Praying a Scriptural Rosary

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PRAYING

A SCRIPTURAL

ROSARY Fr Guy Nicholls

All booklets are published thanks to the generosity of the supporters of the Catholic Truth Society

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Contents What is a Scriptural Rosary and how is it prayed? . . . 5 The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary . . . . . . . . . . . 57 The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

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What is a Scriptural Rosary and how is it prayed?

The Rosary is Christ-centred Meditation and Prayer lthough the Rosary is closely associated with our Lady, and justly so, it is principally a systematic meditation on the Incarnation and work of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Rosary, we contemplate Emmanuel, God-with-us, as he was born of the Virgin Mary, as he ministered in Galilee and Judaea, as he suffered and died in Jerusalem and as he was raised to new life and to heavenly glory which he shares with us first through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and also by the promise and foretaste of eternal life with him in heaven, which our Lady already fully shares there with him.

These meditations are inspired by twenty distinct episodes, the ‘mysteries of the Rosary’ as they are called, on each of which we reflect in turn, doing so in the company of the Blessed Mother of God. So complete is the range of the mysteries in which we ponder the journey of Christ’s life, death and resurrection in the Rosary that Pope St Paul VI, borrowing a phrase from Pope Pius XII, described it as a ‘compendium of the

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entire Gospel’.1 So central is the role which we invite our Lady to exercise with us on this journey that Pope St John Paul II summed up the entire Rosary as contemplating the Face of Christ with Mary.

But what do we mean by the word ‘mysteries’ with reference to the prayer of the Rosary? In the Christian tradition, the word ‘mystery’ refers to God’s grace which, though hidden from our senses, is nonetheless powerfully alive and active in us spiritually. ‘Mystery’ has a related meaning in connection with the Faith, referring to particular truths which God has revealed, and which surpass our powers of full comprehension, such as the Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation of the Son of God as man, or the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament under the outward appearances of bread and wine. Yet although we cannot fully grasp such realities because they far surpass our power to understand them completely, we are nonetheless given the grace and power to understand them sufficiently to be able to enter into their inner reality beyond our natural power of comprehension. In this way God grants us an insight into his loving way of dealing with us by drawing us into an ever greater and more fruitful union with himself.

‘Mystery’ as we use the word in the Rosary describes an event into which we enter spiritually by pondering it and using it to enrich our prayer so as to bring us into 1

Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, Apostolic Exhortation on devotion to our Lady, Rome, 1974, para. 42

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The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary The five Joyful Mysteries are all scenes of the earliest years of our Lord’s earthly life, from the announcement of his Advent or Coming, to his own declaration of his divine Sonship in the Temple at Jerusalem when he was about twelve years old. In all of them our Lady plays an especially significant role. We ask her to let us accompany her as we meditate on them.

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FIRST JOYFUL MYSTERY

The Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel to Our Lady

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he Annunciation teaches us our Lady’s total submission to God’s will. Her heart was already turned perfectly towards God when Gabriel was sent to invite her to be the Mother of the only-begotten Son of God. We pray that our Lady may show us that we can be confident in leaving all to God’s providence, just as she always did.

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Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven”.

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David!

Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Is 7:10-14) Our Father...

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In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.

And the virgin’s name was Mary. (Lk 1:26-27) Hail Mary...

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And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O highly favoured one, the Lord is with you!” (Lk 1:28) Hail Mary...

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But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. (Lk 1:29) Hail Mary...

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And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have won favour with God.” (Lk 1:30) Hail Mary...

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“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Lk 1:31) Hail Mary...

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“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (Lk 1:32a) Hail Mary...

“And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

(Lk 1:32b-33)

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Hail Mary...

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And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34) Hail Mary...

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And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God.” (Lk 1:35) Hail Mary...

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“And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing is impossible with God”. (Lk 1:36-7) Hail Mary...

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And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Lk 1:38) Glory be to the Father...

