“The Rosary”
The Rosary is an absolutely beautiful meditation coming from the Catholic Tradition. It centres around the Joyful mysteries, Sorrowful mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries. These are listed below.
In practice of the Rosary, find a quiet and peaceful place, sit in a church for example, open your palms and rest them on your thighs in an open position, connecting or facing upwards to your forehead. Concentrate on your breathing and relax. Gradually, in your mind, name the mystery, visualise the scene and reflect on same. Each decade uses the following rota, 1 Our Father Prayer, 10 Hail Mary prayers, and the Glory to the Father Prayer, to generalise. Another method of mental prayer is to visualise the words of these prayers in your mind. Remember the words of these prayers are exceptionally holy and faithful and should be treated with great respect. When you have finished one set of mysteries i.e for example, take the Joyful Mysteries as a set and complete. Then relax and reflect.
The Joyful Mysteries
- The annunciation
- The visitation
- The Birth of Christ
- The presentation in the Temple
- Christ as a boy teaches in the Temple
The Sorrowful Mysteries
- The agony in the Garden
- The Scourging
- The Crown of Thorns
- Carrying the Cross
- The Crucifixation
The Glorious Mysteries
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension of Christ into Heaven
- The Holy Spirit falls upon the Disciples
- The Ascension of Mary Mother of God to Heaven
- The Crowning of Mary as the Queen of Heaven
Around each mystery, one says sets the following prayers –
1 – Our Father Prayer 2 – Ten Hail Mary
3 – Glory be to the Father
When saying the rosary, one should meditate and visualise the scenes associated with each mystery. This is a celebration and reflection exercise on the life and passion of the Christ. It encapsulates a King going forth to sacrifice himself for humanity, it also gives forth the vision of the passion of the young Man-God setting forth with the sins, loneliness, and troubles of Humanity, along the sad and lonely path of Cavalry to be crucified for the spiritual freedom of Humanity. His actions are similar to Tonglen practice whereby the blackness is brought in and light is breathed out. Through this we become purified. The Rosary reflects on Christ’s great sacrifice but the Rosary is also the dedication and veneration of the Christ’s Mother as the mother of God and the Queen of Heaven. The rosary is again a beautiful and holy meditation coming from the Catholic Tradition and should be treated with respect. The meditation unifies the person to the lonely Sacrifice and life of the Christ and ultimately to the resurrection of the Christ. The Rosary effectively is also a lovely mantra which by repeating internally will bring an internal change for the good.