This article, dedicated to the Holy Rosary, could only begin with a moving testimony from Saint John Paul II on the practice of daily reciting this prayer. Contemplation of the mysteries of the Rosary, in fact, can be considered by each of us as an authentic path to sanctification, says Saint John Paul II himself. Here is the testimony:
Since my youth, this prayer has had an important place in my spiritual life. The Rosary accompanied me in moments of joy and trials. I confided so many worries to him; I have always found comfort in him. The Rosary is my favorite prayer. Wonderful prayer! Wonderful in its simplicity and depth.
(Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae)
Prayer of the Holy Rosary
It is said that the prayer of the Holy Rosary did not emerge with the structure as it is today. Over the centuries, this ancient practice of prayer underwent several transformations while it was being spread among Catholic Christians around the world. It is worth remembering that this simple prayer had never encountered resistance among Catholics, on the contrary, its captivating simplicity always reached the hearts and lives of the faithful who sought a true spirituality, one that pointed them towards heaven.
According to an enormously widespread explanation, the Rosary was inspired by the lives of monks. The lay faithful, upon observing the practice of continuous prayer of the 150 psalms that the monks performed within monasteries and convents, began to want to imitate them in some way. As many did not know how to read or did not have enough time to carry out this monastic practice, instead of 150 psalms, these faithful began to pray 150 Hail Marys.
Subsequently, the 150 Hail Marys were divided into groups of 50 Hail Marys (third), which, in turn, were subdivided into groups of 10 Hail Marys (each ten of the mysteries). This even explains the name of that object that is commonly used in this prayer practice, that is, the “chaplet”. Therefore, it is made up of 50 Hail Marys, that is, a third of the 150 Hail Marys that make up the complete rosary.
However, nowadays, the rosary no longer has 150 Hail Marys, but 200. This change was made recently, in 2002, by Pope Saint John Paul II. Through the apostolic letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” (The Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Pope strongly encouraged the addition of another group of 50 Hail Marys to the prayer of the Rosary (this new group was called “luminous mysteries”). However, the name of the prayer of 50 Hail Marys continued to be called “Chaplet” or “Holy Rosary”.
The mysteries of the Holy Rosary
Therefore, currently the complete prayer is composed of four Mysteries that recall the main episodes in the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, they are: the Joyful Mysteries (or mysteries of joy), the Sorrowful Mysteries (or mysteries of pain), the Glorious Mysteries (or mysteries of the glorification of Jesus) and, finally, the Luminous Mysteries (or mysteries of light).
There is no rule or imposition for daily prayer of these mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Each believer will be able to establish, according to his possibilities, the way that best fits into his life. For example, those who can can pray the four mysteries of the Holy Rosary each day. Those who do not have this availability can pray a single mystery (chaplet) per day. The most important thing is loyalty in .
With this in mind, Pope Saint John Paul II, in a very pedagogical way, suggested (not imposed) that each of the mysteries be prayed on specific days of the week. Therefore, the division was as follows: Monday and Saturday (Joyful Mysteries), Tuesday and Friday (Painful Mysteries), Wednesday and Sunday (Glorious Mysteries) and Thursday (Luminous Mysteries).
Something important must be said about the Holy Rosary: it can be prayed privately or in a group. Furthermore, the Rosary is a form of vocal or mental prayer, that is, it can be prayed mentally (without the presence of the voice) or in an audible voice. Each person and depending on the circumstances will discern which modality will be used to pray the Rosary. However, Saint Louis Maria Grignion de Montfort in his book “The admirable secret of the Holy Rosary” guides us to make an effort to unite vocal and mental prayer during the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
How to pray the holy rosary?
Now that we know a little more about the Holy Rosary, the time has come to practice it. Before starting the prayer itself, you can make a brief moment to express your intentions, perhaps a request, a thank you, the presentation of your intentions. This moment can be very spontaneous, however, there are several offering prayers already composed, for example:
Divine Jesus, I offer you this Chaplet, which I will pray, contemplating the mysteries of our Redemption. Grant me, through the intercession of Mary, your Most Holy Mother, to whom I address, the virtues that are necessary to pray it well and the grace to gain the indulgences attached to this holy devotion.
The Rosary prayer then begins with the sign of the cross:
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Then, holding the rosary cross, pray as follows:
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; which was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit; was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and buried; went down to the mansion of the dead; he rose again on the third day; ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Almighty Father, from where he will come to judge the living and the dead; I believe in the Holy Spirit, in the Holy Catholic Church, in the communion of Saints, in the remission of sins, in the resurrection of the flesh, in eternal life. Amen.”
