Rosaries of Divine Union

Rosaries of
Divine Union
Third Edition
Rosaries for the

Contemplative Dimension
of Prayer
Fr. Michael Adams
Copyright © 2001, Fr. Michael Adams and Rosaries of Divine Union

Rosaries of Divine Union, Third Edition
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Rosaries of Divine Union, Third Edition ........................................................ 1

About These Rosaries ................................................................................................................5
General Instructions..................................................................................................................6
The Joyous Mysteries ............................................................................................................... 11
The Glorious Mysteries............................................................................................................ 18

The Divine Heart of God......................................................................................................... 24
The Mysteries of the Holy Spirit............................................................................................... 31
Divine Healing........................................................................................................................ 38
The Holy Names of God..........................................................................................................49
A Litany of Mary .................................................................................................................... 56

The Rosary of The Living Parables............................................................................................. 61
The Kingdom of God is Like…More Parables for Contemplation................................................ 69
The Rosary of Beginnings........................................................................................................ 80

The Union of Saint Symeon..................................................................................................... 87
The Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon ............................................................................ 93

A Rosary Litany of the Divine Mother Mary as Mother of Mothers...........................................100
A Rosary of Saint Michael and the Archangels......................................................................... 106
The Method of Centering Prayer ............................................................................................. 112

Centering Prayer and the Transformation of Divine Love ........................................................ 120
Centering Prayer New Testament Scriptural and Theological Inspirations................................ 123

The Active Prayer.................................................................................................................. 125
Copyright © 2001, Fr. Michael Adams and Living Rosaries

Introduction to the Rosaries of Divine Union, Third Edition
The root of prayer is interior silence. We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings
expressed in words, but this is only one expression. Deep prayer is the laying aside of
thoughts. It is the opening of mind and heart, body and feelings—our whole being—to
God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, thought, and emotions. We do not resist
them or suppress them. We accept them as they are and go beyond them, not by effort,
but by letting them all go by. We open our awareness to the Ultimate Mystery whom
we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than
choosing -- closer then consciousness itself. The Ultimate Mystery is the ground in
which our being is rooted, the Source from whom our life emerges at every moment.
Fr. Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart
This third edition of the Rosaries of Divine Union is the result of more inspiration and the
addition of more Rosaries, as well as information about Centering Prayer, the contemplative
meditation method popularized by Fr. Thomas Keating and the Contemplative Outreach.
The practice of Centering Prayer is one of the most important rediscoveries of the Western
Contemplative Tradition in many centuries, and the addition of the these techniques
integrated with the Rosary provides another opportunity to experience ourselves in the
simplest form of our awareness of ourselves in God.
Three years have passed since the first edition was published, and many hundreds of people
across America have been actively engaged in using these Rosaries, and have offered much
feedback about them.
During this time I have been astonished at the support and comments made by a wide variety
of people from Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Old and Independent Catholics as
well as Orthodox. Since they have appeared on the Internet, the Rosaries of Divine Union
have been seen by over 110,000 people, and are now finding usage by organized Rosary
groups in Roman Catholic, Old/Independent Catholic and Episcopal churches in the United
States. It is important to remember that the original intention of these Rosaries was not to
replace the traditional Latin mysteries—the Joyful, Glorious and Sorrowful, but to augment
and supplement them with an eye to their use as contemplative and meditative tools. These
Rosaries have reintroduced to thousands of people the concept that prayer is both an
intercessory as well as contemplative and meditative experience.
These Rosaries became popular though the use of the Internet as a medium to make them
available, and they can also be found at www.livingrosaries.org, where the latest additions to
the collection of Rosaries are being posted regularly. They are free to download and print for
your use. I am simply glad to be able to offer them in such a manner. Originally, I had the
idea that once the original seven Rosaries had “written themselves” that the project was over
and that nothing further would be needed. Lately, however, new Rosaries have introduced
themselves to me and in fact many more seem lined up to make my—and your—
Rosaries of Divine Union 1

acquaintance. The Internet web site now seems more important than ever to make these new
Rosaries available to all in a timely and cost-free manner.
The Rosary is both old and new. It is as old as the traditions of the Church, perhaps growing
and evolving from prayers used shortly after the beginning of the Christian era. It is as new
as each individual who begins using it either for the first time, or for the first time in many
years.
As people grow and change, so does their appreciation for that which is inward and spiritual.
Sacrament is often defined as an inward and spiritual grace drawn from an outward and
physical act. The Rosary offers an experience of grace that derives from an outward act
which then becomes an inward movement, which then becomes a silence. In this silence lies
the power of the presence of God, who from that silence speaks to us inwardly—an act of
Grace, a Sacrament of Love.
What makes the Rosary so appealing is that, once understood, it is not understood
intellectually by analyzing its structure, or its effects. It is not grasped along sectarian lines
and relegated only to Catholics. Many people are today discovering and rediscovering the
power of the Rosary to lead them into a richly rewarding experience of their birthright—their
relationship with God and with all that is Divine. Protestants, Catholics, non-sectarian
Christians as well as non-Christians have found common ground in exploring the mysteries
of life that are revealed to us through the Rosaries. The Rosary does not teach directly, it
allows teaching to reach us. It helps create an open and receptive heart, which then in turn
learns to see God in life, and our lives in God.
Those who are Catholic (Roman, Anglican, Old and others) and Orthodox (Eastern, Western,
Greek, and others) have grown up with liturgy as the basic expression of faith. In these
traditions, Mary is venerated in various ways, all beautiful in concept and respectful of her
unique position. Mary is venerated and acknowledged in these liturgies in ways which
reflect an ongoing and engaging relationship with who she is or what she represents. Each
Catholic and Orthodox tradition sees Mary as having a special place and a special symbolism
in our lives. Yet what makes the Rosary so universal in its nature is not confined to
definition from a few traditions. Protestants as well as those of no particular faith take up the
Rosary to discover that when it comes to the spiritual life of mankind, no label is adequate to
encompass the richness and expansive nature of God, whose creative play is beyond all
attempts to define.
What is most beautiful about the Rosary is that such appeal comes not from definition, but
from experience. It comes from the heart as we surrender our hearts to the heart of God.
Many theologies exist in the world today, and many explain Mary differently. Who is Mary?
Why Mary? Ask two people; two answers will emerge. Who is our Mother? What does
Mother mean to us? Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus Christ, and thus worthy of love,
respect and admiration. She is also in a larger and more “universal” sense the symbol and
touchstone for Motherhood itself, as if by exploring the surfaces of this touchstone we are
transported into the idea of Mother, into the heart of birthing and nurturance. As we were
born and cradled, as Jesus was born and cradled, so must Christ be born and cradled within
Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 2

us. Mother is compassion, Mother is Love. Mother is forgiveness, Mother is expectancy.
Mother sees flowers where others see stones. Mother embraces. Mother unifies. Mother
becomes a force for unconditional love and unconditional commitment.
Today’s world is a world in need of Mother, and many people look and seek for the birthing
of a spiritual life, of Divinity within themselves. As Mary birthed Divinity within herself,
she stands as Universal Mother—ready to assist all who come to her in birthing Christ within
themselves. The Rosary is a powerful tool to aid this birthing process.
The need of our time is for people to gain an authentic experience of spirituality which is
both transforming and authentic, yet consistent with the familiar cultural traditions of the
west.. The Rosary does not require the learning of a world-view or theological conception; it
does not require a change of lifestyle simply to do it (although one’s life may well change
after doing it for a while). It does not require an investme nt in the views of others. It does
not even require that one knows anything about it. What is does require is simple enough—it
requires a commitment to the practice, and a degree of faith that this practice may bring
results beyond our expectations. It also requires what the theater calls “suspension of
disbelief”—an attitude of neutrality that does not expect anything in particular nor discounts
anything that happens.
These Rosaries are both traditional and non-traditional in content. Yet each one bears a
flavor of the quality of life that is focused upon by its use. They are collectively called
Rosaries of Divine Union precisely because of their nature, which acts as a mechanism or
tool for allowing one to come to rest in restful prayer, in silent prayer, in communion with
the deepest Mystery of our Source. As Father Keating so eloquently stated at the beginning
of this introduction, the Source of our lives is a continuously refreshing fountain of life,
pouring forth moment to moment and bathing us in it’s mystery and glory. As we wash
ourselves clean in this fountain, we leave our worries, our doubts, our anxieties, our
imperfections and frailties with God. We also leave our intentions. In so doing we lay aside
the divisions of our life: work, play, family, friends, emotions and worries, obligations and
duties, and gain both a greater spiritual vision of God and of ourselves. We drop our
conflicted sense of who we are and begin to see and feel ourselves a part of the larger play of
life as connected to and through the Divine with all of life. We move from our heads to our
hearts; we become somebody, then nobody, then everybody.
These Rosaries are designed and intended to facilitate not only the mystery of intercessional
prayer, but the mystery of transcendence as well. Our intentions lead us to silence, from
which we are born anew each time we sit with the Rosaries. It is difficult to suggest what
outcomes each may experience as there are as many outcomes as there are people. Yet one
thing is clear: spending time with the deepest part of ourselves—the part of us that belongs
to God alone, is transforming. We emerge different people to a world made different by our
prayer.
The practice of these Rosaries includes several aspects that draw together our minds and
hearts in devotion. The first is “Lectio Divina”. The second is the practice of silence, and
the third is the letting go of our thoughts and intentions in that silence.

