Mysteries: Introduction

[First, please accept my apologies to anyone who actually has looked for me to be timely and regular. I'm, um, not good at either of those.]

If the repeated prayers are the skeleton of the rosary, the Mysteries are the muscle. These contemplative building blocks underpin the repetition, giving the mind a foundation for the words. Without your having to think about it, your mind settles in, focuses, centers on Jesus. Your mouth is off doing its thing, repeating familiar words; your conscious mind is keeping an eye out for cars, or the baby, or whatever is going on around you; but your spirit is immersed in the Christ. That, to me, is sufficient reason to capitalize the common noun, giving the Mysteries the reverence they deserve.

In terms of method, basically all you need to do is think about each Mystery as you are saying the Lord's Prayer and ten Hail Marys for it. If you are using beads, their job is to help you keep track of the repetitions.

So let's get started. If you have beads, hold them in your left hand, cross yourself with your right. (See earlier post--touch forehead and say, "In the name of the Father"; touch heart and continue, "And of the Son"; touch left shoulder first, then right, while finishing, "And of the Holy Ghost."

Now, hold the crucifix on your beads with thumb and forefinger and say the Lord's Prayer. Moving along, there are three beads; one for each of three Hail Marys.

You're centered on Jesus, ready to begin the Mysteries. Think or say the first Mystery for the day; then hold the bead that comes next on your chain as you say the Lord's Prayer. Next are the ten slightly separate beads for the ten Hail Marys. When you finish each "decade" of Hail Marys, say the Gloria Patri and O My Jesus prayer, then move on to the next Mystery, following its beads as you did the first.

If you're using the smaller Irish bracelet-sized rosary beads, or no beads, simply adapt to your needs. When I'm walking or running and praying the rosary, the whole thing takes only about 15 minutes; this is not some huge time commitment.

See earlier post for listing of the Mysteries and days traditionally assigned to each set.

Finally! We're ready to ponder the profound implications of these simple ideas.