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Rosary Basics
(This page was taken from a booklet I found and copied from over
15 years ago. How much is verbatim I just don't know, so if the author
of that booklet finds this and objects just let me know. I personally found
this very helpful.)
ROSARY WE USE THE BEADS FOR THE SAKE OF THE PRAYERS AND THE PRAYERS
FOR THE SAKE OF THE MYSTERIES
I. The Beads
The whole Rosary consists of fifteen decades, each of which consists
of one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be and each of which is
associated with a Mystery in the life of Our Lord and of His Mother. The
Mysteries are grouped into three sets of five decades each (referred to as
the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries) and therefore the ordinary
set of Rosary beads contains only five decades.
In order to maintain a balanced spiritual diet, it has become customary
to pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary on Mondays and Thursdays and the
Sundays from Advent until Lent; the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays
and the Sundays in Lent; and the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays, Saturdays
and the Sundays from Easter until Advent.
The Sign of the Cross and the Apostles' Creed at the beginning of
the Rosary serve to remind us of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, wherein we
were adopted into God's Family, the Holy Catholic Church, and were given
the privilege to pray "Our Father." On the first lone bead we pray the Lord's
Prayer as an example of what the prayer of Christians is meant to be, and
then on the three following beads we pray the Hail Mary as an act of petition
for Faith, Hope, and Charity, the three Theological Virtues which should
be the fruit of our use of the Rosary. Since devotion to the Blessed Mother
always leads us closer to God, we follow the Hail Marys with the Glory Be
to the Father as an act of pure adoration of the Holy Trinity--Creator, Redeemer,
and Sanctifier of both her and us.
At the beginning of each decade it is an excellent custom to offer
your prayers and meditations as an act of petition, of intercession, or of
thanksgiving. An appropriate formula and several possible schemes are given
in following pages.
When using the Scriptural Rosary, it is customary to read each verse
from the Bible before the Hail Mary. Some, however, prefer to read all ten
verses straight through and then let the Holy Spirit guide their thoughts
uninterruptedly throughout the 10 Hail Marys.
1. the Annunciation
1. Agony in the Garden
1. the Ressurrection
II. The Prayers
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker 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
form the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits 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. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
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.
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.
Fatima Petition: (after Glory Be at end of each decade)
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of thy
mercy.
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 towards 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.
III. The Mysteries
The fifteen Mysteries recall us time and again to the realities
at the heart of our Faith. By pondering these central events in the life
of Our Lord and of His Mother we grow more and more into the evangelical
simplicity and spiritual humility evidenced by the prayers themselves which
we recite.
As an aid in meditating upon the Mysteries, many have found it helpful
to ask themselves three questions--
WHO are the characters in this act of the drama of
Redemption?
WHY do they speak and act the way they do?
WHAT does all this have to do with my life?
A similar approach focuses upon the three "L" 's--
LOOK at Jesus and Mary in this Mystery.
LEARN from them the virtues you need in your own spiritual
pilgrimage.
LIVE what you have learned.
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