Rosary

"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."
(Mt 13:45-46)

When Mary again and again urges us: "Pray the Rosary daily!", she hands us, as it were, the Precious Pearl of the Gospel, which is hidden in the mysteries of the Rosary.

And who among us is not searching for the most precious thing in life? Yet so often we reach for pearls that shine only on the outside but are worthless for eternity. Therefore Mary pleads with us so earnestly to "sell" all the vain and deceitful pearls of this life in order to acquire the one Precious Pearl.

By meditatively contemplating the mysteries of the Rosary and firmly connecting them with the thread of our daily life, the kingdom of heaven – and with it God himself – opens up to us more and more.

The Promises of the Queen of the Rosary

Blessed Alan de la Roche (1428–1475), a Dominican preacher of the Rosary, reports of an apparition of the Mother of God. She charged him to promote and spread the Rosary prayer. Countless graces has Mary promised to those who invoke her through this prayer with full confidence.

Of the fifteen promises in all, five are given here:

• "I promise my special protection and great graces to all who devoutly pray the psalter of my Rosary."
  (Cf. the prayer miracle of Hiroshima: In the terrible atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, four Jesuit fathers were protected in an inexplicable way from the horrific effects of atomic radiation. Within a radius of 1.5 kilometers they were the only survivors among hundreds of thousands. Even their rectory, only eight blocks from the center of the explosion, still stood, although all buildings around it were completely destroyed. The about 200 doctors and scientists heard again and again the same answer to their many questions: "As missionaries we simply wanted to live the message of the Mother of God of Fatima in our lives and therefore we prayed the Rosary every day." This is the hope-bearing message of Hiroshima: The Rosary prayer is more powerful than the atomic bomb. Today in the center of the rebuilt city there is a Marian memorial church where the Rosary is prayed day and night. [Source:http://www.gnadenquelle.de/hiroshima.htm])

• "The Rosary causes virtue and works of piety to blossom anew. Through it, souls receive the fullness of divine mercy."
  It will convert hearts, and they will begin to despise earthly things, to love heavenly things, and to make rapid progress. Many souls will be saved through the Rosary.

• "All who devoutly pray the Rosary and contemplate the mysteries will not be cast down by misfortune and will be preserved from an unforeseen death. If they are in sin, they will obtain the grace of conversion; if they are righteous, the grace of perseverance, and they will become partakers of eternal life."

• "Very soon I will deliver from purgatory the souls who in their life loved my Rosary."

• "The faithful children of my Rosary will enjoy great glory in heaven."

(From: Pearls and Roses)

The Opening:

• In the name of the Father … (Sign of the Cross)

• I believe in God … (Apostles' Creed)

Then follow:

• 1 Our Father

• 3 Hail Mary (Ave Maria), into each of which, after the name "Jesus", the three divine virtues are inserted:

  • … increase our faith

  • … strengthen our hope

  • … kindle our love

This opening is concluded with a Glory Be to the Father.

Structure of the Rosary Mysteries:

For each of the Rosary mysteries, first:

• 1 Our Father is prayed.
  Then follow:

• 10 Hail Marys with the respective meditation text*, inserted after the name "Jesus".
  At the end of each mystery:

• Glory Be to the Father

• The so-called Fatima prayer:
  "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy."

("The words we speak in prayer are words of the Angel, words of the Holy Spirit … What is new about the Rosary is really only that we linger over these words; that we repeat them, because great things do not become boring through repetition. Only the trivial needs variety … The great becomes greater as we repeat it, and we ourselves become richer thereby …")
(Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, at the German Catholic Day 1984)

The Mysteries of the Rosary:

The Joyful Mysteries

1. … whom Thou, O Virgin, didst conceive of the Holy Spirit.

2. … whom Thou, O Virgin, didst carry to Elizabeth.

3. … whom Thou, O Virgin, didst give birth to in Bethlehem.

4. … whom Thou, O Virgin, didst present in the Temple.

5. … whom Thou, O Virgin, didst find in the Temple.

The Luminous Mysteries

1. … who was baptized by John.

2. … who revealed Himself at the wedding at Cana.

3. … who proclaimed the kingdom of God to us.

4. … who was transfigured on the mountain.

5. … who gave us the Eucharist.

The Sorrowful Mysteries

1. … who sweated blood for us.

2. … who was scourged for us.

3. … who was crowned with thorns for us.

4. … who carried the heavy Cross for us.

5. … who was crucified for us.

The Glorious Mysteries

1. … who rose from the dead.

2. … who ascended into heaven.

3. … who sent us the Holy Spirit.

4. … who assumed Thee, O Virgin, into heaven.

5. … who crowned Thee, O Virgin, in heaven.

"The most blessed Virgin gave the Rosary prayer such efficacy that there is no problem in our life that could not be solved through this prayer." (Lúcia dos Santos)

"When we pray, we become a ray of God's love: at home, where we live, and finally for the whole wide world." (St. Mother Teresa)

"The Rosary is my favorite prayer. It is a marvelous prayer, marvelous in its simplicity and its depth." (St. Pope John Paul II)

Little Josefinchen too has discovered the "Precious Pearl":
"Ave, Maria …"