The Holy Rosary

I had a good friend ask me today what the Rosary is, exactly, and it occurred to me that I may not have ever written a blog dedicated specifically to explaining the Rosary to protestants who really have no clue what it is. Since she was the second protestant to ask me in less than two weeks, it seemed like the opportunity had come.

Certainly the image of a little old lady with beads in hand and lace veil on head speaks to us of Catholicism, but aside from being an emblem of the Catholic faith, what is it and why should protestants look into it?

At it's core, the Rosary is a Marian devotion, and so many protestants shy away from it on the basis that it has to do with Mary, which makes them uncomfortable. So the first thing I would say is that what makes the rosary specifically Marian is that it is intended to help you walk through Christ's life in Mary's shoes-- through her eyes.

So what is it, exactly? The Rosary is a meditation and prayer. If we look at it's meditative qualities, we should look first to what meditation is: The contemplation of something that puts us into a state of perfect peace. While there are many meditations out there which I would warn you about, the one place you cannot go wrong (and in which people with an interest in meditation but who fear meditation as it seems too "Unchristian" in nature should trust) is meditation on the life of Christ. For this purpose, we are given the Scriptures, through which we can concentrate on what "it all means" and how it applies. Contrary to many forms of eastern meditation which are potentially damaging for their ability to leave doors open for demonic activity, Christian meditation is about FULLNESS and overflow. We meditate ON scripture, not on nothing. We meditate on Jesus, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, not leaving ourselves empty, swept and clean for just any spirit to move on in.

The meditative aspects of the Rosary are simple: we pray out loud, the beads slip through our fingers, and thus our mind is occupied with what are called the "mysteries," or various aspects of the life of Christ. The tactile experience of touching the beads and the verbal experience of saying the prayers draws us deeper into a mental/emotional experience of literally walking with Christ.

The benefits of meditation are profound, ranging from a longer life span to less illness and more joy. But these things are not enough for me to convince you that meditation is something you should take up. Instead, I will continue with the core of the Rosary: the prayers.

Above all else, the Rosary is a prayer. We offer our recitation of the Rosary up for some intention and we pray specific parts of it for specific virtues in our own prayer walk.

We begin the Rosary by making the sign of the Cross. We cross ourselves, saying: "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." This is a sign Christians have made since the beginning of the Church and which unites us to our Lord on the Cross.

Reciting the Rosary consists of a series of prayers, beginning with the Apostles' Creed, which is a statement of faith. This creed projects our unity of faith and is pulled directly from Church doctrine. We believe these things, therefore we say them as we begin:

English:


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 arose again from 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.

Latin:

Crédo in Déum, Pátrem omnipoténtem, Creatórem cáeli et térræ. Et in Jésum Chrístum, Fílium éjus unícum, Dóminum nóstrum: qui concéptus est de Spíritu Sáncto, nátus ex María Vírgine, pássus sub Póntio Piláto, crucifíxus, mórtuus, et sepúltus: descéndit ad ínferos: tértia díe resurréxit a mórtuis: ascéndit ad cáelos: sédet ad déxteram Déi Pátris omnipoténtis: índe ventúrus est judicáre vívos et mórtuos.
Crédo in Spíritum Sánctum, sánctam Ecclésiam cathólicam, Sanctórum communiónem, remissiónem peccatórum, cárnis resurrectiónem, vítam ætérnam. Amen.


After the apostle's creed comes the Our Father, which is a prayer pulled directly, as you know, from Scripture:

English
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.

Latin:

Páter nóster, qui es in cáelis, sanctificétur nómen túum. Advéniat régnum túum. Fíat volúntas túa, sícut in cáelo et in térra.
Pánem nóstrum quotidiánum da nóbis hódie, et dimítte nóbis débita nóstra, sícut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nóstris. Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem: sed líbera nos a málo. Amen.


And after the Our Father, the Hail Mary's. This prayer is also pulled directly from scripture, Luke 1:28 to be exact. In the Hail Mary, we recite scripture, and then ask for prayer now and at the time of Our Death from God's greatest Saint, Mary.


English

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.

Latin:

Áve María, grátia pléna, Dóminus técum; benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus frúctus véntris túi, Jésus.
Sáncta María, Máter Déi, óra pro nóbis peccatóribus, nunc et in hóra mórtis nóstræ. Amen.


We finish up each series of prayers, what we call a "decade" with a Glory Be:

English:

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.

Latin:

Glória Pátri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sáncto.
Sícut érat in princípio et nunc et sémper et in sáecula sæculórum. Amen.


And lastly, the Oh My Jesus:

English:

Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, specially those in more need of your mercy.

Latin:
Mi Jésu, indúlge peccáta nóstra, consérva nos ab ígne inférni, duc ómnes ad cáeli glóriam, præcípue túa misericórdia egéntes.

As we say each series of prayers, we think, focus, and meditate on a series of five mysteries or events in the life of Christ. These are pulled entirely from scripture: The meditations are, in order:

The annunciation (the angel declaring to Mary that she will give birth to Christ)
The visitation (Mary's visit to Elisabeth)
The nativity (The birth of Christ)
The presentation in the temple
The finding in the temple
The resurrection
The ascension
The the descent of the Holy Spirit
The assumption of Mary
The coronation
The baptism of Jesus
The wedding at Cana
The proclamation of the Kingdom
The transfiguration
The institution of the Eucharist
The agony in the Garden
The scourging at the pillar
The crowning with thorns
The carrying of the cross
The crucifixion

One word about the mysteries: many protestants also recite the mysteries but I know of a few, personally, who have a problem with two of them: the assumption and coronation of Mary, claiming that they are unscriptural. While I can certainly provide scriptural references and make a case for this, I will spare you the lecture and simply say that if it makes you uncomfortable, there is nothing that say that you HAVE to pray these mysteries. Choose instead to focus on the ones that you personally connect with.

It may seem like it's a lot of work to do just to pray, but once you get the hang of it, it's literally effortless and begins to flow, allowing you to focus not on "saying it right" but on the spiritual fruit that results from the prayers of the Rosary... the benefits which last a lifetime because they build holiness in you. Who can be anything but drawn to Christ who spends twenty minutes each day in His presence, walking by Him?

Praying the Rosary daily has changed my life. It has built a new peace into me and daily helps me to recognize those places in which God is trying to build His character into me. I recommend it to everyone as the most powerful weapon of spiritual warfare in existence. It is, in essence, about becoming One with God's Word.