The rosary is a prayer we say with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who leads us into the presence of God and the mysteries of her Son.

“Hail Mary, full of grace” the angel said to her, inviting her to become the Mother of God. (Luke 1:28 ) Mary helps us know Jesus Christ as she did. 

“Blessed are you among the women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus” her cousin Elizabeth said to her when she came to visit. (Luke 1:42)  Mary is ready always to visit with us. 

“Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death” we  say to her. In the rosary, as we slowly repeat the words of her prayer and reflect on the mysteries of her Son. Mary helps us see our lives with faith and the promise of life to come. The mysteries of the rosary are our mysteries too.

The School of the Rosary

Tradition suggests we remember certain mysteries of Jesus while praying the rosary: the Joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries. The rosary has been called a “School of Mary”, for she knows the mysteries of Jesus  well and can teach them to us. 

The Joyful Mysteries are found mostly in Luke’s Gospel 1-2.

• The Annunciation of the Angel to Mary  
• The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
• The Birth of Jesus          
•  The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
•  The Finding of Jesus in the Temple                                                                                                                                                                                                    
• The Luminous Mysteries are events in Jesus’ ministry found in all the gospels:                
• The Baptism of Jesus  
• The Wedding Feast at Cana 
• The Proclamation of the Kingdom
• The Transfiguration of Jesus 
• The Last Supper

The Sorrowful Mysteries are events in his passion and death described in the gospels:

• The Agony in the Garden
• The Scourging at the Pillar 
•  The Crowning with Thorns 
• The Carrying of the Cross
• The Crucifixion 
• The Glorious Mysteries follow his resurrection, founds in the New Testament.                                     
• The Resurrection of Jesus  
•  The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven
• The Descent of the Holy Spirit
• The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
• The Crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven

As we say prayers on our rosaries, Mary quietly, gracefully, as a mother and wise friend, leads us into the presence of God and helps us see the mysteries of faith with her eyes;  she knows them better than any scholar or follower of Jesus.  

How to Pray the Rosary

There are many ways to say the rosary and reflect on its mysteries. The single beads of an ordinary rosary represent the Our Father, the prayer Jesus taught us to say. The series of ten beads represent the Hail Mary and the mysteries of Jesus Christ. The crucifix on the rosary reminds us to say the Apostles’ Creed, for the rosary is a prayer of faith. 

The rosary is not a rigid prayer demanding it be said strictly word by word. It’s a prayer meant for us personally. It welcomes us as we are, unsure, joyful, sorrowful, looking for hope for what’s ahead. 

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is a woman who welcomes us as we are. “Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. “ 

When to Pray the Rosary

The rosary can be an everyday prayer for some, and occasional prayer for others. On Sundays it can be a prayer for recalling the mysteries of the resurrection of Jesus; on Friday’s for recalling the mysteries of his passion and death. 

Every week, day by day, the joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious mysteries can be remembered in the prayer.. 

The rosary is a prayer for Advent, when we remember we live in a waiting world, a world Mary knew so well. The Christmas season recalls the birth of Jesus in detail, the flight into Egypt, the slaughter of the Innocents, the return to Nazareth and the hidden years. “The Word was made flesh,” St. John writes. Mary received the Word as her only Son.

The seasons of Lent and Easter offer further revelations of God in Jesus Christ. Mary went up with him and his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem. She was there when he was crucified; she stood beneath his Cross. Then, she witnessed his resurrection and the beginnings of his church. She understands the scriptures that speak of him. 

Every month of the year a feast of Mary occurs on our church calendar, reminding us of her continual presence in the unfolding plan of God. 

The Rosary is a beautiful prayer. It brings wisdom to us as our lives unfold with their joys and sorrows, contradictions and questions.  “Hail Mary, full of grace.”  “Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”