The Holy Rosary

Please note:

Many, if not most, proclaimed Catholics call the Holy Rosary a ‘prayer’.

This is technically correct, and I urge the reader, if truly Catholic, not to be a Catholic fundamentalist (CF) about it. Yet it does bear noting how the Rosary is really a devotion. This is because it is both a series of lots of individual prayers and because the primary purpose in praying it is --- given that the Catholic who prays is of adequate intelligence & adequate experience to do so --- to deeply contemplate the Mysteries of the Rosary. Whether or not you are always successful, by all means, pray it! But aim for meditating on the mysteries.

First, though, what is the Rosary?

As a prayer or devotion, it is the Apostle’s Creed, an Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, a Glory Be; then a series of 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys & 1 Glory Be (including a ‘Fatima prayer’ when well-informed, lately), this latter series of 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be & the Fatima prayer said 5 times over in a row; then a concluding prayer, the Hail Holy Queen, in order to tie everything together. (Albeit, heads up, Catholics often add one more after the Hail Holy Queen.)

As a physical object or sacramental, it is the cord and spaced beads, 54 in sum total, plus a crucifix, arranged in a loop with a small tail attached (consisting of 4 of the beads and the crucifix). In recent times, at least, there will almost always be a Marian centerpiece acting as a link between the loop & tail. This, then, making for a total of 56 beads & accoutrements altogether.

These Rosary beads, by the way, in addition to being what theologians call a ‘sacramental’ (meaning: it’s not equivalent to a Sacrament, being as powerful & efficacious in obtaining one graces, nevertheless, it is well worth it to avail one’s self of the graces available via the sacramental --- Rosary beads are such, Latin is also such with power & graces through saying Catholic prayers or devotions in this long hallowed language, the relics of a saint are such, and so forth and so on), are permitted a true Roman Catholic to wear around one’s neck in an emergency, such as war, famine, plague, or the Great Apostasy we endure.

And when it comes to actually praying the Rosary… and given it is meant primarily as a meditation on the mysteries… then these Rosary beads play a crucial & practical role. To wit, they allow the Catholic who is praying to think upon the mysteries without having to worry about keeping track of each prayer, especially the 10 Hail Marys in a row that are prayed during each mystery. I.e., one holds each bead in succession between one’s fingers, sliding the next bead over as one finishes a Hail Mary and progresses to the next Hail Mary. The other prayers, such as an Our Father or Glory Be, typically have beads that are a little separated from the ten-in-a-row Hail Mary beads, which are side by side but movable by a bit so as to allow one to count by sliding them, without having distractions in having to think about it consciously. Once a Catholic has the process down, prayers memorized, it’s ‘automatic’. You may meditate.

And how did the Holy Rosary devotion come to be?

You will not find it mentioned in Sacred Scripture (one of two twin pillars upon which the One True Religion of Roman Catholicism is founded). It is, rather, a part of Sacred Tradition (the other one of these twin pillars). And yet… there is no evidence I have found to tell us it goes back, in its present form, to the very first century with Christ & His Apostles. Why, then, do Catholics dare to pray it? Moreover, why do wise Catholics nowadays say it’s crucial to pray it daily?

The answer is closely connected to the The Hail Mary.

Indeed, to the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary Herself.

And Who is She? Why is Mary so important?

Because the Uncreated Creator of Everything That Exists chose Her… and Immaculate Mary alone… to be the Mother of His Son. That’s right. An Almighty Maker --- the Triune God of the Catholic Church --- selected tiny Mary, from All of Eternity, to be His Mother. The Blessed Virgin Mary did not ‘make’ God. No real Catholic has ever thought this. Nor do real Catholics ‘equate’ Mary to God.

No. All we do is acknowledge a fact: God chose to come to us via Mary.

Think about it. So as to give wicked human beings conceived in Original Sin opportunity to save their immortal souls, Jesus could have chosen, via the Holy Ghost, to instantaneously infuse knowledge of the Roman Catholic Faith in every human mind. He also could have chosen to make an acceptable Eternal Sacrifice for our damnable sins in some way other than He did. So why didn’t He?

He could have chosen to appear to us in real physical & human form with an instantaneous adult Incarnation, since this is no obstacle to a God Who makes what He makes out of nothing. Having appeared out of nowhere and doing plenty of miracles to stun us into listening and taking what He says seriously, He could have then chosen to die on the Cross in this way. Hence… why didn’t He?

Ever wonder why Jesus Christ chose to incarnate as a wee little baby?

In the Virginal Womb of a Mother Whose Name happens to be Mary?

We find the solution to this riddle in Church’s Sacred Scripture:

“Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant [human beings], being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man [in everyday human life, Jesus was just like you & I or any member of humanity]. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause [for this very reason] God also hath [has] exalted him [i.e., the God-Man, Jesus Christ, about Whom the Spirit of Truth through St. Paul the Apostle has been teaching us], and hath given him a name which is above all names: that in [that at --- to wit, whenever someone truly Catholic, during the world to come, officially invokes this Divine Name] the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth [viz., including the damned in hell]…” (Philippians 2:6-10 DRC, all emphases & annotations added in this or other quotations from God’s Singularly Roman Catholicism’s Holy Writ)

Which is why this very same Jesus Christ, the Eternal God-Man, says:

“You know that the princes of the Gentiles [all leaders of non-Catholics] lord it over them; and they that are the greater, exercise power upon them [that is, all who have more power love to wield it over those with less power]. It shall not be so among you [Catholics shouldn’t act like non-Catholic persons when it comes to power & authority; they should be very, very different from the non-Catholic]: but whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister [like a person who serves]: And he that will be first among you, shall be your servant. Even as the Son of man [Jesus Christ!] is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life [as] a redemption for many… He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted [whoever says or does something with the aim of making his or her self look greater in the estimation of others will wind up looking less in the end; whereas those attempting to look punier in the estimation of others will, because of this motivation, end up looking greater].” (Matthew 20:25b-28, 23:11-12 DRC)

Comprehending? God Himself, as the Greatest, chose to become the Least.

By being conceived in the womb of a mere young Girl, as a tiny little Baby.

This is why Our Creator did not choose countless other ways to do so.

Yet what has this to do with the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary and Her Most Holy Rosary? Both non-Catholics (if they’re even aware of the Rosary and think about it…) and real Catholics (whether or not they even pray the Rosary at all, let alone daily…) presume the Rosary to be primarily about Mary. NOT SO. The Rosary is mainly about Christ. Period. Mary’s Role in this is for God to show us --- who will listen! --- how He wills to accomplish Christ’s Mighty Redemption. Accordingly:

That God instructs us in the Rosary how it is always ‘Ad Jesum per Mariam’.

Or, put into English, the Rosary teaches us, “To Jesus through Mary.”

Why? Because She is the humblest human in history, ever, period.

Comprehending now? God accomplishes Redemption via Mary. This is why it is that Her Most Holy Rosary revolves around the Hail Mary prayer and begins and ends with us contemplating Her Mysteries (out of all 15 total). But it’s also why the thread of the Rosary is Her Son, Jesus Christ, around Whom this devotion centers, and without Whom it could not exist or do what it does in our lives.

A thread which is 11 mysteries total, less the 4 more directly about Her. Which latter mysteries, even though more directly about Her, are, nevertheless, deeply & truly about Her Son, Jesus. She takes an exemplary, unparalleled & illustrious ‘second billing’, as it were, always, ever & continually pointing toward the Christ, Her Eternally Divine Offspring. As She graciously & deferentially said at the Wedding Feast in Cana, in response to the words of Jesus, regarding Him:

“Whatsoever he shall say to do, do ye [obey Him].” (John 2:5b DRC)

This is what the Blessed Virgin Mary tells us, real Roman Catholics, each & every time we pray Her Rosary… if we’re paying attention. That is to say, obey the Roman Catholic Jesus, the only real Jesus there is. Bringing us to this very imperative point. For how do we ‘pay attention’ during the Rosary; viz., what is the point of praying the Rosary? It’s all very fine to talk about ‘mysteries’ and ‘meditating’ upon them --- but what does it mean? How to actually pray it?

First, there are fifteen mysteries altogether, as we’ve noted in passing:

· 1. the Annunciation,

· 2. the Visitation, the

· 3. the Birth of Jesus, JOYFUL

· 4. the Presentation, Mysteries

· 5. the Finding,

· 6. the Agony,

· 7. the Scourging, the

· 8. the Crowning, SORROWFUL

· 9. the Carrying of the Cross, Mysteries

· 10. the Crucifixion,

· 11. the Resurrection,

· 12. the Ascension, the

· 13. the Descent of the Holy Ghost, GLORIOUS

· 14. the Assumption, and Mysteries

· 15. the Coronation.

You’ll notice they’re grouped into a triad --- three groups of five each. This is because each set of mysteries is themed. To wit, the first 5 mysteries are the Joyful Mysteries. The second 5 mysteries are the Sorrowful Mysteries. And the third 5 mysteries are the Glorious Mysteries. For the last two or three centuries, at least, good Catholics have prayed a set of 5 mysteries every day, the kinds rotating throughout the week. (It is true any real Catholic can freely choose to pray all 15 mysteries in a single day… howsobeit, the Church has not officially required this. Some, calling themselves Catholic, have argued that Our Lady’s recent Apparitions --- such as Our Lady of Fatima or Our Lady of La Salette --- have meant all fifteen mysteries when She has urged Her Children to pray the Rosary daily. This may or may not be so. We’ll not enter this argument here. Suffice it to say, since these people seem always to be what is best termed ‘Catholic fundamentalists’, then we’ll not get overly concerned about their sweeping claims for now. Perhaps another time we’ll delve into it.) This, substantially, is what good Catholics understand & do praying it daily.

Now, if a small child or weak of mind --- or just starting out --- don’t get all wrapped up in how to meditate on the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Simply concentrate, like a good soldier, on doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Which, before anything else, is really saying the prayers well, without improper rushing or slurring of the words, or anything else that is irreverent, showing to Heaven, incidentally, where your heart truly is. Accordingly, not upon Jesus, Mary, or the things of Heaven Above. It may be the lesser thing, praying excellently, yet it is the foundational thing. Without reverence, why pray?

It would be rather useless, and offensive to God. Thus, pray it reverently.

If of a sound mind, though, and well practiced in reciting Mary’s Rosary (i.e., knowing how to say it, especially the several Hail Marys in a row, without even having to laboriously think about it… sort of like not having to think about it when you hop onto a bicycle, being well trained in riding a bike), then comes the next most important thing; and the crucial thing, really, in praying the Most Holy Rosary: meditating upon its Mysteries. For this is the primary purpose!

Bringing us back to how to pray it properly, excellently & successfully.

Not every Catholic is a great saint. In fact… most of us are not.

Therefore, most of us are not going to be able to pray the Rosary and enter contemplative & ecstatic visions. And if you don’t know what abstractive visions are, to varying degrees or levels of abstraction, then don’t bother about that right now. If determined to become a saint, or called to saintliness --- especially in your prayers --- by Heaven Above, then you’ll eventually figure it out.

Heaven WON’T let you NOT figure it out. Please believe me.

No, we aim at the average & real Catholic of sound intelligence, who is not saintly yet… just a good Catholic, or, at least, a real Roman Catholic trying hard to be a good Catholic. How do you, my dearest soul, meditate on the Mysteries? And we begin --- start with knowing what the particular mystery is about.

For instance:

· 1. The Annunciation. Proclaim each mystery before you pray it. “The Annunciation of St. Gabriel the Archangel to the Blessed Virgin Mary concerning the Conception of Her Son, King Jesus Christ of Nazareth.” The exact words are not crucial. Put them into your own words, if you wish. Yet this then let’s both yourself and anyone else truly Catholic, who is praying the Rosary with you, fix in their minds what we are to meditate upon. To go further, e.g., think of Mary preparing the red & purple threads for a new Temple Veil in her humble home in Nazareth (Sacred Tradition tells us She was doing this right before Gabriel appeared). Then think of Her retiring for a short while to pray in Her tiny oratory (ditto previous parenthetical observation). Then think of Her going outside the house to get more water in a pail (ditto). Then, as She returns inside, think of St. Gabriel’s greeting to Her, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.” (Sacred Scripture.) Imagine Her fear at such a flattering salutation. (Tradition assures us She was used to angelic visitations all the time. Ergo, Her fear was not at the appearance of the angel --- it was Her Humility frightened at such flattering words.) Imagine Gabriel’s polite repeating of his greeting, with Mary’s sincere & believing question, “How can this be, since I know not man?” (Scripture. In other words, “I’ve taken a vow of virginity, never to be intimate with a husband. How may I have a child without violating this solemn vow?”) Then hear Gabriel’s incredibly obeisant & stunning reply, that Her Son would be the ‘Son of the Most High’. (Scripture.) Hear Her equally incredibly obeisant & humble reply, “Behold the handmaiden [slave or servant girl] of the Lord. Be it done unto Me according to thy word.” (Scripture.) Then imagine the Holy Ghost, Her Spouse, taking three drops of blood from Her Precious & Immaculate Heart, placing them as the Body of Jesus in Her Pure & Holy Womb. (Saintly revelations.) Imagine the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary’s astonishment at not just having a Child in Her Womb, but that this Offspring is the Everlasting Divinity, He choosing Her as His Mother. (Saintly revelations.) Without striving too much for spiritual ecstasies, if Heaven pours graces into your soul, elevating you to such ecstasies, then simply thank Them and go on till finished with this flabbergasting mystery that, while seeming to center on Mary, is really about Jesus’ Conception.

· 2. The Visitation. “The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Her Kinswoman, St. Elizabeth, when the Latter was Great with St. John the Baptist in Her Womb.” Think of Mary obediently asking St. Joseph for his permission to visit Her cousin, Elizabeth, Mary knowing that Elizabeth bore John in her womb. (Scripture & saints.) Think of Joseph humbly acquiescing and accompanying Her for the long journey into the mountainous city where Elizabeth lived. (Ditto.) Imagine the joy of both Mary & Elizabeth as they see one another, and the latter’s exclamation, Holy Ghost-inspired, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because these things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.” (Scripture.) And imagine Mary’s Holy Ghost-inspired reply, “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour… henceforth all generations shall call Me blessed… He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble…” (Scripture. There is more to Her Speech, the ‘Magnificat’; you can peruse a good Catholic bible, the Douay Rheims, for the full prophetic proclamation.) Then think of the warm yet chaste embrace of these two magnificent Catholic women, saints & mothers. (Tradition & saints.) Imagine Mary staying in Elizabeth’s palatial home for three months, each trying humbly to outdo the other in serving the other, with Mary, God’s Mother, inevitably having the upper hand, so humble is She. (Scripture & saints.) Think of Mary assisting spiritually at John’s birth, and present as his father, St. Zachary, insisted on him being named John, his mouth loosed to speak freely again. (Ditto.) Think of Mary then returning home on a donkey on July 2^nd, the Feast of the Visitation. (Liturgy & saints.) Realize how, while appearing to center on Mary, this mystery revolves even more on Jesus’ visit with, and celestial blessing upon, His Messianic Precursor, John the Baptist, both in mothers’ sanctified wombs.

· 3. The Birth of Jesus. “The Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth bodily in the Womb of His Mother in the Grotto at Bethlehem.” Envision an ecstatic Blessed Virgin making a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Joseph, only to find there no place to stay that is safe & normal. No matter. Given God’s Provision, the Grotto (shallow cave used by shepherds in the area to protect their flocks) is more than sufficient, prophetically intimating that Jesus is the Second Adam, who God formed from the earth itself, but this Adam this time to work Our Redemption, not another Condemnation for Original Sin. (Scripture & tradition.) Envision St. Gabriel receiving the Christ Child in his angelic arms directly from Blessed Virgin Mary’s Womb miraculously --- She not subject to the Curse on Eve, our first mother, of having to give birth in pain, physically. Then, upon the Child safely in his hands, he reverently puts Him in Her Immaculate Arms. (Saints.) Imagine St. Joseph desperately seeking help from a midwife for the Ones in his charge, both he & she amazed at the brilliance in the cave as Mother & Child reveled divinely in One Another’s Presence. (Tradition & saints.) Think of the heavenly hosts appearing like shining stars in the skies above the shepherds during the night, singing & declaring, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will. For unto you is born a Saviour. And this shall be a sign unto you: you will find Him lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.” And then imagine the angelic choir chanting & intoning the praises of Our God & Our Saviour, they rushing as fast as they could to the Grotto where they knew they’d discover Him, adoring Him and venerating Her. (Scripture & tradition.) Espy the Light glowing from this Holy Place in the earth, a New & Second Adam given to us, along with His New & Second Eve, for Our Salvation Within His Singularly Saving Roman Catholic Body & Mind. (Tradition & saints.) See them kneel in wonder at His Crib, weeping & laughing with celestial joy. (Scripture, tradition & saints.)

· 4. The Presentation. “The Presentation of King Jesus Christ of Nazareth in the Arms of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the priest at the Temple in Jerusalem the 40^th day of His Birth.” Ponder upon the Magi who travelled far from the East, over the Fertile Crescent thru Syria into Palestine, having recognized the Sign in the Stars telling them of Our Lord’s Birth, and, having messianic prophecies in their hands, knowing the place in general they must go to welcome Him, worship Him and find Him. (Scripture, tradition & saints.) Imagine the uproar in Jerusalem as they inquire as to where the ‘King of the Jews’ is born, the wicked Herod in turn asking the priests & scribes what Sacred Scripture says, he then wickedly playing on their innocence to learn where Jesus is so that he might slay Him, fearing for his ill-gotten throne. (Ditto.) See the delighted Magi then hurrying a short ways out of the Judean capitol into the ‘House of Bread’, Bethlehem, an angelic presence in the lower atmosphere shining like a star far nearer the earth than any in heaven, ascertaining for them precisely where the Divine Babe lay in the Grotto. (Ditto.) Think of them bestowing their inspired gifts upon Him & Her, as well as St. Joseph --- gold to signify His Eternal Kingship as the Temple (or ‘Sacrificium’) of God, frankincense to signify His Eternal Priesthood as the Sacrificer of God, and myrrh to signify His Eternal Victimhood as the Sacrifice of God. (Scripture.) See the amazement & joy of Mary & Joseph at the Great Sign & Epiphany, the Twelfth of the Days of Christmastide. (Scripture & liturgy.) Imagine the coming of the 40^th day, counting inclusively --- February 2^nd --- and Joseph & Mary taking the Heavenly Babe in Her Arms to present to the priest in the Temple of Jerusalem this Holy Child, just as God thru Moses’ Law instructed them, She Who was Perfectly Pure and needed no spiritual justification, in humble obedience receiving the ritual purification, too, simultaneous, which is for us, Her Roman Catholic Children in the Church Militant, who need to purify ourselves and be purified, he using hyssop branch to asperse holy water onto Them. (Scripture.)

· 5. The Finding. “The finding of King Jesus Christ of Nazareth by His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and His Foster Father, St. Joseph, in the Temple in Jerusalem.” Meditate upon the danger which immediately came upon the Holy Family, God in a dream warning St. Joseph to take Child & His Mother to Egypt for safety, an exile in an alien & pagan land for some six years in Heliopolis, modern day Cairo, near the temple of the ‘sun god’ Amun-re and the Pyramids of Giza. While there, watch Our Lord cause a continual affliction in the temple of this false god and his pagan priests, Our Lady in turn subtly yet truly assisting many souls & lives whilst there. (Scripture, tradition & saints.) Envision Joseph receiving another message from Heaven in his holy dreams, telling him it was safe to return, he wisely residing then in Nazareth, where the Holy House of Loretto originally was, home of the ‘Trinitarian Family’ on earth, to be secure from Herod’s evil descendants & servants, a poor, one-room & humble abode. (Ditto.) Watch Jesus grow into the beginnings of manhood, living unknown & unrecognized by practically everyone for the God-Man He was, until, Pasch or ‘Passover’ occurring upon the conclusion of the twelfth year of His Life upon earth, in AD 12, His Family went to Jerusalem as required by Old Testament Church & Law, the seeds of Easter to come. (Scripture.) See them join with other Catholics of Old Covenant in the City of St. David as Mosaic Law commands, a small group amongst at least a million in the Place of God’s House at that time, Mother & Child knowing the harbinger ’twas, although He tested Her in Her Humility. (Liturgy & saints.) Jesus having come to the start of manhood, and people then knowing nothing of ‘helicopter parenting’, His Mother & Foster Father allowed Him the liberty to go through Jerusalem as He wished upon completion of Paschal Duty. Think of Jesus instantly headed toward the Temple, His Father’s House, rejoicing in doing exactly what He’d come to terrestrial sanctuary to do. Watch Him awe the learned priests with His Questions & Answers, He striving to enlighten His teachers on earth, alerting them of His Holy Messianity. (Scripture & saints.) Joseph & Mary, innocently headed in return to Nazareth, belatedly discover His Absence amidst the caravan, Mother in haste to find He to Whom She had been entrusted, Her Pure & Immaculate Heart tested sorely for 40 hours. (Ditto.) Imagine Holy Family as They are reunited in the Temple, Jesus in His Human Nature earnestly puzzled as to Their concern, He asking Them respectfully & naturally, “Did you not know I had to be about My Father’s Business?” (Scripture.) And then see His journey back home, He, though Eternal God and Greatest Person in the Household, humbly obedient & respectful to Them, increasing in Grace & Wisdom as His Body matured. (Ditto.)

