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A Rosary Resource Patterned on the Holy Father's Apostolic Letter

by Lisa M. Hendey

A Rosary Resource Patterned on the Holy Father's Apostolic Letter Review of Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, & Glorious Mysteries by Michael Dubruiel and Amy Welborn By Lisa M. Hendey

For someone looking to "make a difference" in our world so filled with unrest and need, responding to Pope John Paul II's call to embrace the Rosary is one affirmative step that can be taken immediately. As a resource for making contemplation of the Rosary a part of your life, authors Michael Dubruiel and Amy Welborn have compiled the book Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, & Glorious Mysteries (Our Sunday Visitor, June 2003, hardcover, 64 pages).

Though compact in size, this book can and will have a tremendous impact upon your life if you choose to read and implement its suggested format. The book's introduction reiterates the Holy Father's call to this perfect form of Christian contemplation and points to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a role model for contemplating the true mystery of Jesus Christ, his life, death and resurrection. Bearing both the Nihil Obstat and the Imprimatur, Praying the Rosary incorporates all four sets of mysteries, including the new Luminous mysteries.

Welborn and Dubruiel follow the format suggested by Pope John Paul II in Rosarium Virginis Mariae including the announcement of the mystery, scriptural references, contemplative silence, the formal prayers of the Rosary (including a short prayer phrase following each Hail Mary related to the specific mystery), and a brief concluding prayer for each mystery. Newcomers to Rosary devotion will find the compendium of prayers at the completion of the book a helpful resource.

Complimenting the suggested format, stunning artwork graces the pages for each of the mysteries. Contemplation of these wonderful icons provided courtesy of St. Isaac of Syria Skete allows the user yet another point of interaction with the mysteries of the Rosary.

This books compact size makes it the perfect tool for incorporating the Rosary into your daily devotional routine. The hardcover format is durable and will stand up to daily use. The book will easily slip into a purse, briefcase, day planner or coat pocket. Praying the Rosary has taken up permanent residence in my "home away from home", my vehicle, where my boys and I daily contemplate the mysteries of the Rosary in our own effort to better know and love Jesus Christ. We pray each day, joining our hearts and minds with countless millions around the globe, for peace in our own little corner of the world and beyond.

For more information on Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, & Glorious Mysteries visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592760376/catholicmomcom

Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christiancoloring.com, and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her at http://www.lisahendey.com

Rise of the Rosary

by Janet K. Nelson

In our human need to establish a relationship with our God and creator, methods of mediation, meditation, revelation and prayer have been practiced since early human existence. The fulfillment of this need gives peace, love, hope and justification to human existence. God has spoken through prophets who have harnessed the skill of intercession through the ages in many faiths. The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a tool and practice for this purpose.

The Catholic Rosary has developed historically becoming an eclectic medium for establishing relationship with God. It is meditative, it educates and reveals, it focuses; it provides intercession, community, peace and comfort to the practitioner. It can be practiced privately or in community groups.

The Rosary is a bead prayer. There are many beautiful bead prayers and meditations practiced in the Roman Catholic Faith. Many Catholics refer to all bead prayers as Rosaries. However, there is really only one true Rosary prayer and its proper name is the "Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary". It is also referred to as the Dominican Rosary, Marian Rosary, and the Vita Christi (Life of Christ) Rosary. Currently, another very popular bead meditation and prayer practiced by Catholics is "The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy". This meditation shares some of the same elements as the Rosary.

The rise in the popularity of the Rosary can be attributed to the Dominican order of the Catholic Faith. Saint Dominic de Guzman (1170-1221 A.D.), a Spaniard established this order. The Dominicans believed and still do believe in an intellectual pursuit of faith and relationships. The Dominicans vigorously promoted the Rosary beginning in the fifteenth century. In 1569, Pope St. Pius V a Dominican Pope issued an apostolic letter that confirmed the fifteen-Mystery Rosary as the official version authorized by the Catholic Church. This version continued until the year 2002 when Pope John Paul II published his apostolic letter (Rosarium Virginis Marioe) that added five more Mysteries. The official modern "Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary" of the Roman Catholic Church is now 20 Mysteries in length.

The basic elements of the Rosary are always the same. The meditative prayers or mysteries and the decade (repetitive prayers) are the structure for the experience. Other prayer elements can be added but the basic structure, mysteries and decade prayers are always present. The prayer beads are used to keep track of how an individual/group is progressing in the prayer process so no one has to count repetitions. The hand moves from one bead to the next, keeping track of the decade repetitions as the Rosary progresses.

Practitioners intensely and deeply focus on the spiritual, meditative, psychological and emotional enlightenment of the process. As repetition progresses, even breathing is regulated and the mind is free and open to new perceptions. Regular practioners claim the Rosary helps them relax and prioritize their daily lives based on true values. They often claim there are infinite and continuous lessons to be learned through a lifetime of meditative prayer centered on the Rosary. Like fine art and great music, repetition brings new revelation and personal intimacy and relationship.

Decade prayer beads can fit in a pocket, purse or even around the neck. Some are beautifully made of gemstones and handed down through family generations. Rosary beads can also be very humble wooden or plastic beads. All Rosary beads perform the function of guiding and focusing the prayer process. The standard decade prayer or Rosary beads are composed of 59 beads. This includes 54 beads connected to a central medal. A Five-bead string leads down to a crucifix at the end. A beautiful lifetime tiger eye gemstone Rosary is available at http://www.tigereyejewels.com.

