“As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, ‘God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!’ Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”—Luke 11:27-28 (New Living Bible)
I think one of the more difficult things for Protestants to understand about Catholics is the amount of time spent and methods by which we honor Mary, mother of Jesus. To my Catholic friends, you need to understand where Protestants are coming from. We kneel before statues of Mary, and we pray to Mary, two things that look and sound an awful lot like worshipping Mary. The idea that praying to someone means nothing more than talking to someone who has died is foreign to most of our Christian brothers and sisters outside the Catholic faith. To many Christians, praying equates worship. Protestants don’t dishonor Mary by any means, but it sounds blasphemous to many of them when we talk about praying to her.
To my Protestant brothers and sisters, let me be clear: we do not worship Mary. She is not the fourth person of the Trinity. She is not a goddess to us, and is not equal to God in any of His three forms. But, like the woman in the crowd in Luke’s Gospel, we often worship her Son through honoring her.
A much loved and time-honored Catholic tradition of honoring Mary and worshipping Jesus is praying the rosary. When I first decided to add another entry to my blog posts about the Catholic Church, I thought I’d talk about the miracle of Fatima, of which we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary. In 1917 in Portugal, Mary appeared to three children six times between May and October, giving messages. Just after her October appearance, the sun was said to dance in the sky over the town of Fatima, a phenomenon witnessed by thousands of the townspeople. One of her messages, though, was that people should be praying the rosary each day. It occurred to me that I probably shouldn’t even approach this story without explaining a bit about the rosary and why Mary would tell these kids that people need to do it.
Let’s start with what is actually included in praying the rosary.
Parts of the Rosary
Apostle’s Creed
This is an ancient proclamation of the basic tenets of the Christian faith. It is the first part of praying the rosary:
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 rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated 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.
Prayers
The prayers that are traditionally prayed on the rosary are as follows:
The Lord’s Prayer (The “Our Father”)
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by 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 in to temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
If you’re Protestant, you’re probably wondering “Why don’t they say ‘For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever’?” I wondered that, too, when I first heard a Catholic say the Lord’s Prayer. Then I looked it up in my bible, Living Bible translation, and realized that part isn’t actually in there. So there ya go.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. 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.
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” was the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary. “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!” was Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary. The rest of the prayer was added around the late 15th, early 16th century, formally by Pope Pius V.
Glory Be
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, a world without end. Amen.
Hail Holy Queen
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, O most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Often, this prayer is also included. It is said to have been taught to the children of Fatima by Mary:
Oh 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.
The Mysteries
Christian “mysteries” refer to events so phenomenal that they cannot be fully explained or understood by practical science or reason. A full understanding can only come from God, and is beyond reason. There are sets of mysteries that are contemplated while saying the rosary, and you can meditate on a different set every time you say the rosary. All of these mysteries commemorate major events in the lives of Jesus and/or Mary.
There are five “joyful” mysteries:
1- The annunciation of Jesus’ birth by Gabriel to Mary
2- The visitation of Mary and Elizabeth
3- The birth of Jesus
4- The presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple
5- Finding Jesus speaking with the elders in the temple
There are five “sorrowful” mysteries:
1- Jesus’ agony in the Garden
2- The scourging of Jesus at the pillar
3- Crowning Jesus with thorns
4- Jesus carrying his cross
5- Jesus’ crucifixion and death
Five “luminous” mysteries:
1- Baptism of Jesus
2- The wedding feast in Cana
3- Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God
4- The Transfiguration of Jesus
5- The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper
Five “glorious” mysteries:
1- Jesus’ resurrection
2- Jesus’ ascension
3- Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
4- Assumption of Mary
5- Coronation of Mary
So let’s talk about those last two, shall we? The assumption and coronation of Mary are beliefs relatively unique to the Catholic, Orthodox, and some Anglican Churches. Much of the stories of the assumption and coronation is through oral tradition, although Catholics believe that the woman referenced in Revelation 12 is Mary, which would certainly imply the Biblical origin of these mysteries. Though it was only recently added as true dogma, it is actually not a new idea. Saint Epiphanius of Salmis stated in the year 377 that no one knew whether or not Mary actually died. In some oral traditions, Mary died in Jerusalem and was buried in a tomb. When one of the apostles who was not present at her death returned to pay his respects, the tomb was reopened only to discover that Mary was gone.
Note that the belief in coronation of Mary as a queen does not make her equal to the Holy Trinity in any way. There are queens, and then there is God. Not the same. Again, the coronation is not a belief shared by all Christians, but Catholics cite the woman in Revelation 7 “with a crown of twelve stars on her head” as evidence for this belief.
For people who pray the rosary daily, tradition calls for meditating on the joyful mysteries on Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays during Advent; the sorrowful mysteries are said on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays during Lent; the luminous mysteries on Thursdays, and the glorious mysteries Wednesdays and Sundays outside of Advent and Lent.
Origin
If you ask a traditionalist where Catholics got the rosary, you’ll probably hear the story of St. Dominic. It is said that in the year 1208, Mary personally instructed a priest named Dominic in its development. Some Catholic historians, however, cast doubt on the story of St. Dominic. Fr. William Saunders of Notre Dame Institute, for example, points out that the earliest accounts of St. Dominic’s life make no mention of his forming the rosary. It is likely, however, that he promoted praying the rosary as part of his evangelization ministry.
Catholics did not invent the concept of praying on beads. Eastern religions have used prayer beads since before the time of Christ, and third-century Christians are thought to have used knotted ropes to count prayers. So what is the point?