Lectio Divina is, in the classic sense of “contemplative prayer”, a method of hearing the
Word of God and allowing it to sink into our awareness without trying to make anything out
of it. There is no need for “thinking about” what we have heard or trying to use the
information in any way. Instead, we allow it to work on us at deep levels of our being, and
the results of such a practice often finds a percolation of insight, of knowledge or of
understanding or experience. These Rosaries are based upon scriptural references and
comments that together comprise the “Lectio” part of the practice. We hear them and let
them go. Then, we recite the Rosary slowly, quietly and with intention. This is a key
element in the practice of this Rosary: slow quiet rhythms of recitation allow the mind and
emotions to still into the silence and quietness that seems to follow each decade. We rest in
this silence after we finish each decade and before the next mystery is announced. By this
practice, thoughts, insights or experiences may occur during the silences, yet we do not hold
onto them, for we let them go as they have arrived: quietly and without notice. When the
next mystery is announced, we hear the scripture and the commentary, let it go, and begin the
next decade. As we sink into silence, we again let go of our thoughts, our prayerful
intentions and our feelings.
The purpose of contemplative meditation, and of these Rosaries, is that the object of attention
is transcended altogether, and the truest “hearing” of the pure gospel is to be found in our
own awareness reflected in silence. Thus, the lectio divina of these Rosaries is not what is
heard in sound, but what is heard in the silence of the heart
This is a practice that does two things: it allows us to experience the mystery of our being
and our connection to God, and allows us to present to God in the silence our intentions. We
do that by beginning the Rosary with intentions that our prayer will benefit people—
ourselves, our friends, family and loved ones as well as people we may not even know. Our
intentions can encompass the universe, for it is just as easy to pray for the entire world as for
one person or situation. As we reach the silence that falls between the decades, our
intentions are not brought up by any act of will on our part; we simply know that the Divine
knows our needs more thoroughly than we do. We surrender everything in the silence: our
sense of who we are, what we want and what will happen. We simply know that we are
loved by the Divine that creates us, sustains us, and receives us. We ha ve the mystery of
faith that allows us to understand that we are heard.
The mystery of the Rosary, like that of the Eucharist, is both symbolic and literal, both
transformative and deeply uniting. What Father Keating says of the Eucharist can be just as
well applied to the Rosary:
In the Eucharist, we are not only joined to Jesus Christ present with his whole being under the symbols
of bread and wine, but we believe we are joined with all other Christians, with every member of the
human race, and indeed with the whole of creation. Jesus Christ in his divinity is in the hearts of all
men and women and in the heart of all creation, sustaining everything in being. This mystery of
oneness enables us to emerge from the Eucharist with a refined inward eye, and invites us to
perceive the mystery of Christ everywhere and in every thing. He who is hidden from our senses and
intellect in his divine nature becomes more and more transparent to the eyes of faith - to the
consciousness that is being transformed. Christ's Spirit in us perceives the same Spirit in others. The
Eucharist is the celebration of life, the dance of the divine in human form. We are part of that dance.

Each of us is a continuation of Christ's incarnation insofar as we are living Christ's life in our own
lives - or rather, instead of our own lives. The Eucharist is the summary of all creation coming
together in a single hymn of praise and thanksgiving. In the Eucharist all creation is transformed into
the body of Christ, united with his divine Person, and thrust into the depths of the Father for ever and
ever. Even material creation has become divine in him. "For the creation," says Paul, "waits with
eager longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God" (Rom. 8:19).
It is here that the transformative part of the Rosary, like the Eucharist, becomes part of us in a
deep and abiding fashion: we become wedded to the life of Christ in the most fundamental
act of life—the joining of God and man. This is both spiritual and religious. For the roots of
the word “religion” mean to “bind oneself back to” something—the source of life itself.
Spirituality is the seeing and sensing and breathing of life in the joyous understanding—one
may even say experience—that all things are connected in a deeply authentic and satisfying
way. Or it may simply be an amazement and awe at the complex dance of life itself.
Either way, we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, and our birthright is that we
have the capacity to unite ourselves to the deepest aspects of our being in God. These
Rosaries, and their practice, are one way to help bring this about.
About These Rosaries
One of the oldest prayers to Mary is the following prayer, found in several places and dating
from a young church under Roman persecution around 235 CE:
We fly to your patronage,

O Holy Mother of God;
despise not our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all danger,
O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
While there is no evidence to suggest that the above prayer was a part of an early litany or
Rosary, it does show that prayer to Mary was accepted and practiced very early in church
history. Most people are familiar with the five-decade Rosary, commonly called the
“Dominican” Rosary. The five decade Rosary was named in honor of St. Dominic, to whom
Mary appeared in the early 1200’s. According to legend she gave the Rosary to him with
instructions for its use and the words “this is the precious gift I leave you with”. St. Dominic
then devoted his life to the teaching of the Rosary and accomplished much in encouraging its
use among his followers and among the faithful. This is the Rosary that is most commonly
used in the West and understood to be the standard Rosary. Yet it was not the first.
The modern Rosary can be traced back to the Dark Ages of ninth century Ireland. During that
time, the one hundred fifty Psalms of David were one of the most important forms of
monastic prayer. Monks recited the Psalms day-after-day as a major source of inspiration.
Monks also chanted or prayed the offices each day, and lay people who lived near the
monasteries were so impressed with the beauty and inspiration of their prayers that they

eventually developed their own form of repetitive prayers through the help of these Irish
monks.
The oldest “Rosaries”, used by Irish herdsmen, were rocks used to count prayers. A rock
was tossed for each prayer recited. The inconvenience of this was obvious, and later Rosaries
consisted of knotted leather strings upon which people either counted the “Our father” or
later, the “Hail Mary”, as well as psalms and prayers of litany. With the passage of time and
the spread of the practice, many variations of the basic Rosary came into use. Many were
made of seeds and stones, leather and lace, clay and wood, and even rose petals formed into a
hard-baked paste. Many Eastern Orthodox variations used ten decades while some Western
Latin variations used fifteen.
It may come as a surprise to many people to discover that the traditional and popular five-
decade Latin Rosaries—the Joyous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries—are not the only
ones. Historically, there are many variations of prayers used in Rosaries around the world,
and new ones are added frequently. The Franciscan Crown Rosary is the model upon which
the contents of this book are loosely based and consist of seven decades, having the original
five Joyous Mysteries plus two mysteries devoted specifically to Our Lady: the Coronation
and the Assumption. Other Rosaries were written that took advantage of the seven-decade
structure of this Rosary.
Why use the seven decade Rosary? Experience revealed that seven decades were long
enough to provide thirty minutes to an hour’s worth of prayer time—long enough for a
meditative, contemplative and intercessory experience, yet short enough to be manageable
for most people’s time budgets. Seven decade Rosaries tend to be difficult to find, however.
If you want one, you can make one yourself or have one made for you by a person who
makes them. What you make it from is completely a matter of personal taste. If you don’t
have one, use any standard five decade Rosary. During the prayers, simply “back up” two
decades and continue to the end.
General Instructions
Practice of the Rosary can be done anywhere, anytime, alone or with a group. If done in a
group, several people gathered provide both incentive for doing the practice as well as people
to share it with. The power of several people together praying these Rosaries is a wonderful
thing to experience, and many people prefer to do the Rosary in a group.
Doing the Rosary alone is an opportunity available to us whenever we feel the need. It is a
wonderful and amazing experience that allows one to go deeply into the silence for as long as
one wishes. If done in a group, choose one leader who will read everything for that session.
In that way, others may sink into the silence and cadence of the practice with a minimum of
distractions. For private use it is preferred to say the prayers slowly and barely audibly or
better yet, silently. Silence and mental repetition of prayer alternate to help the mind settle
and the awareness sink into the silence that denotes the presence of God, the active and alert
silence where Divine Union begins.

It cannot be overemphasized that a key element to this practice is that the prayers should be
done slowly and with deliberate pace. Mary, appearing to the visionaries at Medjugorje, has
often emphasized the need to pray the Rosary slowly and with feeling.
At the end of each decade and before the next mystery is announced, there should be a
leisurely time of silence as the outward expression of prayer gives way to the inward
awareness of stillness. There is no hurry; the effectiveness of this rosary as a meditative
experience depends upon the ease with which all of the prayers are said. The effectiveness of
this rosary as an intercessory experience is also enhanced when it is done with deliberate yet
relaxed intention. The length of the silent period is left to the discretion of the leader and can
vary from decade to decade. Certainly one to two minutes is adequate as a minimum and a
longer period of silence may be observed if the group or individual feels it appropriate and
desirable. At least one group—while on retreat—chose to allow 10 minutes between
decades.
There are two essential ways to do these Rosaries: with and without commentary. Some
groups or individuals may find that simply reading the scripture (or Saint’s words)
surrounding each mystery is enough before going on to the prayers, and this method provides
a form of Lectio Divina along with the experience of prayer. Others may find that reading
the commentary in addition to the scripture is preferred. This is a function both of time and
of temperament. Some find that the commentary takes time away from the experience of
transcendence. Some find that it becomes a catalyst for insight. Experience is the best
teacher in this regard: choose according to your mood and inclination. If the practice is done
in a group, there is another way to approach the commentary. At the end of the prayer
session a discussion may be started regarding the commentary—it could be read, thus
forming a starting point for discussion which could bring in personal experiences that people
may find enriching. One comment each week could provide a starting point for a discussion
that could take as much time as people would like to allow. This is just one possibility—
people may enjoy writing their own comments and sha ring them with each other. After all,
the Rosary is more than an experience of prayer: it brings people together on many levels,
allowing people to grow and share of themselves with each other in a natural and easy
manner.
Each Rosary is written as a complete and separate document, containing all the prayers,
comments and instructions necessary for its use. This was done deliberately so that one may
open the book to any of the Rosaries and have everything needed for that Rosary organized
in one easy to read “chapter”. In this manner, some text is repeated from Rosary to Rosary,
and since it was anticipated that this book would be used with a small group, it becomes easy
to change “readers” from time to time if the group feels the urge to do so.
PLEASE NOTE
These Rosaries are not the standard Rosaries familiar to all Catholics. Some are quite
familiar—the Joyous and Glorious mysteries which have been adapted for seven-decade
usage—but they have been changed and amended with a particular purpose in mind, and
these amendments should be clearly noted.

When possible, the earliest versions of the prayers have been used. The Rosary has
evolved over a period of time stretching back over fifteen hundred or more years. Many
changes have taken place in the wording of the prayers, and a deliberate choice was made in
the selection of a form of “Hail Mary”. This version of the “Hail Mary”, used as early as the
fourth century CE, is the oldest and is taken from the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary in
Luke 1:28, as well as the several sentences surrounding Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary in Luke
1:42. With the passage of time came changes, and by the sixteenth century, the current
version of this prayer was more formally adopted. Although the current popular version of
the “Hail Mary” is beautiful and enduring, it was felt that the qualities of praise, beauty and
faith contained in the oldest versions of the prayer (as well as the scripture) were both
uplifting and joyful and were more fit vehicles for the expression of Love and the experience
of the richness of transcendent Divinity in a practice that sought Contemplative
transcendence as well as intercessory prayer.
A second and alternate wording is offered as a translation of the traditional “Our

Father”. This translation is admittedly not “cannonical” in the sense that it derives directly
from the Synoptic Gospels, which were found in Greek and translated from Greek. This
version has been taken from the translations from the Gospel of Matthew contained in the
Syriac Aramaic language, the language of Jesus and his contemporaries. While there is
debate as to whether the Aramaic version of the Peshitta was indeed the first version and was
later translated into Greek, it is clear that such a gospel would have been written for the
Aramaic speakers of the early Jerusalem Church.
The Jerusalem Church, under the leadership of James the Just (known as the Brother of the
Lord) may well have been the audience for which this Gospel was written. These were
Aramaic and Hebrew speakers from different sects, including Essenes and Pharisees. Greek,
while widely used as the “intellectual” language (much as French was the “court” language
during the 17th and 18th centuries), was not known to be used commonly as a temple
language nor was it in use by the average Aramaic or Hebrew speaking citizen of the years
35-100 CE in Palestine.
The translations of the Aramaic text for the “Our Father” are rich in symbolism and varied in
meanings. More than one meaning can be given to each word or syllable in the text. It is
therefore a surprise to most people to come to understand that Aramaic refers to God as
possessing both male and female qualities, as opposed to the more masculine qualities
associated with the then-contemporary Hebrew conception of God as a just and stern tribal
god. Jesus referred to God the Father as “Abba”, a rather specific term of endearment that
actually encompassed the “Father-Mother” image.
In similar fashion the rest of the prayer was translated to give a feeling of the meaning the
prayer could have beyond the direct translation, or perhaps the nuances of the prayer that can
come as a result of looking at the root syllables. What can result is startling in its beauty and
import:
O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, focus your light within us—make it useful. Create your
reign of unity now; Your one desire acts with ours, as in all light, so in all forms. Grant what we need
each day in bread and insight. Loose the cords of mistakes binding us, as we release the strand we

hold of others’ guilt. Don’t let surface things delude us, but free us from what holds us back. From
you is born all ruling will, the power and the life to do, the song that beautifies all; from age to age it
renews. Amen.
This is just one possible translation, and many others are possible. This is offered to
illustrate that meaning is often very much a product of culture and language, and that
richness can be lost through translation. Although not intended to replace the “Our Father”
we all know and love, it helps us to think a little differently about the Author of the prayer as
well as its meaning for us personally.
Two Rosaries in this book use translations derived from interpretations of the Aramaic
wording of Matthew: The Rosary of the Divine Heart of God and the Rosary of the Holy
Spirit. Both of these Rosaries were inspired from Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the
Aramaic Words of Jesus. Published by HarperSanFancisco in 1990, this fascinating work by
Aramaic Scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz provides a rather different look at many of the standard
prayers that we know from Matthew, including the “Our Father”, the Beatitudes and others.
Regardless of the accuracy of the translations on a direct word- for-word basis, the subtlety of
meaning that emerges is thought provoking and worthy of attention.
Similarly, other prayers were used to celebrate our relationship with God as a people
inheriting our rightful place in life—a place at the table of Divinity, where our deepest core
of being is united with God. In such a place, in such a view, there is no room for declarations
of sinfulness, inadequacy and unworthiness. God accepts us as we are. Is it not time that we
do as well? These Rosaries are intended to encourage and stimulate the feeling that we are
God’s children, and that our birthright is to discover God’s presence as our inmost being. In
this practice, we choose to emphasize not our inadequacies, failings, faults and frailties.
While we may all possess all of these in abundance, in this practice we choose to emphasize
our birthright as children of God seeking rest in the arms of God. God already knows of our
sufferings, failings, problems and needs. Most of us are hard enough on ourselves anyway,
so for the time that it takes us to practice these Rosaries, we choose to emphasize Love,
Compassion, Celebration, Giving, Joy and the freedom that God offers us when we simply
let go of our concepts of who we think we are.
This is the most essential point of this practice: we let go of our concepts, we let go of our
thoughts, we let go of our concerns, our worries, our needs and our pain. We even let go of
our joys and our happiness, offering only to sit and be filled as God chooses to fill us…or
emptied as God chooses to empty us. In giving up both our joy and our pain we begin to
realize in a very tangible way that we are not our emotions, we are not our bodies, we are not
our feelings…we are so much more. We are images of Divinity awaiting birth. These
Rosaries help us birth that birthright into our lives and into our awareness, there to be shared
with everyone we meet. In birth there is both joy and pain, but after both come and go what
grows is love. As Mother Teresa has said: “Prayer enlarges the heart that it may contain
God’s Love”.

Centering Prayer
Also contained in this book are instructions and information about Centering Prayer, a form
of Contemplative prayer that brings one to the place where we are deeply open to God,
deeply open to the Divine life. As Fr. Thomas Keating observes:
The ultimate purpose of every kind of prayer is to give ourselves to God, and to make it possible for
God to do what he always wanted to do in the first place, which is to give us the divine life. Deep
prayer is the condition that God is waiting for in order to communicate his divine life and holiness to
us. Such is the purpose of our creation in the first place.
Centering Prayer allows us to open ourselves in silence to that deepest Mystery in which we
give ourselves to God so completely that even thought itself is abandoned and all is offered
to God. Both practices—Centering Prayer and the Rosary—are complementary and mutually
beneficial to one another. More information on Centering Prayer can be found in Open
Heart, Open Mind by Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO.
The Rosary is a treasure given to all people and this book is written for everyone regardless
of spiritual experience or religious identity, in the hopes that the uplifting tone and the
mystical perspective will prove a wonderful aid to the exploration of the inner life.
May this book, and the Rosaries contained herein, inspire you to practice the Rosary and
experience for yourself the depth, the richness, and the joy of our inner life—a reflection of
the Divine Life. May you melt in Love and be cast strong in Devotion! I leave you with the
words of the anonymous author of “The Cloud of Unknowing” when he writes:
“My dear friend, I bid you farewell now with God’s blessing and mine. May God give you
and all who love him true peace, wise counsel, and his own interior joy in the fullness of
grace. Amen.”
Fr. Michael Adams,

Trinity Sunday, 2001

Rosaries of Divine Union
The Joyous Mysteries
Begin by having an intention in mind for the rosary. This intention may be stated as part of
the following prayer.
Prayer of Intention
We who gather to pray this rosary do have in our minds and hearts the following intentions:
(Here a few moments of silence allow all to clarify their intentions). We ask that these
intentions may bring forth the results desired, according to Your will. Amen.
1. Holding the cross in the right hand (if right handed), with the rest of the rosary in the left
hand, bless yourself with the Invocation:
? In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
2. Holding the cross in the right hand (if right handed), and with the rest of the rosary
draped across the left hand, begin with this prayer of St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where
there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there
is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive, it is pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in complete
surrender that we are born to eternal life. Amen. ?
3. On the first bead after the cross say the “Our Father”:
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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
Alternate “Our Father” translated from the Aramaic (see introduction)

