Week 5
The Rosary
Why do we pray the Rosary?
Edward Sri, “Why Pray the Rosary?”
Just as Dr. Sri explains, the Rosary is a prayer for people of all ages, undergoing different life experiences, and who might have different levels of familiarity with the devotion. The reason behind the Rosary is fairly simple — Mary was present for the joyful, sorrowful, luminous, and glorious moments of Christ’s life. So, by meditating on Jesus’ life with Mary’s help, we seek to grow closer and closer to Christ. We might pray with Mary for a special intention, or we might need a moment of solace with the Blessed Mother and her Son. Any reason to pray the Rosary is a beautiful reason
​
Mysteries of the Rosary
Each of the five decades of the Rosary highlights a unique moment within the Paschal Mystery. There are four sets of mysteries — Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous, and Glorious — and each contains five pivotal events from the life of Jesus. When praying the Rosary, we enter into one set of these mysteries at a time, meditating on them through the eyes of Mary, the disciple who was closest to Jesus and knew him best. The Church traditionally prays certain mysteries on specific days of the week, as follows:
Joyful Mysteries (Monday, Saturday)
​
The Joyful Mysteries invite us to contemplate the Incarnation, and we enter into the wonder of Jesus coming to earth as a baby
-
The Annunciation . We see the incredible story unfold through Mary’s eyes – the angel appear
-
The Visitation – her cousin Elizabeth’s greeting
-
The Nativity the birth of her son
-
The Presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple
-
The finding of the child Jesus in the Temple..
Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday, Friday)
The Sorrowful Mysteries help us relive the passion and death of Jesus. We not only remember it, but we also enter in – we keep watch with Jesus in his distress before his arrest
-
The Agony in the Garden.
-
The Scourging at the Pillar.
-
The Crowning of Thorns.
-
The Carrying of the Cross
-
Crucifixion and Death.
​
Luminous Mysteries (Thursday)
Through the Luminous Mysteries, we meditate on the events of Jesus’ public ministry: his revelation as the Beloved Son of the Father at the
-
Baptism in the Jordan,
-
The Wedding at Cana,
-
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God,
-
Jesus’ Transfiguration
-
Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.
Glorious Mysteries (Wednesday, Sunday)
In the Glorious Mysteries, we meditate on the awe-inspiring miracles that take place after Jesus’ death. These events show how Jesus is who he says he is – the Son of God. We experience the joy of the risen Christ and imagine ourselves as Mary or the first disciples
-
The Resurrection
-
The Ascension into heaven
-
The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
-
The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
-
The Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth
Exercises
Exercise 1
Just say one decade of the Rosary but focus it on a piece of scripture. Choose a piece of scripture and split it into ten sections. Before you start each Hail Mary, read the section of scripture, take time to reflect on it and then recite the Hail Mary. You can mediate on each section as you recite each Hail Mary as you say a decade of the Rosary. Click on the link to be taken to the relevant Gospel and then scroll to find the chapters required. Some suggestions are:
​
The Annunciation - Luke 1:26-38 https://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=49
​
The Visitation – Luke 1:39-56 https://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=49
​
Death of Jesus – John19: 25-37 https://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=50&bible_chapter=19
​
The coming of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2:1 -13 https://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=51&bible_chapter=2
Exercise 2
Praying the Rosary with Art
Using the pictures below for the joyful mysteries. Before each mystery, spend time looking at the picture. Look at the details in the picture, what was the artist trying to catch? What does the picture say to you? Does it help if you put yourself in the picture as a bystander watching the situation? Record your thoughts and feelings in your journal. After a time of reflection say the decade of the Rosary. You could choose just one decade a day.
The Annuciation
The
Visitation
The Nativity
The Presentation of the Child Jesus at the Temple
The finding of the child Jesus in the Temple.
See other pictorial representations of the Mysteries of the Rosary at: https://www.rosaryremnant.com/rosary-mysteries-art/
Exercise 3 – Say the Rosary in Nature
Take a walk with nature while saying the Rosary. Be aware of the beauty of God’s creation as you recite the Rosary. You may choose just one mystery or five, it doesn’t matter, quality not quantity is important.
Before each mystery choose one of your senses to focus on eg. first mystery-sight, second mystery hearing etc.
​
Look – What beauty of God’s creation can you see? Plants, insects, hills in the distance. Appreciate the beauty of God in creation.
Hear – What sounds of God’s creating can you hear? Birds singing, water flowing. Take the time to really listen to the smallest sounds.
Smell/taste – Smell a flower, smell the trees, freshly cut grass, be aware of the smells from nature
Touch – Feel the delicate leaves, flowers, grass, the hardness of bark on the trees. Be aware of the diversity of God’s creation
Finally reflect on the wonder of God’s creation and your place in it.
In the week ahead start take time to see if the Rosary can work for you. There is no wrong way of praying, it’s just a case of spending time and finding which helps you and works for you.
Reflect on the Week
Look through your prayer journal for the week. Is there a theme or anything that stands out to you?
Overall has this prayer form ‘worked’ for you?
What did you find useful?
Did you find anything difficult about it?
Did you learn anything about yourself and your prayer life from the experience of this week?
Going forward will this be a prayer form you re visit?