The Holy Rosary is a Trinitarian prayer which is teaching us a way of life as it is the story of our salvation, of the divine grace’s encounter with humans through His son, Jesus Christ. The mysteries helps us to understand the realities of our own life redemption, our birth, our struggles while growing, our search for joys, our steadfastness in dealing with pain, our death, and eternal life.
From the life of the apostles and disciples down to this generation, the God’s Prayer and the Angelic Salutation (Hail Mary), the first prayer and devotion this world has come to know. It was only in 1214 when Mother Mary, accompanied by angels, visited Saint Dominic in his unceasing prayer to give him the Rosary, and gave it to the Church as a weapon to reform the world. The prayer became his preparation for his sermons as he preached the essence of the Lord’s Prayer and the Angelic Salutation by using examples and comparisons of our daily lives.
Importance of Rosary
The Rosary is the prayer the Blessed Virgin Mary has given the world centuries ago to meditate on the life of her son. The mysteries of the Rosary are based on the incidents in the Savior’s life with the Mother Mary, His apostles, and His miracles. By praying the rosary, we commemorate the life and miracles of the Savior and we appreciate the blessings and mercy of God.
The Rosary is divided into four parts of five decades for special reasons:
- To honor the Holy Trinity;
- To honor the life, death, and glory of Jesus Christ;
- To help the members of the Church lessen pain and suffering;
- To imitate the three groups of Psalms; and
- To grace us in abundance in our lifetime and the next.
The History of Rosary
Miracles of the Holy Rosary
In the holy image of Our Blessed Mother, and in many miraculous days she had visited mankind, the Holy Rosary appeared between her hands folded in prayer. St. Bernard of Clairvaux once said that when we are troubled, we should call upon Mary, as she will protect us from harm, shelter us from the storm, and console us in times of loneliness, and that it is in Her that we find our way to our Mighty Savior. Truly the power of the Holy Rosary is beyond description, even when attested by its astounding miracles.
Marches in Brazil
A group of women, led by Dona Amelia Bastos, rallied in Sao Paulo praying the Holy Rosary to overthrow their, then, communist president, Joao Goulart. After their successful crusade, they marched once again in thanksgiving to the Blessed Mother and God.
The Vision of Alphonsus
The King of Leon and Galicia, Alphonsus had a vision that he was condemned to live an eternal life in hell when Our Lady announced that the Holy Rosary he constantly wore and those that were influenced by his practice weighed more than his sins.
Healing Fr. Peyton
Fr. Patrick Peyton was a devoted servant of the Lord who was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. His consecration to Mother Mary and dedication to praying the Holy Rosary cured his illness. He coined the phrase, “The family that prays together, stays together”.
Saved by the Rosary
Joseph Sunny Truman fortunately, missed a bomb explosion because he stopped to pick up a rosary on the ground. Years later, his great-grandson Private Glenn Hockton accidentally stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan while picking up his Holy Rosary. He stood still for 45 minutes praying the Holy Rosary while his colleagues diffused the mine.
Prayer for the Holy Rosary
- Make the sign of the cross and say the Apostle’s Creed while holding the crucifix.
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; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall 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. - Say the Lord’s Prayer on the first large bead.
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. - Recite the Hail Mary on the small beads.
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. - Say the Glory Be on the next large bead.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. - Recite the Fatima’s Prayer after the Glory Be.
O my Jesus, forgive us of our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls into heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. - Announce the mystery on the large beads, followed by the Lord’s Prayer.
Repeat the steps for the rest of the mysteries. - Close the prayer with Hail Holy Queen while holding the medal.
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy. Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To you do we cry poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy towards us; and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of your 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.
Source:
The Mysteries of the Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries (Mondays and Saturdays)
The Annunciation: The Archangel Gabriel “announces” to Mary that she shall conceive the Son of God.
The Visitation: Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.
The Nativity: Jesus is born.
The Presentation: Mary and Joseph “present” Jesus in the Temple where they meet Simeon.
The Finding in the Temple: After losing Him, Mary and Joseph find young Jesus teaching the Rabbis in the Temple.
The Luminous Mysteries (The Mysteries of Light) (Thursdays)
The Baptism in the Jordan: The voice of the Father declares Jesus the beloved Son.
The Wedding at Cana: Christ changes water into wine, his first public miracle.
The Proclamation of the Kingdom: Jesus calls to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him.
The Transfiguration: The glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ.
The Institution of the Eucharist: Jesus offers the first Mass at the Last Supper with his apostles, establishing the sacramental foundation for all Christian living.
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays and Fridays)
The Agony in the Garden: Jesus sweats water and blood while praying the night before his passion.
The Scourging at the Pillar: Pilate has Jesus whipped.
The Crowning with Thorns: Roman soldiers crown Jesus’ head with thorns.
The Carrying of the Cross: Jesus meets His mother and falls three times on the way up Calvary.
The Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies before His mother and His apostle John.
The Glorious Mysteries (Wednesdays and Sundays)
The Resurrection: Jesus rises from the dead.
The Ascension: Jesus leaves the Apostles and bodily “ascends” to heaven.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit: The Apostles receive the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire in the upper room with Mary.
The Assumption: Mary is taken bodily–assumed–into heaven by God at the end of her life here on earth.
The Coronation: Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.