O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, focus your light within us—make it useful. Create
your reign of unity now; Your one desire acts with ours, as in all light, so in all forms. Grant
what we need each day in bread and insight. Loose the cords of mistakes binding us, as we
release the strand we hold of others’ guilt. Don’t let surface things delude us, but free us
from what holds us back. From you is born all ruling will, the power and the life to do, the
song that beautifies all; from age to age it renews. Amen.
4. On the next three beads say the “AVE MARIA”:

Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed
is the fruit of thy womb. Amen.
5. After the third AVE MARIA hold the chain and say the GLORIA PATRI:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is
how and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
6. Name the mystery, and if desired read the thoughts. Then read the prayer. Begin with
the OUR FATHER on the bead just before the medal and the AVE MARIA on the next
ten beads following the medal. On the chain following these ten beads, say the GLORIA
PATRI.
7. Then, name the next mystery and proceed exactly as above until all the mysteries have
been said—that is say the OUR FATHER on the single bead, then the ten AVE MARIAs,
then on the chain the GLORIA PATRI, then the next mystery.
First Joyous Mystery
The Annunciation
Mary said “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say.” Luke 1:38.
Thoughts…
In the Gospel of Luke, when Mary received the news that she was to be the bearer of Christ,
her first reaction was of surprise. Doubting the message, asking “Why me” and “Really,
Me?” are the expressions that she may have used when contemplating this extraordinary
event. She must have felt such love from this understanding! When Mary accepted her
condition, she surrendered to the will of the Divine. This reaction illustrates something
important about our own relationship with our deepest being in God. When she understood
that she carried divinity within her, she was changed in a fundamental way so that she could
never really look at life, even common events, without making reference to the deepest
values and depths of her being—a reflection of the joy she contained in her womb. In this
way, we too react in much the same way when we are presented with the same kind of
reality: that we are carrying divinity inside of our awareness, at the deepest level of our
being. We too ask “Really, me?” and we too are given to remember that we have a
relationship with that aspect of Christ in us, a relationship with the wholeness of life that is
encompassed thereby. Like Mary, we are called to surrender to the Divine.
Mary’s responsibility became different at that point: for in conceiving and nurturing the
divinity within, her relationship to all of Life became her focus, her reason for living. For
her, nurturance would give way to birth. Like Mary, it is our responsibility to feel within
ourselves the divinity that both gives and seeks nurturance. This recognition begins with the
question “Really, Me?”, and the growth process from nurturing to birth is the focus of this
joyous Mystery as we say “let thy will be done.”

Prayer:
O Heavenly Mother, who responded to the call with Love and commitment, we ask you for
your blessings that we may respond to our call to interior life with the same Love and
commitment. May we, with your aid and compassion, experience the depths of conception
and nurturance as you did, and may we answer our own call to divinity with the development
of nurturance for all of life. Amen.
Second Joyous Mystery
The Visitation
Mary set out proceeding in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered
Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:39
Thoughts…
Mary’s visit to Elizabeth’s house was the scene for the recognition of the importance of what
she carried within her. For as Elizabeth heard the voice of Mary, her own baby- in-the-womb
reacted to the sound and Elizabeth was overcome with joy in the Holy Spirit. Our task, like
that of Mary and Elizabeth, is to recognize the joy of God within us, not as an abstract
concept, but as a living reality. As it says in the next part of the narrative, in the passage
giving rise to the Magnificat, “My soul doth magnify the Lord”. These are words that we
need to contemplate in our hearts, words that Mary spoke from joy and love, words that
reflected her own recognition of the Divinity growing inside of her. We are made to magnify
the Lord, to bring to life the qualities of Love and Joy.
Prayer
O Heavenly Mother, who was recognized as blessed among women, and who recognized and
accepted the work of God within you, so bless us with your prayers, your love, and your help
that we may experience the Joy of the God’s work within us and recognize the same in all of
life. Amen.
Third Joyous Mystery
The Nativity
She gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a
manger. Luke 2:7
Thoughts…
All people are mothers. All of life is a giving birth—a birthing process that creates and
sparks new places and times for love to manifest, for ideas to emerge, for Christ to be born in
our lives and in the lives of others. We must nurture Christ within us and give birth to Christ
within us and give birth to Christ in others. Mary gave birth to both a son of man as well as
a son of God. The fruit of her surrender to God was the birth of God, the birth of the Prince
of Peace.

Prayer
O Queen of Peace, help us to surrender to the process of the birth of life within us; bless us
with the strength and the courage to give birth to Christ in ourselves, our lives and our world.
Amen.
Fourth Joyous Mystery
The Presentation
When the day came to purify them according to the law of Moses, the couple brought him up
to Jerusalem so that he could be presented to the Lord. Luke 2:22
Thoughts…
When the time came to bring the baby to the Temple for his day of blessing by the Temple
priests, Mary was treated to the sight of a holy man who held Jesus and exclaimed Him to be
the salvation no t only of Israel, but of the Gentiles as well. Mary had seen the beginning of
divinity within herself, the nurturance and birthing of that Divinity and now she was witness
to the recognition of that divinity by others. She, who was holy, was thus offering that which
was Holy to the world. By His consecration in this mystery, all peoples are thus consecrated
to work for the good of all life, for the evolution of all people to God.
Prayer
O Queen of our hearts, who offered yourself in consecration to the service of God, bless us
that we may so consecrate our lives to His service that we may ever serve Him joyfully in all
that we do. Amen.
Fifth Joyous Mystery
The finding of Jesus in the Temple
Son, why have you done this to us? You see that your father and I have been searching for
you in sorrow. Luke 2:48
Thoughts…
Mary and Joseph had been searching for their son. He was not in any of the usual places, so
they retraced their steps back to Jerusalem and found Him in the temple. While searching,
they felt abandoned and alone. They were relieved and joyed to find him, and were amazed
at the depth and profound nature of His knowledge as He discoursed with the temple priests.
Like the Holy Family, we too must search for Christ, and must look for Him in our temple,
the temple of the soul. Once finding Him, we can say with Mary, “I have found you!” The
search is through retracing our own steps—our own steps away from God around us and God
within us. Our steps, taken in prayer and contemplation, take us back to the Temple where
He awaits us.

Prayer
O Mother of Divine Grace, hear us in our search for the temple. Bless us with your guidance
and inspiration that we may always find the temple, and become reunited with He who
dwells therein. Amen.
Sixth Joyous Mystery
The resurrection
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had
prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when
they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about
this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their
fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why
do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he
told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: `The Son of Man must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they
remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the
Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James,
and the others with them who told this to the apostles. Luke 24:1-10
Thoughts…
The word Resurrection has many meanings, among them is “renewal”. A renewal of heart,
of purpose, of Love, of Grace in our lives is a resurrection of spirit. Mary and the disciples
witnessed the ultimate act of creation in the resurrection: God renewing Himself through
Himself as Christ Risen. This demonstration was the living Spirit of Love that promised the
same to all: renewal of heart and transformation of Being in Christ. In a very real sense we
experience Christ when the tomb is empty: when we are so emp ty of our ourselves that we
are ready to be filled with God and the work of God in us.
Prayer
O Heavenly Mother, wrap us in your Love and bring us to the place where our renewal is the
Work of God within us: help us experience the joy of resurrection eve n as you did. Amen.
Seventh Joyous Mystery
The Assumption and Coronation of Our Lady
A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the
moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. Revelation 12:1
Thoughts…
In her role as the Divine Mother, Mary through her Assumption becomes accessible to all,
pointing the way to Christ. She is the embodiment of unconditional Love, of nurturance, of
patience, and of compassion. Her promise is the promise of discovering Christ within
ourselves, even as she discovered the Divine Son.

Prayer
O Heavenly Mother, bring to us the compassion of service, the joy of surrender, and the love
of Christ as we seek Him in all things. Amen

After the last decade has been said, and the connecting medal has been reached, the
following prayer is said:
I give myself this day to the strong power of Love

To the obedience of Angels, the faith of confessors, the preaching of Apostles, to the purity
of simple souls.
I give myself this day to the virtues of the starlit heavens, the brightness of the sun, the
whiteness of the moon, the flashing of lightening, the restlessness of wind, the stability of
earth, and the deepness of the sea.
I give unto myself this day the power of God to lead me, His eye to watch over me, His hand
to guide me, His Word to give me speech.
Christ with me, Christ beside me,

Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ to the right of me, Christ to the left of me,
Christ in lying down, Christ in sitting, Christ in rising up,
Christ in the heart of every person who may think of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who may speak of me,
Christ in the eye of everyone who may look on me,
Christ in the ear of everyone who may hear me.
I give myself this day to the strong power of Love. Amen.

The Glorious Mysteries
Prayer of Intention
draped across the left hand, begin with the Prayer of Saint Francis:
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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
Alte rnate “Our Father” translated from the Aramaic (see introduction)

6. Name the mystery and read the thoughts and prayer that follow each one. Begin with the
OUR FATHER on the bead just before the medal and the AVE MARIA on the next ten
beads following the medal. On the chain following these ten beads, say the GLORIA
PATRI.
7. Then, name the next mys tery and proceed exactly as above until all the mysteries have
First Glorious Mystery
The Changing of Water into Wine
“Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”, and they filled them to the brim.
“Now draw some off”, he ordered, “and take it to the steward of the feast”; and they did so.
The steward tasted the water now turned into wine, not knowing its source…he hailed the
bridegroom and said, “Everyone serves the best wine first…but you have kept the best wine
till now.” John 2:7-10
Thoughts…
There is a mystery here: empty clay jars are filled to the brim, then changed from what is
ordinary to tha t which is celebratory. Only an empty jar becomes full, and when full it
flowers into fruition and fulfillment. In the same way, when our jars are empty, they can
become filled with joy, which through Grace turns to Love. When our joy becomes Love we
share the best fruits of life with all at the feast.
Prayer
Holy Mother, may we be made empty that our jars stand open and ready to receive the Grace
of God. By your blessing and Love may we share Love at the feast of life. Amen
Second Glorious Mystery
The Healing of the Leper
“And it happened while he was in one of the towns, there was a man with leprosy. Seeing
Jesus, he fell on his face, saying ‘Lord, if you want to, you can heal me.’ And he reached out
his hand and touched him, saying ‘I do want to.’ And the leprosy went right out of him.”
Luke 5:13

Thoughts…
Just as the Grace of God not only wanted to heal, but did indeed heal the leper, so does that
same Grace want to find us, to heal in us that which makes us separate from our own Divine
heritage. Like the leper, we seek to open our hearts to the healing touch of Grace that lives in
us and all around us. It just awaits our open reception.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mother, help us open ourselves to the healing Grace of God, that we may be whole
and one with Him in thought, word and deed.
Third Glorious Mystery
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
“Andrew, the brother of Simon, says “There’s a child here who has five loaves of bread and
two small fish, but what’s that among all these people?” Luke 5:13
Thoughts…
From a few loaves and fishes were many fed, from a few pearls of wisdom, from a few
precious drops of love were many redeemed. So much was left over that it could hardly be
accounted for. Thus it is in our lives when we open to the Grace ever-present around us.
Why were they fed? Because they were hungry. How were so many fed? Because the
source of Grace is boundless and without measure. Who can be fed? All who acknowledge
their readiness to break bread in one life, one love.
Prayer:
O Queen of saints, as the many were fed with so much left over, help us to receive the meal
already set for us. Help us to celebrate the Love and Grace that flows through each moment
of our lives. Amen.
Fourth Glorious Mystery
The Resurrection
“Don’t be astonished. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the one who was crucified. He
rose up, he is not here.” Mark 16:6
Thoughts…
Mary Magdalene, and Mary, mother of James, set out to visit the tomb so that they could
properly prepare the body for burial. They were wondering about how they would be able to
roll the stone from the entrance to the burial chamber when they came upon it and noticed
that it was moved. They looked inside and found the tomb empty. Upon hearing the words
of the Angel, they fled in joy and excitement. Here is an important insight into the nature of
our relationship to the Divine and to the map of our interior life. Christ is risen when the
tomb is empty, and in similar fashion Christ arises in us when we are empty—when there is
space not taken by our wills and egos, by our fears and stresses, by our smallness of vision.

When we empty ourselves of everything, there is room for Christ to rise. We, who are full of
ourselves, seek to be empty—that we might be full again.
Prayer:
O Queen of Peace, whose emptiness was filled on the day of the resurrection, grant that we
may through Grace so fully empty ourselves of ourselves that we may create a place for
Christ to rise in us. Amen.
Fifth Glorious Mystery
The Appearance to the Disciples
“Were not our hearts blazing within us as He disclosed the scriptures to us?” Luke 24:33
Thoughts…
Two people were walking to Emmaus, near Jerusalem, and a stranger came upon them and
engaged them in conversation. As the conversation continued, the stranger disclosed to the
pair deeper and deeper meanings to the scriptures that applied to the events surrounding the
crucifixion. As they broke bread together, they realized that the stranger was none other than
the risen Christ, and he disappeared from their sight. They listened, and as they heard His
message, they heard it with their hearts and not their ears. The risen Christ is not an object of
the senses, but that which is felt and known rather than seen and heard. When we feel deeply
into the stillness of our own hearts, this is the place where we break bread with the Divinity
inside of us, where sight and sound disappear to be replaced by the blazing of the Light of
God.
Prayer
O Queen of our hearts, ignite our hearts with the heat of devotion, the flame of love and the
Light of God. Amen.
Sixth Glorious Mystery
The Ascension
“Lord Jesus was taken up unto heaven.” Mark 16:19
Thoughts…
Mark’s description of the return visit of the Lord was made in the context of the eleven
sitting together, where He appeared unto them. The appearance of Christ in the midst of the
eleven was a shock to them, as they had heard of others seeing the risen Christ, but had not
believed their stories. This is a key to understanding the dynamics of the inner life: when we
don’t open ourselves to some possibilities we are closed to many possibilities. This is a
symbolic reason why Christ appears to His disciples in various forms that are physically
unrecognized by them; they must know Christ inside to be able to recognize Him outside of
their hearts. Upon recognizing Him in our hearts, we too are “taken up unto heaven”.

Prayer
Dearest Mother, whose heart is so perfectly open, bless us with Grace that in the opening of
our hearts we may seek and find Him who dwells therein and that we may see Him in all
faces. Amen.
Seventh Glorious Mystery
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like
the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were
sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each
of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as
the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every
nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment,
because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked:
"Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears
them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and
the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Acts 2:1-12
Thoughts…
The description in Acts is one of a gathering of people in prayer, whereupon came unto them
the awareness of the Holy Spirit, the Presence of God. They saw new celestial sights, and
spoke in all languages so that each of the witnesses who gathered there heard people
speaking in their own native languages. And each who heard them speak was touched in a
profound way. Mary, who in the previous chapter of Acts was placed among them as they
prayed, was most likely present for the Pentecost and a witness as well as a participant.
From this we learn that when people are of one accord, both outwardly and inwardly, the
gifts of the Spirit are able to manifest in their lives. And the good news is that they are
available to all, for “all were filled” and all heard in their own language. God reveals
Himself to Himself through us, as we become filled and hear in our own hearts the unique
expression of Divinity that is the root of who we are. For the Gift of the Holy Spirit is to
discern the Presence of God within us, and to act from that Presence.
Prayer
O Mother of Divine Grace, give to us your heavenly aid and blessing, that we open ourselves
to the Presence of God within and in living in that Presence, become the instrument of Divine
purpose. Amen.


of simple souls.


The Divine Heart of God
The Lord’s prayer is perhaps the most well known and oft-repeated prayer of the New
Testament, and is given a central position in Christian life. Yet the importance of this prayer
is often both under appreciated and misunderstood. While biblical scholars acknowledge the
redactions to the Bible and the problems involved in source materials, there is great
acceptance among scholars that these words were likely the actual ones spoken by Jesus and
were saved by oral tradition, entering the later written tradition.. Thus it becomes an
interesting and worthwhile undertaking to consider these words in deeper contexts—the
context of mystical language and mystical experience. The typical translations of this prayer,
known to all through the King James or Vulgate versions, translate the words in ways that
convey their meaning, but that do not let the original feeling speak to us today .*
The basic theme of this Rosary is the Lord’s Prayer, taken line by line and explicated from
the Aramaic language, and mixed with scripture taken mostly from the Gospel of Matthew
surrounding the introduction of this prayer. The reason for this is that Aramaic was (and
remains) a language rich in the symbolism of fertility, of planting and harvesting, of season
and time, of nurturance and blossoming. Examination of the Lord’s Prayer in the language
of it’s original presentation enlivens the subtle values and nuances inherent in the prayer
which in the modern English translations are at best obscured and at worst completely lost.
Yet the purpose of the prayer is not to be complete in itself, no matter in what language it is
conveyed, translated or transliterated. For the completion of this prayer can only take place
in the depths of the human heart, the stillness of the being where heaven meets earth and both
are full of joy at the mingling.
For this rosary, heavy reliance was made on Aramaic translations (or perhaps more
accurately transliterations) as given by Neil Douglas-Klotz, as well as some of his
interpretations of those translations. As stated in the Introduction to this book, these
translations are explicated from the syllabic roots of the Aramaic words, and thus are
rendered more freely than a word-for-word translation. The result is a richness of feeling that
allows us to go far beyond the mind and into the heart. The intention is that the lectio, or
commentary be a springboard for both contemplative non-discursive meditation as well as for
discursive musing. Of course, the purpose of contemplative meditation is that the object of
attention is transcended altogether, and the truest “hearing” of the pure gospel is to be found
in our own awareness reflected in silence. The lectio divina of this rosary is not what is
heard in sound, but what is heard in the silence of the heart. Thus, the name of this rosary is
the Rosary of the Divine Heart of God. The Divine Heart of God is a mystery, and the words
of the Lord’s Prayer call us to that mystery in a way that is deeply profound and deeply
stilling.
*
For more information on this fascinating topic, see the introduction to this book. For the source, see Neil
Douglas-Klotz, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus, HarperSanFancisco, 1990.

