Rosary
We pray the Rosary to tell our Holy Mother Mary that we love her!
Each ‘Hail Mary’ is an exclamation: “Mary, my Mother, I love you!“
Praying the Rosary means to speak to our Holy Mother in the most loving and tender way we can offer her as humans. As we repeat the Archangel Gabriel’s words with each ‘Hail Mary’, we commemorate the most joyful mystery in Mary’s life — the Annunciation and the following conception of the Son of God in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit.
By praying the Rosary, we:
— Show our acknowledgment and appreciation of God’s action of choosing Mary to be the Mother of God and our spiritual Mother.
— Express our gratitude for Mary’s most perfect responsiveness to God’s grace and accepting God’s call.
— Praise Mary with the same words God addressed her when sending the angel: ‘Full of grace.’
— Emphasize God’s Goodness on behalf of all mankind for giving His Son for our salvation.
— Ask for her help and support (like we call ‘Mama’ on our earthly mothers to be lifted when we fall as children or to be comforted when we fear people or situations).
— Place our trust in the power of Mary’s intercession and protection through her Son: “... blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.”
— Acknowledge Mary’s power as Queen of Heaven and earth and her protection against powers of evil and hell during our earthly journey and at the hour of our death.
Mary is our spiritual Mother. ‘Mama’ is the very first word that comes out from the lips of almost each infant as they start to speak. The same way, we shall always run to Mary as our defense and cry out: “Mama Mary: help me!”
Mary was chosen by God and entrusted with the mission to bring to the world the Word of God made flesh — our Savior Jesus Christ, to support Him during his earthly journey and to support us as her spiritual children.
Mary was entrusted to give birth to Jesus (as the woman among all women on earth past present and future throughout all generations of mankind on earth).
Mary was the first human being the new-born Baby Jesus saw when He opened His little eyes in her arms in the stable of Bethlehem.
‘Mama’ was the first word He pronounced as a child to Mary.
Mary was raising Jesus and always living in His Presence (in the Presence of God alone) — she was the first adorer of Jesus already when He was in her womb and throughout her life on earth.
Jesus was obedient to Mary and St. Joseph.
Jesus gave Mary to us as our mother on the Cross.
And because God Himself chose Mary, we shall follow Him and be obedient to Mary like He was.
Thus:
— Always choose Mary (as God chose her) because through her intercessions and prayers for us, she gives birth to us for God (delivering us from dangers of this world and from sin)!
— Mary raises us up for Christ, she grows us in virtue as soon as we commit ourselves to her.
— We shall always be obedient to her, respect her, and love her like Jesus did.
— We shall accept her as our Mother (as Jesus gave her to us as our Mother on the Cross) and then give Mary to our brothers and sisters in faith or outside the Church to all those who don’t realize the greatness of her intercession and power over the evil of this world and her powerful strength in requesting our salvation with her Son, and our Lord.
Why do we pray the Rosary regularly?
According to St. Louis de Montfort, each ‘Hail Mary’ is like a rose we send to our Most Blessed Mother Mary. Who would not want to offer millions of roses to our earthly mothers for all the love and care they have continually been giving us? How much more are we obliged to our Holy Mother Mary for interceding for us and leading us to our Lord Jesus.
Why pray Rosary with your family/ church community?
St. Louis de Montfort teaches us that an army is stronger and more successful than one single soldier in a battle. Accordingly, the strength and blessings from Rosary prayers in the Church community/ family are multiplied when said with joined forces. Also, the intentions we offer with our Rosary are multiplied by the number of the Rosary soldiers praying together with us.
Blessed Pius IX said: “If I had an army to say the Rosary I could conquer the world.”
How to pray the Rosary
1. On the crucifix (cross), make the sign of the cross and pray 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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, He 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.
2. On the next (large) bead, pray the ‘Our Father’
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.
3. On the following three small beads, pray three ‘Hail Marys’
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.
4. On the chain, pray the ‘Glory Be’
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
5. On the large bead, start the first mystery and pray the ‘Our Father’
What are the mysteries?
There are four types of mysteries: joyful, sorrowful, glorious, and luminous. Each commemorates different stages of Christ’s life and ministry on earth.
Each type of mysteries consists of five decades (prayed on the five 10-bead-long sections of the Rosary).
Depending on the weekday, the Church commemorates a different type of mysteries, as follows:
a) Mondays and Saturdays we pray the Joyful Mysteries which remind us of Christ’s birth and the early years of His life:
— The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) (First decade, i.e., first 10 beads on the Rosary)
— The Visitation (Luke 1:39-56) (Second decade, i.e., second 10 beads on the Rosary)
— The Nativity (Luke 2:1-21) (Third decade, i.e., third 10 beads on the Rosary)
— The Presentation in the temple (Luke 2:22-38) (Fourth decade, i.e., fourth 10 beads on the Rosary)
— The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) (Fifth, i.e., fifth 10 beads on the Rosary)
b) Tuesdays and Fridays we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries which remind us of Jesus’ Passion and Death:
— The Agony of Jesus in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-56)
— The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26)
— The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-31)
— The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:32)
— The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56)
c) Wednesdays and Sundays we pray the Glorious Mysteries which recall the Resurrection of Jesus and the glories of heaven:
— The Resurrection (John 20:1-29)
— The Ascension (Luke 24:36-53)
— The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-41)
— The Assumption of Mary, the Mother of God, into heaven
— The Coronation of Mary in heaven.
d) Thursdays we pray the Luminous Mysteries (also known as the Mysteries of Light), which have been introduced by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002:
— The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan (Matthew 3:13-16)
— The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-11)
— The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15)
— The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8)
— The Institution of the Holy Eucharist (Matthew 26).
6. Skip the medallion, and on the ten beads after that, pray a ‘Hail Mary’ on each bead (commemorating the mysteries); and on the chain pray a ‘Glory Be’
After ‘Glory Be’ at the end of each decade the Fatima Prayer is usually added before the next ‘Our Father’ starts the next decade.
Fatima Prayer: O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those that most need Thy mercy. Amen.
7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 four more times to finish the next four decades of the Rosary
8. At the end of the Rosary pray the ‘Hail Holy Queen’ and ‘O God’
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 unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
9. Finish the Rosary with the sign of the Cross and ‘In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit’