Meditations on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary with References to Adam and Eve.

Introduction

The full or complete Rosary has 20 Mysteries (5 Joyful, 5 Mysteries of light, 5 sorrowful and 5 glorious). On this page there are meditations on the 5 Joyful Mysteries which are the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity or Birth of Jesus, the Presentation of the baby Jesus in the Temple and the Finding of the child Jesus in the Temple when He was 12 years old. For example we usually pray the 5 Joyful Mysteries of Rosary by taking just one of the meditations (A or B or C etc) available for each one of the 5 Mysteries and recite just one decade on the Rosary beads for each Mystery. There may be one or more meditations available on each of the twenty mysteries of the Rosary on this website but one meditation per Mystery should be enough. A decade of the Rosary starts with one "Our Father", followed by ten "Hail Mary's and the "Glory Be". The 5 Joyful Mysteries with meditations (5 decades) should take you about 20 to 30 minutes and without reading meditations should only take 15 to 20 minutes. The Mysteries on this website are set out in the usual FOUR groups (Joyful, light, sorrowful and glorious) of five mysteries and there are links just below here to the other 3 groups of Mysteries. The Rosary tells the life story of Jesus the SON of GOD through the eyes of Mary His mother. During the Rosary we are asking Mary to help us to know Jesus better. These meditations vary in length and number for each mystery. They are designed to deepen our faith in Jesus Christ and to help us to understand the role God has given Mary and the Church in the history of Mankind's salvation. Please try and say at least one group of Mysteries a day! Our Lady has asked for the full Rosary (20 Mysteries!) to be said daily where possible! For people who find it easier to pray with someone else we have added a simple Audio link to pray along with if you wish but we recommend you pray it by yourself as it easier to contemplate when there are no outside influences.

We can start the Rosary by reciting the "Apostles Creed" followed by the "Our Father", three "Hail Mary's" and the "Glory Be".

Click here to see these opening prayers or here to hear them

Click here if you just want to hear the continuous five Joyful Mysteries.
A special thanks to Fr Tom Ingoldsby who gave us permission to use extracts from his Rosary cd. His cd can be purchased for 5 euro (please enclose stamps for postage) from him at
"Fr Tom Ingoldsby
Salesian College
Pallaskenry Co Limerick Ireland. Proceeds go to help the Missions.

Sal Solo Music Link. Sal Solo was the lead singer with the 1980's Pop Music band "Classix Nouveaux",. Sal visited the little town of San Damiano in the north of Italy where it was reported that Our Lady had been appearing to an Italian woman named Mama Rosa. Sal had a great conversion and he wrote fifteen songs for the Mysteries of the Rosary. He is now very involved in Youth Ministry and you can visit his website at Sal Solo info.

The 5 Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation Luke 1;26-38 Feast day 25^th March

A ) The Two Annunciations

Audio of the Annunciation decade of the Rosary

This first mystery of the Rosary is called the "Annunciation" because in it the Archangel Gabriel "announced" to the Virgin Mary the arrival of Jesus the Messiah (or Christ in Greek which means Saviour). His arrival was the annunciation of Grace and Life for Mankind. In this Mystery we remember this visit by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. Gabriel was sent to her by God to ask her to become the Mother of the Eternal "SON OF GOD". God wanted her to use her freewill to obey Him. St Gabriel was sent to Mary in the sixth month of St Elizabeth's pregnancy and he asked Mary to give her Child the name "Jesus" which means "God saves". Only God can save us from the punishment our sins deserve. This Mystery is very similar to the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. On that day the evil angel Satan in the form of the Serpent had his victory over mankind. He persuaded the sinless virgin Eve to disobey God by taking and eating the fruit from the tree and then Eve helped the sinless virgin Adam to also disobey God by taking and eating the fruit also. Their Sin of disobedience caused the fall of Mankind. In a sense that day was Satan's secret annunciation of sin and death to Mankind. In this present Mystery of the Rosary we remember the beginning of God's Victory for mankind over sin and death when He sent Jesus His only Son to bring us Grace and LIFE by His death on the Tree of the Cross. Jesus is the NEW ADAM who came to REDEEM all Mankind. The first Adam caused the FALL of all mankind. Mary was asked by the Angel Gabriel to receive Jesus and He is the Eternal Fruit (or Son) of God. The Sinless Virgin Mary is the New Eve who through the Angel obeyed God. She helped the Sinless Virgin Jesus who is the DIVINE NEW ADAM to Redeem mankind. He will do this later by His own obedience to His Heavenly Father. Two sinless virgins (Adam and Eve) used their freewill to sin by disobeying God and so they brought death into the world and two sinless virgins (Jesus and Mary) used their freewill to obey God and so they brought Eternal Life back into the world. (ONLY JESUS the GOD-man could SAVE mankind but He used Mary the woman to help Him.)