Prayer of Intention
evil. Amen.


PATRI.
First Mystery of the Divine Heart of God
Our Father, who art in heaven

“Abwoon, d’bwashmaya…”
“…when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your
father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will
reward you.” Matthew 6:7
Thoughts…
In Aramaic, the word “abba” means Father. Yet this translation is incomplete, for the root
“ab” connotes the springing forth of fruit from a single source—diversity sprung from unity.
“Abwoon” has a similar but more personal meaning—that which is so close to us that it is
dear to us. In giving His instruction Christ revealed the secret to prayer as well as a
methodology to prayer. By placing our awareness inward, toward the spark of Divinity that
lies within, we find a place more fulfilling and more pleasant than the world of the senses, for
the light of the soul is more illuminating than the light of the sun. By going deeply within to
pray, we rest in the Presence of God, and in the silence that is the purest form of prayer, we
need have no words, for the Divine knows our needs before we do. As we rest in the silence
of the Presence of God, our intentions and needs find fulfillment.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mary, mother of Life, enfold us in your love and lead us to our secret places,
wherein our Father may be revealed to us in Love. Amen.
Second Mystery of the Divine Heart of God
Hallowed be thy name

“Nethquadash shmakh”
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles do; for they think
they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:7

Thoughts…
The translation of the Aramaic phrase “nethquadash shmakh” (hallowed be thy name)
includes several root words. The root “shm” from which the Aramaic word “shem” is
derived can mean light, sound, vibration or experience. The root “qadash”, meaning “holy”,
has the connotation of having been set apart, as ground cleared and ready to grow something
new. Thus, to hallow the name of the Lord means to see that part of the Lord which is set
apart, full of light and sound, from which new things arise. Prayer in this manner is both
silent and active, restful and dynamic. To understand this, it is only necessary that we
observe rather than initiate action in the holy place of the Lord, to receive rather than to
give—to hear with our hearts the Word of God within us, rather than the words of our prayer.
Going from the Oneness of “Ab” to the envelopment of “qadash” is to open ourselves to
God, and to fall into God’s Presence as an act of sacred surrender.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mother, even as you surrendered to Love, we ask that you help us give up our
words that we may hallow the name of the Lord both in daily life and in the purest prayer of
silence. Amen.
Third Mystery of the Divine Heart of God
Thy kingdom come

“Teytey malkut hakh”
“The disciples said to Jesus, ‘Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like.’ He said to them ‘It
is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds. But when it falls on prepared soil, it grows
into a large plant and shelters the birds of the sky’” Gospel of Thomas, saying 20
Thoughts…
The Aramaic word “Teytey” means “come” but has the connotation of mutual desire that
ends in unity. God wants us to live in His Presence even as we want to live in it. God is
attracted to us even as we are attracted to the Divine. In truth, the meaning of this phrase is
one of invitation—the bringing together as one two desires for unity. The word
“malkuthakh” has the image of a fertile arm of creation, ready to sweep across the land to
both fertilize and grow, thus birthing fruit and greenery. The invitation here is to create
within us the garden from which may flower all of the essence of Divinity. And from this
garden we may grow, from the smallest of beginnings, greenery that encompasses all of life.
Prayer:
O Mother of Heaven, Shrine of the Spirit, nurture within us the garden of the Divine, that in
growing we may shelter all the birds of heaven. Amen.

Fourth Mystery of the Divine Heart of God
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven

“Nehway tzevyanach aykanna d’bwashmaya aph b’arha”
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if
you do not forgive others, neither will our Father forgive your trespasses” Matthew 6:14-15
Thoughts…
The invitation to create the garden here gives way to surrendering that garden to God. The
Aramaic word “tzevyanach” has the connotation of “desire” in the sense of a purpose, and
the word “aykanna” means “just as” in the sense of stability and coherence. We can only
invite the Gardener to grow in the Garden if we are willing to surrender to the will of the
Gardener. It is the cooperation of our will with that of the Divine in the act of losing one will
into another, of merging one into the other so that our will becomes the will of the Divine.
This is a most sacred marriage—the will of the soul, without losing it’s own uniqueness,
expresses the will of the Divine in perfect harmony. “Arha” means “earth” and has the
connotation of being supportive yet expressive of Divinity—power and movement.
Forgiveness of others, as well as ourselves, is a surrender to that quality of ever-new-
creativity that is a hallmark of God—all things created anew.
Prayer
Mother of Love, bringer of redemption, help us nurture our desire for union with God, that
we may surrender in forgiveness and allow the flowering of Christ within. Amen.
Fifth Mystery of the Divine Heart of God
Give us this day our daily bread…….

“Hawvlan lachma d’sunqanan yaomana”
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces
so as to show others that they are fasting.” Matthew 6:16
Thoughts…
The Aramaic word “lachma” means both “bread” and “understanding”, which implies all that
nourishes. Once surrendered to the Divine Gardener, we ask for nourishment that we may
grow. Prayer, fasting, and meditation all nourish the Garden and invite the Gardener to
further change the landscape. As our wills are merged with the will of God in the act of
surrender, we rest in the Divine Presence. When we act from this Presence, we act with the
will of the Divine. The Lord here in the scripture tells us to act from the Presence without
perceiving ourselves in the process as an object of action. We act as God desires us to act,
not as we desire to act.
Prayer
Dearest Mother, whose heart encompasses the worlds, help us to open to the nourishment of
God, that we may eat of the Bread of Life and grow in knowledge of Christ. Amen.

Sixth Mystery of the Divine Heart of God
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors

“Washboqlan khaubayn (wakhtahayn) aykanna daph khnan shbwoqan l’khayyabayn”
“When you give alms, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, so that
your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:2
Thoughts…
The Aramaic word “”washboqlan” has several meanings that go beyond “forgive”. One such
meaning entails the idea of “return to its original state” and another “embrace with
emptiness”. As the prayer was translated from the Greek version of Matthew, the word
“khaubayn” was rendered as “debt” or “offences”. The original Aramaic word also connoted
ones “hidden past” or “secret debt”. It could just as easily be rendered as “failures” or
“mistakes”. The Lord in this part of the prayer seeks to remind us of our natural heritage,
one of fully being present in the present moment—the moment of God… “This is the day the
lord hath made; rejoice and be glad in it!” This part of prayer is the giving up of what holds
us back, of what our minds grasp for and hold fast to, of releasing everything that binds us in
joy and freedom…including what we have done to others and what others have done to us. It
is thus that we return to our original state—embraced by the emptiness that allows the
Fullness of the Presence of God to express through us. By surrendering to the Presence in
the present moment, we act without the need to think, and thus our left hands know not what
our right hands are doing—we act fully awake to the moment in God, and that is in itself the
reward!
Prayer
O Mother of Divine Grace, give us your heavenly aid that we may open ourselves to the
Presence of God within and in living in that Presence, fully express it. Amen.
Seventh Mystery of the Divine Heart of God
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

“Wela tahlan l’nesyna. Ela patzan min bisha”
Thoughts…
A better and more fitting translation of these words reveal from the Aramaic meanings well
beyond what is represented in the Greek. “Wela tahlan” is better rendered as “don’t allow us
to be deceived ”, and “nesyuna” contains the idea of being diverted from our purpose in life.
The last part of the phrase is better translated as “but break the seal that binds us to error”. In
this phrase we are asking to be kept from delusion, from the binding influence of our likes
and dislikes, our mistakes as well as our successes. In terms of the Divine, what is evil in
reference to us? That which allows us or encourages us to believe that we are separate from
God, that we are far from our Divine roots.

Prayer
Holy Mother, help us to see more and more of our true nature in Divinity, revealing Christ to
us moment by moment. Amen

of simple souls.


