You do not need to be Catholic to pray these prayers. You only need to mean them. Start wherever you are.
The Hail Mary
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.
Line by line
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee."
These are the words of the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:28). We begin by repeating what God himself said to her. We are not making up a compliment. We are echoing heaven.
"Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."
These are the words of Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:42). Again, we are not inventing praise. We are joining the praise that the Holy Spirit himself inspired.
"Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."
This is our petition. We acknowledge who she is (Mother of God), acknowledge who we are (sinners), and ask her to do what Christians have always asked one another to do: pray for us. We ask for her prayer at two moments that matter most: now, and when we die.
The Rosary
The Rosary is a meditation on the life of Christ, structured in sets of ten Hail Marys called decades. Each decade is preceded by the Our Father and followed by the Glory Be. The repeated prayers are not the point. They are the rhythm that carries the mind into contemplation of the Gospel.
There are twenty mysteries in four groups. You do not need to pray all twenty at once. Most people pray one group of five mysteries at a time, which takes about fifteen minutes.
The Joyful Mysteries (Monday, Saturday)
- The Annunciation
- The Visitation
- The Nativity
- The Presentation in the Temple
- The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
The Luminous Mysteries (Thursday)
- The Baptism of Jesus
- The Wedding at Cana
- The Proclamation of the Kingdom
- The Transfiguration
- The Institution of the Eucharist
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday, Friday)
- The Agony in the Garden
- The Scourging at the Pillar
- The Crowning with Thorns
- The Carrying of the Cross
- The Crucifixion
The Glorious Mysteries (Wednesday, Sunday)
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption of Mary
- The Coronation of Mary
"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."
Luke 1:46-47 (KJV)The Memorare
The Memorare is one of the oldest and most beloved Marian prayers in the Western Church. It is attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, though its present form dates to the fifteenth century. It is a prayer of absolute confidence in her intercession.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother;
to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
The Angelus
The Angelus is traditionally prayed three times a day: at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM. It commemorates the Annunciation, the moment when the Word became flesh. For centuries, church bells rang three times a day across Europe to call people to this prayer, wherever they were.
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary...
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary...
V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary...
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
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