Are we allowed to make up our own rosary mysteries?

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are we “allowed” to create out own mysteries from the bible involving Jesus and Mary and recite the rosary to them? like, if we want to focus on certain parts of jesus’ or mary’s life that aren’t already part of the mysteries but are in the bible, can we do that? or no?
 
Sure, why not?🤷

As a very wise priest once told me~
Pray as you can, not as you can’t!😉
 
I used to add secrets on my own, most often separating Jesus’ crucifixion and His death, also adding the mystery of His burial. Sometimes also add the visitation of the Magi and the flee to Egypt.

Naturally such additions does not carry the indulgences attached to the approved Rosary, but they have the value of prayer and meditation.
 
laszlo said:
I used to add secrets on my own, most often separating Jesus’ crucifixion and His death, also adding the mystery of His burial. Sometimes also add the visitation of the Magi and the flee to Egypt.

Naturally such additions does not carry the indulgences attached to the approved Rosary, but they have the value of prayer and meditation.
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Those are excellent choices! I think also we can expand the existing mysteries in our meditations – for example there is quite a bit to the reserrection accounts for contemplation.
 
As someone has already said, ‘Sure, why not?’

When I was in the Third Order Discalced Carmelites, the priest-director mentioned what he said once to a community of Dominican nuns in our diocese about ‘variety’ in the Rosary. He said that we could use other incidents in the Gospel, or dedicate the decades to favorite Saints.

I do this on several feast days/national holidays (St. Patrick’s Day-Irish Saints; St. George’s Day-English Saints; Canada Day [July 1], Canadian Saints; Indepedence Day-American Saints; Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Carmelite Saints; St. Francis of Assisi-Franciscan Saints; Immaculate Conception-Saints devoted to Mary Immaculate). I always dedicate the first decade to Our Lady under the appropriate title for the feast day/holiday (St. Patrick’s Day, Our Lady of Knock; St. George’s Day, Our Lady of Walsingham; Canada Day, Our Lady of the Cape; Independence Day and Immaculate Conception, Our Lady Immaculate; Our Lady of Mount Carmel-obvious; St. Francis of Assisi, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception).
 
You can but then you have to realize that it’s no longer the ‘Rosary’ properly speaking but a personal devotion - a self made chaplet.
 
RosaryCrusader said:
You can but then you have to realize that it’s no longer the ‘Rosary’ properly speaking but a personal devotion - a self made chaplet.
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Don’t agree. First, there is no “properly speaking” Rosary. Second, anyone studying the history of the Rosary would realize that it has been a changeable, and changing, devotion for hundreds of years. Third, the Rosary is a personal devotion, between each participant and the Christ, even when recited in groups.
 
I realise that almost everyone else has said yes already, but I would say no. What I would advise if you want to personalise it is to follow St Louis De Montfort. He suggests many methods of saying and meditating on the traditional mysteries of the Rosary. These are contained in his book “Secrets of the Rosary” which you can get from TAN. I highly recommend it to everyone.
 
Iotaunum said:
I realise that almost everyone else has said yes already, but I would say no. What I would advise if you want to personalise it is to follow St Louis De Montfort. He suggests many methods of saying and meditating on the traditional mysteries of the Rosary. These are contained in his book “Secrets of the Rosary” which you can get from TAN. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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Here is the book readable from the EWTN

ewtn.com/library/montfort/truedevo.htm
 
Iotaunum said:
I realise that almost everyone else has said yes already, but I would say no. What I would advise if you want to personalise it is to follow St Louis De Montfort. He suggests many methods of saying and meditating on the traditional mysteries of the Rosary. These are contained in his book “Secrets of the Rosary” which you can get from TAN. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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No? Do you have a reason, or are you just uncomfortable with the idea?

As many have previously posted, the rosary has evolved over time, most notably with the addition of the Luminous Mysteries. The Franciscans also have a 7 decade rosary, although it is more or less a combination of existing mysteries. It’s a personal devotion, a tradition (lower case “t”) of prayer.

Keep in mind, however, that the “mysteries” are just that, “mysteries” that pertain to the life of Christ and the importance of these events in the economy of salvation. I am sure we can have a long debate about this, but I would venture to say that not every biblical event is a “mystery.” So Nebuchadnezzar chewing grass, or the beheading of John the Baptist aren’t really things you should be meditating on while praying the Rosary.
 
HeWillProvide said:
are we “allowed” to create out own mysteries from the bible involving Jesus and Mary and recite the rosary to them? like, if we want to focus on certain parts of jesus’ or mary’s life that aren’t already part of the mysteries but are in the bible, can we do that? or no?
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You can, of course, do what you want. However, it would no longer be The Rosary.

The Rosary already comprises all the Mysterious we would need to meditate on. The Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous cover it all.
 
thistle said:
You can, of course, do what you want. However, it would no longer be The Rosary.

The Rosary already comprises all the Mysterious we would need to meditate on. The Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous cover it all.
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Given this logic, the rosary prior to the addition of the Luminous mysteries would not be the rosary, as it did not include all the mysteries that we need to meditate on.

You can change the meditations and still call it the Rosary. There is no panel review that determines what does and does not constitute the Rosary. Again, it’s a tradition. A private devotion. There are no binding “rules” that one has to follow and there are certainly many more acts of Christ during his ministry that constitute a “mystery” of the faith that can be meditated on during prayer.

You can argue that Mary gets to determine what the Rosary is and what it is not, but the flaw in this argument is that as a private devotion, a Catholic has no obligation to even believe that it was Mary herself that gave the Rosary to St. Dominic. If you still insist, however, you have to face up to the fact that John Paul II took it upon himself to improve on Mary’s handiwork by adding the Luminous Mysteries.
 
thistle said:
You can, of course, do what you want. However, it would no longer be The Rosary.

The Rosary already comprises all the Mysterious we would need to meditate on. The Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous cover it all.
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I had to contradict. We are not absolute, and never will be absolute, we never can possess all anything in this earthly life.

As for the Rosary I am almost sure that sometimes the mysteries of the Church including the role of the Holy Virgin in the Church (Mather Ecclesiae) will be added.

The first millennium was devoted to the Creeds, the second to the Eucharist, my feeling is that the third will be concentrating on the Church.

We, and our prayers are living prayers, and until we live, we move, change. The petrified is no longer alive.
 
C27433 said:
Given this logic, the rosary prior to the addition of the Luminous mysteries would not be the rosary, as it did not include all the mysteries that we need to meditate on.

You can change the meditations and still call it the Rosary. There is no panel review that determines what does and does not constitute the Rosary. Again, it’s a tradition. A private devotion. There are no binding “rules” that one has to follow and there are certainly many more acts of Christ during his ministry that constitute a “mystery” of the faith that can be meditated on during prayer.

You can argue that Mary gets to determine what the Rosary is and what it is not, but the flaw in this argument is that as a private devotion, a Catholic has no obligation to even believe that it was Mary herself that gave the Rosary to St. Dominic. If you still insist, however, you have to face up to the fact that John Paul II took it upon himself to improve on Mary’s handiwork by adding the Luminous Mysteries.
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The Luminous Mysteries COMPLETED the Rosary. Previously the public ministry of Jesus was missing.

For my edification give me an example of a “Mystery” during Christ’s Ministry that would be a good addition to the Rosary.
 
C27433 said:
No? Do you have a reason, or are you just uncomfortable with the idea?

As many have previously posted, the rosary has evolved over time, most notably with the addition of the Luminous Mysteries. The Franciscans also have a 7 decade rosary, although it is more or less a combination of existing mysteries. It’s a personal devotion, a tradition (lower case “t”) of prayer.

Keep in mind, however, that the “mysteries” are just that, “mysteries” that pertain to the life of Christ and the importance of these events in the economy of salvation. I am sure we can have a long debate about this, but I would venture to say that not every biblical event is a “mystery.” So Nebuchadnezzar chewing grass, or the beheading of John the Baptist aren’t really things you should be meditating on while praying the Rosary.
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The Traditional belief is that the Roasry and its mysteries were given to St Dominic by Our Lady, thus the prayer is perfect and does not need to be changed for any reason. It has been approved and recommended by Our Lady and the Saints. My personal reason is that I just do not like the thought of inviting people to create their own mysteries anymore that I would invite them to change the Our Father, Hail Mary or any of the traditional litanies. There would be nothing wrong per se with these new “mysteries” provided they were significant events in the life of Our Lord and conformed to Catholic doctrine, but I simply do not see any reason nor benefit which would come with creating new ones. I say pray the traditional prayers and you will learn to love them.
 
thistle said:
The Luminous Mysteries COMPLETED the Rosary. Previously the public ministry of Jesus was missing.

For my edification give me an example of a “Mystery” during Christ’s Ministry that would be a good addition to the Rosary.
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The feeding of the multitude, the raising of lazarus, Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, These would all be suitable mysteries to reflect on during the rosary that reveal Christ’s role in the economy of Salvation.
 
wisdomseeker said:
I like to recite the Psalms instead of the Mysteries.
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Actually the Rosary was to help lay people who didn’t know all the Psalms, thus the 15 decades - the 150 Hail Marys - represented the 150 Psalms.

I know people who refuse to say the Luminous Mysteries, which to me is a very self-righteous attitude. The Luminous Mysteries are as biblically based as the other three are. I have seen many different meditations and I find them all very helpful. The Rosary is a meditative prayer designed to bringer us closer to Christ. If the Holy Spirit is guiding you, I think you should follow.
 
thistle said:
For my edification give me an example of a “Mystery” during Christ’s Ministry that would be a good addition to the Rosary.
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I like the ones mentioned already. How about Psalm 22, the first line, spoken by Jesus on the Cross, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Meditation would be of Jesus on the Cross, say one line, say the Hail Mary, and continue on the beads to the end of the psalm. You would do 3 decades of meditation with that Psalm.

John ch18, begins with Jesus in the Garden. Read a verse, say a Hail Mary, move along the beads. In this verse you will read the little diamond, hidden in John, of Jesus replying “I am he” and all the Pharisees, chief priests and guards fall to the ground. The power of Christ speaking I AM. Ch 18 has 40 verses or 4 decades. I think that using Scripture and holding Mary’s hand, will give your prayer time substantial weight and benefit, for yourself and your intentions. Surely the demons will shiver and flee with this combination, prayed well.
 
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