The Mysteries of the Holy Spirit
Introduction
The Beatitudes rank as some of the most beautiful poetry in the English language; they also
rank as some of the most profound aphorisms in sacred scripture. The typical translations
from the Greek provide for the readers of the King James, Vulgate or other versions of the
Bible a very limited sense of the original depth and profound nature of these short wisdom
sayings.
Biblical scholars tend to agree that it is likely that these words are indeed the original words
of Jesus, and that they were saved in oral tradition before being committed to writing. The
beauty of these translations, taken from the Aramaic (the language of Jesus) is that the
choices available for translations are great indeed, and are full of the imagery of the cycles of
nature: planting and harvesting, rains and water, growth and nurturance, flowering and
fruiting, waiting and watching.
The typical translations do not give the reader the sense of one extremely important insight
that is available to these translations—the sense of evolving in God. This sense—of growth
in God by nurturance of Divine love, is recovered as a process that is recognized as a series
of steps of growth, of evolution. Yet the sense of these translations does not indicate that
these steps or phases must be in a particular order: they simply reflect an understanding of
“beingness” or of perception. Thus we can recover a sense of the deeply mystical and deeply
unfathomable and deeply unutterable experience that accompanies the journey of growth in
the Divine. That is, after all, what an aphorism does: it points to a more expanded version of
itself that is available to understanding only in the heart of man as that heart melts into the
Divine Heart of God. The link in this process is the Holy Spirit, and the Beatitudes reflect
the gifts of the Spirit in the process of melting the heart of man into the Heart of God.
This Rosary relies on Aramaic translations (or perhaps more accurately transliterations) as
given by Aramaic Scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz, as well as some of his interpretations of those
translations. As stated in the Introduction to this book, these translations are explicated from
the syllabic roots of the Aramaic words, and thus are rendered more freely than a word-for-
word translation. The result is a richness of feeling that allows us to go far beyond the mind
and into the heart. The intention is that the lectio, or commentary be a springboard for both
contemplative non-discursive meditation as well as for discursive musing. Of course, the
purpose of contemplative meditation is that the object of attention is transcended altogether,
and the truest “hearing” of the pure gospel is to be found in our own awareness reflected in
silence. The lectio divina of this rosary is not what is heard in sound, but what is heard in the
silence of the heart. Thus, the name of this rosary is the Rosary of the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit is a mystery beyond the mind’s ability to describe, and the words of the Beatitudes call
us to that mystery in a way that is deeply profound and deeply moving.

Prayer of Intention
draped across the left hand, begin with this Prayer to the Holy Spirit:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill my heart with your holy gift, the gift of love. Fill my mind with your
holy gift, the gift of discernment. Fill my eyes that I may see your works in me and all
around me. Fill my ears that I may hear your works in the world and in the lives of others.
Fill my hands that they may do the work of Love without thinking; fill my feet that they may
carry me in faith and knowledge. Fill my soul with the gift of light, that it may shine with
Love eternal. Amen. ?
evil. Amen.


PATRI.
First Mystery of the Holy Spirit
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
“Tuned to the Source are those who live by breathing Unity, their ‘I can’ is included in
God’s.”
Thoughts…
To be poor in spirit is to be without pretension, without ego, without self- inflation. To be
poor in spirit recognizes that one’s focus in the Divine focus rather than the personal focus.
The meaning of the Aramaic translation as well as the New American Standard translation
show a state of being already accomplished. One breathes Unity when one dissolves notions
of what “I” want and what “I” need, by surrendering to the Divine which pulls us ever closer
in Love. God is the source, the path, the goal and the life of all beings in the Unity of Divine
Love. The Grace of the Pentecost affirms the Presence of the Holy Spirit as an active part of
God, present and working in all of us as that which prompts us in the subtle regions of our
own hearts—tickling and charming our awareness with the awareness of Divine life.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mother, who so exemplified life in the Holy Spirit, grant us the grace to seek and
discover the Holy Spirit as our Spirit, our life and our companion. Help us to live and grow in
the gifts of the Spirit, that we may share them with all of life.

Second My stery of the Holy Spirit
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
“Blessed are those in emotional turmoil; they shall be united inside by love”
Thoughts…
The mind is always in motion…one time dwelling on one thing, another time dwelling on
another. It never seems to stay in the same place. Emotions come one after another, often in
response to everyday things in our lives. When emotional turmoil seems to abate, or in the
middle of such turmoil, we find a silence. In this silence, the Holy Spirit draws us deeper
than our emotions, and invites us to dwell in the place where the warmth of the Spirit leads
us to still waters, to the stillness of the Presence of God. It is there each moment, in the
silences between our thoughts and laying under each emotion. It sings to us each night as we
fall asleep and greets us each morning as we awaken. In love we are united with each other
and with the Divine God who creates, sustains, and receives us.
Prayer:
O Mother of Divine Grace, fill us with Grace, that we may allow the Holy Spirit to work in
us and through us, bringing us to Unity with all of life in Love. Amen.
Third Mystery of the Holy Spirit
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth
“Healthy are those who have softened what is rigid within; they shall receive vigor and
strength from the universe.”
Thoughts…
The Lord here points out a very profound truth: that we are to be molded by the Holy Spirit,
and one of the gifts of the Spirit is to melt us so that the Divine can remake us as a perfect
vehicle for the perfect expression of Himself in the world. The meek are not the weak; they
are the yielding, the flexible, the bending. As the grass bends in the wind, so the meek
respond to God: they say “Not my will, Lord, but yours through me. Make me an
instrument of thy will”. This gift of the Spirit is the gift of humility born of amazement; born
of recognition of the vastness of God’s Love in all of life. In bending, we are strengthened.
In melting, we are cast strong. In getting out of our own way, we make room for God to
manifest through us, using us as hollow and empty vessels pouring forth the strength of the
universe. In humility, we gain the strength of creation, and in our yielding to the Divine our
birthright becomes our inheritance: we stand in Unity with Life.
Prayer:
Mother of Compassion, melt us in your love and cast us in the light of the Divine. Amen.

Fourth Mystery of the Holy Spirit
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy
“Healthy are those who extend grace; they shall find their own prayers answered.”
Thoughts…
The traditional rendering of this phrase implies that those who display mercy will receive
mercy. While this may be true at one level, there is more than the “Golden Rule” at work.
Compassion is understanding and caring for life. Compassion is love in motion, life flowing
in oneness. Compassion links us directly to our core, which is Love. The deep expression of
compassion is more than a practice, it is a way of life that allows us to touch ever more
tenderly the light of God within us, as our flame enkindles the flame of others. The more we
practice compassion, the more Love we can reveal. It is truly the way of life that what we
practice, we become. We manifest the Love of the Divine as we do so, and in return we
experience the richness of life in Love. The Lord here gives a simple formula for achieving
Unity: Love others as you love the Divine and the Holy Spirit’s gift of grace and compassion
is returned in the Unity of God. Our prayers become the prayers of the Divine: we breath
the fire of grace.
Prayer
Mother of Grace, open within us the compassion we share with God; birth within us the
Grace to share it with the world. Amen.
Fifth Mystery of the Holy Spirit
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
“Aligned with the One are those whose lives radiate from a core of love; they shall see God
everywhere”
Thoughts…
“Love is not an emotion—it is your very existence!” The pure in heart are blessed with this
living truth, and shine more brilliantly than a thousand suns. The pure in heart know that
emotions come and go, that thoughts come and go, that feelings come and go, but what
remains is pure and unbroken by the storms of life. In love are we created, in love are we
sustained, in love are we destined to ascend. The pure in heart see God everywhere because
in the purity of our core lies the shining effulgence of God, and as we find that core and live
from that core, we see God inside and outside so that there are no boundaries between us and
others; no inside and no outside. The pure in heart see only Divinity flowing in all forms, in
all creatures. This gift of the Holy Spirit is a sublime gift that is already ours to claim—we
look for it beyond our thoughts and feelings in the depths of our heart.
Prayer
Mother of Love, join our hearts together, that we may grow in purity of heart and see God
shining in all of creation. Amen.

Sixth Mystery of the Holy Spirit
Blessed are the Peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God
“Aligned with the One are those who prepare the ground for all tranquil gatherings; they
shall become the fountains of Livingness.”
Thoughts…
The Aramaic translation offered above says it all—yet how can we prepare the ground for
tranquil gatherings? We prepare it by using it. We become that which we do. By
surrendering our actions to the Divine, we eventually see that effulgence of Divinity which
dissolves the boundaries between “inside” and “outside”. As we do so, we flow with
Divinity as God desires, becoming fountains of Life and watering all of the fertile fields of
life, thus preparing them for tranquil gatherings. This gift of the Holy Spirit is meant to be
shared, is meant to be spread as the Gift of Unio n. Blessed indeed are the peacemakers!
Prayer
O Mother of Light, wellspring of Love, we surrender our actions, our thoughts and our
feelings to the sacred heart of God. Help us continue to do so every moment of every day,
that we may become fountains of life. Amen.
Seventh Mystery of the Holy Spirit
Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you.
“Drink a drop or drench yourself. No matter where you turn you will find the Name
inscribed in light: it’s all the One Creation.”
Thoughts…
The Aramaic translation of this Beatitude provides the example of the penultimate Gift of the
Holy Spirit: the final resting place of man in resurrected glory. This translation, whose root
words are deeply engrained in desert mysticism, reflect the root meanings of this phrase
which go far beyond the concepts of the King James translation. In the previous two
beatitudes we are lifted from individuality to the pureness of heart in which we see Divinity
inside and outside. We are then taken from this point to the dissolution of boundaries
separating us from God, becoming the flowing vessel for life. Now we are taken further, into
the unity of all of life in the Godhead itself: no matter where we turn, it’s all the same light,
the same Name of creation inscribed on all things without separation or distinction. Creation
spins it’s light as well in the drop or in the ocean—as one and the same: inner, outer, above,
below, dark, light. This is the ultimate joy of God in the joining of all opposites in the
pregnancy of all possible creations. In this state, our rejoicing is constant and unfathomable
as God gives birth to Heaven every moment of our lives. We are home.
Prayer
Holy Mother, Companion of Joy, help us to hear the One Name in the silence of our hearts,
that the Name of God may illuminate our lives in Love. Amen

Note: the following prayer is optional. Holding the cross, this last prayer is said by all:

of simple souls.


