The Rosary: Part 1
Many people could identify this picture as a Rosary (even if they didn’t know the word). Rosaries are sometimes worn as fashion accessories (necklaces or bracelets), hung from rear-view mirrors, or displayed as home décor. All Rosaries follow a common pattern but are fashioned from diverse materials. They may be as ornate as precious gemstones or as simple as a knotted rope. Nowadays, there are even Rosary apps for smartphones.
Simply speaking, a Rosary is a string of prayer beads. Meditative prayers are recited and counted along the string of beads. The word rosary comes from the Latin rosarium (“rose garden”) because the prayers were originally viewed as a bouquet of spiritual roses given to Mary in Heaven.
Both Catholics and Protestants agree the Rosary is not directly taught in Scripture. The history of the Rosary may have roots that reach back as far as the Old Testament, when Jews would use knotted ropes and prayer shawls to help guide their prayers and recitations of Scripture. The traditional Rosary used today is traced back to the year 1206. It is said a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic and taught him to use the Rosary as a witnessing tool. Throughout the years since, various priests, saints, and popes promoted using the rosary as a tool of contemplative prayer (meditation on specific Scripture). Some histories even teach the rosary was used as a substitute for Catholics who couldn’t go to Mass (especially in places where Catholicism was forbidden).
Pope Pius V is known to have officially established the Rosary in 1569. During that time period, he unified the recitation of the Rosary for the entire Catholic Church. He also established the 15 Mysteries (specific, significant events in the lives of Jesus and Mary). The Mysteries were divided into three sets: Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious. In 2002, Pope John Paul II officially added the 4th (Luminous) Mystery. Though the Rosary is considered sacramental, it is not an obligation. Catholics are encouraged, but not required, to pray through the Rosary daily.
Through a Protestant lens, the Rosary might look like a mindless repetition of rote and meaningless words. The traditional teaching instead emphasizes the Rosary as a tool for Catholics to study the Bible and focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Through a Protestant lens, the Rosary might look like Mary is being worshiped instead of Jesus. The traditional teaching does unarguably include much focus on Mary. Each of the Popes who focused on the importance of the Rosary were deeply devoted to Mary. Pope Leo XIII (known as “The Rosary Pope”) believed Mary was the door to Jesus and Jesus the door to God. In the late 1800s, he made a record number of papal declarations regarding the Rosary, thus increasing the importance of the Rosary within the Catholic Church.
Generally speaking, Protestants don’t have something akin to the Rosary, though they do have practices and guides that would also fall under the heading of “Prayer Tools.” Some of these include: Prayer lists, daily prayer time, special places set aside for prayer/”Prayer Closets,” guided prayer books or devotionals, alarms set to pause and pray, and even organized prayer groups. Another common prayer guide is referred to as the “ACTS of Prayer.” The acronym is used to guide prayer time:
Adoration (worship God; declare Who God is)
Confession (honest confession of sins; genuine repentance; humble request of forgiveness)
Thanksgiving (expression of gratitude for God’s goodness, faithfulness, and promises)
Supplication (bringing needs and requests before God on behalf of self and others)
Catholics and Protestants have some major differences in the area of prayer, but it all comes down to the most important fact we can anchor our souls to: We have a God who loves to hear us pray. When we come to Him with genuine faith, He hears the deepest cries of our hearts. And, unlike statues or empty temples, God not only hears us, but He responds to us when we pray. Through His Holy Word and His Spirit, He speaks. And, no matter how different our prayers sound, one question unites: Are we listening?
(Next week, we will look at exactly how the Rosary is prayed.)