· 6. The Agony. “The Agony of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden, the night of His Arrest, Trial, Passion & Crucifixion.” Contemplate Christ aware of His Ultimate Tribulation, torn in His Flesh with anticipation of the torture to come, a dread more of separation from His Trinitarian Divinity than any suffering of the body, albeit rejection by His Own, who should know Him, was next in affliction of His Soul, the suffering of flesh a sheer joy. See Him bidding good-bye to His Mother, gathering His disciples, leading them to the Mount of Olives, bringing His Twelve Apostles higher upon the peak and then taking His Three (Ss. Peter, James & John) yet higher, where He groaned in torment, begging His Father to please give this Cross not only to Him but to the other members of His Ecclesial Body, too. (Scripture, tradition & saints.) Hear Him gently & charitably chide these bosom companions of His, who were asleep out of weariness, “Watch and pray, that you may not fall into temptation.” Hear Him in turn broken-heartedly chide His Rock, upon whom He founded His Church, “What? Could you not watch with me for one hour? The Spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Scripture.) Watch the temple soldiers come to arrest Him, led by the traitorous Judas Iscariot, He asking them, “For whom do you seek?” And, twice answered, He responded, they falling back under the Power of God, “I AM He.” Affirming His Divinity in both Eternal Godness and the Assumed Humanity, He then urged His Betrayer benignly & peacefully, “Friend, what you are about to do, do it quickly,” lest He lose His Time, sacrificially. (Ditto.) Weep in disconsolation as the soldiers, brutally accosting Him, drag Him to stand trial before the unbelieving Aaronic priests. Yet first see the impulsive & angry Peter pull his sword upon them, slicing off the ear of the high priest’s man, Jesus rebuking him and healing the stunned soldier’s terrible wound, while, as this occurs, both Peter & John realize it’s hopeless, fleeing… leaving Jesus abandoned. (Ditto.)

· 7. The Scourging. “The Scourging of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth at the hands of the Roman soldiers, the day of His Trial, Passion & Crucifixion.” Watch in horror as, flung in front of the cruel priests, Christ struck on the Face wrongly for answering the pope of the synagogal old truthfully, they cannot find a single pair of accusers against Him that can agree in their reckless allegations, till, baffled, the last pope of the Old Covenant adjures Him to say if He is the Son of God; and Jesus, meekly subject to authority as ever, says, “You yourselves have spoken the truth about Me” --- whereas they don’t want to believe it --- “Nevertheless, I say unto you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the Right Hand of the Power of God, coming in the Clouds of Heaven.” Whereupon they beat & strike Him, knowing full well how He has said that HE IS. (Ditto.) Mourn as they force Him upon Pilate, having not the power under Roman rule to punish Jesus themselves as they wish Him to be punished; then to the latest King Herod since Pilate wants nothing to do with Him or the conflicts of the Jews, Herod at first eager for amusement and, after disappointment at no miracles, mocks Jesus cruelly. (Ditto.) Mull upon Pilate’s desperate attempts to exonerate Jesus, knowing He is guiltless of their rather muddled charges, that they merely envy His popularity with the Jewish people up until now, and the Roman governor wanting to avoid an entanglement in arcane Jewish questions, as well as being warned by his troubled wife that he should take no action against Christ --- all the while Pilate also knows the priests are prepared to start a riot to force his hand. (Ditto.) Christ, though, while sympathetic for the pagan governor and his plight, assuring him that he bears the lesser guilt, proclaims His Kingship as One of Infallible & Saving Truth, which is Roman Catholic & None Other, not yet of this world. And, asserting that all who are of This Infallible & Saving Truth heed Him & His Ecclesial Body’s Testimony, hear a world weary governor reply, “What is truth?” (Ditto.) Meditate on the beaten Pontius, trapped between a rock and a hard place, as he orders Him brutally whipped in a bid to satisfy their priestly bloodlust. (Ditto.)

· 8. The Crowning. “The Crowning of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth with the thorns at the hands of the Roman soldiers, the day of His Passion & Crucifixion.” Witness Pilate, shocked at Jesus’ Bloodied & Bruised Face, not to mention the cruelty of His Own People, tries vainly to convince them of their moral insanity, the ingenious & determined priests boldly bringing the people to a near-riot, thereby menacing the Roman governor with another rebellion, which in turn would cause imperial wrath to fall upon him. (Scripture, tradition & saints.) Stand stunned as Pilate offers them Barrabas --- a filthy & disgusting criminal --- or Jesus, a longstanding custom and his last ditch attempt to free the Christ… the priests & people stubbornly choosing the contemptible over their Messias. (Ditto.) Watch him ask what is to be done with Jesus, they, who had welcomed Him joyously hardly a week earlier into Jerusalem, now demanding that He suffer Death on the Cross. Staggered & repulsed at their barbarism, the governor is finally crushed, Pilate symbolically washing his hands of the Blood of Jesus, the rebels, once God’s Own, brazenly & demonically urged to take His Blood upon their heads and the heads of their own descendants --- a curse now, during the Great Apostasy, denied with Luciferian fury, something the Hebrews’ global offspring to this day as of yet overwhelmingly loathe, as shown by their cowing of an eminent actor & director into not giving subtitles for the Aramaic words they uttered in the film, “The Passion of the Christ”. They knowing, if only ‘subconsciously’, that the guilt of His Blood remains until they become Roman Catholic Whole, Entire & Undefiled. (Scripture & contemporary history.) Meditate over Jesus looking on His people, in His Human Nature rejected by those of His Blood, whilst, in His Divine Nature, about to sanctify This Celestial Blood above & beyond mere humanity, empowering it with the Merciful Charity of God, pardoning them their injury to Him, and, simultaneously, knowing how few will embrace their Messias before it becomes too late. (Scripture, tradition, liturgy & saints.) Imagine the pagan & unbelieving --- indeed, clueless --- Roman soldiers weaving a cruel crown of hideously long thorns and placing it upon His Head, laughing, as well as swathing Him in a purple robe and putting a reed sceptre into His Regal Hands. (Scripture.) Thus was Jesus humiliated & exalted simultaneously, His Humility revealed to be the Way to Ultimate Exaltation, the soldiers additionally revealing this in their shamelessly brazen & ribald mocking of Him as they pretended to kneel before His Highness, jesting crudely and eventually beating Him without breaking a single bone of His Most Holy, Sacred & Sinlessly Incorrupt Flesh. (Ditto.)

· 9. The Carrying of the Cross. “The Carrying of the Cross by the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth through the streets of Jerusalem, the Day of His Crucifixion.” Reverently envision Pilate officially sentencing Jesus to Death and the Christ, receiving His Cross, kissing it with utmost piety, knowing this to be the Reason for His Incarnation and the Means of Our Salvation. (Scripture, tradition & saints.) See Him mocked by the bad thief as He did so, the justly convicted appalled at the unjustly convicted embracing what he, the sinful, despised despite deserving it. (Tradition & saints.) Watch Our Lord struggling to heave this heavy burden through the narrow avenues of the City of the Beloved, falling for the first time and then meeting His Immaculate Mother for the final time ’ere His Crucifixion. (Scripture & tradition.) Imagine Simon of Cyrene forced to carry the Cross for Christ, protesting his innocence as the One actually innocent is spared briefly the burden, and imprints the Image of His Bloody & Sweaty Face upon St. Veronica’s cloth. (Ditto.) Next see Jesus fall a second time under His Cross, the weight of our sins far more heavy than that of the roughly hewn wood, He counseling the mourning women of Jerusalem not to weep for Him, but for their children --- for if they do this to Him when the ‘wood is green’, what shall they do to them when the ‘wood is brown’? (Scripture.) And be a witness to Jesus’ third & last fall under the Burden of His Cross, He then beholding the Hill of the Skull… Calvary… the Center of Our Earth’s Surface, once a part of the Garden of Paradise, and whence He, Divine Sacrifice, would complete His Mission, undoing incipiently rebellious First Adam’s Sin by becoming for us, wicked humanity, the Fruit of the Tree of Life. (Scripture, tradition & saints.)

