praying the Luminous Mysteries

[Padraig1972]

Yeah it is too bad. I got some more questions…but not sure if it is a good idea to ask them at all in such a hostile environment as this thread has become…

 

[DaveBj]

I pray them. Moreover, I don’t do the Mysteries on their old traditional days; I take everything in chronological order: Monday = Joyful, Tuesday = Luminous, Wednesday = Sorrowful, and Thursday = Glorious.

 

[jmj1984]

Yeah it is too bad. I got some more questions…but not sure if it is a good idea to ask them at all in such a hostile environment as this thread has become…

Sorry

 

[BroMartin]

While praying the Rosary is not “required,” it is highly recommended. It is, after all, a sacramental and useful for the enhancement of the spiritual lives of all persons. Although it is true that Fatima is a private revelation, it is one that has been approved by the Church and, therefore, its messages and requests are believed to be worthy practices.

It is most unfortunate that in these latter days so much of the faith, including those pious practices that help elevate the soul along with many core beliefs and teachings are being twisted, denied and abandoned even by some of us who supposedly have consecrated our lives to God.

 

[Evan]

While praying the Rosary is not “required,” it is highly recommended. It is, after all, a sacramental and useful for the enhancement of the spiritual lives of all persons. Although it is true that Fatima is a private revelation, it is one that has been approved by the Church and, therefore, its messages and requests are believed to be worthy practices.

It is most unfortunate that in these latter days so much of the faith, including those pious practices that help elevate the soul along with many core beliefs and teachings are being twisted, denied and abandoned even by some of us who supposedly have consecrated our lives to God.

I only pray the rosary when I don’t have access to other material. I make up my own ‘mysteries’. I ever heard of someone who prayed the rosary for 50 years before finding out there were mysteries.

I’ve never figured out how to contemplate the mystery AND pray the prayers at the same time. So I usually choose to do one or the other.

I much prefer the LOTH to the rosary, and since it has been translated into English and been encouraged by the Church to be prayed by the Faithful, whenever I have time and have one of my copies at hand, I pray that.

The history of the rosary that I read claimed that it was a form of devotion for those who could not memorize the 150 psalms (hence the 150 Ave’s) With a literate Church, we can now pray the psalms without memorizing them.

 

[BroMartin]

I only pray the rosary when I don’t have access to other material. I make up my own ‘mysteries’. I ever heard of someone who prayed the rosary for 50 years before finding out there were mysteries.

I’ve never figured out how to contemplate the mystery AND pray the prayers at the same time. So I usually choose to do one or the other.

I much prefer the LOTH to the rosary, and since it has been translated into English and been encouraged by the Church to be prayed by the Faithful, whenever I have time and have one of my copies at hand, I pray that.

The history of the rosary that I read claimed that it was a form of devotion for those who could not memorize the 150 psalms (hence the 150 Ave’s) With a literate Church, we can now pray the psalms without memorizing them.

First, if you make up your own mysteries then you are not praying the Rosary. Second, meditations on each mystery can be accomplished by having so memorized the prayers that you are able to say the words without consciously thinking them. This leaves your mind free to consider the mystery and its meaning to your journey toward God. Third, the Divine Office (LOTH) IS the prayer of the Church. Hwever, why do you choose. The Divine Offce and the Rosary and Devotion to the Sacrd Heart and Eucharitic Adoration and most especially Holy Mass as well as many others should be practiced as often as possible. After all, our principle purpose in life is to be ALL God’s. Fourth, Just because we no longer need to memorize the psalms doesn’t mean the Rosary is any less valueable as a means of giving honor and glory to God. By the way, illiterate monks were instructed to pray not 150 Aves, but 150 Pater Nosers.

Findally, earlier in this discussion someone made the claim the Franciscan Crown is not a Rosary and that it consists of seven “decades” of seven Ave Marias. As a Franciscan friar I tell you that is not correct. The Franciscan Rosary, whch includes the Crown, consists of all the traditional prayers of the Rosary which is divided into three chaplets of mysteries. Each chaplet consists of seven decades. At the end of each chaplet an additional two Ave Marias are added for a total of 72, the traditionally believed age of Mary at her assumption. There have also been some incorrect information given regarding the structure of the Rosary (the prayers to be said). For centuries the traditional Rosary has been prayerd as follows: Sign of the Cross → Optional Petition Prayer → Apostles Creed → Our Fater → three Hail Marys (one for each of the theological virtures of faith, hope and love) → Glory Be → Cycle of Decades with each decade consisting of Announcement of the appropriate Mystery → Our Father → 10 Hail Marys → Glory Be. Following the Cycle of Decades is prayed the Hail Holy Queen and the closng Sign of the Cross. THIS is the minimum form of the standard Rosary. Additions have been made that many believe add to the Rosary and its efficacy. These include, as has been noted, the Luminous Mysteries. But others include the Jesus prayer requested by Mary at Fatima, the St. Michael Prayer following the Hail Holy Queen and an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be prior to the closng Sign of the Cross for the intentions of the holy father.

