The Rosary
The rosary as we know it today has a long history and many variations of this history.
It is a prayer meditating on, or thinking about, the life of Jesus and his Mother. These thoughts/meditations of Jesus and His Mother are based upon the Sacred Scriptures. Along with these meditations, 4 prayers are said:
The most important part of the rosary is not the reciting of the prayers but the meditation on a particular scene from the life of Jesus and His Mother. What are these Scenes? These scenes in Jesus' life deal with Jesus' birth, death, resurrection, ascension, descent of the Holy Spirit. These scenes are divided into 15 Meditations; 5 Joyful (birth), 5 Sorrowful (death), 5 Glorious (resurrection, ascension, descent of the Holy Spirit). These 15 meditations slowly developed from about 1200 - 1500 A.D. to what we have today.
To understand where these meditations came from it is necessary to go back to the time of Jesus (or even before) and to a Jewish obligation - to recite the 150 Psalms of David each week. This was done mainly by memory. The Apostles who were good Jews did this. As Christianity grew, the non-Jews did not know the Psalms so they substituted 150 Our Fathers. As time went on and the Hail Mary became popular, it was substituted for the 150 Our Fathers.
To keep track of these 150 Paters/Aves people used pebbles, stones, rope/string with knots or strings of beads.
Around 1200 people started to add a short phrase about Jesus' life after each psalm or pater/aves. Why? Remember, the Old Testament does not mention Jesus' life. Eventually these phrases (mostly from the New Testament) condensed into the 15 Meditations that we have today. It wasn't until the 1500's that the Rosary reached the form that we use today.
How to say a rosary:
The main part of the rosary is made up of 50 beads divided into 5 groups of ten each (decade), The Hail Mary is said on these 50 beads. Now each group of ten (a decade) (5 groups) is separated by a larger bead. On this bead the Glory Be and Our Father is said. To this main part of the Rosary there is an introduction -- a crucifix followed by a large bead, followed by 3 small beads followed by another large bead. The Apostles Creed is said at the crucifix, the Our Father on the large bead, followed by Hail Marys on the 3 small beads followed by the Glory Be and Our Father on the large bead. This brings you up to the beginning of the 50 Hail Marys.
Where do the meditations on Jesus/Mary fit into these 50 hail Marys? As stated before the meditations are divided into 3 groups -- Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious.
The 5 Joyful Meditations:
The 5 Sorrowful Meditations:
The 5 Glorious Meditations:
Each time you say a rosary, you meditate on either the Joyful, Sorrowful or Glorious scenes in Jesus' life. Begin at the crucifix with the sign of the cross followed by the Apostles Creed, then an Our Father, then 3 Hail Marys, then Glory Be, Then announce the first meditation that you are doing, then say the Our Father followed by the first ten Hail Marys. When you finish the last Hail Mary, say Glory Be. Then Announce the second meditation that you are doing, then say the Our Father followed by the first 10 Hail Marys etc.
Rotate the meditations if you want using this guide:
To finish the Rosary, many people say the "Hail Holy Queen" - Salve Regina. This is not part of the original rosary. It is personal whether you say this or not. Reference: Small Yellow Cat. page 67.
At Fatima, our Lady asked the children to say after Each decade (10) the following prayer, "Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven especially those in most need of Thy mercy." Reference: Small Yellow Cat. page 69.
Feast of the Holy Rosary is October 7th. Pope Pius V in 1573 A.D. also dedicated the month of October as the month of the Holy Rosary.
In October 2002 the Pope John Paul added the Mysteries of Light: the baptism of Jesus; the wedding feast at Cana, where the New Testament says he transformed water into wine; his proclamation of the coming of the Kingdom of God; the Transfiguration, when God commanded the Apostles to listen to Jesus; and the institution of the Eucharist.
Links:
The Catholic Calendar Rosary Page
The Holy Rosary Catholic Church
Assignment for Next Lesson: Text: Chapters 1, 2 and 3; Cat. Chapter One - section 1 pages 1-4, section 3 pages 15-18, Page 38, question 7; Chapter 2 Section 2, pages 7-14; Chapter 3 Section 10, pages 61-66.