B ) Jesus the Eternal Fruit

Audio of the Annunciation decade of the Rosary

Jesus is both the NEW ADAM and also the New Fruit to redeem Mankind. He is the Eternal "Son of God" and is the second person of the Trinity. He is also called the "Eternal Wisdom" or the "Eternal Word" of God. The word "Wisdom" means "Knowledge of good and evil". The "Son of God" or the "Eternal Wisdom" of God then is God's Eternal "Knowledge of His own goodness". Jesus the "Son of God" is the Father's only "Eternal Fruit" and that Fruit is the Father's "Knowledge of His own Goodness". The "Son" is God's Eternal "Fruit of the Knowledge of Good (and evil)" (See the similarities of Genesis 2; 17 where God forbid Adam to eat the temporal "fruit of the knowledge of good and evil" which was on the tree). There is no "evil" in God, but there is in His creatures that reject Him. In the Garden of Eden Adam ate the "fruit" and it became part of his human nature but in this mystery the Son of God who is the Eternal Fruit of God receives a man's body and nature into His own Divine Nature. First the man Adam absorbed the fruit into his human nature then in this mystery God's Eternal Fruit absorbs a man's nature into His Divine Nature. Eve listened to the voice of Satan the Serpent and received his words into her heart, but Mary listened to the voice of Gabriel and received the "Eternal Word" or "Fruit" of God into her heart and her womb. God is SPIRIT by nature, so it was even more important that the Virgin Mary should be more "Virgin"in "Heart" (or "Sinless") in "Heart" than in body because Jesus is the infinitely Holy God.

C ) "Freewill"

Audio of the Annunciation decade of the Rosary

The most powerful gift God gave to man is "freewill". With our freewill we can make decisions to do evil, that is "to Sin" and reject God or we can decide to Love God and do good. If we sin we are really only rejecting ourselves from God's presence, so we see that freewill only gives us great power over ourselves because with our freewill we can banish ourselves from God's presence for all Eternity. We can use our freewill to obey or to disobey God. Adam and Eve abused their freewill by disobeying God and caused the FALL of Mankind. As Adam was the physical head of the human race his disobedience alone caused the fall and death of the human race but Eve disobeyed God's command to Adam and was the instrument used to help bring sin into the world. Jesus and Mary used their freewill to obey the Father. Jesus is GOD and He is the spiritual Head of the human race and so His obedience alone saved mankind but Mary was the instrument God used to help Him to bring Jesus and therefore ALL Grace into the world. Eve by helping Adam to sin opened the door to all sin, Mary helped Jesus to come into the world to redeem us and she is the continuous Mediatrix and channel of all His Graces to us. The Devil used the woman for his victory so God wants us to use Mary the New Woman for all our victories over the Devil and sin. In complete obedience and with courage that no other person could have Mary replies "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word". Frank Duff who founded the Legion of Mary said that Mary's "YES" was the most HEROIC decision ever made by any mortal human being, probably because Mary fully realised that her "YES" would mean living in the perhaps terrifying presence of God.

D ) The Trinity

Audio of the Annunciation decade of the Rosary

We see in this Mystery that the Holy Trinity is first revealed to mankind through Mary (See Legion of Mary handbook by Frank Duff) when she asks "But how shall this come about?" and the Angel replies "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High (the Father) will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born of you will be called Holy, the Son of God". At the Annunciation Mary became the Mother of God (the Son of God) and she became our Mother too because Jesus is our HEAD and we are His Mystical Body.

E ) The Meaning of "Six"

Audio of the Annunciation decade of the Rosary

There are a few repetitions of the number "six" in the Gospels about the life of Jesus. In this Mystery of the Rosary Gabriel appears to Mary in the "sixth month" of St Elizabeth's pregnancy. Perhaps the reason for that was to confirm for us that Jesus the "Son of God" is the DIVINE NEW ADAM because God created the first Adam on the "sixth" day. It may also be to show us that Jesus is also a real "Son of Adam" or a real "Son of Man" too. Perhaps Jesus often referred to Himself as the "Son of man" for the same reason. The number "six" may be a symbol of all Mankind whose parents were created on the sixth day. The phrase "Sixth month" refers to the time between the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. The Feast of the Annunciation ( 25^th March ) is a celebration of the Angel's Announcement of the arrival of the promised Messiah but it is also the day of His Immaculate Conception and on the 8^th of December we celebrate Mary's "Immaculate Conception" which was achieved by the grace of God. We see that Adam and Eve were also Immaculate Conceptions but they were conceived or created as adults and not in the womb and they did not remain sinless. This Feast remembers the " Incarnation" (which means the taking on of flesh) by Jesus the Son of God. Catholics usually remember this Mystery when saying the "Hail Mary" prayer and also the "Angelus" at six and twelve o' clock "am and pm" daily.

The Visitation Luke 1;39-45 Feast day 31^st May

A ) Bring Jesus to others

Audio of Visitation decade of the Rosary

In this Mystery of the Rosary we reflect on Mary's visit to her kinswoman Elizabeth in the Hill country of Judea. This was a long journey of about 70 miles from Nazareth. Mary is the first Christian Lay Apostle. Mary is unlike Eve who disobeyed God by stealing the fruit and then bringing it to Adam, because she obeyed God and received Jesus the Divine Fruit and then brought Him to her cousin Elizabeth. Eve brought words from an evil source ( satan ) to Adam but Mary brought JESUS the ETERNAL WORD Who is the source of all GOOD to Elizabeth. Mary says that her "Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour" because she was saved from original sin in advance by God Who became her Son. She was saved free from sin at her conception and she remained sinless by the grace of her Son. Mary used the graces she received from God to properly direct her freewill. When we say the "Hail Mary" we join "all the generations who call her blessed". When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion we too receive Him into our heart and if we receive Him in union with Mary we too can bring Him to our neighbours who are in need. We can then proclaim her Magnificat (Luke 1; 46-55). Mary had Jesus in her heart and brings Him to others so she is the first example of the Lay Apostolate. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and her presence there also meant the Presence of Jesus in John the Baptist's home and we can easily believe that Mary prayed much to her Son for John His future "Herald". Mary helps to prepare those who want to prepare the way for her Son.

B ) Meeting of two Eves!

Audio of Visitation decade of the Rosary

Mary's greeting fills Elizabeth and her unborn baby John the Baptist with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth full of the Holy Spirit recognizes that Mary is carrying GOD in her womb and she humbles herself before the Mother of God. Mary the "New Eve" meets Elizabeth in the "sixth" month of Elizabeth's pregnancy which may be a reference to the first Adam and Eve who were created on the "sixth" day. This OLD WOMAN Elizabeth symbolises the first Eve of old because she is both "old" and "barren" and can remind us of Eve in a barren wilderness waiting for the Messiah. This meeting of Elizabeth and Mary is like a meeting of the first Eve and Mary the Sinless New second Eve. Elizabeth exclaims "Of all women you are the most blessed and blessed is the Fruit of your womb, why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?" and also she said "Blessed is she who believed the promise made to her by the Lord" unlike Eve who disbelieved the promise made to Adam and her by the Lord. It is as if the first Eve was talking through Elizabeth to Mary the sinless New Eve. It is as if Eve was saying "Blessed are you Mary and Blessed is your Fruit unlike I who was cursed and all the fruit of my womb also. We can say that Elizabeth symbolises the whole Church which itself is called the NEW EVE because it is the "Bride of Christ" the NEW ADAM. The Church fulfills Mary's prophecy of " All ages will call me Blessed" because members of the Church say the "Hail Mary". The Church ( NEW EVE ) also produces "forerunners" ( Popes, Bishops, Priests and Lay people ) who "prepare the way of the Lord" like St John the Baptist. Elizabeth hides herself for five months and then in her SIXTH month shows herself which reminds us of Eve hiding from God after her sin and shows us that her child symbolises Jesus the Divine NEW ADAM. Elizabeth comes out of hiding saying that "now it has pleased the Lord to take away my reproach among men" which shows that now the fullness of time has come and that God has given the children of Eve a "Redeemer". Eve's shame is about to be blotted out. The children of Eve could never redeem mankind but God in His mercy gives Elizabeth a child who symbolises the divine NEW ADAM and prepares the way before Him. It is no coincidence that Mary was told by the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation that "She who people call barren is now in her sixth month" because Gabriel was showing that Elizabeth symbolises the first Eve now on the verge of redemption..

C )Magnificat

Audio of Visitation decade of the Rosary

In her "Magnificat" (See Luke 1; 46-55) it is as if Mary was talking to Eve because she says "Henceforth all the generations will call me blessed" What Mary proclaims in this Magnificat is the opposite to what Eve would say about herself. Elizabeth's husband Zechariah in a way symbolises the first Adam because he too does not believe God's promise but seems to believe satan instead and is punished by God by being struck dumb until Gabriel's promise is fulfilled at the birth of John. We see in the "Redemption" that there is a similar but opposite pattern, to the "Fall". Frank Duff said that what happened between Jesus and Mary was the opposite to what happened between Adam and Eve and that is because Eve helped Adam to cause the Fall of mankind but Mary helped Jesus to cause the Redemption. Similarily the Archangel Gabriel does not speak to Elizabeth but rather to her husband Zechariah. Zechariah later blesses God for the redemption and as we know Adam was cursed by God because of his fall.

D ) John the Baptist symbolises the first Adam

Audio of Visitation decade of the Rosary

Mary is the new (Sinless) Human Eve and John is like a new human Adam who prefigures Jesus the DIVINE NEW ADAM. It is fitting that Mary the New Eve by "the sound of her greeting" sparked the Holy Spirit in John the new Adam because Eve by her "voice" helped Adam to disobey God but Mary by the words of her "greeting" spiritually helped John the new human Adam to receive the Holy Spirit even in his mother's womb. Mary had the "WORD of God" in her womb and Heart. Mary's great vocation was to help prepare Jesus the NEW ADAM to REDEEM mankind. Elizabeth hid John's conception for five months and then revealed it in the sixth month (See Luke 1;24). Humanly speaking John is six months older than Jesus and when John finishes his public life Jesus begins His own with the same words "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand" (See Mathew 3; 2 and 4; 17 ). Adam was banished from Paradise to the wilderness of the world;, Jesus the NEW ADAM exiled Himself in a sense from the PARADISE of HEAVEN to the wilderness of Earth for our sake for 33 years. John too will banish himself to the "wilderness" of Israel and feed on "Locusts and wild honey", he will wear a tunic made of "camel skin and a leather girdle around his waist" (See Mark 1; 6 and Genesis 3; 21 where "God made tunics of skins for the man" after the Fall. John is like a penitential new human Adam who preaches repentance to his fellow men. He prepares the way for Jesus the Penential DIVINE NEW ADAM who alone can "redeem" mankind. Adam sinned and lost the grace of the Holy Spirit because as God explained to him (See Genesis 3 ; 17 ) "because you listened to the voice of your wife, and ate from the tree", but in this mystery John who is like a new Human Adam hears the voice of Mary the new Human Eve and receives a plentitude of grace from the Holy Spirit. He receives this through Jesus the DIVINE NEW ADAM. St Luke alternates the two annunciations (by Gabriel) and births of Jesus and John to show us that they are both connected. John is the new human Adam, Jesus is the DIVINE NEW ADAM. John baptised with water but Jesus will BAPTISE with the DIVINE WATER which is the Holy Spirit and Who will WASH AWAY SINS. Later in the Gospels we see that John dies but he does not rise from the dead and this shows us that no man can redeem man not even John of who Jesus said "Of all the men born of women there is none better than John". The circumstances of John's death may point to Jesus ( See Mathew 14 ; 1-12 ). King Herod's illegal wife Queen Herodias demands John's death because he had condemned their adulterous marriage. According to the 1^st Century Historian Josephus her daughter's name was "Salome"which means "Peace" and she helps obtain John's execution. But Jesus the Eternal KING will die in order to make "Peace" with unfaithful mankind and gather them into His Spouse and Queen the Church.

E ) The Church

Audio of Visitation decade of the Rosary

The Church is the NEW EVE because it is the Bride of Jesus the NEW ADAM. Perhaps John by being beheaded points to the Jesus the NEW ADAM who is the HEAD of His Mystical Body the Church. John himself seems to have understood that Jesus was the NEW ADAM because he referred to Him as the "Bridegroom" (See John 3 ; 29). The "Church" which means "Assembly" is also called the "people of God". Mary the Sinless Virgin is the most perfect member of the Church and she is an image of what the whole Church is destined to one day be in Heaven. Mary unlike Eve helps to bring Life and not Death into the world and because Mary is the "mother of (the) Lord" she is also the Spiritual Virgin Mother of all who will "Live eternally" and Eve is the physical mother, grandmother, great grandmother etc "of all the living" but who have to die. Eve was cursed because she believed the evil Angel and the father of lies Satan. All "ages will call Mary blessed" because she believed Gabriel the Angel of Truth. No doubt on her long journey to Elizabeth's house Mary was praying to the Son of God in her womb for Elizabeth and her baby and those prayers helped obtain the tremendous graces of the Holy Spirit which John and Elizabeth received. Mary is the Mother of Jesus and the Spiritual Mother of the Church.

The Nativity Luke 2; 1-20 Feast day 25^th December

A ) Bread of Life

Audio of Nativity decade of the Rosary

Joseph and Mary travel the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem but they cannot obtain a room for the night even though Mary's time to give birth has come. Jesus could have come down to earth as a fully-grown man similar to the way Adam was created as a man and not as a baby but Jesus wanted to be like us in every way but sin from our conception to our death. Jesus is born in Bethlehem as the Prophet Isaiah ( 7 ; 14) had foretold. The name Beth-lehem means "House-of-Bread". Jesus said that He is the "Bread of Life" who came down from Heaven and Catholics can receive Him in Holy Communion if they have confessed all serious sin. His birth should have been a tremendous celebration but only the poor shepherds and later on the Wise men came to offer Him gifts, and only the Angels in Heaven were heard rejoicing with their songs of "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to His people on earth". The people Jesus came to redeem were cold.

B ) Gifts from Father Christmas

Audio of Nativity decade of the Rosary

With the Shepherds and the Wise men we can offer our best gifts to the Baby Jesus who is born in a Manger for us. Our best gift to Him is the gift of "ourselves" and He wants to give us His best gifts too, and that is the gift of Himself in Holy Communion and Eternal Life. Then when we stand spiritually poor before Him when we die He will give us the gift of Eternal Life. Eternal Life in Heaven is a gift we can never earn or deserve, it is an incredible present from our Heavenly "Father Christmas" but we have to be good to receive it. Actually no one can deserve from God one single gift, grace or second of existence no matter how good they are. Our Heavenly Father is the real "Father Christmas" because He wants to give us the incredible gift of His Son who died on the Cross for us. The Cross is itself the real Christmas Tree because on it hung Jesus and He Himself is the stupendous present of Eternal Life in His WONDERLAND of Heaven for all mankind.

C ) Early lives

Audio of Nativity decade of the Rosary

JESUS the NEW ADAM is conceived in Mary's womb and lives life till His death as a young man, Adam begins his life as a young man and lives till very old age. Looking at their two lives together it seems that Jesus is showing us that He is really the first ADAM and He lives the early life that Adam never lived and as a young man He dies so that Adam and the whole human race could be born after their earthly life into Eternal Life. Jesus the King of Heaven and earth is born into poverty to make us spiritually rich and Adam was born rich but made us poor. Jesus the NEW ADAM is born with the animals in the Wilderness of a cave in order to bring us to birth in Paradise.

The Presentation Luke 2; 22-38 Feast day 2^nd February

A ) Swords

Audio of Presentation decade of the Rosary

Forty days after His birth we see Joseph and Mary in the Temple at Jerusalem presenting Jesus to the Eternal Father through the hands of the Priest. Simeon recognizes that Jesus is the Salvation of God for us but that He will suffer rejection and he foretells this to Mary saying that a "sword will pierce her heart also". This Sword will pierce her heart when she spiritually offers Jesus to the Father in atonement for our sins on the Altar of the cross. After the "Fall" of Adam and Eve God banished them from the Garden of Eden and placed Cherubim Angels with a "Flashing Fiery Sword" at the entrance to guard it ( See Genesis 3 ; 24 ). This Sword is a symbol of God's Divine Justice for sin and no one can enter Paradise again without suffering this Sword. But the problem is that when we sin we are actually rejecting God and that means that in all Justice or Fairness God should reject us! But if God fully rejected us He would leave us and we would cease to exist! And that is a punishment that is worse than Hell and no intelligent creature could bear the terror of it. Those in Hell still exist and they can curse and hate God forever but they can never atone for their sins because all of us sinners deserve to be totally deprived of existence. Everyone who sins is like the man in the Parable Jesus told (See Mathew 18 ;23-35) who owed his Master a huge debt and was unable to repay it because each sin we commit is an infinite offence to God. It is worth noting that the man in that story only asked for more time to repay the debt but the Master in pity completely wiped out the debt!.

