Don’t Hate On the Rosary

Posted on by November 7, 2016

Hating on the Rosary makes the people who do it look foolish and ignorant.  Even more ridiculous, they claim the Bible as their justification for speaking out against the Rosary.  I think my readers are better than that and if they do not already know the awesomeness of the Rosary they are at least open to knowing what it is and why they should not hate on it.

For those who don’t know: The Rosary is a structured meditation on the GOSPELS. The 20 meditations taken from Scripture. The pattern of prayers, the contents of which are also Gospel based, are used to help focus the mind on the Gospel story. The combination of mediation and recited prayer pushes distractions out of the mind as the person praying fills their mind with the the story of Jesus.

The Rosary has great power to transform souls because it is a powerful method of internalizing Scripture, writing the Gospels on our hearts by carefully focusing on the story of Jesus while we pray it.

The physical aspect of the Rosary is a string of beads used for counting with one dependent strand ending in a tassel, cross, or crucifix.  The prayers consist of the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and we start with the Apostles Creed, establishing the framework for the meditations.

These are the 20 meditations on Jesus divided up into four sets:

  • JOYFUL MYSTERIES
    • Annunciation.
    • Visitation
    • Nativity
    • Presentation
    • Finding
  • LUMINOUS MYSTERIES
    • Baptism
    • Wedding at Cana
    • Proclamation of the Kingdom
    • Transfiguration
    • First Eucharist/Last Supper
  • SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
    • Agony in the Garden
    • Scourging at the Pillar
    • Mocking and Crowning with Thorns
    • Carrying the Cross
    • Crucifixion
  • GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
    • Resurrection
    • Ascension
    • Pentecost
    • Assumption
    • Coronation

Beginning with the Apostle’s creed as an overview statement, recited while contemplating the Cross of Jesus, we continue with the OUR FATHER prayer JESUS TAUGHT said on the single beads.

We imitate Jesus, who fulfilling the Old Testament did perfectly Honor His Mother, by our use of the Angelic salutation and the salutation of Elizabeth, both from the Gospels.  We say the Hail Mary with respect and devotion on each of the 10 Hail Mary beads.

The Our Father bead with 10 Hail Mary beads is called a decade.  Each meditation, called a Mystery, is taken one at a time and contemplated during one decade of the Rosary. The mind is to be busy thinking about the Mystery while the person says the Hail Mary. The prayers are not to be rushed but spoken respectfully. If a person struggles to focus on the Mystery, they may open their Bible and re-read the appropriate passages of the Gospel before returning to the Rosary to meditate on what they just read.

I shall blog on the Mysteries in later posts, but for now, know that these sets of 5 mysteries are almost entirely taken from the four Gospels. Two mysteries, found in the set of the Glorious Mysteries, are based on Revelations.

Which is why hating on the Rosary just makes a person look ignorant.

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