Prayers of the Rosary

The prayer of the rosary is in reality a variety of prayers, many totally scriptural.


The Apostles Creed c. 700 AD

I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator 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, and on the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory 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

Mt 6:9-13

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.

Christian doxology (cf. Rev 4:8)

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.

Lk 1:28

Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.

Lk 1:42

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Lk 1:43; (see also the Council of Ephesus, 431)

"the mother of my Lord" (Holy Mary, Mother of God.)

Prayer of petition; confession of sinfulness

Pray for us sinners;

Petitioning Mary dates to 3rd century

now and at the hour of our death. Amen

The sign of the cross; invoking the Holy Trinity

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

It is difficult to see how some Christians can criticize the private prayer life of other Christians. One such criticism centers on the element of repetition of the prayer, "Hail Mary." But to even the casual reader of the word of God it must be apparent that the writers of the Bible--and God Himself--used the repetition of words and expressions in prayer.

The Bible uses repetition to indicate emphasis and the highest degree of something.

Is 6:3

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts!" they (the Seraphim) cried one to another.

The Psalms are a good example of repetition in prayer. Psalm 150 records a twelve-fold repetition in one psalm.

One wonders if the prayerful repetitions found in all prayer services, especially "Halleluia" are modeled after the Psalms?