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FIRST LUMINOUS MYSTERY

The Baptism of Our Lord by John in the River Jordan

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n the Baptism of our Lord we meditate on the innocent one who ‘became sin’ for our sake by descending into the waters; we behold the manifestation of the Holy Trinity in the Father’s voice and Spirit’s anointing of the Son for his ministry. We pray that the grace of our own anointing in baptism may be fruitful in our lives.

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In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. (Mk 1:9) Our Father...

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John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

(Jn 1:29)

Hail Mary…

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John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?” (Mt 3:14) Hail Mary…

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But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented. (Mt 3:15) Hail Mary…

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And when Jesus was baptised, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and coming to rest on him. (Mt 3:16) Hail Mary…

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And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk 1:11) Hail Mary…

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John the Baptist preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” (Mk 1:7) Hail Mary…

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“I have baptised you with water; but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mk 1:8) Hail Mary…

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“I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptise with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’” (Jn 1:33) Hail Mary…

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“This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’” (Jn 1:30) Hail Mary…

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And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.” (Jn 1:32) Hail Mary…

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“And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (Jn 1:34) Glory be to the Father...

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The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary In the Sorrowful Mysteries we encounter five different kinds of suffering endured for us by Christ, and which he asks us to be ready to share with him when he calls upon us to take up our cross each day and follow him.

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FIFTH SORROWFUL MYSTERY

The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord

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he Death of Our Lord on the Cross signifies to us that event which, despite all differences in our lives and circumstances, will nevertheless befall us all equally: the death of the body. We pray for the grace to accept whatever death God will send us, accompanied by whatever pain and dereliction he chooses as the means of uniting ourselves in that moment with our crucified Saviour.

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Jesus said to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

(Jn 3:14) “Now is the judgement of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

(Jn 12:31-32)

Our Father...

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And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. (Mt 27:35-36) Hail Mary...

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And over his head they put the charge against him, which read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews”. (Mt 27:37) Hail Mary...

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And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” (Mk 15:29-30) Hail Mary...

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So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”

(Mk 15: 31-32a)

Hail Mary...

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One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”. But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” (Lk 23:39-41) Hail Mary...

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And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:42-43) Hail Mary...

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When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” (Jn 19:26-27a) Hail Mary...

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And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:33-34) Hail Mary...

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the Scripture), “I thirst”. A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.

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When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished”. (Jn 19:28-30a) Hail Mary...

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Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Lk 23:46) Hail Mary...

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And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:38-39) Glory be to the Father…

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The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary In the Glorious Mysteries we contemplate five elements that characterise and contribute to the eternal glory of heaven as the goal and true purpose of our existence in God’s plan.

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FIRST GLORIOUS MYSTERY

The Resurrection of Our Lord from the Dead on Easter Day

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n the Resurrection we contemplate the reality of life triumphant over death; that life which endures and even swallows up death which previously seemed to have annihilated life itself. We recollect with joy and confidence, that Christ’s resurrection is the cause of our own future rising from the grave. We pray that we may always be filled with the hope of glory that Christ’s resurrection brings.

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The Lord’s right hand has triumphed; his right hand raised me up. I shall not die, I shall live and recount his deeds. (Ps 117 (Hebr Ps 118):16-17) Our Father...

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Now after the Sabbath, towards the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. (Mt 28:1-3) Hail Mary...

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And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” (Mt 28:4-6) Hail Mary...

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Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (Jn 20:2) Hail Mary...

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So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going towards the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. (Jn 20:3-5)

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Hail Mary...

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.

(Jn 20:6-7)

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Hail Mary...

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Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. (Jn 20:8-9) Hail Mary...

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And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. (Mt 28:9) Hail Mary...

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On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. (Jn 20:19-20a) Hail Mary...

Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (Jn

20:20b-21) 9

Hail Mary...

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And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” (Jn 20:22-23a) Hail Mary...

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Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.…Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; And put out your hand, and place it in my side.

Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:24, 26-28) Glory be to the Father…

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