The Rosary
Introduction
When Fr. McGivney first began the Knights of Columbus, he consecrated the order to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This consecration was established in order to bring us more closely to Christ through His mother.
Christ chose Mary to be His means to reveal Himself to us, and so it is through that same humble woman that we meet Jesus. She not only brings Christ to us, but she brings us to Christ as she did for the servants in the Wedding at Cana. Because of the honor we give Mary and our recognition of the maternal connection of Mary to Christ, every knight promises to carry a rosary on his person. This rosary is a symbol of his dedication to serving Christ completely.
About the Rosary
The word "Rosary" means "Crown of Roses". Our Lady has revealed to several people that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving her a beautiful rose and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is therefore the most important one. The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact we meditate upon the mysteries of joy, sorrow, light, and the glory of Jesus and Mary.
Just as Mary is simple and humble, so the Rosary is a simple and humble prayer. It is a prayer we can all say together with her, the mother of God. With the Hail Mary we invite Mary to pray for us. Therefore it becomes ever more useful, because what Mary asks she always receives; Jesus can never say no to whatever His mother asks for. In every apparition, the heavenly mother has invited us to say the Rosary as a powerful weapon against evil, to bring us to true peace.
With your prayer made together with your heavenly mother, you can obtain the great gift of bringing about a change of hearts and conversion. Each day, through prayer you can drive away from yourselves and from your homeland many dangers and many evils.
A good history of the Rosary can be found in The Secret of the Rosary by Saint Louis de Montfort.
How to pray the Rosary:
Go to: www.newadvent.org/faq/rosary.pdf
The Mysteries of the Rosary
The Holy Father John Paul II with the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae of October 16, 2002 has added five new mysteries of the Rosary: The Mysteries of Light.
The whole Rosary is now composed of twenty decades. Each decade is recited in honor of a mystery in our Lord's life and that of His Blessed Mother.
Joyful (Monday and Saturday):
- The Annunciation
- The Visitation
- Nativity of our Lord
- Presentation in the Temple
- Finding of Jesus in the Temple
Sorrowful (Tuesday and Friday):
- The Agony in the Garden
- The Scourging at the Pillar
- The Crowning of Thorns
- Christ carries His cross
- The Crucifixion
Glorious (Wednesday and Sunday):
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption
- The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Luminous (Thursday):
- The Baptism in the Jordan
- Christ's Self-Manifestation at the Wedding in Cana
- The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
- The Transfiguration
- The Institution of the Eucharist