· 10. The Crucifixion. “The Crucifixion of King Jesus Christ of Nazareth upon the Cross, on the Hill of the Skull, at the hands of the Roman soldiers and at the instigation of the pernicious Jews in Jerusalem.” Imagine the merciless soldiers ripping Jesus’ outer clothes from His Body, newly scabbed wounds then set to bleeding profusely again with horrible pain. (Scripture, tradition & saints.) Contemplate the Innocent Christ in torment stretched to accommodate the Cross, hands & feet pierced by long coarse nails, and He, the Victim, erected in the sight of everyone. (Ditto.) Hear Him pronounce His first words from the Means of His Death, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And His second words, at the behest of the good thief, begging His Mercy and wholly acknowledging Him to be His Lord, “Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Scripture & tradition.) Listen to His third & fourth words: “Woman, behold your son… Behold your mother…” as He gave His Mother into the care of His Beloved Disciple, at the same time He bequeathing Her to all of His disciples, Roman Catholics, for Eternity always; and, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” as Trinitarian Family was ripped from Him, for a mere moment, in His Penultimate Agony, the Mournful Symphonic Movement of All of His Creation. (Ditto.) Then His Ultimate Agony, saying, “I thirst…”, the Water of Life, which He bestows upon us, if we ask, seek & knock, at that instant taken from Him, the Very Source of Real Water & Life. (Ditto.) And start of the Denouement, with, “It is consummated…”, and the completion of this Denouement, uttering, “Father, into Your Hands I commend My Spirit.” (Ditto.) Envision the three hour darkness of the sun & moon, Creation empathizing with Its Creator, signifying death’s fleeting victory, wherein lay its final defeat, and the quake that rent the Temple of Old into pieces, an angel severing the Veil in twain at the entrance of the Holy of Holies, opening the Triune God & Everlasting Heaven to lowly humanity. (Scripture.) Weep with the Blessed Virgin as Jesus’ broken Body lay in Her Holy Arms, Mary seeing Her Only Son afterward laid in the Sepulchre for the span of three days --- i.e., forty hours inclusively counting, Her Immaculate & Sorrowful Heart broken, while, at the same time, She foreknew His Victory to come. (Scripture, tradition, saints & liturgy.)

· 11. The Resurrection. “The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth bodily from the Tomb where He lay dead for three days.” Let us contemplate the Soul of Jesus descending into the heart of the earth, into hell itself, so as to liberate the souls of the just; that is, those in the Limbo of the Fathers proper (the outer part of hell where one is imprisoned yet not tormented, reserved for those of old either needing no purgation or already finished with purgation) or in Purgatory proper (meaning, the next outermost part of hell where one is imprisoned & purged, not condemned to be there forever); wherein He gathered them both together and then catechized them in the Catholic Faith Whole & Entire as now revealed essentially in totality with the completion of Christ’s Mission. (Scripture, tradition & saints.) Meditate upon the Glorious Resurrection of His Sacred Body early Easter Sunday morning, as still to this day memorialized by the much-contested-but-real-irrefutable-and-plainly-miraculous Holy Shroud of Turin, St. Mary Magdalene and a handful of pious women together with her going to Jesus’ Tomb to finish in reverence what they had not had time to do wholly when rushed right before the beginning of the Old Testament ‘Great Sabbath’ about to start at sundown after His Crucifixion. No corruption transpired during His 40 Hours of Death, yet no Blood either circulated and no Mind animated His Flesh. (Ditto.) See their mystification & incomprehension as the two angels, looking more like mere men, told them of His Resurrection, and instructed them to, as the first evangelists, inform Christ’s other disciples --- especially His Twelve Apostles --- of how He had fulfilled His Word; the Magdalene distraught and going through the rest of the hillside garden in order to, thought she, immediately discover where they had put her Lord & Saviour. (Scripture & tradition.) Hear her beg Jesus, standing in front of her… but she thinking, in the midst of her copious tears & confusion, that He was the gardener… to tell her where His Precious Body had been placed, and He, calmly, with tender charity, merely replying, “Mary,” inspiring her to look up –- and truly look at Him --- and see the Miracle in front of her that she had not dared to think possible, and her resulting joyful shock. (Scripture & saints.) Contemplate Him then reinforcing the angels’ instructions, that she go to the others to inform them of His Very Real Physical Resurrection, she arriving at the Cenacle to find the Apostles mockingly dismissive of everything these women said, but Mary’s testimony then compelling Ss. Peter & John to run to the Tomb to see for themselves, the latter outpacing the former, yet only the former, Peter, daring to step inside, handling Sacred Shroud with awe & wonder. (Scripture & tradition.) See Peter encounter Our Lord himself in the Flesh, and, afterward, on the following Sunday, watch Jesus appear before them fully visible in His Body, through solid & locked doors, in the Cenacle, He administering the Sacrament of Holy Orders upon eleven of His Twelve Apostles and empowering them to forgive sins. (Scripture.) Ponder St. Thomas’ unbelief as they deliver the news to him, he refusing to believe unless he see for himself and touch Christ’s Flesh, feeling the wounds, thereby giving to us, as the early Church fathers loved to say, by his incredulity, yet more certainty of the Truth of This Resurrection in reality, in the Real & Physical Flesh; a thing which was vouchsafed as Jesus again appeared in the Cenacle the next Sunday, through solid & closed doors, Thomas putting his fingers in Christ’s Wounds, falling to his knees and exclaiming, “My Lord and My God!” Jesus rejoindering, “Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.” He then conferring Holy Orders upon Thomas, too, so as to enable His Apostles to spread this Infallible & Rational Testimony of the One True Religion and hence Singular Salvation of a Roman Catholicism that is Solely His, It being His Heavenly Covenant both offered to and commanded for All Earth’s Humanity Whole, Entire & Undefiled. (Scripture, tradition, saints & liturgy, as well as God’s Infallible Magisterium from the beginning.)

· 12. The Ascension. “The Ascension of King Jesus Christ of Nazareth bodily into Heaven, where He is seated at the Right Hand of His Father.” Remember that Jesus instructed His Twelve to go into Galilee --- the east side of the Judean Mountains, far low in the plains below Jerusalem, next to the Sea of Galilee where many of the Apostles hailed from --- and wait there for His Further Instructions. They did so, but grew restless & chary of what they should do with themselves till Peter, their leader as appointed in Christ, said impetuously one day, “I’m going fishing…” He was, after all, a fisherman by trade, as were several of the others, who said, “We go with you.” In their two boats all night, several hundred feet from the shore of Galilee’s huge fresh water lake, Jesus appeared unrecognized at first, inquiring, “My children, have you caught anything?” Hearing their reply, He told them, “Cast your net into the water on the right side of the ship.” They did so, without delay snaring such a huge draught of fish that they could barely drag the net back up without it ripping, and the one boat had to request the other’s assistance in order to handle the load of fish, which was almost so much as to sink the two ships altogether. St. John looked closely and saw it was the Lord, telling Peter, who swam to shore straight away, finding Jesus cooking a modest meal and asking him three times, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love Me more than these others?” Each time Peter responds, “Yes,” hurt by the third instance, whereupon, having told him twice, “Feed my lambs,” Jesus the third time says, “Feed my sheep.” Augustine of Hippo informs us, amongst his peers of old, that this was Peter’s threefold affirmation in repair of his threefold denial & apostasy, reinstating him, in the sight of his fellow bishops, to the Ecclesial Throne. Then, gathered again in Jerusalem, Christ commands them to go into all the world, preaching the Roman Catholic Gospel, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them therefore to OBEY ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER HE HAD ORDERED THEM… Roman Catholicity! And Roman Catholicity Whole, Entire & Undefiled Alone. Having accomplished this, and having consecrated them as the first bishops, He then ascended bodily in their sight into the sky & heavens above, till, passing into some clouds, they did not see Him further. Consider how Catholics know, faithfully, that He sits at the Right Hand of His Father --- read: He authoritatively rules all creation! (Scripture, tradition & saints.)

· 13. The Descent of the Holy Ghost. “The Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the 120 gathered in the Cenacle on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.” Contemplate how, precisely fifty days, counting inclusively, after Jesus’ Bodily Resurrection from Death, He kept His Promise, ten days after His Ascension, to send the Comforter, the Paraclete, as the One Who would empower them to be the Images of the Triune God of the Catholic Church, fulfilling their baptismal vows and effusing the True Faith of Jesus everywhere on earth. Imagine the Spirit of Truth showing Himself as Flames of Fire upon their heads --- accompanied by a sound of huge wind roaring like a heavenly hurricane --- first upon the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, then upon St. Peter the First Pope, then upon the other Twelve Apostles according to their hierarchical order, finally upon everyone else, all 120 total. (Scripture & tradition.) Meditate upon enormous crowds of Jews and other ethnicities converted to the Synagogue of Old, gathered in the millions upon the City of David, celebrating the second of three major feast days in the Old Testament, corresponding to Easter, Pentecost & Christmas in the New. They hear their own languages, from far away and alien to those native to Jerusalem, spoken with perfection and catechizing them in the Roman Catholic Faith, the confusion & division of tongues at Babel’s Tower now undone. They are astonished, awestruck, although some ridicule them as drunkards. Peter then quickly & logically disabuses them of this silly notion, they begging in return after his first of all homilies in our days of the New Testament, “What shall we do?” To which he says, “Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Then envision some 3000 souls that Sunday entering Our Lord’s One True Church as members of Jesus’ Visible, Mystical, Singular, Militant & Ecclesial Body on earth, His Sole Means to Heaven. (Scripture.)

· 14. The Assumption. “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary bodily into Heaven after Her Death upon the earth in Jerusalem.” Meditate upon the Blessed Virgin receiving the 3000 Pentecost catechumens with holy, solemn joy… they stunned to see the very Mother of God and of their own Messias in front of their eyes… praying for each & every one of them, blessing them, and making certain in Her Prayers and in Her Heart that they were catechized carefully prior to Holy Baptism. All of them, thence, joining in bliss at Solemn Mass wherein the first at the altar rail to receive Our Lord was His Mother, the Flesh of Her Own Flesh upon Her Tongue, O Immaculate, delighting in having the Son with Her again --- the others partaking of the Eucharist after Our Lady. (Tradition & saints.) See Her pray for Her Son’s Ecclesial Body intensely, that it might be founded firmly with the Apostle’s Creed given to Jesus’ Twelve Apostles at Mary’s behest from Heaven Above, taught & interpreted correctly so that all true Catholics be one doctrinally, just as Sacred Tradition assures us. (Ditto.) Watch as She travels with St. John the Beloved Disciple, who Our Lord appointed, from upon His Cross, to care for His Mother after He had resurrected & ascended into Heaven, to Ephesus, where he kept residence for many years, the Virgin being with him at the beginning and partaking daily of the Eucharist from his apostolic & priestly hands, and where She by Her Bidding brought the moon goddess’ temple into ruin. (Ditto.) Contemplate Her returning to the Diocese of Jerusalem when persecution there had abated and it was safe to do so, She, amongst many maternal & quiet tasks, pioneering the Devotion of the Stations of the Cross, visiting in prayerful & weeping reverence the various places of Christ’s Sacrifice in sequence… this practice making a deep impression on the Catholics there, they then imitating Her. (Ditto.) Consider how Blessed Virgin calls all of Her Son’s Twelve Apostles to be at Her Side while She undergoes a death She never had to --- it was at Her Humble Request that Heaven allow Her to share in something of Christ’s Death in doing so --- these men, apart from St. James the Righteous, first bishop of Jerusalem, assembled miraculously from great earthly distance apart from St. James the Greater (John the Beloved’s older brother) who came from Heaven Above, having already won his martyr’s crown. See Her clear as glass, looking no older than 33, breathe Her Last, and, after being in the Tomb for 40 hours, Her Soul returns to Her Immaculate Body, She then gloriously assumed unto Highest Heights to be with Her Son, a Celestial Choir chanting & singing audibly at Her Sepulchre over the span of three days. (Magisterium, tradition, saints & liturgy.)

· 15. The Coronation. “The Coronation of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary as Queen of Highest Heaven at the Hands of Her Son, King Jesus Christ of Nazareth.” Imagine the wonder & solace of those dozens or hundreds in the Diocese of Jerusalem, Catholics who heard this Celestial Choir whilst visiting where Her Immaculate Flesh had lain, seeing the empty tomb for themselves and preserving it as a holy memory for millennia to come. What a privilege to pray along with the heavenly hosts! (Magisterium, tradition, saints & liturgy.) Ponder upon the Precious Body & Soul of God’s Mother journeying up the Jacobian Ladder, through the various Spheres of God’s Stellar Empyrean, like a Rosary made literally visible & physical, an Ascent of Ascents. (Ditto.) Contemplate the amazement, veneration and everlasting delight of the saints & angels as they awaited Her Arrival, preparing everything in perfection for This Cosmic Empress. (Saints.) Watch them bow deeply in obeisance as She passes the places of the hierarchy of these inhabitants, they the denizens of Her Court forever. (Ditto.) Witness Her as, the moment having come, She sits upon Her Monarchic Throne more graciously & beautifully than anyone ever has, or ever could, the Holy Host raising the greatest celebration in all creation for an instant that seems to transcend time and become eternal, aside from their truly eternal adoration of the Eternal, Her Sire, Son & Spouse Who deigned to join Her to the Trinity. (Ditto.) Meditate on their silence as Mary’s Divine Offspring, Jesus, brings to Her the Celestial Crown prepared from the beginning for Her Reward, He placing it gently, affectionately & tenderly upon the only Head worthy to bear it. Overwhelming praise, veneration & rejoicing erupts from the solemn Heavenly Army, honoring Her as She Who Crushes the Serpent, She Who both wears the Celestial Cosmos --- God’s Creation --- as a Crown & Who Rules the Same as God’s Celestially Cosmic Empress, to wit, the Queen of Highest Heaven. (Ditto.) Transformed, as it were, into the Christ Child that She bore, see Jesus again at Her Side, Her Left Arm cradling Him maternally --- She then therefore at God’s Right Side, Greatest in Heaven after Christ --- St. Joseph consequently to Her Right and Second Greatest, the holy archangel, Michael, behind them, arms upraised, leading all his neverending angelic & saintly host to defend & praise Them, the Inhabitants of Heaven casting their crowns at Their Feet. (Ditto.)

Dear reader, you now have something to go on if never before certain on how to meditate upon the Mysteries of the Rosary. If praying the Rosary as truly Catholic yet not having successfully done so before, don’t perseverate upon it. Provided a good will in the matter, Our Lord & Lady will not harshly condemn you in the matter, apart from lapses of reverence or concentration on the devotion’s words. Or, perchance, if carelessly praying the Rosary with others that you well ought to have known were not truly Catholic, and had no real wish to become so, with a comely humility in the subject of God’s One, True & Infallible Religion. Simply begin the process today, resolving to contemplate these Mysteries adequately from henceforth, accusing yourself and doing penance for your previous sins. And realize it’ll take some time & effort. It almost certainly won’t happen instantly. Whereas, if already meditating adequately… ah, well done! Continue adamantly in your good resolve and in this your good deed. Persevere unto the end!

Meanwhile, know that Heaven will gladly assist you in going from here.

That is to say, your guardian angel, including various saints to whom you are linked, and the Queen of Heaven Herself, will help you improve your meditation over the days, weeks, months, years & decades. If determined to go further, oh yes, they will help you! Forsooth, if you can believe it, the Most Holy Rosary is the Jacobian-Marian Ladder to Heaven; the means by which we more surely attain to our salvation, which is Roman Catholic and none other; the Spiral Staircase by which we humbly make the highly lauded Ascent of Ascents.

But more about this in Heptaton, Geocentricity and Helplessly Ignorant.

For the remainder, we turn to a few other things, some of practical devotional importance, and at least two of a more intrinsic & meditative importance. First off… how should we as real Roman Catholics pray the Rosary physically?

I.e., what attitude, orientation and position of our bodies ought we to take?

In the most basic sense, prayer is an act of the soul & mind. Ergo, prayer can, under needful circumstances (read: rightly) and in any case (read: whether or not right to do so), be made simply in the mind and in the heart. Indeed, Holy Mother Church gives us several holy ejaculations --- vocal utterances with a holy & true Catholic purpose --- that can be made, if necessary, merely in our minds and, yet, ecclesial authority allows them to be efficacious unto an indulgence. This gracious permission even extends to something like the Stations of the Cross, where, when feeble body or horrible disease disables the poor Catholic, it is, nevertheless, possible to perform this great devotion, with indulgences in charitable hand, from our beds, immobile, even unable to speak.

Notwithstanding, ought this to be the usual way we pray?

Not at all. We are visible creatures. We therefore express, visibly, what we prayerfully intend, both audibly & physically. Viz., via the visible & physical body. Should anyone calling one’s self Catholic have a problem with this, then, dear soul, I politely but earnestly call into question either your Catholicity or your fervency in said Catholicity. God Himself made us to have bodies!

The upshot?

Those bodies… and their physicality… are meant by the Almighty Creator to play a vital role in our Roman Catholicity and in the saving of our immortal souls. And, if not, then WHY IN THE WORLD DID GOD GIVE US BODIES TO BEGIN WITH? Why not, instead, make us like the angels WITH SOULS ALONE, PHYSICALITY NOT INVOLVED!, TO WORK OUT OUR SALVATION?

Comprehend?

To deny the necessity of our physical bodies in the correct exercise of Catholicity and consequent successful salvation of our souls is foolish & lazy, AT BEST, and rebellious & arrogant, AT WORST. Period --- needful warning made PLAIN.

Wherefore, it is typically necessary for us as real Roman Catholics to know how it is that we should pray, putting our bodies in the best possible attitude or positions in order to do so with greatest humility, highest reverence and most earnest of intentions. The physical voice & physical body also communicate our prayers, additionally, along with the understanding & thoughts of our minds.

Again, PERIOD.

For acknowledge, too, how God has no need of our prayers. We repeat --- Almighty God HAS NO NEED FOR OUR PRAYERS. He is self-sufficient, not requiring us or our gifts to be happy; and He is all-knowing, not ignorant of that for which we petition prior to us doing so. Why, then, do we pray? IT IS FOR US AND OUR NEEDS THAT WE DO SO. By praising Him correctly in His Singular Catholic Faith, we fulfill our destiny, for which He designed us in His Image, without which we cannot be happy or at peace, and we show our humility, petitioning Him for that which we require, without Whom we are lost.

It is for our sakes, hence, that the Triune Catholic God has us pray.

Consequently, while we must not indulge Catholic Fundamentalism, our scrupulosity, pride, lack of charity, ignorance and cruelty getting the best of us, we must also admit that how we pray --- our words, their tone & cadence, facial expressions, attitude of the head, position of our hands & bodies, and etc., are necessarily crucial to acceptableness of our prayers in Heaven’s Sight. For example, were we to rush our words too quickly, this normally would be a sign of our arrogance & impatience, offending Heaven with a lack of reverence. But if in the midst of a dire emergency, occurring fast, leaving us no time or wits to do otherwise? Different! Then Heaven would mercifully overlook our rush, great urgency justifying our haste and a desire to pray what is minimally possible.

And so there are three general types of praying, broadly speaking:

One, when dire urgency, imperative haste, extreme weariness, or so forth, assails us, then it can be permissible to pray, what is normally done audibly & visibly, in an entirely mental way. Viz., quietly in our minds. It should never be done with carelessness & hubris --- but if circumstances necessitate, it is an acceptable solution. For instance, what if the people around you are hostile toward real Catholicity? Or what if your prayer in the open might be interpreted by them as ‘evidence of pride’, as if you’re doing so merely to ‘show off how holy you are’? What then? Or if it is an emergency, with no time or wits to kneel and pray audibly, or you are overcome with true weariness, praying upon your bed, doing the best you can truly do in that difficult situation of exhaustion? Or sick unto disability or near death, unable to pray otherwise? We could multiply examples. The bottom line… this is where this type of praying applies, substituting, as it were, for the customary and normally better way.

Two, when truly out of time --- and especially when it’s not your fault, the circumstances being literally out of control --- then the good Catholic may combine prayer, that is customarily both audible & physical (meaning, in a position of kneeling or etc.), with a worldly activity that otherwise should not be linked to the heavenly activity of audible & physical prayer. E.g., were the day so busy, despite your best efforts to the contrary, to leave even 20 minutes to kneel for the Rosary, then one can rightly imagine praying the Rosary aloud as one walks, drives or (if, say, forced by your job in a Godless society to work) does menial labor. Again, this ought to be the exception, not the rule, yet it rightly justifies a good Catholic in doing so. And, again, it is not fully justified when Catholics are careless, allowing time to run short when it didn’t need to be. (Recognize, though, if prayer beyond normal custom, then more allowable.)

