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Originally Posted by …
WOW! Thank you RNW.
So, I’m really making myself vulnerable here and I hope that anyone joining this thread can respect where I’m at. I’m not interested in converting to Catholicism, but I have really enjoyed what you wrote, RNW, and I also did a bit of research using Google. It sounds to me like the rosary is something that has become quite “versatile” in a sense. |
That’s OK! And yes, the rosary is very versatile.
| It seems as though many “religions” use a form or rosary beads. Some call it something else. And that there are many, many versions of prayers that are prayed while using the beads.
I like what you wrote, RNW, about coming up with your own that seemed most relevant to where you were at at the time and what you were studying, etc. So, this is a very basic jist of what I’m understanding: For the most part, rosary beads are for the purpose of helping a person stay focused during prayer and/or meditation. Some rosary beads have different types of beads that represent the different parts of the prayer or meditation, so this also helps to remember what you are supposed to be praying or focusing on. Correct? |
Yes. That the basic gist. When Catholics refer to “The Rosary”, they are usually referring to a specific set of meditations on the life of Christ and there is a set order of those Mysteries (or events in the life of Chirst/Mary) and the connecting prayers. But all the while you say the “connecting prayers” you are meditating on what that part of Christ’s life teaches you and/or praying for things that the HS brings to mind. For example, one of the “mysteries” of the rosary is the Agony of Jesus in the Garden. If I was praying that particular mystery I would call to mind the scriptures that relate the events of Jesus in the Garden before His Passion. I would then say the Lord’s Prayer. Then, as I say 10 Hail Mary’s I would meditate on the value of prayer when facing a difficulty in life and imitating Jesus in that regard, the necessity of persevering in the face of a difficult task, etc. I might also pray for those in my life undergoing hardship and needing strength to face that hardship. I try to pray for our “brothers and sisters in chains” when I pray the mysteries pertaining to the Passion of Jesus. Anyway, that is generally what Catholics mean when they talk about the rosary. You might want to take a look at NachoMam’s blog to get an example of what goes on in the mind of a Catholic praying “The Rosary.”
To distinguish the rosaries I have written from the “standard” one, I find it useful to describe them as “scriptural meditations using a rosary.” Each rosary has an overall theme and then within that, each decade has a smaller theme that supports the overall. For instance, I wrote a rosary titled “Fire” and the 5 themes within that were punishment, guidance, Holy Spirit, purify, and power. The scriptures within each decade then supported the smaller theme. (It’s Friday….is this making sense? It just doesn’t feel like I am being clear.)
| So, if that’s the case, is it safe to say that a form of rosary beads could be useful even for a non-Catholic and that I could make and use my own version? |
Yes. I would be happy to email copies of the ones I have written to you so that you can get some ideas of how to adapt the basic structure of the rosary to the needs of your own prayer life.
| If I chose to follow a method of prayer that involved that ACTS method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication), I could make a set of beads that had, say, 10 beads each of four different colors. Then I could just go over and over that. I would say 10 things of Adoration or recite 10 adoration scriptures, then I’d move on and confess 10 things or recite 10 confession scriptures, etc. |
Yep. That sounds like a good idea. If you want to buy a standard Catholic rosary to use then you might want to build your themes in sets of 5 since there are 5 “decades” to go around “the loop” one time. If I were building a rosary around the ACTS method, I would probably add a ‘P’ somewhere in there for ‘praise’ to make it 5. (Although one of my rosaries is written with 12 decades….sigh, some rules are just made to be broken.) A “finger rosary” might be a practical aid for you.
| Or I could just come up with another form based on a theme. Say, healing for example. I could memorize scriptures about healing and focus on stories in the Bible where Jesus healed, etc. and use the beads as a tool to help me focus during meditation on these things. |
Another excellent idea. In fact, I book that has a “healing” rosary that is very much like this. One of the things that I liked about this particular rosary was that one of the 5 “mysteries” used was the story of the woman caught in adultery. A useful reminder that our healing from sin, is the most important thing. I have also written a scriptural rosary on healing and reconciliation but from a completely different perspective. (And it is Protestant-friendly since I substituted some scriptures from Lamentations instead of the usual Hail Mary’s)
I will say that memorizing the scriptures for a rosary is a laudable and lofty goal. The ones I write have a LOT of scripture and I usually keep a copy sitting in front of me while I pray. I am also in the process of recording some of them so that I can listen to them while I walk.
| Am I getting this right? I really want to understand this and I hope no one thinks I’m belittling or judging Catholics. I truly am intrigued by this because I have a hard time focusing in prayer or meditation unless I’m WRITING. And I’m finding that writing tends to become too involved and self-centered sometimes. |
Well I can’t answer for anyone else but you are not bothering me. I don’t feel belittled or judged in the least. I can relate 100% to the struggles I had with concentrating on prayer (not to mention an insipid and shallow prayer life) and I have had more than one die-hard never gonna be Catholic Protestant friend that found the rosary to be a useful tool for enriching her prayer life.
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