"Pray the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end to the war."
(May 13, 1917 – Apparition of Our Lady in Fatima)
What is the Rosary
Our Lady did not request the daily recitation of the Rosary only during her first apparition; she insisted on this request in all subsequent apparitions until the last one. The Rosary and Fatima are inseparable, but the Rosary is also inseparable from other Marian apparitions.
The term "Rosary" comes from the 150 (now 200) Hail Marys divided in groups of 10 with the Our Father and the Glory Be prayers, alongside meditations on the mysteries of Jesus’ life and our redemption, thus forming a "crown of roses" offered to Mary, Mother of the Lord and our Mother.
The twenty mysteries of Christ's life are divided into four sets of five mysteries each. In each Rosary, only one of these sets is prayed, which are: the Joyful Mysteries, related to Jesus’ birth and childhood; the Luminous Mysteries, which reflect Jesus as the light of the world during His ministry; the Sorrowful Mysteries, focusing on Christ’s Passion and death; and finally, the Glorious Mysteries, which contemplate Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven.
Inspired by chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation, which refers to Mary wearing a crown of 12 stars, I conceived 12 Marian mysteries, reflecting on how Mary's life is intertwined with her Son's, from her conception to her Assumption and coronation in Heaven. Like the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, these Marian mysteries also contemplate Jesus’ life, but through the perspective of His Mother.
The Importance of the Rosary in Our Spiritual Life
Praying the Rosary allows Mary to guide us in meditating on the mysteries of her Son's life. This practice helps keep our hearts and minds focused on the Gospel teachings, strengthening our faith in God and His presence in our daily lives.
The repetitive and meditative rhythm of the prayers brings calm and introspection. Many people find inner peace and comfort when praying the Rosary, especially in times of difficulty, anxiety, or distress.
In the Most Holy Rosary, repeating the Hail Marys 50 times (10 times per mystery) serves to prevent the mind from being distracted from contemplating the mystery. The aim is not to focus on each Hail Mary and Our Father, but to use these prayers as mantras, allowing the mind to reach a state of contemplation of the divine.
How the Rosary is Prayed in Fatima
While making the sign of the cross, one says:
God, come to our assistance. / Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. / As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
- Proclamation of the mystery of Christ's life to be contemplated.
- Proclamation of the biblical text related to the mystery.
- Pause for an appropriate period of time.
- Recitation of 1 Our Father and 10 Hail Marys.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. / As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Mary, conceived without sin, /pray for us who have recourse to thee.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.
At the end of the fifth mystery, 3 Hail Marys are prayed for the intentions of the Pope.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
Distribution of the Mysteries of Christ throughout the Week
- Sunday and Wednesday: Glorious Mysteries.
- Monday and Saturday: Joyful Mysteries.
- Tuesday and Friday: Sorrowful Mysteries.
- Thursday: Luminous Mysteries.
- Saturday: Marian Mysteries.
Joyful Mysteries
We meditate on the beginning of humanity’s redemption, from the Annunciation to Mary and the incarnation of the Son of God to Jesus' adolescence.
Luminous Mysteries
The Luminous Mysteries, introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002, aim to fill the gap between the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries, but they end up leaving out an essential part of Jesus' life, where He reveals Himself as a model of Humanity, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the one with whom we must measure ourselves to be authentic and genuinely human, and at the same time, He is our salvation, the source of our spiritual health here and now, as well as the way to the Father.
The life of Jesus can be summarized in the miracles He performed and the teachings He delivered, with the Kingdom of God as the primary purpose of His coming. Therefore, I propose, in the third mystery, to replace the “Proclamation of the Kingdom of God” with “The Kingdom of God in the words and miracles of Jesus.”
Indeed, Jesus not only proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom but also demonstrated that it is already present among us through His teachings and miracles. The Kingdom of God began with the coming of Jesus into the world; it is among us, though not yet in its fullness. It is up to us, His disciples, to carry on His mission of transforming this world into the Kingdom of God.
This adjustment in the third Luminous Mystery offers a more complete vision of the public life of Jesus and is aligned with the original purpose of the Luminous Mysteries.
Sorrowful Mysteries
We meditate on the process of Jesus’ Passion and Death, from the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane to His last breath on the Cross. When we say that Jesus died for our sins, we understand that He paid the debt we could not settle, reflecting the sin of all humanity.
Glorious Mysteries
We meditate on Jesus' triumph over death through His Resurrection. Death has been defeated, as has the sin that caused it. Now death is a passage to eternal life, and the life of Jesus, which began with Mary's "yes," culminates in the glorification of the one who is an example of Christian life for all of us.
Marian Mysteries
We meditate on how Jesus' life is reflected in Mary’s life, which begins before her Son’s and continues after His Ascension.
Note – In the following articles, one for each of the 20 mysteries, I present material to help with the meditation of each mystery. This material, to be used after the proclamation of each mystery and before the recitation of the 10 Hail Marys, consists of the following:
- The biblical text relating to each mystery
- A meditation from the Church Fathers
- A personal meditation
- A prayer inspired in all the texts
Depending on the time available, the person leading the recitation may choose just the biblical text, the text from the Church Fathers, one of the two meditations, the prayer, or all of them when time permits.
Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC