Since October is the month of the Rosary, I found myself contemplating its history and origins. A quick search informed me that Saint Dominic de Guzman is generally credited with the rosary design after receiving a vision from the Blessed Virgin Mary in the early 13th century AD. But it wasn’t until 1569 AD that Pope St. Pius V officially approved the rosary prayer in the form of 15 decades including the 5 Joyful Mysteries, the 5 Sorrowful Mysteries, and the 5 Glorious Mysteries. This system of prayer was expanded by Pope John Paul II when he added the 5 Luminous Mysteries in 2002. (St. Anthony Messenger)
The Rosary Prayer begins by holding the crucifix cross while saying the Apostles Creed and making the sign of the cross. There are six “Our Father” prayer beads, 53 “Hail Mary” prayer beads arranged into 5 groups of ten called “decades,” and one centerpiece where the series of prayers concludes. Before each set of 10 beads, a mystery of the life of Jesus Christ is announced and a brief scripture is read. Examples of a few “mysteries” include the Nativity (Luke 2:1-7), the Crucifixion (Luke 23:33-46), the Resurrection (Luke 24:1-5), the Ascension (Mark 16:19), the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), and the Institution of the Eucharist (Matthew 26:26). (USCCB) The scripture reading assigned to the mystery is followed by the Our Father prayer, also called the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)
The mystery is contemplated while saying 10 Hail Mary prayers:
“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.” (Luke 1:28; 41-42)
Each last bead on each decade concludes with the Glory Be prayer:
“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.” (Revelations 7:12; Romans 16:23; 1 Timothy 1:17)
The next decade repeats this pattern with the next mystery in the series of five. In short, the rosary is a method of praying and meditating upon the scriptures since every prayer is compiled from scripture.
Catholics around the world are encouraged to pray the rosary as a daily spiritual discipline to assist their repentance and draw near to God. Given Catholics account for nearly 18% of the world population, the rosary is likely the most widely used type of prayer bead in the world. Beads were so commonly associated with the prayers of the rosary that even the word bead is derived from the Old English word gebed meaning “a prayer” (Merriam Webster).
But the Holy Rosary is one of the last in a long history of prayer beads in world religions. The use of beads for religious purposes is found as early as 17th century BC in the Wall Paintings of Thera in Santorini, Greece. Their use spread to Hinduism in India by the 8th century BC. Hindus, who account for 15% of the global population, regularly use a string of 108 prayer beads, known as malas, to count mantras, recite names of gods, or as a symbol of protection and religious identity. The most common mantra is the sound “OM,” which is said to represent “the Universe.” Some mantras seem to have no contradiction to Christian principles such as the “Pavamana Mantra:”
"From the unreal lead me to the real, from the dark lead me to the light, from death lead me to immortality."
However, these prayers are being addressed to gods, which Christianity asserts to be fallen angels who have rebelled against God Most High. Other common mantras are completely contrary to Christian beliefs, such as the “Brahman Satyam,” which translates to:
“Brahman is the only reality, the world is unreal, the individual soul is not different in its essence from Brahman. This is the wisdom preached by Vedanta.”
Buddhists, who now make up nearly 7% of the world population, also use a 108 strand of beads called a mala, like Hindus but with different mantras. Buddhists are thought to have adopted the mala in Japan as early as the 6th century BC. The most common Buddhist mantra is “Om mani padme hum,” which means:
“Generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, renunciation, wisdom.”
The purpose of repeating Buddhist mantras is to achieve nirvana, a transcendent state in which the passions are extinguished, the world is perceived as it really is, and the soul ceases to exist after death of the body. But the materialistic nature of the Buddhist Kuber Mantra, which is repeated multiple times during a daily meditation, would seem to hinder and contradict these goals. It translates to:
"Om, to the precious one, the lord of wealth, I bow."
Because the use of prayer beads originated with polytheistic and non-theistic religions, the use of beads as a prayer aid is viewed by some to be superstitious, pagan, or meaningless due to being repetitive. But beads are just a tool. The material world is not inherently good or bad. Just as different artists create unique pictures with the same paints and brush, so too do the methods and intentions used with prayer beads lead to different results. The Church is tasked with sanctifying the material world we live in, even converting the use of prayer beads from secular to holy.
With this understanding, Christian monks in Egypt during the 3rd century AD began using a prayer rope to remain in constant prayer. The tradition is said to have begun by St. Anthony the Great who was inspired by a vision of the Virgin Mary to tie the knots using the shape of seven crosses. An Orthodox prayer rope varies in the number of knots used from as many as 150 to as few as 33 (representing the years of Jesus Christ’s life). Some prayer ropes place wooden beads between series of knots, and others include a tassel representing God’s law, inherited from the Jewish tradition. Not all Orthodox Christians use a prayer rope, but some find it a useful tool to remain focused on Jesus Christ throughout the day. The rope is held in the left hand while the right hand is free to make the sign of the cross. (Prayer Rope) At each knot, the Jesus Prayer, or other short prayer, is repeated:
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” (Luke 18:38; Luke 17:13)
This prayer may be said during times of temptation or to remain mindful of God throughout the day. In monastic practice this prayer may be repeated 1,000 of times per day with the goal of likeness and union with God (i.e., Theosis), attaining an inner state of stillness (i.e., Hesychasm), freedom from sin and mastery of emotions (i.e., Dispassion). Though the repetitive prayer and final inner state would seem to have much in common with Buddhism, there are many critical differences. First, the Christian monk understands that dispassion and release from suffering can only be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ (since He is the only man who never sinned, and being God, He is the only One able to help us) and the power of the Holy Spirit (since only God is all knowing and all wise). Secondly, whereas the state of nirvana is supposed to release a person from the incarnation cycle such that their existence in the physical realm ceases (i.e., there is no "soul" to continue after death), Christian meditation is aimed at purification (i.e., freedom from sin), “illumination” (i.e., true knowledge of God), union with God, and eternal life as a human being with a spirit, soul, and immortal body.
In the 7th century AD, Caliph Abu Bakr is said to have developed the misbaha (or subha or tasbia depending on region), using a string of 100 prayer beads for reciting the 99 names of Allah, plus one bead (About Islam). Sometimes the misbaha will be smaller, with only 33 beads, or they can be longer, with 99 beads divided into three groups. However, the misbaha is not used by all Muslims, and some consider it heretical. The 99 names of Allah are similar to the Christian names describing God, except for the belief in a singular one versus the unified one of the Holy Trinity. A few of the 99 names of God recited at each bead include:
The Merciful, The Eternal Lord, The Embodiment of Peace, The Mighty One, The Great Forgiver, The Total Provider, The Impartial Judge, The Loving One, The Infuser of New Life, and The Embodiment of Truth...
Though most Protestant denominations of Christianity do not use beads as an aid to prayer, the only religion that does not use any form of bead for prayer is Judaism. However, Jews do use the tefillin and tallit, which essentially serve the same purpose of keeping track of prayers. The tallit is a prayer shawl with four corners with special knotted and twined fringes, or tassels, called tzitzit. The knots on the tallit are often touched during prayer as a reminder of the 613 commandments in the Torah. The tefillin, also called phylacteries, is two small black leather boxes with leather straps containing verses from the Torah. The black strap is wrapped around the arm while prayers are said. This practice is based on the scripture in book of Deuteronomy:
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)
The reason some sects of monotheistic religions reject the use of beads for prayer is primarily because of their polytheistic and nontheistic origins. Another typical objection to prayer beads is based on the repetitive nature of prayers and Jesus’ warning against “vain repetition:”
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)
At first glance, Jesus seems to warn against the repetitive Jesus Prayer and the daily Rosary prayers. But this since was not the position of the earliest Christians or current Church guidance, we must take a closer look at Jesus’ words. In the Parable of the Persistent Widow, Jesus relates unrelenting, persistent, repetitive prayer as a sign of great faith (Luke 18:1-8). In another instance, the crowds tried to make the blind man stop repeating "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me," but Jesus replied, "Your faith has healed you" (Luke 18:35-43). Again, if all repetition is in vain, then the angels would not repeat "holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" for eternity (Revelation 4:8). It is not mere repetition Jesus warned against, but rather the intent and meaning of prayer which renders it holy or in vain.
The type of prayer Jesus warned against referred to pagan prayers aimed at gaining the favor of the gods to grant the wishes of the worshipper. Pagan prayer used repetition “to be heard” and receive their request for material blessing, success, fertility, victory, favorable weather, and so on. But the intent of Christian prayer is not to get God to hear us and give us what we want, but rather to conform our will to God’s will and to put to death our own desires. The purpose of repetitive prayers is to purify our heart and desire for God. The psalms, prayers of the saints, and the prayers of the Church are perfect prayers that accurately express the will of God, working to purify the free will of those who recite them daily.
And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14)
Yet, the main purpose of any type of prayer bead seems simply to contain the wandering mind and to intensify the focus on the divine. Regardless of religion, the use of beads seems to be an acknowledgement of our weakness and separation from God. If we were God or of the same essence (as some pantheistic religions assert), we wouldn’t have such a terribly difficult time focusing on the divine for a few minutes without our mind wandering to random, anxious, and useless thoughts. Those who attempt to draw near to God find themselves constantly derailed by the distraction of material things, menial tasks, and other worries based on mortality. Beads are an ancient attempt to remedy the problem. But the real solution to the problem of our fallenness is Jesus Christ (the only One who lived a perfect and sinless life), and He is present to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 46:1). The Virgin Mary is also called upon for help since Jesus honors His Father and Mother according to His law (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:2-3) and answers her intercessions (John 2:1-5). In this way, the Holy Rosary acknowledges the weakness of our human condition and wandering mind while affirming our only hope for salvation is in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Those who find their mind wandering during prayer or are at a loss for the right words, may consider adding the prayers of the Rosary and the use of rosary beads to their daily spiritual practices. Yet, even without a bead or knot, sincere prayer from a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17) and praying the scriptures (Ephesians 6:17-18) remain an effective method for stilling the heart and mind to discern God’s will (Romans 12:1-2). The intent of any prayer should be to direct our desire fully toward the Holy Trinity and away from the material distractions and busyness of life which constantly threaten our fruitfulness and full union with the Holy Spirit (Mark 4:18-19).
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