MYSTERIOUS LOVE

Supplemental Teaching on the Holy Rosary

“The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In

the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it
can be said to be a compendium.” (2002 Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II Rosarium Virgines
Mariae, 1)

OBJECTIVES
 To highlight the importance of Holy Rosary in our lives as Roman Catholic.
 To enumerate and describe the five mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
 To give emphasis the significance of Mary in Jesus’ earthly life and in our lives as well.

DYNAMICS
1. The session will start with a game. (See Appendix D). The service team can give
prizes/points to the group who will win.
2. Session proper.
3. End the session by praying the Holy Rosary

TENOR
Direct

KEY MESSAGE
We know the basic prayers and memorize them by heart but knowing the meaning and
the value of the Holy Rosary is also necessary. We can learn that knowing the Holy Rosary leads
us to a more intimate relationship to Christ through His mother.

EXPANDED OUTLINE

THE HOLY ROSARY

Since the Virgin Mary's role in the mystery of Christ and the Spirit has been treated, it is
fitting now to consider her place in the mystery of the Church. "The Virgin Mary . . . is
acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer. . . . She is
'clearly the mother of the members of Christ'… since she has by her charity joined in bringing
about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head. "Mary, Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church. –CCC 963
A big identity of us Catholics is the devotion to the Blessed Mother. If we look at the
calendar of the Church, at least once a month there is commemoration or celebration that is
attributed to the blessed mother. Thus some Christian denominations even accuse us of
worshipping Mary. However as Catholics we must remember that we are only respecting and
venerating the mother of our God, because of her role in the mystery of Christ and the Spirit.
As Catholics one important devotion that we have to the blessed mother is the praying of
the Holy Rosary, a prayer that allows us to journey with Christ through his birth and early years,
his passion and death, his glory and even throughout his ministry.
Historically the Rosary has been attributed to St. Dominic De Guzman, the founder of the
Order of Preachers or the Dominicans. However some scholars suggest that it has been around
even as early as the 3rd or 4th century. Wherever this prayer originated the current format of the
Holy Rosary was established by Pope Pius V in 1569, wherein he established the original 15
mysteries (divided to Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious). Then in 2002 in the Apostolic Letter of St.

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Supplemental Teaching on the Holy Rosary

John Paul II Rosarium Virgines Mariae, added another mystery to the rosary, the Luminous
Mysteries.

MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY ROSARY

“Take the Holy Rosary, one of the most deeply rooted of Christian devotions. The Church
encourages us to contemplate its mysteries. She wants to engrave upon our heart and our
imagination, together with Mary’s joy and sorrow and glory, the spellbinding example of Our
Lord’s life, in his thirty years of obscurity, his three years of preaching, his ignominious Passion
and his glorious Resurrection. To follow Christ — that is the secret.” – St. Josemaria Escriva

 Joyful Mysteries
(Prayed every Monday and Saturday, and all Sundays of Christmas)
The joyful mysteries is composed of The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of our
Lord/Nativity, The Presentation at the temple, and the Finding of the Child Jesus at the
temple. In this episode of Christ’s life, we are presented with the joy of Mary through
the incarnation of her son. There is joy in the incarnation, from the joyous greeting of
the angel Gabriel (Lk. 1:26-35), to the exultation of Elizabeth to the fruit of the womb of
her cousin Mary (Lk. 1:41 – 44), to the gladness, all around at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:
1 – 14). Even if the last two mysteries (Presentation, and Finding), forshadow the
passion of Christ (Lk. 2: 34 – 35 and Lk. 2:49), there is still much joy. In our daily life
praying this mystery calls upon each of us to meditate the deepest meaning of Christian
joy. It is through Mary that we are led to find that Christian joy.

 Luminous Mysteries
(Prayed every Thursday)
This is the mystery that was later added by Pope John Paul II. After the infancy and
hidden life of Christ we are now given a glimpse of the public ministry and journey of
Christ. As St. John Paul says in his Apostolic letter Rosarium Virgines Mariae (RVM), “the
whole mystery of Christ is a mystery of light. He is the ‘light of the world’ (Jn. 8:12)”
These mysteries (Baptism at the river of Jordan, Wedding at Cana, Proclamation of the
Kingdom of God, Transfiguration, and the Institution of the Eucharist), is a revelation
that is present in Christ himself. In all these events in the life of Christ, Mary presence
remain in the backgroun (except in the wedding at Cana)

 Sorrowful Mysteries
(Prayed every Tuesday and Friday, and all Sundays of Lent)
The passion and death of Christ is given great prominence in the Gospels, during lent we
are given the chance to follow the steps of Christ through the way of the cross. In these
mysteries, we can find “the culmination of the revelation of God’s love and the source of
salvation.(RVM 22)” Composed of the Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar,
Crowning with Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, and Crucifixion and death of Jesus on the
Cross, these sorrowful mysteries allow those who meditate to go with Mary, following
her son to his passion, and stand with her at the foot of the cross as we enter into God’s
love for all men and to allow us to experience God’s life giving power.

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Supplemental Teaching on the Holy Rosary

 Glorious Mysteries
(Prayed every Wednesday and Sunday)
The Glorious mysteries (Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Coronation of the Virgin Mary), leads us to reflect on the
passing beyond the darkness to witness Christ’s glory. The glorious mystery calls each of
us to rediscover our own Christian faith, and to share that renewed joy to others. It is in
this mystery that we are reminded that the Church, together with Jesus and Mary and
by the power of the outpouring of the Spirit is now ready to proclaim and bring God’s
good news to others.

PRAYING THE HOLY ROSARY

“Recite your Rosary with faith, with humility, with confidence and with perseverance” –St.
Louis de Montfort

Part of immersing ourselves to the mystery of Christ is to pray the rosary. As Catholics we
must learn how to pray the rosary as it allows us to reflect with Mary on the life and mission of
her Son.
1. Make the sign of the cross, and while holding the cross of the rosary, recite the
Apostles Creed
2. Recite the Our Father, followed by three Hail Mary’s, then say the Glory Be.
3. Say the title of the mystery (This can be followed by a reflection of the word of God)
4. Give a moment of silence, then recite the Our Father
5. Say one Hail Mary as you move along each of the 10 beads of the mystery
6. Recite the Glory be
7. Say the Fatima Prayer (Oh my Jesus, fogive us our sins…)
8. Repeat steps 3-7 until you finish the 5th mystery
9. After the five decades recite the Hail Holy Queen followed by this prayer

Let us pray: O God, whose Only Begotten Son,

by his life, Death, and Resurrection,
has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life,
grant, we beseech thee,
that while meditating on these mysteries
of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may imitate what they contain
and obtain what they promise,
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Some might view praying the Holy Rosary as repetitive, but being repetitive in prayer is not
a bad thing as long as this allows us to be enchanted to the mysteries of Christ more and more.
As St. Josemaria Escriva points out, “Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail
Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!”

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Supplemental Teaching on the Holy Rosary

CONCLUSION
“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.” – Saint Francis de Sales
Praying the rosary leads us to a more intimate relationship to Christ by way of His mother. In
reciting the rosary we take on the path that Mary took as she received the joy of her Son, say his
life and ministry, witnessed his passion and death, and shared with His glory. With the rosary we
are able to pray like Mary, and as we pray like her, we hope that God will find favor with us as
well, and receive His graces.