Three, when such factors as mentioned or implied in points one & two cannot begin to be invokable, then, where Church discipline & custom apply, the prayer ought to be done with adequate reverence of word, voice, face, hands & body, as one’s situation & intent indicate. Attitude of the body? Kneeling has been for long millennia a very fruitful choice. It expresses the Catholic’s humility before God, Jesus, Mary, the saints, the angels, and Heaven at large. Whether out of Trinitarian adoration or saintly & angelic veneration, kneeling is pious. Notwithstanding, don’t indulge Catholic Fundamentalism! Praying while standing, whilst often of a lesser occurrence, is as well a time-honored custom for many Roman Catholics, in many places, for many different times. For instance, the most ancient of Catholics, in the first few centuries, did not use ‘pews’ in their sanctuaries. The men were on one side of the sanctuary, the women & children on the other side, and both sexes typically stood almost the whole time the Mass was being said by the priest, or officiating cleric. The Holy Mass, incidentally, is Holy Mother Church’s highest form of prayer, most pleasing to God of all. Ergo, do you see why wise Catholics must exercise prudence in judgment? Consider holy prophets or great saints who prayed while standing for hours on end, beseeching arms lifted toward Heaven in obeisance & supplication! The wholesome point here is that many factors must be taken into account. It is necessary for Catholics, where possible, to pray together (this is generally more efficacious than one Catholic praying alone). If all are kneeling to pray the Rosary, would it be wise for one of these Catholics to do so standing…? Probably not. On the other hand, what if the leader chooses to stand, while others, following his or her lead in the Rosary, pray on their knees? This is both ponderable & acceptable. It depends on the circumstances. In any case, do not pray rushing your words. This is rarely justifiable. Pray with a tone of reverence. It is commendable to kneel. It is usually wise to hold your hands together, symbolizing, by the direction they point, that you piously wish your prayers to ascend to Heaven, being acceptable & heard. Don’t wiggle all over the place; nevertheless, realize that younger children will have a harder time at this, and require some years of training to eliminate this bad tendency. Pray aloud, especially when in a group of Catholics praying together. Howsobeit, if a Catholic, lost in ecstasy or exceedingly shy, be so quiet as to be unheard, let others refrain from judging hastily & rashly. And so forth and so on. Be wise!

(Incidentally, it is here opportune to note that, while a good or penitent Catholic may receive incredibly signal graces praying the Rosary alone, praying with other Catholics, who are trying to pray well, is infinitely helpful and usually more strong against hell. E.g., when one’s mind wanders, or you pray badly for a short time, the prayers & concentration of the others, in Heaven’s Merciful Sight, help to ‘atone’, as it were, for your lapse. Although, be sensible! Don’t think that, in praying as a family with several young children --- or even a single child! --- that this is a detriment to prayer. To the contrary! The prayers of children are precious to Heaven, and the graces that you as a, say, parent, gain by bearing with a lack of ability in the child to pray excellently --- and the child’s sincerity, if trying --- copiously rewards one with graces beyond imagination. Not to mention that, being a parent and hearing the child pray in a childlike way, it is a blessing unimaginable to the one who is not a parent, or unable to imagine! Oh, and in praying the Rosary as a group of Catholics, it is normally proper to have a male Catholic lead, unless such a person is not present. Otherwise, a female Catholic may lead, especially if the group is all female. It is also preferable that the older of Catholics lead, unless such a person is unable, or if the older asks that a younger Catholic lead the group in prayer. And, naturally, if a priest or other clerical person is present, that person should lead by dint of their authority.)

It is here opportune to describe briefly a venerable Catholic custom in one’s praying of the Rosary. Both clerics and saints have long advised us to pray the Joyful Mysteries (first 5 of the 15 total mysteries) on Mondays & Thursdays of the liturgical year, including the Sundays of Advent, Christmastide and the Time After Epiphany. Sorrowful Mysteries are normally prayed on Tuesdays & Fridays, as well as Sundays during Septuagesima & Lent. And Glorious Mysteries are on Wednesdays & Saturdays, in addition to Sundays in Eastertide and the Time After Pentecost. In this way a timeless cycle of sequential mysteries is observed… marking the ecclesial seasons and directing our minds.

For what are Advent & Christmastide? Seasons of Joy. What are Septuagesima & Lent? Seasons of Sorrow. And what are Easter & Pentecost? Seasons of Glory.

(Bear in mind, however, that in following this venerable & wonderful custom, neither Holy Mother Church nor any saint, etc., has forbidden, or advised us never, to pray the Rosary in addition to the routine praying of it. That is to say, having prayed the Rosary regularly for the day, keeping the mysteries of the day or season, a good Roman Catholic is perfectly free to pray the Rosary again that day and choose what mysteries you are especially drawn to. For instance, I am particularly attached to the Sorrowful Mysteries. There are times I have prayed them additionally; and they are marvelous for penance and remission of sins.)

By the way, here is a sound suggestion. After you begin the Rosary with the Apostle’s Creed, dedicate the first Our Father to the Holy Trinity. I.e., right after reciting the Creed, yet right before you recite the Our Father, say something to the effect of, “In the Name of the Holy Trinity.” Then, right before you recite a first of three Hail Marys, say to the effect of, “In the Name of the Father.” And prior to reciting the second of three Hail Marys, say effectively, “In the Name of the Son.” Whilst just prior to the third & last of three Hail Marys, say essentially, “And in the Name of the Holy Ghost.” Many saints have followed this simple practice, it adds hardly any length to the overall time necessary to say the Rosary well, and, personally, I have found it wonderfully edifying and pleasing to Our Lord.

I trust the reader sees the obvious parallel to the Being & Persons of the Trinity.

Or why else does Our Lord’s Singular Church have us recite one Our Father and three Hail Marys before beginning to recite the series of prayers for each of five Mysteries? The symbolism and intent is clear to the wise & humble Catholic.

Oh, and a note upon the Fatima prayer. During the third of six Holy Apparitions from Our Lady of Fatima --- God’s Mother, the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary --- She enjoined upon the three seer children (Lucia, Francisco & Jacinta) to say a short prayer in conjunction with the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary. This is what has become a brief prayer that wise & willing Catholics say at the conclusion of each mystery. To wit, after the 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys & 1 Glory Be. Howsoever, attentive readers may realize that the translation given at the end of this page doesn’t concur, word for word (or even wholly in meaning), with what people following the Fatima event in 1917 were generally taught to pray in doing so.

Why?

Without claiming absolute proof, it’s probably because the enemies of the One True Church, who had wormed their way into the Hierarchy, purposefully twisted the translation in order to promote salvation heresy. Or, at a bare minimum, so as to spite the Queen of Heaven, recognizing Our Lady of Fatima as a threat to their goal to destroy the Roman Catholic Religion off of the face of the earth. Here we find a dilemma. Because, whether it’s simply carelessness & ignorance, or the diabolical work of foes, we’ve the handwritten account of Sr. Lucia, one of the Apparitions’ seers, giving us the prayer as it is to be in original Portuguese.

And this original Portuguese definitely does NOT support the popular version known to Catholics of the 20^th century or Novus Ordoists (those who embraced Apostasy) after the Vatican II Pseudo-Council of the 1960s. The popularized type of the Fatima prayer essentially reads, “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need.”

Now, please recognize --- if a true Catholic is determined to pray this version, such a version does NOT automatically make them into a salvation heretic, who denies the infallible dogma of ‘no Salvation outside the Church’ in its original, narrow, strict, unchanging & constantly-upheld sense. It is NOT wrong for Catholics (real Catholics!) to yearn for the conversion of all human beings.

Notwithstanding, NO false ‘catholic’ --- Novus Ordoist --- understands this particularly popular version of the Fatima prayer in its orthodox sense. And, granted the anti-Catholic temper of our times, with the Great Apostasy revolving around denial of Roman Catholic Salvation Dogma, then, of course, this version of the prayer only supports the anti-Catholic hatred of the Salvation Dogma, appearing to ‘confirm’ such apostates in their apostasy, as if ‘doctrine’. So, certainly do NOT hastily & rashly judge a true Catholic (read: who DOESN’T deny the Salvation Dogma!) for preferring this version. You could only rightly admonish such a person if (and only if!) they make clear that, by praying this version, they intend the words to be comprehended as a denial of ‘no Salvation outside the Church’ in its original, narrow, strict, correct & unchanging sense. (Incidentally… you may find a factual & rational defense of Salvation Dogma within Helplessly Ignorant and Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus. You may also discover an account of Fatima and the Great Apostasy in Inter Regnum.)

End of sentences.

All the same, we’ve the troubling fact: that the popularized version is NOT what Sr. Lucia actually reported. Which is why, therefore, we have dared to give you a proper & adequate translation of her words, derived directly from her handwritten copy of the Fatima prayer, in the original Portuguese in which she wrote, and in which she heard it taught to her and her cousins from the Mouth of the Virgin Mary Herself, Our Lady & Queen, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima.

Which is?

“O My Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fire of hell. Lead all poor souls in Purgatory toward Heaven, especially those most in need.”

This is not a ‘word-for-word’ translation. This is because languages are idiomatic, and a slavish direct translation can tend toward confusion instead of clarification, it being often impossible to find a word, in one language, that conveys the exact meaning of a word in another language. For example, using the Fatima prayer as proof, note the emphasis on purgatorial souls in the translation proffered. In the Portuguese written at Sr. Lucia’s hands, the direct translation is “poor souls”. This term in Portuguese had become colloquially idiomatic for ‘souls in Purgatory’. It is thus in no way congruent with the idea that Our Lady of Fatima was having us consider the souls of all humanity. It was for purgatorial souls that She had Catholics petition! Which, of course, avoids universalist heresy altogether. (Universalism, in a ‘catholic’ context, teaches that God saves everybody, including people who aren’t Catholic!) And ups the Doctrine of Purgatory.

Savvy? Then please be Catholic, be reasonable, and be charitable.

And acknowledge that this approach is both prudent and wise.

Yet why did Our Creator not give to His Own the Devotion of the Holy Rosary during most ancient of centuries? Why did it really only gather momentum by the end of the first millennium until, greatly practiced & spread by St. Dominic the Dogged Cherub & Preacher, as well as Blessed Alan, near the beginning of second millennium, it flourished immensely, especially with the highest of approvals from the Vatican in the 1500s? What is God’s Plan in this?

Pious but simple lay Catholics imitated religious Catholics (monks & nuns), who recite the Divine Office, by substituting, so to speak, Hail Marys for the individual Psalms, of which there are 150. Such laity typically did not read, were not highly learned, could not memorize the lengthy Book of Psalms, and did not have time or command from the Hierarchy to pray the Divine Office continuously around the clock, week after week, year after year. Yet they were, many of them, very pious. So they did what they could. They prayed an Our Father, then ten Hail Marys, then a Glory Be, sequentially, over and over till completing 150 Hail Marys. (Incidentally, this is why the Rosary is known as the ‘Marian Psaltery’!)