Other so called forms of the Rosary are not the traditional Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

[Evan]

First, if you make up your own mysteries then you are not praying the Rosary. Second, meditations on each mystery can be accomplished by having so memorized the prayers that you are able to say the words without consciously thinking them. This leaves your mind free to consider the mystery and its meaning to your journey toward God. Third, the Divine Office (LOTH) IS the prayer of the Church. Hwever, why do you choose. The Divine Offce and the Rosary and Devotion to the Sacrd Heart and Eucharitic Adoration and most especially Holy Mass as well as many others should be practiced as often as possible. After all, our principle purpose in life is to be ALL God’s. Fourth, Just because we no longer need to memorize the psalms doesn’t mean the Rosary is any less valueable as a means of giving honor and glory to God. By the way, illiterate monks were instructed to pray not 150 Aves, but 150 Pater Nosers.

I found this to be true. If I did not focus on the words, I decided I was not praying the prayers, just reciting a mantra. I could focus better on the life of Christ if I skipped the mantra’s.

I choose because I also have a family, work for a living, need time to eat AND sleep. So I need to choose what to do during my prayer time. Our parish has moved the daily mass to 9 AM, so that is no longer an option for people with typical work habits (8-5). So LOTH is what I choose.

I know of some people who wished to become monks, and since they could not memorize the psalms, they were told “you don’t have a vocation to the monastery” but I don’t remember where I read this. I did read, in the history of the rosary (a book we have at home) that the 150 pater nosers (nosers?) were initially used since most everyone could memorize the Pater Noster and that was the first rosary. So if that was 1st, and the format keeps changing and different communities say it different ways: it seems difficult for anyone to say “If you don’t do it my way, you are not praying the rosary”. After all JPII prayed the luminous mysteries, and he still said he was praying the rosary!!!. Oh No! praying mysteries not on the list!!! Good thing he got that promotion so he could propose adding MORE mysteries to the rosary. He also prayed in such a way to focus on BOTH the prayers and the mystery by stopping at the word “Jesus” and adding some element, some reflection, on the mystery.

Of course here is a rosary (the brigittine or camelite) that has 6 decades each on 3 recitals (18 decades total) PLUS 3 extra mysteries. And why, 6 decades… because of the claim that Mary lived 63 years in contrast to the Franciscan claim that she lived 73 years.
carmelitesistersocd.com/Who/HolyRosary.asp

Adding mysteries

Joyful: Immaculate Conception
Sorrowful: Body of the Lord was placed in the Arms of His Sorrowful Mother
Glorious: Patronage of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace (and, for the Carmelite, Mary, Queen and Beauty of Carmel)
Luminous – who knows

Also a decade is: Pater Noster, 10 Ave Marias, Credo (not Gloria Patri)

I think this may lead one to believe a Rosary is what you make of it. I don’t care what you call it, but when I pray it (whatever it is), it ends up giving glory to God.

 

[BroMartin]

…Also a decade is: Pater Noster, 10 Ave Marias, Credo (not Gloria Patri)

I think this may lead one to believe a Rosary is what you make of it. I don’t care what you call it, but when I pray it (whatever it is), it ends up giving glory to God.

Your discription of a decade is in error. It IS the Gloria Patri which concludes a standard decade. The Credo is the Nicene Creed (or the Apostles Creed). The latter is prayed only once at the beginning of the Rosary and the former at certain Masses (i.e. the Sunday Mass). Yes, there are different forms of the Rosary, such as the “standard” (five decades per chaplet), the Carmelite (six decades per chaplet) and the Franciscan (seven decades per chaplet).

I was not saying or even suggesting that other forms of prayer are unacceptable. Natually, all prayer is acceptable. Rather, it is a misnomer to call a series of prayers that do not include the mysteries and exclude the opening and closing prayers and which exclude the beginning and ending prayers for a decade a “Rosary” as the term is generally defined and understood.