a few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town
40 where Zechariah lived.
She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.
41 at the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within Her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed."
fruit: love of neighbor 3. the nativity
Luke 2:1-7
1 at that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
2 (this was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 all returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
4 and because Joseph was a descendant of king David, He had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home.
He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
5 He took with Him Mary, to whom He was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
6 and while they were there, the time came for Her baby to be born.
7 She gave birth to Her firstborn son.
She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
fruit: poverty 4. the presentation in the temple
Luke 2:21-24
21 eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, He was named Jesus, the name given Him by the angel even before He was conceived.
22 then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so His parents took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.
23 the law of the Lord says, "if a woman's first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord."
24 so they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord, "either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
fruit: purity of heart and body 5. the finding in the temple
Luke 2:41-47
41 every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.
42 when Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual.
43 after the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.
His parents didn't miss Him at first,
44 because they assumed He was among the other travelers.
but when He didn't show up that evening, they started looking for Him among their relatives and friends.
45 when they couldn't find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for Him there.
46 three days later they finally discovered Him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions.
47 all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
fruit: devotion to Jesus ↳ luminous mysteries // thursday
1. the baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:16-17
16 after His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on Him.
17 and a voice from Heaven said, "this is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy."
fruit: openness to the Holy Spirit 2. the wedding feast of Cana
John 2:1-5
1 the next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee.
Jesus' mother was there,
2 and Jesus and His disciples were also invited to the celebration.
3 the wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus' mother told Him, "they have no more wine."
4 "dear woman, that's not our problem," Jesus replied.
"My time has not yet come."
5 but His mother told the servants, "do whatever He tells you."
fruit: to Jesus through Mary 3. the proclamation of the Kingdom, with the call to conversion
Mark 1:15
15 "the time promised by God has come at last!" He announced.
"the Kingdom of God is near!
repent of your sins and believe the Good News!"
fruit: conversion 4. the transfiguration
Matthew 17:1-2
1 six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone.
2 as the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light.
fruit: desire for holiness 5. the institution of the Eucharist
Matthew 26:26
26 as they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it.
then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "take this and eat it, for this is My body."
fruit: adoration ↳ sorrowful mysteries // tuesday and friday
1. the agony in the garden
Matthew 26:36-39
36 then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and He said, "sit here while I go over there to pray."
37 He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and He became anguished and distressed.
38 He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.
stay here and keep watch with Me."
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, "My Father!
if it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me.
yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine."
fruit: obedience to God's will 2. the scourging at the pillar
Matthew 27:26
26 so Pilate released Barabbas to them.
he ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned Him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
fruit: mortification 3. the crowning with thorns
Matthew 27:27-29
27 some of the governor's soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment.
28 they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on His head, and they placed a reed stick in His right hand as a scepter.
then they knelt before Him in mockery and taunted, "hail! King of the Jews!"
fruit: courage 4. the carrying of the cross
Mark 15:21-22
21 a passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced Him to carry Jesus' cross.
(Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)
22 and they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means "place of the skull").
fruit: patience 5. the crucifixion
Luke 23:33-46
33 when they came to a place called the Skull, they nailed Him to the cross.
and the criminals were also crucified, one on His right and one on His left.
34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."
and the soldiers gambled for His clothes by throwing dice.
35 the crowd watched and the leaders scoffed.
"He saved others," they said, "let Him save Himself if He is really God's Messiah, the Chosen One."
36 the soldiers mocked Him, too, by offering Him a drink of sour wine.
37 they called out to Him, "if You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!"
38 a sign was fastened above Him with these words: "this is the King of the Jews."
39 one of the criminals hanging beside Him scoffed, "so You're the Messiah, are You?
prove it by saving Yourself, and us, too, while You're at it!"
40 but the other criminal protested, "don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?
41 we deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong."
42 then He said, "Jesus, remember Me when You come into Your Kingdom."
43 and Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise."
44 by this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.
45 the light from the sun was gone.
and suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.
46 then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust My spirit into Your hands!"
and with those words He breathed His last.
fruit: sorrow for our sins ↳ glorious mysteries // wednesday and sunday
1. the resurrection
Luke 24:1-5
1 but very early on sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
2 they found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
3 so they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 as they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 the women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground.
then the men asked, "why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?"
fruit: faith 2. the ascension
Mark 16:19
19 when the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, He was taken up into Heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.
fruit: hope 3. the descent of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:1-4
1 on the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.
2 suddenly, there was a sound from Heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
3 then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.
4 and everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
fruit: wisdom 4. the assumption
Luke 1:48-49
48 for He took notice of His lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call Me blessed.
49 for the Mighty One is holy,
and He has done great things for Me.
fruit: devotion to Mary 5. the coronation of Mary, queen of Heaven and earth
Revelation 12:1
1 then I witnessed in Heaven an event of great significance.
I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath Her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on Her head.
fruit: grace of a happy death