THE ROSARY

StillCatholic.com

 

Those who pray the Rosary know it is a powerful devotion where Mary draws us in to her son, Jesus. The rosary involves saying prayers aloud while meditating on events related to Jesus and His Mother. We pray for the grace to exhibit the Christian virtues exhibited by Jesus and His mother. Find someone who prays a rosary daily and you'll find a love and charity flowing from that Christian.

 

A simplified form of the rosary dates back to the first centuries of Christianity.

 

"The rosary probably began as a practice by the laity to imitate the monastic Divine Office (Breviary or Liturgy of the Hours), during the course of which the monks daily prayed the 150 Psalms. The laity, many of whom could not read, substituted 50, or even 150, Ave Marias (Hail Marys) for the Psalms. This prayer, at least the first half of it so directly biblically, seems to date from as early as the 2nd century, as ancient graffiti at Christian sites has suggested. Sometimes a cord with knots on it was used to keep an accurate count of the Aves." (Source: "The Holy Rosary" article on the Eternal World Television Network web site (www.ewtn.com) full article at: www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/rosary/ )

 

According to Catholic Encyclopedia, "when the Albigensian heresy was devastating the country of Toulouse, St. Dominic earnestly besought the help of Our Lady and was instructed by her, so tradition asserts, the preach the Rosary among the people as an antidote to heresy and sin."

 

The prayers recited include the Our Father, the Apostles' Creed, the Glory Be and the Hail Mary.

 

The famous booklet The Secret of the Rosary can be downloaded from http://www.rosary-center.org/secret.htm

Or try the book Praying the Rosary with the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries by Michael Dubruiel.

 

Feeling too intimidated to start yourself off? Just turn the pages of the book The Rosary Prayer by Prayer: How and why We Pray the Christ-Centered Rosary of the Blessed Mother, which takes you step by step through each bead, including all the words of every prayer you need.

 

THE HAIL MARY

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you (see Luke 1:28)

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus (see Luke 1:42)

Holy Mary (Luke 1:47 says ALL generations will call Mary "blessed")

Mother of God (Luke 1:47 Mary as "mother of my Lord")

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death. Amen (For the last part of the prayer, we just ask Mary to pray for us. The Bible tells us the prayers of the holiest people are especially powerful, and in Rev 8:3-4 we see the prayers of the saints being placed before God by an angel)

 

 

HOW TO SAY THE ROSARY (print this out!)

 

HOW TO SAY THE 54-DAY NOVENA OF ROSARIES (which Mary instructs us to say for special favors we ask of her)              

 

INFO ON THE ROSARY

 

WHAT SAINTS SAID ABOUT THE ROSARY  

 

NOTE: Saying one rosary involves praying five decades of beads while meditating on the Joyful Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, Glorious Mysteries, or Luminous Mysteries.

 

HERE, POPE JOHN PAUL II ASKED THAT WE SAY THE ROSARY FOR PEACE. 

JUST SAY YES TO THE POPE. J

www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/angelus/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_ang_20020929_en.html

 

 

WHAT THE CHURCH FATHERS SAID ABOUT MARY

www.catholic.com/library/Mary_Ever_Virgin.asp (Mary Ever Virgin)

www.catholic.com/library/Mary_Full_of_Grace.asp (Mary Full of Grace)

www.catholic.com/library/Mary_Mother_of_God.asp (Mary Mother of God)

 

www.aoh.com/history/archive/rosary.htm (The Irish Roots of the Rosary)

www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq18.html (Origin of Rosary)

www.newadvent.org/cathen/13184b.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia on the Rosary)

 

http://shop.catholic.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/p-CB267-10.html?E+scstore

(A Young Person’s Guide to the Rosary and Confession for $4.95)