THE HOLY ROSARY
Pray one of the most beautiful and powerful devotions of all time, brimming with inspiring sacred art!
Interior of the cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
SACRED ART
I cannot even begin to describe just how helpful sacred art has been to my prayer life. What I have noticed is that gradually over time, sometimes even imperceptibly, sacred art has helped me develop a stronger relationship with Our Lord, with Our Lady, and even with the saints. Just as we like to have pictures of our loved ones at our office desk when we cannot see them in person, similarly having sacred art in front of us when we pray can be very consoling and comforting.
MEDITATING ON THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
For a long, long time — in fact, for decades — I rarely prayed the Holy Rosary at all. I honestly didn’t know how to do it well, so my prayer was extremely dry and empty. Before using sacred art, my meditations on the mysteries probably lasted a few seconds, if I meditated on them at all.
But, by the grace of God, my first real step forward was learning to incorporate classic sacred art into this prayer. Finally, I could really begin to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary. This helped a great deal, but my meditations still lacked focus.
For many years, I never fully understood St. Francis de Sales’ instructions on how to meditate effectively. Then, after perhaps 13 years of rereading his book, somehow it finally clicked. The key is what he refers to as “considerations” during the meditation. In other words, after we depict, for example, a particular mystery of the Rosary in our minds (again, sacred art can help immensely here), we need to reflect upon any considerations that can help us to grow spiritually.
So since I have a great love for the fruit of the Spirit that St. Paul mentions in Galatians 5: 22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), I decided to try using these as my considerations during meditation. In fact, I added in divine wisdom and divine mercy too, since they are so important to me.
The result has been indescribable. I cannot even begin to tell you just how much more alive the Holy Rosary is for me now. When I pray a mystery of the Rosary, this is essentially what each of the decades looks like for me:
Our Father — I focus on the words of this prayer while viewing the sacred art that represents the mystery Hail Mary #1 — I look for love while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #2 — I look for joy while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #3 — I look for peace while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #4 — I look for patience while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #5 — I look for kindness while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #6 — I look for generosity while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #7 — I look for faithfulness while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #8 — I look for gentleness while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #9 — I look for self-control while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Hail Mary #10 — I look for wisdom while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue Glory Be — I look for divine mercy while viewing the sacred art, then ask Our Lady’s prayers for this virtue O My Jesus — I focus on the words of this prayer while viewing the sacred art that represents the mystery
But good St. Francis is quick to point out that after our meditation is complete, we need to form a resolution in the form of what he calls a “little devotional bouquet.” This is how he describes it:
“People who have been walking about in a beautiful garden do not like to leave without gathering in their hands four or five flowers to smell and keep for the rest of the day. In the same way, when our soul has carefully considered by meditation a certain mystery we should select one, two, or three points we liked best and that are most adapted to our improvement, think frequently about them, and smell them spiritually during the rest of the day.”
So, for instance, after meditating upon a mystery of the Rosary, and after considering each of the fruits of the Spirit, perhaps I might feel especially drawn towards a couple of those fruits (for example, love and joy). Therefore, I can pray a brief resolution prayer in which I make a commitment to putting these virtues into practice. Then, every so often during the day, I can very briefly reflect upon these resolutions. If I haven’t done as well as I’d like, then I can pray for God’s assistance in practicing these virtues better. On the other hand, if by God’s grace I have done well so far, then I can render sincere thanks to Him for His goodness in helping me to grow in virtue and become more and more like Him.
THE HOLY ROSARY: A DIVINE DRAMA
Now let me share with you another way to pray the Rosary. It serves as a wonderful alternative for people like me that have less free time in their lives. As St. Francis de Sales points out, “Devotion must be exercised in different ways by the gentleman, the worker, the servant, the prince….” And, among other things, people in the world have a different amount of time available to pray, depending upon the vocation to which God has called them. So here is a shorter alternative. I like to think of it as The Holy Rosary: A Divine Drama, because it is broken down into sections, much like a five-act play. This is what it looks like:
Prologue — Introductory Prayers of the Holy Rosary (Sunday) Act I — The First Mystery of the Holy Rosary (Monday) Act II — The Second Mystery of the Holy Rosary (Tuesday) Act III — The Third Mystery of the Holy Rosary (Wednesday) Act IV — The Fourth Mystery of the Holy Rosary (Thursday) Act V — The Fifth Mystery of the Holy Rosary (Friday) Epilogue — The Concluding Prayer(s) of the Holy Rosary (Saturday)
It’s nice because it is spread out over the course of a week, and each day the prayer time is roughly the equivalent of praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. So if I recite the Joyful Mysteries in the first week, and then follow it with the Luminous Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, and Glorious Mysteries in the next few weeks, then I will pray the full Rosary over the course of about a month. It allows me to pray freely from the heart and “get into my prayers,” instead of “getting my prayers in.” And I can spend more quality time meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, without being rushed. I also like to add one of St. Louis de Montfort’s favorite reconsecration prayers after the concluding prayer(s) every Saturday. As St. Francis de Sales so wisely said, “A single Our Father said with feeling has greater value than many said quickly and hurriedly.”