B ) Hero

Audio of Presentation decade of the Rosary

An immortal Hero was needed who could suffer this "Flashing Fiery Sword" of Divine Justice by feeling totally rejected by God and yet still survive. If God rejected one of His creatures that creature would cease to exist. But Jesus the immortal and Only Son of God is that Hero, and on Calvary He will suffer feeling rejected by God on our behalf when He cries "My God My God, Why have You forsaken me". Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead and as He suffered this "Fiery Sword" of tremendous Suffering and Sorrow pierced His Mother's heart as she shared in her heart all His sufferings till he died on the cross.

The Finding of the child Jesus in the Temple Luke 2; 41-50 Feast day 30^th December ; The Holy Family

Audio of the finding of Jesus decade of the Rosary

Every year the Holy family went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When Jesus was twelve years old and the Passover feast was over He stayed behind in Jerusalem without His parent's being aware of it. They thought He was with their relations as they traveled along and it was only after they had gone a day's journey of perhaps 10 to 20 miles that they discovered that He was missing. We can only try to imagine their anguish and worry as they retrace the long journey back to Jerusalem. In this mystery we see the Holy Family in crisis but they trusted in God. They must have been very upset, worried, anxious and perhaps angry! But see how they resolve the crisis when they find Him in the Temple on the third day. They talk out the problem with calm questions, they release their possible anger in the right way, that is they talk it out. None of them loses their temper. There is a great lesson here for Families. We see that anger is not good or bad but how we release or deal with it is the problem. There is no blaming each other unlike Adam and Eve after the "Fall" who were unable to accept their guilt. It is not clear whether Adam blamed Eve or God or even both of them because he said "It was the woman You put with me, she tempted me and I ate.". There is no mention of apologies. We can talk out our anger or fears to a friend or to the person who angers us if they will listen but the best thing to do is to turn the other cheek and talk it out with God. Jesus answers Mary's questions with questions designed to help her understand His future mission. This Mystery that happens at the Feast of the Passover prepares Mary for the future Passover when she will lose Jesus to "death" but will find Him three days later when He rises from the dead. It is not a coincidence that when they find Him He is trying to help the teachers of the Law whose members would later be responsible for His death. Jesus loves everybody, good and bad. And though He is God Jesus obeyed His human parents because our "first human" parents disobeyed God. Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived the most heroic lives on earth, Jesus and Mary never sinned and Joseph sinned very little. In a sense it must have been a terrifying experience for Mary and Joseph to live under the same roof as GOD. It would have been very painful for them to know that the person they loved most in the world would have to die one day to redeem them. Their home in Nazareth was a new Temple of the Living God and God wants every home to be a new Temple of the Living God. In this mystery we can pray for all the people who have lost God and those who are seeking Him in the wrong places.

The Concluding prayers

We conclude these five Decades of the Rosary by saying the "Hail Holy Queen" prayer and the short concluding prayer.

Audio of Concluding prayers

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail our life , our sweetness and our Hope. To thee do we cry poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then most gracious advocate your eyes of mercy towards us and after this our Exile show to us the Blessed Fruit of thy womb; JESUS. Oh clement, Oh loving, Oh sweet Virgin Mary PRAY for us O Holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Let us pray;

Oh God whose only begotten Son by HIS Life Death and Resurrection has purchased for us the Reward of Eternal Life, Grant we beseech you that meditating on these Mysteries of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary we Imitate what they contain and Obtain what they promise THROUGH the same CHRIST our LORD. AMEN.

The Hail Holy Queen prayer is a very appropriate prayer to say at the end of the Rosary because it seems to address Mary in the sense of the New Eve. Then in the concluding prayer we pray that we may be made worthy of the promise of Eternal Life by the "life, death and resurrection" of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

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The Opening prayers of the Rosary.

The Sign of the Cross

We begin and end these prayers by making the sign of the Cross with our right hand on ourselves from our forehead to our belly button and from left shoulder to right shoulder while saying "In the name of the Father ( touch forehead ) and of the Son ( touch belly button ) and of the Holy ( touch left shoulder ) Spirit ( touch right shoulder ) Amen." We then usually say the "Apostles Creed" followed by the "Our Father", three "Hail mary's" and the "Glory Be". We can then begin the "Joyful, Light, Sorrowful, or (and!) Glorious Mysteries. Each group of Mysteries takes about twenty minutes to say.