It takes about 20 minutes to pray the Rosary. Most executive training programs recommend you spend 15 minutes planning/prioritizing the activities of your day. Try praying the Rosary and then enter your prioritized task list in your PDA (personal digital assistant). You may find your list will become more value focused and cutting-edge affective as it gains a truth and reality it was missing. Here are the Mysteries of the Rosary and the Bible passages where each is found.

The Mysteries of the Rosary Prayer

Joyful Mysteries (Monday and Saturday)

1. The Annunciation made by the Angel Gabriel to Mary that she is to be the Mother of the Savior (Luke 1:26-38).

2. The visitation of Mary to her Cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant with her son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-45).

3. The Nativity of the Holy Family in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7).

4. The presentation of the Infant Jesus by Mary and Joseph in the Temple (Luke 2:22-38).

5. Mary finds Jesus in the Temple conversing with the elders (Luke 2:41-52).

Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday and Friday)

1. The Agony of Christ conforming to the will of God in the Garden (Mark 14:32-36).

2. The Scourging (abuse) of Jesus at the Pillar (John 18:28-38; 19:1).

3. The Crowning of Jesus with Thorns by the Roman authorities (Mark 15:16-20).

4. Jesus carrying is cross (Luke 23:26-32).

5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus on the Cross (Luke 23:33-34; 39-46).

Luminous Mysteries (Thursday)

1. The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17).

2. The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-12).

3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15; 2:3-13).

4. The Transfiguration of Jesus (Luke 9:28-36).

5. The First Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-30).

Glorious Mysteries (Sunday and Wednesday)

1. The Resurrection of Our Savior, Jesus Christ (Luke 24:1-6).

2. The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven (Luke 24:50-53).

3. The Coming and Descending of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

4. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven (I Thessalonians 4:14-17).

5. The Crowning on Mary (Revelation 12:1-6).

Meditative Tools tigereyejewels.com and rosecandleslive.com
About the Author

Janet K. Nelson has done research and written articles on subjects that range from the cultural to the technical. She is an author noted for integrating information and providing a fresh, clear and whole-picture perspective on her subjects. Ms. Nelson has a double BA degree in Music and Speech Communications and a Masters Degree in Business Administration. More information is available at http://www.tigereyejewels.com

Rosary Beads

A rosary is a set of beads also known as the chaplet. This string of beads is used to ease the process of counting the numerous prayers that are delivered to complete the recital of the rosary. The string of beads is comprised of a crucifix, a single bead, a set of three beads and another single bead in a prescribed configuration. This is attached to a connector, which is fixed to five ten-bead sets, each divided by a single bead.

The use of prayer beads is popular in many religions. Catholics identify their prayer beads as a rosary. This chaplet maybe sculpted from materials ranging from common wood or natural berries to costly metals. Other mediums used to make rosaries include precious stones and glass.

In ancient times, rosary beads were by and large strung on a straight thread, or cord and formed to create a circle or loop. In modern times, the use of chained beads is the standard, compared to the corded ones. To further aid with counting and marking divisions of a prayer, a bigger bead divides the sets of ten beads from each other. At times the use of larger beads is substituted by using a medallion or a metal cross.

The quantity of beads on a chaplet depends on the number of recitals, which represent different types of prayers. A full rosary consists of one hundred and fifty Hail Marys, fifteen Our Fathers, three or four beads that correspond to introductory holy verses and the ""Glory be to the Father"" prayer. Religious leaders mostly wear this type of chaplet.

Some chaplets may have one hundred or one hundred and fifty, corresponding to the number of psalms or a third or two-thirds of them as required. Most people have their rosary blessed. This is done through prayer and holy water.

While reciting the rosary it is customary to count the number of recitals, however, one may decide to count on ones fingertips and avoid the use of beads completely.

Rosary provides detailed information on Rosary, Rosary Beads, How To Pray The Rosary, Holy Rosary and more. Rosary is affiliated with Online Bible Study.

By Kristy Annely

Holy Rosary

Various means of counting prayers have been used in Christianity since the early church. The Rosary has been a major tool for Roman Catholic prayer for over 500 years. It helps pave the way for Christians to have a greater understanding of the mystery of Christ celebrated within family prayer.

The Rosary is the essence of Christian devotion and is believed to be a powerful tool in the achievement of peace. It is a form of devotion in honor of the Virgin Mary. The rosary prayer is drawn especially upon from the Gospels. It reflects the spirit of the Gospel and that of the Virgin Mary. The rosary is used to encourage a person’s commitment to continue God’s work with the poor.

The most famous prayer Holy Mary gifted to the world is the Rosary. It is a combination prayer requiring recitation of Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be to the Father. These are to be recited five times while meditating on the mysteries of the life of Jesus and Mary. The meditations included are joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious meditations. These are to be followed by a prayer called the ‘Hail Holy Queen’ and at times the ‘Litany of Loreto’.

The importance of Holy Mary in Catholicism is evident in the fact that many Catholic churches contain side altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Witnesses state that messages to humanity have been delivered at major religious sites where it is claimed apparitions or appearances of the mother have occurred. These miraculous emergences of Mother Mary have at most times requested the recitation of the rosary.

Most people have their rosary blessed. This is done through prayer and holy water. The holy rosary is usually designed as a necklace but never worn as one. It is a medium and means of true spiritual enlightenment and peace of mind.

Rosary provides detailed information on Rosary, Rosary Beads, How To Pray The Rosary, Holy Rosary and more. Rosary is affiliated with Online Bible Study.

By Kristy Annely