The Scripture passages used herein are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, ©
1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
I call this the Gospel Rosary because it follows the
timeline of the gospels and because it is more about the message than the
creeds. It begins with the Baptism
rather than with the Nativity and Infancy narratives because those were very
late additions to the Gospel of Matthew
and the Gospel of Luke.
This formula is meant to be said on a rosary of five
decades. There are three chaplets of events
or “mysteries” for Monday-Thursday, Tuesday-Friday, and Wednesday-Saturday, and
a fourth chaplet especially for Sunday.
The first three follow events of the life of Jesus from the Baptism
through the Beatific Vision in chronological sequence; the fourth showcases
encounters in which Jesus demonstrated that the greatest calling is to love.
There are four prayers for the small beads of the decades to
be changed throughout the church year: a Memorial of the Incarnation, a
Memorial of the Redemption, a Memorial of the Resurrection, and a Memorial of
the Illumination.
Opening prayers
Sign of the Cross (Signum Crucis)
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the
Transformer, the One who is compassionate and merciful. Amen.
Still holding the cross, say:
Preces
V. Lord, open our
lips.
R. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
V. O God, make speed
to save us.
R. O Lord, make
haste to help us.
V. Glory be to the
Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit:
R. As it was, is now, and always shall be,
forever and ever. Amen. Alleluia.
In Lent, in place of “Alleluia”
say: Praise to you, O Christ,
King of eternal glory.
On the large bead say:
Lord’s Prayer
Father, blessed
be your name. May your dominion come and
your will be done. Let your Holy Spirit
come upon us and cleanse us. Give us
what is sufficient day-by-day. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive
those indebted to us. And save us from succumbing to temptation. Amen.
Or this:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us each day our daily
bread. Forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors. Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
On the three small beads say, meditating on Faith, Hope, and
Love:
Trisagion
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
On the chain say:
Minor Doxology (Gloria Patri)
Glory be to the
Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit: As it was, is now, and always
shall be, forever and ever. Amen.
For each decade of beads:
On each large bead, say:
Father, blessed
be your name. May your dominion come and
your will be done. Let your Holy Spirit
come upon us and cleanse us. Give us
what is sufficient day-by-day. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive
those indebted to us. And save us from succumbing to temptation. Amen.
On each of the ten small beads,
say one of the following, according to the season:
From the First Sunday in Advent
thru the Saturday before Transfiguration Sunday:
Memorial of the Incarnation (Gaude
Maria)
Rejoice, Mary,
favored one, for the Lord is with you: Blessed are you among women, Theotokos,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Amen.
Or this alternate form:
(Ave Maria)
Hail, Mary, full of
grace, the Lord is with you: Blessed are you among women, Theotokos, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Amen.
From Transfiguration Sunday thru
Holy Saturday, say:
Memorial of the Redemption (Salvator
Mundi)
O Savior of the
world, who by your cross and precious blood have redeemed us: Save us and help
us, we humbly pray. Amen.
From Easter Sunday thru
Pentecost, say:
Memorial of the Resurrection (Pascha
Nostrum)
Alleluia. Christ our Passover has been raised from the
dead. Alleluia. The first fruits of those who have fallen
asleep. Amen. Alleluia.
From Whit Monday thru the
Saturday before Advent, say:
Memorial of the Illumination (Verbum
Incarnavit)
The Word lived
among us, full of grace and truth, a light shining in the darkness: We have
seen the glory of this, the Chosen One, and through him that of God. Amen.
On the chain at the end of the
first four decades, say:
Glory be to the
Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit: As it was, is now, and always
shall be, forever and ever. Amen.
And then add:
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God, Savior, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
On the chain at the end of the
fifth decade, substitute the Major Doxology (Gloria in excelsis) for the Minor (Gloria
Patri).
Glory to God in the highest, peace
on earth, and good will among humanity.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Then say:
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God, Savior, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
Followed by the closing prayers
below, after the Mysteries.
First Chaplet
To be said Mondays and Thursdays
1. The Baptism of Jesus
(Luke 3:2-3, 15-16, 21-22)
During the high
priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah
in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As the people were filled with expectation,
and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be
the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I
baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not
worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and fire.” Now when
all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was
praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in
bodily form like a dove. And a voice
came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; today I have begotten you.”
2. The Wedding at Cana
(John 2:1-12)
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and
the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been
invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to
him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now
standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification,
each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars
with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now
draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When
the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it
came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward
called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine
first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you
have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did
this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and
his disciples believed in him. After
this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his
disciples; and they remained there a few days.
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom
(Luke 4:16-21; 7:20, 22)
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he
went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to
read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled
the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s jubilee.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat
down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began
to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist
has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait
for another?’” And he answered them, “Go
and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have good news brought to them.”
