Rosary

4? what is the rosary and how does it work> This early Marian practice is really more about Jesus than about his mother. a small bead stands for the doxology: "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever." That is the basic form, though many Catholics add favorite prayers.

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he old story goes like this: during the fight against the Albigensian heresy in Toulouse, St. Dominic (I 171 -1221) saw an apparition of Mary while praying. Mary told him to meditate on the life, death, and glory of her Son, which would remedy the evils he lamented. Dominic did so, eventually formalizing the prayer as the rosary. Most historians believe, however, that the rosary was actually developed in the I Ith and 12th centuries. As the medieval church dwelt more on the events of Jesus' life and death, they elaborated prayers on these events. But devices similar to the rosary date back to the 2nd and 3rd century, when the desert monks used first stones, and eventually beads on a string, to count their prayers.

A Christ-centered practice

V*/hat do the mysteries have to do with the Hail Marys? The pray-er thinks about the biblical scenes while saying the prayers. A rosary includes five decades, or sets often small beads, each preceded by a large bead and followed by a space. After saying the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of each decade, the pray-er qiicotmttmmt bormiio.ctha announces the mystery for meditation. Then, while repeating ten Hail Marys, she focuses her attention on one of the 20 scenes, moving on to the next mystery when she comes to the next decade. By the time she comHow it's done Focus ON THE GOSPELS. Like many traditional depletes the circle, she will have votions, the Rosary involves visualizing Gospel scenes. Since the second Vatican meditated on five episodes in Jecouncil in the early 1960s, the sus' life. Catholics are encouraged to (Resurrection, Ascension, descent of rosary's popularity has dipped signifimeditate on one set of mysteries each cantly, and many Catholics under age 50 the Holy Spirit, assumption of Mary, and day—the joyful mysteries on Mondays crowning of Mary). Eighteen of the rarely if ever use it in prayer Some and Saturdays, the sorrowful mysteries twenty mysteries are about Jesus and don't even know how it's done. Books on Tuesdays and Fridays, the glorious are based on the Gospels or the book like Alice Camille's The Rosary (Acta, mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays, of Acts. Five—the "luminous"—were 2003) and Scott Hahn's Hail. Holy and the luminous mysteries on ThursQueen (Doubleday, 2001) offer easy-to- added in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. days. follow instructions, and Catholics eager To pray the rosary, the worshiper

to learn more about their heritage are turning them into best-sellers. The rosary is essentially a group of guided meditations, called "Mysteries." on the lives of Christ and his mother. The mysteries come in four categories: joyful (Annunciation. Visitation, Nativity. Presentation, and finding in the Temple), luminous (baptism, miracle at Cana, proclamation of the Kingdom. transfiguration, and Eucharist), sorrowful {agony in the garden, scourging at the pillar, crowning with thorns, carrying of the cross, and Crucifixion), and glorious

first makes the sign of the cross; then, while holding the crucifix at one end of the rosary, she recites the Apostles' Creed. From then on, whenever she encounters a large bead, she prays the Lord's Prayer. Small beads signify the Hail Mary, woven from the words of Gabriel and Elizabeth: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus," with the later addition: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." The space following

Catholics maintain that authentic devotion to Mary is praise of her Son. The rosary helps believers focus on the life of Christ with the help of his mother and her perspective. When we pray the rosary, writes Catholic educator Alice Camille, "we seek the engagement of thought, imagination, emotion and desire in order to move from the state of simple reflection to union with Christ. Since Mary was the first person to experience that union, who can more perfectly show us the way?" —the editors CHRISTIAN HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY