Did the Rosary change in last 100 years?

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I ask this because someone I know states that when he was in Catholic schood (& he served as alter boy) they never meditated on the mysteries while praying the rosary. That was 50 years ago.

Thanks,
 
Well, I wouldn’t go by one person’s childhood memory of how he prayed the rosary back in the day. It may be that he didn’t meditate on the mysteries, or that the mysteries weren’t announced, but that doesn’t mean that no one meditated on the mysteries.

No, the mysteries have been a part of the rosary for generations. I cannot say from the very beginning because the rosary developed over time to what it is today. And various events in the lives of Jesus and Mary have been used for meditation, not just those that have been unofficially codified into the one we recite now. Indeed, Bl. John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries during his pontificate. Being a private devotion and not a public prayer of the Church, as is the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours, it can change however it suits those who pray it.
 
Della said:
Being a private devotion and not a public prayer of the Church, as is the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours, it can change however it suits those who pray it.
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So when you pray it privately, you don’t have to meditate on the mysteries while you pray it?

Thank you
 
Rae8 said:
So when you pray it privately, you don’t have to meditate on the mysteries while you pray it?

Thank you
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It is recommended, but no, you don’t. Many people pray for things that come to mind while they are reciting their beads because it can put them into a frame of mind that allows them to bring things to the surface they might be repressing or ignoring. One should always pray it through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not just let it become a rote recitation.

Also, there are helps for meditation available online and in Catholic bookstores, generally booklets that contain Scripture verses or meditations by the saints, etc. You may want to try one of those. 🙂
 
Della said:
It is recommended, but no, you don’t. Many people pray for things that come to mind while they are reciting their beads because it can put them into a frame of mind that allows them to bring things to the surface they might be repressing or ignoring. One should always pray it through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not just let it become a rote recitation.

Also, there are helps for meditation available online and in Catholic bookstores, generally booklets that contain Scripture verses or meditations by the saints, etc. You may want to try one of those. 🙂
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Thank you. That is very helpful. Sometimes things do come to mind when I pray. Its nice to know I can go with the flow. (hey that rhymed 😛 !)
 
I love praying the Rosary and am interested in every aspect of it. I pray it every morning while I walk the dogs on the beach or in the woods. And I think all the different types of Rosary Beads are beautiful.
 
Rae8 said:
I ask this because someone I know states that when he was in Catholic schood (& he served as alter boy) they never meditated on the mysteries while praying the rosary. That was 50 years ago.

Thanks,
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Yes. The Fatima Prayer was added to honor Our Lady’s request. Otherwise, I can’t think of any changes.

The addition of the St. Michael prayer at the end is fairly new but I believe it happened just over 100 years ago.
 
Rae8 said:
Thank you. That is very helpful. Sometimes things do come to mind when I pray. Its nice to know I can go with the flow. (hey that rhymed 😛 !)
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Indeed–go with the flow. 🙂 There is a difference between “wool-gathering” and letting the rosary take you into corners of your heart and soul that need some light. It’s a matter of keeping one’s head in the present moment while allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you. If you find you are thinking about the price of eggs instead of something of real need, then you know you have let your mind wander. 😉
 
well, the Luminous mysteries were added as an optional fourth set of mysteries, and the Fatima prayer was added,but beyond that, I can’t think of anything.
 
The formation of the mysteries of the Rosary really took place between the 12th and 15th century. The mysteries are not a requirement, though. 🙂
 
Although the mysteries aren’t a requirement, and when I was young they weren’t emphasized as much (I’m 60 now), nearly any brochure, pamphlet etc. you would pick up now days to learn how to pray the rosary will emphasize the importance of them. The idea is to reflect on the life of Jesus with Mary. I’ve heard it explained that the Hail Mary’s provided the “background music” for our reflections about Jesus as we view His life with Mary, which makes praying it even a richer experience…also more in keeping with our Blessed Mother who is always leading us to Him… This too, makes it helpful to explain to non-Catholics who think the rosary is a type of worship to Mary, which of course it is not. The focus is the life of the Lord, the vehicle is the prayer as we walk with Mary through His life. At least that is my understanding.
 
Ladygem said:
well, the Luminous mysteries were added as an optional fourth set of mysteries, and the Fatima prayer was added,but beyond that, I can’t think of anything.
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The whole rosary is optional.

There is no requirement to pray any of it if one does not want to. There is a format which has come to be useds most often, but there are no rules about the format. One can pray the rosary any way they want, or not at all, or only part of it.

-Tim-
 
=Rae8;10633073]I ask this because someone I know states that when he was in Catholic schood (& he served as alter boy) they never meditated on the mysteries while praying the rosary. That was 50 years ago.
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Thanks,
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The Devine Mysteries WERE ALWAY’S ment to be meditated upon. Maybe not taught; BUT:shrug: That is the precise reason they exist; not just saying words; but thinking about what we are praying. Amen:thumbsup:

And 50 yeas ago would have been post Vatican II and its too often invations.😊
 
I always say the rosary with the Sorrowful mystery. It means so much to me.
 
bevsue said:
Although the mysteries aren’t a requirement, and when I was young they weren’t emphasized as much (I’m 60 now), nearly any brochure, pamphlet etc. you would pick up now days to learn how to pray the rosary will emphasize the importance of them. The idea is to reflect on the life of Jesus with Mary. I’ve heard it explained that the Hail Mary’s provided the “background music” for our reflections about Jesus as we view His life with Mary, which makes praying it even a richer experience…also more in keeping with our Blessed Mother who is always leading us to Him… This too, makes it helpful to explain to non-Catholics who think the rosary is a type of worship to Mary, which of course it is not. The focus is the life of the Lord, the vehicle is the prayer as we walk with Mary through His life. At least that is my understanding.
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Mine also.
 
ajecphotos said:
I always say the rosary with the Sorrowful mystery. It means so much to me.
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The Sorrowful Mysteries are the most comforting to me as well. They make daily trials so easy to deal with. For example, I have a nagging back pain problem, but I can recall the Scourging and know my pain is nothing compared to the pain Christ endured for us.
 
I started praying the Rosary during Lent so started with sorrowful mysteries. But after Easter, I thought I must check in my little book each day to know which mystery to pray. I’m glad to know now that it isn’t important which mystery we pray. I only need to know that when I pray in a group.

I read somewhere, it may have been in St. Faustina’s diary or the Confessions of St. Augustine, that the Lord appreciates it when we really feel or meditate on what he endured for us. So that is a good reason to meditate on the sorrowful mysteries more than the others. I think that is why I love the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
 
Count me as another Catholic who never learned about the mysteries when learning to pray the rosary - before Vatican II. There was no mention of meditating on anything/anyone when we prayed it at home or at school. I suspect that’s because my parents were not taught it either.
 
The rosary hasn’t changed. If you look up Pope Leo XIII’s encyclicals on the rosary he writes a lot about meditating on the mysteries, and what they are. And he writes about them assuming those reading his letters are well aware of how to pray the rosary. He wrote about 8 letters on the devotion of the rosary.

However, we know that good catechesis ebbs and flows, and I’m sure there have been many times during history (Including post Vatican II) when people were not taught the rosary properly
 
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