Prayer Beads?

[Louemma]

Once more I ask for patience with one who is curious about the Catholic Faith.
What is the purpose of the Rosary beads?

 

[CentralFLJames]

Once more I ask for patience with one who is curious about the Catholic Faith.
What is the purpose of the Rosary beads?

It’s good here to know some of the history.

First of all the beads are a pragmatic way to keep track of where one is in recollecting the mysteries of the prayers. In the early church only the monastic and clergy recited the 150 psalms since few in those times had copies of the psalms or bibles and not many but the religious could read. The early common lay Christian wanted to participate in these prayers but lacking the facilities to read he would fashion a simple cord and tie knots in it and try to pray along at his own leisure his daily prayers using 15 decades of 10 prayers (leading to the original long version of the rosary - 150 prayers). But the laity who could not read and lacked the psalms would pray just a few simple prayers (all inspired from the gospel - The Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be) and mediate on a few simple gospel mysteries. So in this way the laity were able to participate in daily and even hourly prayers where they worked and lived by praying on each of the beads - in a sense they were enjoining in the daily prayers of the clergy outside of the mass.

The rosary beads are also usually blessed by a priest when requested. When the rosary is blessed it becomes “a sacramental”. This becomes holy since the object itself is dedicated to God just as the person was dedicated to God in baptism and just how the Cross became holy by the passion of Christ on it. Prayers offered to God in the presence of consecrated objects such as the rosary impart additional efficacy in the prayers since the Church has attached its blessing and permissions to use the now religious object to honor God. By showing greater reverence to God by using consecrated objects we have assurances from The Church that we may gain additional penitential remission for our already forgiven sins and so we become greater prayer warriors for God and His Church and can gain greater grace for ourselves and those we pray for. This concept of greater efficacy is valid in the same sense that a person free of sin has more active friendship with God than a person who is in a modest relationship with him wtih many small unrepented sins. This is also why Catholics often petition the saints who are completely holy in God’s presence to pray and intercede for us since they need no rest and can continue praying for us 24-7 and are perfect in God’s eyes.

James

 

[Louemma]

Thank you.

 

[puzzleannie]

they are an aid to prayer, as are icons, devotional books, depictions of Christ or the saints, specifically the rosary is an aid to an ancient form of meditation on the scriptural events in the Life of Christ. The use of beads assist in counting the prayers and in focusing the attention on that scripture passage, while the repetetive prayer in conjunction with the beads is well known to aid in mediation because it focuses the mind, the imagination, and the body in the prayer.

this article on catholic.net does a very good job explaining the use of the string of beads called the rosary in prayer
catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3960&canal=Prayers %26 Devotions&grupo=Mariology

if you wish to learn more about praying the rosary, there are links and stickies on the spirituality forum

welcom to CAF

 

[losh14]

Two additional thoughts, though this is already pretty complete.

First, I’ve also heard that ancient Christians would gather stones in the morning for counting prayers, and toss one out of their pockets every time a group of prayers was finished. This may seem tedious to us, but remember that in these days work was truly tedious and backbreaking.

Second, I’ve thought several times about composing a prayer - likewise based entirely on Scripture - that would use prayer beads to keep count. The intent would be a prayer that all Christians could share - ie the Prophecies of Jesus, or the Beatitudes, or the snippets of early hymns we have in the epistles.

 

[JustaServant]

The Rosary can be said without the beads as well.
Provided you have a good memory.

 

[CentralFLJames]

The Rosary can be said without the beads as well.
Provided you have a good memory.

Or with the help of modern technology using “digital beads” on the Internet or cell phones etc. to count the prayers and give you the mysteries customary for the day of the week to meditate on and also play peaceful background meditation psalms and chants:

ourcatholicfaith.org/onlinerosary.html

This is nice for paraplegics and the mute who can not hold the rosaries and have voice activated Internet browsers that permit other voices to pray aloud as they mentally recite the prayers and follow along.

We also now have the Liturgy of the Hours online too so we no longer have to get the 4 volume set of books to read from and learn how to determine the right readings for the day based on the liturgical year and ecclesial season:

breviary.net/ordinary/ordin.htm

Pax,
James

 

[06convert]

In theory. When you pray the rosary. You are supposed to be meditating on the mysteries and not how many times you’ve said the prayer. So you use the beads to help keep your place. They help you count.

 

[panevino]

I recall something about
tzit tzit
in Jewish faith
tassels on clothes used to recall commandements?

 

[losh14]

I recall something about
tzit tzit
in Jewish faith
tassels on clothes used to recall commandements?

Yes, though I think these are more for reminding than for recalling. I think its just cloth rather than containing writing, though I could be wrong.

 

[Louemma]

Yes, though I think these are more for reminding than for recalling. I think its just cloth rather than containing writing, though I could be wrong.

This is right