This sufficed, in their minds & hearts, and in Heaven’s Merciful Sight, to fulfill their pious desire to imitate good monks & nuns however possible. This was the seed of the Holy Rosary, its devout arising in the practices of the Church Militant in general. And notice that it occurred toward the end of the first millennium. The implication? As explained within Heptaton: The Octave Millennial Hypothesis, Wherein, With the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Aid, We Strive to See Via Our Creator’s Everlastingly Timeless Eyes, if God indeed views Creation as a kind of liturgical narrative in eight millennial days, then, in following the Roman Martyrology, the 7^th millennial day started circa AD 800 --- to wit, near first millennium’s close.

Mary is God’s Seventh; Her day, Saturday, the seventh of weekly days.

This is the day God ‘rested’ from creation, He being well pleased…

Ergo, it is rational & conceivable that God exalted His Mother then.

Figuratively back then, in His Foresight; literally later, in time’s passage.

At any rate, it is inarguable that the ‘Cult of the Virgin’, as theologians will call it (albeit, not meant in a disparaging way like moderns of today intend it, as if it is a ‘bad thing’ or ‘false religion’ or ‘silly superstition’…), increased in force with first millennium’s close and second millennium’s advent. The Blessed Virgin has continually experienced praise, honor and superlative veneration from the mouths, hands & lives of good Catholics. Yet it undeniably expanded, exploding exponentially by turn of the 2^nd millennium. If the Octave Millennial Hypothesis is substantially correct, then the seventh of eight millennial days began around 800 and that day continued until around 1800. This, in turn, coincided, in a certain ‘literal’ way (although it is to be understood allegorically, too!), with Lucifer’s imprisonment in the ‘bottomless pit’, as the Book of the Apocalypse tells us.

Upshot?

When bound, he who was the ‘bearer of light’, but rebelled, was, so to speak, anticipatively ‘crushed’ by Her Foot, She the Bearer of Light in that Her Son is the Light of This World! And in doing so, God ‘rested’, giving us a ‘Saturday Sabbath’ as the True Faith of Roman Catholicism, in spite of hellish opposition, spread throughout the earth, there being no place left on earth, by the mid-1800s, whereby at least a few of that area’s peoples had not been converted.

And this global expansion of the Global & Universal (Catholic!) Religion coincided, neatly, with the ‘Cult of the Virgin’ extended & expanded everywhere this True Religion of Catholicism spread in the world at large. For instance, when Eastern Schismaticism arose by turn of the 2^nd millennium, they fragmented and were beaten back by Islam in every land in which they had dominated. Eastern schismatics lost both ability & will, for the most part, to convert others. They became provincial & petty. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church, while mightily beset with internal sins of its members and outer threats to Her Existence, notwithstanding, by God’s Grace & Mary’s Help expanded all the more, never losing Her Proselytizing Zeal until the Great Apostasy erupted into the open with the Vatican II Pseudo-Council of the 1960s. True, this zeal was waning by the 1860s, the currents of apostasy percolating under the cover of ‘everything is normal, nothing to see here’ type blindness increasing in the wavering hearts of more & more Catholics, yet it did not finally falter until aforementioned wicked council. Ditto for the Protestant Rebellion. Whilst hideously ripping members out of God’s Ecclesial Ark circa 1500s, and threatening Catholicity in the very cradle of Christendom, Europe, God miraculously counterbalanced this with the Spanish Empire and utterly flabbergasting conversion of Amerindians in the New World. Upshot?

In spite of terrifying opposition, Lucifer was indeed bound and the Immaculate Mary was indeed exalted, with concurrent press of a Divinely Constituted Body and consequent Hope of Salvation all over the earth. This was the Seventh Day, wherein God ‘rested’ at the Bosom of His Blessed Mother, She then using the graces given into Her Hands, more weakly opposed by Her enemy, satan, birthing new children from Her Spiritual Womb left-and-right everywhere.

Until, that abominable rebel unleashed again, he was then permitted to turn the tide that had arisen against his hellish kingdom, pressing the advantage equally as greatly as Heaven’s Queen had done so in the millennial day just passed. Nonetheless, with this proviso --- that he not go beyond the boundaries set divinely for our ultimate good. That She crush his proud head for good, ultimately, in the end. That end is yet to come upon us.

And, I dare say, along with St. Louis de Montfort, there is a ‘new’ Pentecost on its way, with ‘new’ Apostles to arise after the Ecclesial Resurrection of Our Lord’s Catholic Body & Church, the eighth millennial day turned into a ‘new’ Sunday, filled with a New Creation, New Light, New Holiness & Fervor, unto the Everlasting Trinity’s Praise & Adoration, and Immaculate Mary’s Honor, Veneration & Exaltation, Her Coronation made Wholly Complete.

This the Most Holy Rosary foreshadows most excellently.

Her Son’s Office is the Divine Office, around the clock.

Her Office is more than Mary’s Little Office.

It is the Holy Rosary, daily.

Season after season.

It is the Jacobian Ladder to Heaven, the dream a Patriarch dreamed.

Now made real, now unfolding, before our very eyes, if truly Catholic.

The Rosary is an astonishing thing. Simultaneously simple and exceedingly complex. At it’s two octave heart --- the eighth of fifteen mysteries --- is the Heart of the Catholic Faith: Jesus’ Crowning with the Thorns. This was His Ultimate Humiliation, wherein clueless pagan soldiers pretended to ‘honor’ Him whilst denigrating Him barbarously & disgustingly. The pain Christ underwent, of Sacred Heart & Soul far more than the piercing pain of those thorns, was unimaginable for most of us. Yet, in bearing it, the humble are exalted.

This is why He is King Above All Other Kings, Lord Above All Lords.

And His Throne of Wisdom, Mary, Who suffered with Him:

She Queen Above All Queens, Lady Above All Ladies.

Every set of mysteries has a ‘heart’. For the Joyful, it is the third of five, Christ’s Birth. For the Sorrowful, it is the aforesaid Crowning. For the Glorious, it is the Descent of the Holy Ghost, vivifying Spirit of Truth animating Jesus’ Ecclesial Body, the One True Church of Roman Catholicism. The three sets of five mysteries are reflexive, too. Coronation, the fifteenth (fifth of the Glorious), reflexively completes the Annunciation, the first (first of the Joyful)… for it was in Her Selection by God to be the Mother of God that She ever merited to be this God’s Queen in Heaven, crowned accordingly! All centered, of course, on the eighth mystery (Crowning), which enables the first & fifteenth. And the central sorrowful mystery (Crowning), surrounded on either side by the central joyful mystery (Birth) and the central glorious mystery (Descent), reflexively completes the Trinitarian narrative revealed on earth --- that the Father gave us His Son in the Birth of Jesus in the Womb of the Immaculate Mary, the Son then Crowned with Humility to necessitate His Enthronement as King of Kings and Reason for Incarnation, then bringing us the Descent of the Holy Ghost, that Divine Spirit & Person proceeding from both the Father & Son, perfecting the Father’s Daughter (Catholic Church) and the Son’s Glorious Bride (the same, the New Jerusalem).

There is more to note than can be said in words. As St. John’s Gospel tells us:

“But there are also many other things which Jesus did; which, if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25 DRC)

If truly Catholic, you can read all these ‘books’ in praying the Holy Rosary.

Assiduously, with reverence --- meditating upon Mary’s Mysteries.

For Her Mysteries are Jesus’ Mysteries, forever and ever.

We shall be doing so for Eternity, world without end.

Have you not heard? Let the singer sing! Amen.

+ + +

In English:

[One begins with the Apostle’s Creed as follows; an optional yet salutary practice is to kiss the Rosary’s Crucifix as a sign of devotion to Christ & His Sacrifice, as well as a determination never to deny His Catholic Faith Whole & Entire; and to hold this Crucifix to the forehead as emblem of one’s mind resolved to profess it undefiled.]

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth. And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried: He descended into Hell, the third day He rose again from the dead, He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. ► I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

[One follows with one Our Father as follows; another optional yet salutary practice is to kiss the Rosary’s Crucifix again as a sign of devotion to Christ & His Sacred Heart, as well as to appease His Suffering Heart via His Mother & Her Rosary; to pronounce, before saying the Our Father, something to the effect of, “In the Name of the Holy Trinity,” as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above; and to hold this same Crucifix to the heart as emblem of one’s own heart united to His Heart.]

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. ► Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.

[There is, too, the Eucharistic Mode of the Our Father, which one may choose to pray as follows instead of the Customary Mode just above; Holy Mother Church has never forbidden Catholics to use it and it is simply Our Lord’s Words as given in St. Matthew’s Gospel; what’s more, it exempts nothing of the words in the aforesaid Customary Mode and adds but a single word from Jesus, “…supersubstantial…”; examine the entry for the Our Father in P&D for further knowledge & understanding.]

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. ► Give us this day our daily, supersubstantial bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.

[One next follows with 3 Hail Marys in a row as follows; as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above, an optional yet salutary practice is to kiss the Rosary’s Marian centerpiece each time as a sign of devotion to Mary & Her Immaculate Heart, as well as to appease Her Sorrowful Heart with reverent tenderness and recitation of Her Rosary; to pronounce, before saying each Hail Mary, something to the effect of, “In the Name of the Father,” for the first Hail Mary, “In the Name of the Son,” for the second Hail Mary, and, “In the Name of the Holy Ghost” for the third Hail Mary; and to hold the centerpiece to the forehead for the first, to the heart for the second, and to the mouth for the third, as emblem of one’s mind, heart & mouth united to Her Heart.]

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. ► Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[One follows the 3 Hail Marys with one Glory Be. See below for a suggested posture.]

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ► As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

[One then follows with the first mystery of the particular set of five Joyful, Sorrowful or Glorious Mysteries as follows; as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above, an optional yet salutary practice is to announce each mystery with a relatively short statement of it, as can be found explained in the primary text above; and to kiss the Rosary’s Crucifix and hold it first to the forehead, then to the heart, as one recites one Our Father as emblem of one’s mind & heart united to Jesus & Mary in Their Lives.]

