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I n t ro d u c t i o n

In his Apostolic Letter, On the Most HolyRosary, Pope John Paul II invites us to “redis-cover the Rosary in the light of Scripture.” TheRosary is a way of contemplation, which sim-ply means to look on the face of Christ. WithMary, we remember the mysteries of Jesus’life, and with her we “learn Christ.” This“remembering” is “a making present of theworks brought about by God in the history ofsalvation” (n. 13).

What a powerful statement! In this sense,to remember does not mean only to recall apast event. To prayerfully ponder God’s sav-ing works actually brings us under their sav-ing influence. Praying the Scriptural Rosary isa way to do this because it brings us into con-tact with the word of God; it has power tochange our lives. As the Pope put it: “We arecertain that this is the word of God, spokenfor today and spoken ‘for me.’ If received inthis way, the word of God can become part ofthe Rosary’s methodology of repetition with-out giving rise to the ennui derived from thesimple recollection of something alreadywell-known. It is not a matter of recallinginformation but of allowing God to speak”(Rosarium, n. 30).

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God will say to us whatever we need tohear. Listening to that word in prayer—beingattentive to the inspirations the Holy Spiritspeaks in our hearts—can help us grow inholiness. Sometimes these inspirations comein the form of words from Scripture that werecall in various situations. Sometimes theyare new ideas we suddenly grasp, like a flarelighting up the night sky. Praying the Rosarygives us the listening space we need in themidst of our busy lives. As the beads slipthrough our fingers, the repeated Hail Marysform a sort of “background music” that allowsour hearts to absorb God’s word. When thisword takes root in our hearts and grows, ourhearts expand and become open to receivegrace more and more. “The word of God is liv-ing and effective, sharper than any two-edgedsword, penetrating even between soul andspirit, joints and marrow, and able to discernreflections and thoughts of the heart” (Heb4:12).

Some Practical Points

This Scriptural Rosary book provides a versefrom the Bible for each Hail Mary of theRosary. The Scripture verses are meant tohelp you pray, so use them freely in whateverway you wish. You may choose to read each

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verse before each Hail Mary, or you may pre-fer to contemplate one thought for the entiredecade or even the entire Rosary. SometimesGod speaks in a powerful way through onethought or even a single word. Stay with it foras long as you need to.

Although we can pray the various seriesof mysteries on any day, each sequence isgenerally prayed on certain days of the weekas follows:

Joyful Monday and SaturdayLuminous ThursdaySorrowful Tuesday and FridayGlorious Wednesday and Sunday

The Prayers of the Rosary

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creatorof heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ,his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived bythe power of the Holy Spirit and born of theVirgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried. Hedescended to the dead. On the third day hearose again. He ascended into heaven, and is

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seated at the right hand of the Father. He willcome again to judge the living and the dead. Ibelieve in the Holy Spirit, the holy CatholicChurch, the communion of saints, the for-giveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed bethy name; thy kingdom come; thy will bedone on earth as it is in heaven. Give us thisday our daily bread, and forgive us our tres-passes, as we forgive those who trespassagainst us, and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with you.Blessed are you among women, and blessedis the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary,Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now andat the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to theHoly Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now,and will be forever. Amen.

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Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, oursweetness, and our hope! To you we cry, poorbanished children of Eve; to you we send up oursighs, mourning and weeping in this valley oftears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, youreyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile,show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb,Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

For those unfamiliar with praying the Rosary,the following diagram may be of help.

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1.

2.3.

4.5.

6. 7.

8.

1. Make the sign of the cross and pray the Apostles’ Creed.

2. Pray the Lord’s Prayer.3. Pray 3 Hail Marys.4. Pray the Glory, name the first

Mystery, and pray the Lord’s Prayer.

5. Pray 10 Hail Marys.6. Pray the Glory, name the second Mystery, and pray the Lord’s Prayer.7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you reach the end.8. Pray the Glory and the Hail, Holy Queen.

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1

T h e Joy f u l M y s t e r i e s

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The First Joyful Mystery

The Annunciation

bMary’s faith can also be compared to that ofAbraham.... Abraham’s faith constitutes thebeginning of the Old Covenant; Mary’s faithat the Annunciation inaugurates the NewCovenant (Mother of the Redeemer, n. 14).

Our Father

1 God said to Abraham, “I will establish mycovenant between me and you, and your off-spring after you throughout their genera-tions, for an everlasting covenant, to be Godto you and to your offspring after you.”

Genesis 1:7Hail Mary

1 Those who believe are the descendants ofAbraham.

Galatians 3:7Hail Mary

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1 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel wassent by God to a town in Galilee calledNazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whosename was Joseph, of the house of David. Thevirgin’s name was Mary.

Luke 1:26–27Hail Mary

1 And he came to her and said, “Greetings,favored one! The Lord is with you.”

Luke 1:28Hail Mary

1 But she was much perplexed by his words andpondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Luke 1:29Hail Mary

1 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,Mary, for you have found favor with God. Andnow, you will conceive in your womb andbear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”

Luke 1:30–31Hail Mary

1 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be,since I am a virgin?”

Luke 1:34Hail Mary

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1 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit willcome upon you, and the power of the MostHigh will overshadow you; therefore the childto be born will be holy; he will be called Sonof God.”

Luke 1:35Hail Mary

1 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant ofthe Lord; let it be with me according to yourword.” Then the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38Hail Mary

1 But he [Jesus] said to them, “My motherand my brothers are those who hear the wordof God and do it.”

Luke 8:21Hail Mary

Glory be to the Father

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