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
*TO BE PRAYED ON MONDAYS AND SATURDAYS*
INTRODUCTORY PRAYERS: OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY (3), & GLORY BE
SACRED ART: "The Coronation of the Virgin" by Pedro de Calabria
FIRST DECADE: the annunciation
SACRED ART: “The Annunciation” by Giovanni Lanfranco
(For optimal viewing, click once or twice on the painting)
SECOND DECADE: the visitation
SACRED ART: “The Visitation” by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael)
THIRD DECADE: the nativity
SACRED ART: “Adoration of the Shepherds” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
https://www.wikiart.org/en/bartolome-esteban-murillo/adoration-of-the-shepherds-1
(Click once on the painting, in order to make it more viewable)
FOURTH DECADE: the presentation in the temple
SACRED ART: “Presentation in the Temple” by Franz Borgias Mayer
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
FIFTH DECADE: the finding of jesus in the temple
SACRED ART: “Jesus in the Temple” by Heinrich Hofmann
https://mariateresadebracamonte.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/2jesus_in_the_temple_hofmann.jpg
concluding prayer: the memorare
SACRED ART: “The Madonna of the Magnificat” by Sandro Botticelli
https://www.wikiart.org/en/sandro-botticelli/madonna-of-the-magnificat-1481
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
Michelangelo’s Pietà inside St. Peter’s Basilica
THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES
*TO BE PRAYED ON THURSDAYS*
iNTRODUCTORY PRAYERS: OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY (3), & GLORY BE
SACRED ART: "The Coronation of the Virgin" by Pedro de Calabria
FIRST DECADE: the baptism of jesus
SACRED ART: “The Baptism of Christ” by Antoine Coypel
(For optimal viewing, click and hold the white tab on the slider bar in the mini picture, then drag it left or right to adjust the size; afterwards, click and hold the rectangle in the mini picture, then drag it up or down to adjust the perspective)
SECOND DECADE: the wedding feast at cana
SACRED ART: “The Marriage Feast at Cana” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/The_Barber_Institute_of_Fine_Arts_-_Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Murillo_-_The_Marriage_Feast_at_Cana.jpg
(For optimal viewing, click once on the painting)
THIRD DECADE: the proclamation of the kingdom of god
SACRED ART: “Sermon on the Mount” by Carl Bloch
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg
(For optimal viewing, click once on the painting)
FOURTH DECADE: the transfiguration
SACRED ART: “Transfiguration” by Peter Paul Rubens
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_(Rubens)#/media/File:Transfiguration-Rubens.JPG
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
FIFTH DECADE: the institution of the eucharist
SACRED ART: “The Last Supper” by Juan de Juanes
concluding prayer: the memorare
SACRED ART: “The Madonna of the Magnificat” by Sandro Botticelli
https://www.wikiart.org/en/sandro-botticelli/madonna-of-the-magnificat-1481
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
Michelangelo’s Pietà inside St. Peter’s Basilica
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
*TO BE PRAYED ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS*
iNTRODUCTORY PRAYERS: OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY (3), & GLORY BE
SACRED ART: "The Coronation of the Virgin" by Pedro de Calabria
FIRST DECADE: the agony in the garden
SACRED ART: “Gethsemane” by Carl Bloch
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Gethsemane_Carl_Bloch.jpg
(For optimal viewing, click once on the painting)
SECOND DECADE: the scourging at the pillar
SACRED ART: “Flagellation” by Lodovico Carracci
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Douai_chartreuse_carracci_flagellation.jpg
(For optimal viewing, click once on the painting)
THIRD DECADE: the crowning with thorns
SACRED ART: “Ecce Homo” by Antonio Ciseri
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Ecce_homo_by_Antonio_Ciseri_%281%29.jpg
FOURTH DECADE: the carrying of the cross
SACRED ART: “Christ Carrying the Cross” by El Greco
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
FIFTH DECADE: the crucifixion
SACRED ART: “Christ Crucified” by Diego Velazquez
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Crucified_(Vel%C3%A1zquez)#/media/File:Cristo_crucificado.jpg
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
concluding prayer: the memorare
SACRED ART: “The Madonna of the Magnificat” by Sandro Botticelli
https://www.wikiart.org/en/sandro-botticelli/madonna-of-the-magnificat-1481
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
Michelangelo’s Pietà inside St. Peter’s Basilica
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
*TO BE PRAYED ON WEDNESDAYS AND SUNDAYS*
iNTRODUCTORY PRAYERS: OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY (3), & GLORY BE
SACRED ART: "The Coronation of the Virgin" by Pedro de Calabria
FIRST DECADE: the resurrection
SACRED ART: “The Supper at Emmaus” by Peter Paul Rubens
(For optimal viewing, click once on the minus sign to the right, and then once on the plus sign)
SECOND DECADE: the ascension
SACRED ART: “The Ascension” by Benjamin West
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/The_Ascension%29_by_Benjamin_West%2C_PRA.jpg
(For optimal viewing, click once on the painting)
THIRD DECADE: the descent of the holy spirit
SACRED ART: “Pentecost” by Jean Restout
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_II_Restout#/media/File:Jean_II_Restout_-_Pentecôte.jpg
(For optimal viewing, click once on the painting)
FOURTH DECADE: the assumption of the blessed virgin mary
SACRED ART: “The Assumption of the Virgin” by Mariano Salvador Maella
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the minus sign to the right, and then once on the plus sign, then left-click and hold as you drag the painting higher or lower to suit your taste)
FIFTH DECADE: the coronation of the blessed virgin mary
SACRED ART: “The Coronation of the Virgin” by Pedro de Calabria
concluding prayer: the memorare
SACRED ART: “The Madonna of the Magnificat” by Sandro Botticelli
https://www.wikiart.org/en/sandro-botticelli/madonna-of-the-magnificat-1481
(For optimal viewing, click twice on the painting)
Pope St. John Paul II: “Totus Tuus” (“I am all yours”)