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. ► Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.

[Or, if using the Eucharistic Mode of the Our Father:]

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. ► Give us this day our daily, supersubstantial bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.

[After the one Our Father of any particular mystery, one prays 10 Hail Marys, one’s fingers going from bead to bead on the Rosary itself so as to be able to concentrate properly upon the mystery, without one’s thoughts taken up in having to very consciously count, as explained in the primary text above.]

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. ► Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[After the one Our Father and 10 Hail Marys, one recites one Glory Be; an optional yet salutary practice is to bow the head or upper torso, while one does so, as emblem of one’s obeisance to, as well as firm & rational belief in, the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity.]

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ► As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

[An optional yet salutary practice is to recite the Fatima Rosary prayer after the one Our Father, 10 Hail Marys and one Glory Be; as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above --- which please see & examine, if one doesn’t comprehend why --- the text is somewhat different from a widespread form, this one being more accurate.]

O My Jesus, ► forgive us our sins and save us from the fire of hell. Lead all poor souls in purgatory toward Heaven, especially those most in need.

[One then repeats this process of one Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, and one Glory Be --- plus one Fatima prayer, if availing one’s self of some of the graces to be had from heeding Our Lady of Fatima --- for the second mystery, the third mystery, the fourth mystery, and the fifth mystery; if praying 10 or 15 mysteries, continue repeating the process; finally, one arrives at the concluding Hail Holy Queen prayer.]

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 valley of tears. Turn then, Most Gracious Advocate, Thine Eyes of Mercy towards 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.

[An optional yet salutary ending, in addition to the closing prayer just given right above, and to be said immediately after it, is the following:]

Let us pray. O God, Our Refuge and Our Strength, look down in mercy on Thy people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the Glorious and Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of St. Joseph, Her Spouse, of Thy Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the Saints, in mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of Our Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord. ► Amen.

[Please note: all right-pointing triangle marks, ► , are intended to indicate that, whenever the Rosary is prayed by two or more Catholics together, the one leading the devotion recites alone the particular prayer up to the triangle mark, whereupon the ones following recite the particular prayer of the Rosary from that point onward, as the leader remains silent, until the end of this particular prayer. This includes the Apostle’s Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, and the optional closing prayer at the end of the Rosary. For the Fatima prayer, the leader begins the first part, the followers then joining in with the leader after the triangle mark; for the Hail Holy Queen at Rosary’s end, everyone prays until the triangle mark, then the leader alone recites briefly until second triangle mark, whereupon only the followers pray the last brief part.]

In Latin:

[One begins with the Apostle’s Creed as follows; an optional yet salutary practice is to kiss the Rosary’s Crucifix as a sign of devotion to Christ & His Sacrifice, as well as a determination never to deny His Catholic Faith Whole & Entire; and to hold this Crucifix to the forehead as emblem of one’s mind resolved to profess it undefiled.]

Credo in Deum, Patrem Omnipoténtem, Creatórem Cæli et Terræ. Et in Jesum Christum, Fílium Ejus Únicum, Dóminum Nostrum; Qui concéptus est de Spíritu Sancto, natus ex María Vírgine, passus sub Póntio Piláto, crucifíxus, mórtuus et sepúltus: descéndit ad Ínferos, tértia die resurréxit a mórtuis, ascéndit ad Cælos, sedet ad déxteram Dei Patris Omnipoténtis, inde ventúrus est judicáre vivos et mórtuos. ► Credo in Spíritum Sanctum, Sanctam Ecclésiam Cathólicam, Sanctórum Communiónem, remissiónem peccatórum, carnis resurrectiónem, vita ætérnam. Amen.

[One follows with one Our Father as follows; another optional yet salutary practice is to kiss the Rosary’s Crucifix again as a sign of devotion to Christ & His Sacred Heart, as well as to appease His Suffering Heart via His Mother & Her Rosary; to pronounce, before saying the Our Father, something to the effect of, “In the Name of the Holy Trinity,” as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above; and to hold this same Crucifix to the heart as emblem of one’s own heart united to His Heart.]

Pater noster, Qui es in Cælis, sanctificétur Nomen Tuum. Advéniat Regnum Tuum. Fiat Volúntas Tua, sicut in Cælo et in terra. ► Panem nostrum quotidiánum da nobis hódie. Et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris. Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem: sed líbera nos a malo. Amen.

[There is, too, the Eucharistic Mode of the Our Father, which one may choose to pray as follows instead of the Customary Mode just above; Holy Mother Church has never forbidden Catholics to use it and it is simply Our Lord’s Words as given in St. Matthew’s Gospel; what’s more, it exempts nothing of the words in the aforesaid Customary Mode and adds but a single word from Jesus, “…supersubstantial…”; examine the entry for the Our Father in P&D for further knowledge & understanding.]

Pater noster, Qui es in Cælis, sanctificétur Nomen Tuum. Advéniat Regnum Tuum. Fiat Volúntas Tua, sicut in Cælo et in terra. ► Panem nostrum quotidiánum, superstantialem da nobis hódie. Et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris. Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem: sed líbera nos a malo. Amen.

[One next follows with 3 Hail Marys in a row as follows; as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above, an optional yet salutary practice is to kiss the Rosary’s Marian centerpiece each time as a sign of devotion to Mary & Her Immaculate Heart, as well as to appease Her Sorrowful Heart with reverent tenderness and recitation of Her Rosary; to pronounce, before saying each Hail Mary, something to the effect of, “In the Name of the Father,” for the first Hail Mary, “In the Name of the Son,” for the second Hail Mary, and, “In the Name of the Holy Ghost” for the third Hail Mary; and to hold the centerpiece to the forehead for the first, to the heart for the second, and to the mouth for the third, as emblem of one’s mind, heart & mouth united to Her Heart.]

Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum; benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. ► Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

[One follows the 3 Hail Marys with one Glory Be. See below for a suggested posture.]

Glória Patri et Fílio et Spirítui Sancto. ► Sicut erat in princípio et nunc et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

[One then follows with the first mystery of the particular set of five Joyful, Sorrowful or Glorious Mysteries as follows; as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above, an optional yet salutary practice is to announce each mystery with a relatively short statement of it, as can be found explained in the primary text above; and to kiss the Rosary’s Crucifix and hold it first to the forehead, then to the heart, as one recites one Our Father as emblem of one’s mind & heart united to Jesus & Mary in Their Lives.]

Pater noster, Qui es in Cælis, sanctificétur Nomen Tuum. Advéniat Regnum Tuum. Fiat Volúntas Tua, sicut in Cælo et in terra. ► Panem nostrum quotidiánum da nobis hódie. Et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris. Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem: sed líbera nos a malo. Amen.

[Or, if using the Eucharistic Mode of the Our Father:]

Pater noster, Qui es in Cælis, sanctificétur Nomen Tuum. Advéniat Regnum Tuum. Fiat Volúntas Tua, sicut in Cælo et in terra. ► Panem nostrum quotidiánum, superstantialem da nobis hódie. Et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris. Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem: sed líbera nos a malo. Amen.

[After the one Our Father of any particular mystery, one prays 10 Hail Marys, one’s fingers going from bead to bead on the Rosary itself so as to be able to concentrate properly upon the mystery, without one’s thoughts taken up in having to very consciously count, as explained in the primary text above.]

Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum; benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. ► Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

[After the one Our Father and 10 Hail Marys, one recites one Glory Be; an optional yet salutary practice is to bow the head or upper torso, while one does so, as emblem of one’s obeisance to, as well as firm & rational belief in, the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity.]

Glória Patri et Fílio et Spirítui Sancto. ► Sicut erat in princípio et nunc et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

[An optional yet salutary practice is to recite the Fatima Rosary prayer after the one Our Father, 10 Hail Marys and one Glory Be; as mentioned in the foregoing primary text above --- which please see & examine, if one doesn’t comprehend why --- the text is somewhat different from a widespread form, this one being more accurate. Please understand this is in the original Portuguese, a good Latin form not yet made.]

O meu Jesus, ► perdoainos e livrai-nos do fogo do inferno, levai as alminhas todas para o Ceu, principalmente aquelas que mais precisarem.

[One then repeats this process of one Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, and one Glory Be --- plus one Fatima prayer, if availing one’s self of some of the graces to be had from heeding Our Lady of Fatima --- for the second mystery, the third mystery, the fourth mystery, and the fifth mystery; if praying 10 or 15 mysteries, continue repeating the process; finally, one arrives at the concluding Hail Holy Queen prayer.]

Salve, Regína, Mater Misericórdiæ; Vita, Dulcédo et Spes Nostra, salve. Ad Te clamámus, éxsules fílii Evæ. Ad Te suspirámus geméntes et flentes in hac lacrimárum valle. Eia ergo, Advocáta Nostra, illos Tuos Misericórdes Óculos ad nos convérte. Et Jesum, Benedíctum Fructum Ventris Tui, nobis, post hoc exsílium, osténde. O Clemens, O Pia, O Dulcis Virgo María! ► Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Génitrix. ► Ut digni efficiámur Promissiónibus Christi.

[An optional yet salutary ending, in addition to the closing prayer just given right above, and to be said immediately after it, is the following:]

Orémus. Deus, Refúgium Nostrum et Virtus, pópulum ad Te clamántem propítius réspice; et intercedénte Gloriósa et Immaculáta Vírgine Dei Genitríce María, um Beáto Joseph, Ejus Sponso, ac Beátis Apóstolis Tuis Petro et Paulo, et ómnibus Sanctis, quas pro conversióne peccatórum, pro libertáte et exaltatióne Sanctæ Matris Ecclésiæ, preces effúndimus, miséricors et benígnus exáudi. Per eúmdem Christum Dóminum nostrum. ► Amen.

[Please note: all triangle marks, ►, indicate that, whenever a Rosary is prayed by two or more Catholics together, the one leading recites alone the particular prayer up to the triangle mark, whereupon the followers recite it from that point onward, as the leader remains silent. This includes the Apostle’s Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, and the optional closing prayer. For the Fatima prayer, the leader begins the very first part, followers joining in with leader after the triangle mark; for the Hail Holy Queen at Rosary’s end, all pray until 1^st triangle mark, then leader alone recites briefly until the 2^nd triangle mark, whereupon only the followers pray the last brief part.]

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