On the first bead of the rosary (just after the cross), the prayer of:
“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; forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
We then move on to the 1st of the three smaller beads of the rosary. On each of these beads, a Hail Mary is said, giving a total of three Hail Marys. It is common to offer each of these Hail Marys to the people of the Holy Trinity, that is, one Hail Mary for the Father, another for the Son and the last for the . This prayer is prayed like this:
“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.”
This first part of the rosary concludes with the Glory-to-the-Father prayer as follows:
“Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, now and forever. Amen.”
From that moment on, the theme of the first Mystery is announced, for example: “In this first joyful mystery, I contemplate (we contemplate) the annunciation of the angel to the Virgin Mary”. (At the end of this article, I will leave the complete list of the four Mysteries of the Rosary).
After announcing the first mystery, one Our Father and ten Hail Marys are prayed. At the conclusion of the ten Hail Marys, the “Glory to the Father” is prayed again as mentioned above. Next, we pray a prayer that the Virgin Mary herself asked us to pray on the occasion of hers. Here is the prayer:
“O my Jesus, forgive us, deliver us from the fires of hell. Take all souls to heaven and help especially those who need it most.”
One or more ejaculations of the person praying’s preference can be inserted here. (ejaculatory prayers are very short prayers or invocations, for example: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us, who have recourse to You”, “Holy Mary, queen of heaven, pray for us”, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the my family is yours” etc.).
Then, the second mystery is announced and we proceed as in the previous mystery, praying one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory to the Father and ejaculation. In all five Mysteries of the Rosary, we proceed in the same way.
After completing the fifth mystery, the third is already heading towards its closure. To conclude it, the ancient prayer of “Hail the Queen” is prayed, which is commonly preceded by a brief prayer of thanksgiving. So, it looks like this:
“We give you infinite thanks, sovereign Queen, for the benefits that we receive every day from your liberal hands. Deign, now and forever, to take us under your powerful protection. And to oblige you further, we greet you with a Hail Queen”:
‘Hail Queen mother of mercy, life, sweetness and hope, ours! We cry out to you, the exiled children of Eve, to you we sigh, groaning and crying in this valley of tears, so, our advocate, turn those merciful eyes of yours to us; and after this exile, show us Jesus, blessed fruit of your womb, o clement, o pious, o sweet ever virgin Mary. Pray for us, Holy Mother of God, so that we may be worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen!”
The Holy Rosary, then, ends as it began with the sign of the cross:
“In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!”
If the person praying wants to continue with the other mysteries in the sequence, the final thanks and the Hail Queen can be prayed only after the last mystery contemplated, that is, the person can pray all four rosaries (or the four Mysteries) then, there is no need to pray the Hail Queen at the end of each meditated rosary.
Read more:
Tips for praying the rosary
In summary, the structure of the Holy Rosary looks like this:
1) Initial prayer and/or intentions;
2) Sign of the cross;
3) I believe;
4) One Our Father and three Hail Marys;
5) Glory-to-the-Father;
6) Announcement of the mystery, followed by an Our Father and ten Hail Marys;
7) Glory-to-the-Father followed by ejaculations;
8) The other mysteries are prayed according to the first;
9) After the fifth mystery, the prayer of thanksgiving is prayed followed by the Hail Queen;
10) It ends as the Sign of the Cross.
The complete list of each mystery is this:
JOYOUS MYSTERIES (Monday and Saturday)
1. The Annunciation of the angel to the Virgin Mary.
2. Our Lady’s visit to her cousin Saint Elizabeth.
3. The birth of the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
4. The Presentation of the Lord to the Temple (and the purification of the Virgin Mary).
5. The loss and finding of the Child God in the Temple.
LUMINOUS MYSTERIES (Thursday)
1. The baptism of the Lord in the Jordan.
2. Christ’s self-revelation at the wedding at Cana.
3. The announcement of the Kingdom of God and the invitation to conversion.
4. The Transfiguration of the Lord.
5. The institution of the Holy Eucharist.
PAINFUL MYSTERIES (Tuesday and Friday)
1. Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Olives.
2. The scourging of the Lord.
3. The crowning with thorns.
4. Jesus carrying the cross to Calvary.
5. The crucifixion and death of Jesus.
GLORIOUS MYSTERIES (Wednesday and Sunday)
1….