4. Anointing at Simon the Pharisee’s house
(Luke 7:36-44a)
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he
went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And
a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the
Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind
him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry
them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with
the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to
himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of
woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up
and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he
replied, “speak.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed
five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled
the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon
answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And
Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
5. The Feeding of the Five Thousand
(Mark 6:34-44)
As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had
compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he
began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to
him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send
them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy
something for themselves to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them
something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii
worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves have
you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two
fish.” Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups
on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of
fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven,
and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before
the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up
twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five
thousand.
Second Chaplet
To be said Tuesdays and Fridays
6. The Confession of Peter
(Matthew 16:13-17)
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And
they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say
that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You
are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”
7. The Transfiguration
(Mark 9:2-8)
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and
John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was
transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as
no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with
Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it
is good for us to be here; let us make three shrines, one for you, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were
terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came
a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they
looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.
8. The Cleansing of the Temple
(John 2:13-19)
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. In the temple he found people
selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their
tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple,
both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money
changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the
doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a
marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for
your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can
you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up.”
9. The Institution of the Eucharist
(Luke 22:14-20)
When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the
apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat
it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup,
and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for
I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the
kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had
given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which
is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with
the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new
covenant in my blood.”
10. The Crucifixion
(Mark 15:23-37)
And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not
take it. And they
crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what
each should take. It was nine o’clock in
the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge
against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two
bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by
derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy
the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the
cross!” In the same way the chief
priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and
saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come
down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were
crucified with him also taunted him.
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in
the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi,
Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?” When
some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for
Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a
stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah
will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his
last.
Third Chaplet
To be said Wednesdays and Saturdays
11. The Resurrection
(Matthew 28:1-10)
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly
there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven,
came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like
lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards
shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not
be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is
not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where
he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised
from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you
will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb
quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly
Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his
feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go
and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
12. The Ascension
(Acts 1:6-11)
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is
this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied,
“It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his
own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were
watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in
white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand
looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into
heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
13. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 1:13-14, 2:1-4)
When they had entered the city, they went to the room
upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon
the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly
devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the
mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly from heaven there
came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house
where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among
them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with
the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them
ability.
14. The Community of Saints
(1 Corinthians 12:22-27)
On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be
weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less
honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are
treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need
this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the
inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the
members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers,
all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together
with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
15. The Beatific Vision
(Revelation 4:1-11)
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open!
And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said,
“Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At
once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one
seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and
carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald.
Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are
twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads.
Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of
thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the
seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a
sea of glass, like crystal. Around the
throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes
in front and behind: the first living creature
like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature
with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying
eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings,
are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they
sing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to
come.” And whenever the living creatures
give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who
lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders
fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives
forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, “You are
worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created
all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Fourth Chaplet
To be said Sundays
16. On the Sabbath
(Mark 2:23-27)
One Sabbath he was going through the grain fields; and as
they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said
to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were
hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar
was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for
any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” ‑ Then he said to them, “The
Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath”.
17. Samaritan woman at the well
(John 4:5-7, 9a, 10-15)
So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot
of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there,
and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about
noon. A Samaritan woman came to
draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it
that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of
God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have
asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman
said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get
that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who
gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus
said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but
those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The
water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to
eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I
may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
18. Healing of the Centurion’s servant
(Matthew 8:5-8, 10, 13)
When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him,
appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying
at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.”
And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not
worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant
will be healed”. When Jesus heard him,
he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no
one in Israel have I found such faith.”
And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according
to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.
19. The Woman Caught in Adultery
(John 8:3-11)
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been
caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
They said this to test him, so that
they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote
with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he
straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be
the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the
ground. When
they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus
was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up
and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She
said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said,
“Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”
20. Render unto God what is his
(Matthew 22:15-21)
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he
said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the
Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of
God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not
regard people with partiality. Tell
us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or
not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting
me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And
they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this,
and whose title?” They answered,
“The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the
things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Closing prayers:
After the Major Doxology at the end of the fifth decade and
the Jesus Prayer, say:
Peace Prayer
Remind us, Rabbana, to be instruments of your peace. Let us show love where there is hatred;
pardon where there is injury; union where there is discord; trust where there
is doubt; hope where there is despair; your light where there is darkness; joy
where there is sadness. May we seek
rather to console than to be consoled; to understand than to understood; to
love than to be loved. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning
that we are forgiven; and it is in dying that we live. Amen.
Great Commandment
prayer
May we love the Lord our God who is the One with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our
mind, and with all our strength. May we love our neighbors as
ourselves. And may we love
one another, Rabbana, just as you loved us, for there is no greater calling
than to love. Amen.