A likely explanation is that in the earliest days of the Church, faithful laypersons wanted a way to show devotion to God that mirrored the Liturgy of the Hours practiced by those in religious vocations. During the Liturgy of the Hours, the Psalms are recited. Now, to those of us who are living in the 21st century, are literate, and can read the Bible any time we like, this may seem like a good idea. What a great way to worship God: reciting some of the most ancient hymns we have on record! But in the 3rd century, you may not have had that luxury. Many of the laypersons at that time were not literate. They certainly didn’t have the Bible sitting in their house, nor the time or ability to read the psalms. So, they did what they were able. In place of reciting the 150 psalms, it became a tradition to recite the Lord’s Prayer 150 times, counting repetitions on knots as they went.
Gradually, according to Fr. Saunders, the practice evolved to incorporate other prayers in addition to the Hail Mary, and also to include passages of scripture which recount major events in the lives of Jesus and/or Mary. The evolution of the rosary continued over the years, and still continues. Gradually, Hail Mary became more associated with the rosary than the Lord’s Prayer, and the Fatima prayer was added after the miracles of 1917.
Importance
Let’s reconsider Mary now asking the people of Fatima in 1917 to pray the rosary daily. Why specifically ask them to pray the rosary? Why not ask them to take time every day to have quiet time reading the Bible?
I’m no theologian, but consider this: not everyone has the luxury of reading a Bible. When you pray the rosary properly, you are spending roughly 20 minutes worshiping God and meditating on events in Jesus’ life. In places and times when literacy was not the norm and thus reading the stories of Jesus out of the family Bible was not an option, this was a fantastic way to commemorate the events of Jesus’ life and meditate on the mystery of each. Many people today might say they can accomplish the same result by spending half an hour reading the Bible, journaling, and meditating on a devotional passage. But for the people of the world who are not literate, (like the shepherd children of Fatima in 1917), those actions are not an option. So, like the earliest Christians who recited the Lord’s Prayer on knotted ropes, it became a favorite custom to recite the major events of Jesus’ life, alongside prayers.
For families and individuals wishing to learn and remember the faith, the rosary is a great practice: begin with the Apostle’s Creed, then spend 20 minutes reciting major prayers of the church and reflecting on events in Jesus’ life. Today, the practice continues. Part of this is out of tradition, but part is also out of recognition that this is really a beautiful devotional practice.
Let’s be honest… how many people do you know that would otherwise spend a solid 20 minutes praying? Outside of those in religious vocations, my list is pretty short.
Why all the repetition?
When you pray the rosary, you repeat “Hail Mary”’ ten times in a row, five times. What is the purpose of that? The reason is really a lot less theological than you might think. If you’ve ever been a distance runner, you probably have been taught the benefit of a mantra; A set of words repeated over and over. In an interview with Runner’s World, sports psychologist Dr. Stephen Walker said "Repeating choice words whenever you need to focus helps direct your mind away from negative thoughts and toward a positive experience." In eastern religions, mantras are regularly used during meditation. The repetition of prayers in the rosary are intended to serve the same purpose. Today, we use the Hail Mary as the mantra of the rosary. It is short, easy to remember, and focuses the mind on the miracle of Jesus coming to Earth.
How It’s Done
Tough for me to add pictures to this, so bear with me here.
If you’ve ever seen a rosary, you know it looks an awful lot like a beaded cross necklace. A primary piece of advice: it is not a necklace. It is actually considered quite disrespectful by many Catholics to wear a rosary as a necklace. Don’t wear it; pray it.
The cross and beads are used to keep track of your prayers. You begin by holding the cross and reciting the Apostle’s Creed. Above the cross is a large bead. Say the Lord’s Prayer while holding it. Above that are three small beads; say a Hail Mary on each of these. After the third Hail Mary, before beginning the mysteries, say the Glory Be.
Now you’ll start going through the mysteries. Looking at the round part of the rosary, you’ll notice there are five large beads, with ten small beads between each of them. Those five beads represent a mystery. Depending upon which set of mysteries you’re contemplating that day, announce one mystery on the first large bead, then say the Lord’s Prayer. Following the Lord’s Prayer, say the Hail Mary on each of the small beads that come next. Remember that the idea of this is to aid in meditation; use that time to meditate on the mystery you just announced. After you’ve gone through the ten Hail Marys, say the Glory Be. Repeat for each mystery.
Often, the Fatima Prayer is included after the Glory Be.
After saying all five mysteries and the corresponding prayers (also referred to as the five decades of the rosary), conclude with the Hail Holy Queen. Sometimes, especially if you’re praying the mystery in a group, the following will be added:
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. O God, whose Only Begotten Son, by his life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen
In Practice
As with any prayer, praying the rosary is only meaningful and effective if the prayers are recited from the heart, not just the mouth. Are there people out there who simply recite the words without contemplating their meaning, in an attempt to just “check a box” saying they prayed? Absolutely. Are there also people who only read their Bible each morning for exactly the same reason? Of course. This does not reflect a problem with the Bible, the devotional, or the rosary, but the mindset of the person using them.
There are lots of books out there offering meditations based on the mysteries of the rosary. This site also offers some that are quite good: http://www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com/meditations-on-the-rosary.html
I personally love saying the rosary. I still read my Bible and say my own prayers as well, but I like the focus of 20 minutes with the rosary. If you’re Protestant, don’t be scared by it. If you want to pray through the rosary, but are uncomfortable saying the Hail Mary or Hail Holy Queen, don’t hurt your conscience; replace those prayers with something else. Just be sure to give our Lord’s mother the respect she’s due. If you’re Catholic and a Protestant wants to learn about the rosary but is hesitant about praying to Mary, don’t be insulted. Protestants are hesitant to pray to Mary for the same reason Catholics do pray to Mary: we’re trying to honor our Lord and not offend Him.
Let’s come together as Christians to acknowledge all the things we agree upon, rather than highlighting our differences.