Divine Healing
Healing is a complex subject, and depending upon the meanings ascribed to the word
“healing”, can range from physical to spiritual refreshment and relief to the enlightenment of
the entire planet. The word “healing” is related linguistically to the word “wholing”, and
carries with it the connotation of making something fragmented into something complete.
Beginning perhaps with a physical impulse, healing (and “wholing”) becomes a spiritual
experience meant to reunite us with the inmost core of ourselves. It means, in its ultimate
simplicity, the relationship of life to itself. Father Martin Israel (a surgeon), in his
remarkable book “Healing as Sacrament” says that
The basis of effective healing, by which I mean a healing made manifest by a

changed attitude to life so that the local restoration of health becomes durable
and progressive, is integration. The center of integration is the spirit of the
soul or true self, which informs the rational mind, cleanses and purifies the
emotions, and renews the body with strength and vitality. (Israel, p.4)*
This integration is the key of what healing really is and does. Healing promotes the
opportunities for a person to open more to God, in that it becomes a doorway to experience
more of the value of the Divine at the basis of one’s being. Integration comes from
experiencing the depths of who we are and taking that experience and seeing the world
through it. Truly, “the world is as we are”. When we, through healing, recognize ourselves
as more than we imagined, we realize that we are indeed divine, that divinity flows through
our lives, directs our lives, and directs the world we live in. As we begin to sense the unity
of life, through our own healing, we feel a sense of responsibility toward life itself.
…healing is not simply an individualistic venture; it is involved in all human

activity; indeed transcending the purely human realm of activity and pouring
out from the Holy Spirit himself…it is the healed individual alone who is able
to use his strength to assist the healing of society. (Israel, p. 6)
A healed society is in reality an enlightened one. It is a “normal” society free from the
diseases the separated ego causes: isolation leading to fear and loneliness, frustration and
anger, violence and fraud. Of these, people seem to have only one primal emotion that lies at
the basis of all negative emotions and behaviors, and that is fear. We live in duality, in
separate existence from each other and from the God that created us. This sense of
separation, if thought about deeply, means that we spend our lives seeking unity, looking for
unity within ourselves and in life around us, wanting to gain the happiness and peace that
comes from a state of no-struggle, of fluid motion with life.
*
All quotations are from Israel, Martin. Healing as Sacrament. Cowley Publications, Cambridge
Massachusetts ©1984. Dr. Israel is a Senior Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons and an Anglican
Priest. I highly recommend this book to everyone; if you can’t find it at a book store, try your local university
library. If you wish to order it, the ISBN is 0-93684-23-9

When we cannot find this, when we cannot live in the state of balance, when we sense that
we are not living in the state of love (as opposed to “being in love”—not the same thing at
all) we experience fear. What is experienced is not necessarily the kind of fear that we can
readily identify. A horror film, a noise in the house at night, an out of control automobile can
all illicit a fear that we can immediately feel, smell, taste and hear. But what about the more
subtle fear of being alone or lonely? It is possible to catalog many subtle fears we
experience: the fear of the future, the fear of the past, the fear of lacking something, the fear
of not getting what we want; the fear of getting what we want or deserve; the fear of being
who we want to be; the fear of letting go of our pasts, of our weaknesses, of surrendering.
Healing is the experience of surrender to the Divine—and integration of this experience into
our daily lives. When we, through healing, re-discover ourselves, fear flees from love.
When we discover our hearts, when we learn through healing to live through the heart, we
learn that there is no room for fear when we trust and surrender in love. We then give
ourselves the permission to let go of the things that we have manifested for ourselves as a
substitute—whether it be cancer, a cut finger, a broken bone, a tumor, or a paralyzing
emotional condition. Often what flees is the fear of being a victim, of being beat up by life.
Our experiences then become opportunities for growth.
Spiritual healing, then, is a clearing of emotional and physical blockages to the flow of love,
of life itself. It is also more. It is the surrender of the ego to God, to the divine in us and
around us. It is a transformation from living in the past or living in the future to living in the
now. Living in the moment is not an attitude. It is a consequence. It is not an irresponsible
escape from our plights; it is a natural response to the impulse of love made manifest in our
lives. And thus manifest, the light of love directs and guides us to others, as we become
catalysts for the uplifting of others.
“Healing is not a patchwork repair; it is a re-creation of something that has

strayed from the image that God originally conceived. (Israel, p. 8)
Man is made in the image of God. It is our duty, our calling in life to fulfill the promise of
that image. Our lives carry with them the Divine spark of what connects us to the fullest
values of life, fully lived, joyfully expressed, joyfully received. It is thus that we have an
opportunity to remake our lives in that image—and the wonderful part of this remaking
process is that we don’t have to try to do it! This does not mean that we need not put any
attention on the process, or that we don’t have to have the discipline to help ourselves. It
does mean that our lives are already made in the image of God, of the Divine. We don’t
have to invent that. It has always been our birthright, our heritage. All we need to do is
properly surrender and allow the Divine to pull us closer and closer to our own true image
until we are indistinguishable from it. In this way, we are re-created, that is to say, we are
rec-reated or brought into the Divine play of the Lord.
The criterion of effective healing is a harmonious balance of the personality,

which in turn is an image of a balanced world in which people of different
background, temperament and insight can work together as effective limbs
and organs of one fully integrated body of mankind. This is indeed a

sacrament of the Godhead…indefinably set in the center of the soul of each
person. (Israel, p.9)
The healing—“wholing”—of the individual, is not just an individual affair. We are all made
in the same image of God, therefore when one enters fully into that image, all others are
affected in ways that are both wonderful and reflective of the Mystery of Divine Life. When
one enters into the heritage of our own Image of the Divine, it becomes easier for others to
do so. Every time a saint is made, it becomes easier for more to be made. Every time one is
refreshed by spending time with the Divine in silence, one carries something of that
experience with them through the day, and acts upon others. Other people, thus affected,
continue to spread the deep mystery, and knowing or unknowing, they continue to spread
some of the affect like ripples in a pond.
Healing is a true sacrament—an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.
These were the signs by which Christ made manifest the Kingdom of God before the eyes of
all who cared to see. Of the 3,779 verses of the synoptic gospels, 727 relate specifically to
the healing of both physical and emotional illnesses, and 31 additional verses refer to
miracles that included healing. Among these were cases where people thought to be dead
recovered. In all, twenty percent of the synoptic gospels are concerned with healing, and the
instances described are so numerous that it is likely that there were many instances—perhaps
the majority of them—that were not known to the writers of the gospels. Healing probably
occurred very commonly in His presence without His direct intervention. (See Mathew 4:23
or Luke 7:21) The Apostles saw their Master provide an example, and they continued to
follow it with the full expectation and faith that this was an important part of their mission.
The promise of Christ to his disciples was that all that He did they could and would do; the
miracles of healing that the Apostles performed after Pentecost carried the healing work even
further than Jesus did. Perhaps these healings were to open the eyes of some who were tired
of what for them was a vacant ceremonialism, or to push the boundaries of some who were
bound to the Law as inflexible rule. In so doing, He established Himself and his discip les as
living examples of responding to a higher Law. Perhaps these healings were to be living
proof that more was available in life if people only opened to the possibility of more.
Perhaps they were used by Life itself to call across time and space to pull man to that which
is timeless and spaceless. The healing of the Spirit, of the mind, the emotions, the suturing
together the fragmented life of man to the Unity of God—these are the outcomes of healing.
Creating wholeness from fragmentation is a miracle, yet a miracle that happens each day of
the week. In the time of Christ, some witnessed these miracles and were transformed to live
a more active inner path. In the modern time, we too can participate in our own miracle of
transformation, of allowing and participating in the re-creating of ourselves in the image of
God. Living this process is nothing short of the Divine drawing to Itself in Love that which
was created in Love—and we find that when we arrive, we never really left at all.
Instructions:
the following prayer:

Prayer of Intention
evil. Amen.


PATRI.
First Mystery of Divine Healing
The Healing of the Many
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the
kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread
all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those
suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he
healed them. Matthew 4:23-24
Thoughts…
The healing ministry of Christ began early in His career, and was never separate from the
teaching regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. The Grace of God was made manifest that man
may see and experience a metanoia, a change of heart. The many who were healed, and the
many more who witnessed these miracles, were transformed by their experience of the Grace
of God. Through the heart we come to know of the Divine, and through the heart the healing
Grace of God manifests in our lives, just as it did for the Many so long ago in Galilee.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mother, bring to us the experience of metanoia, that we may open ourselves to be
healed of all of the things that keep us from living the Grace of God each moment. Amen.
Second Mystery of Divine Healing
The Faith of the Centurion
“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he
said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will
go and heal him." The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my
roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under
authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, `Go,' and he goes; and that one, `Come,'
and he comes. I say to my servant, `Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was
astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in

Israel with such great faith.”… Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as
you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. Matthew 8:5-10, 13.
Thoughts…
A centurion was a commander responsible for a troop of one hundred soldiers, and can be
thought of as a symbol for our minds and egos as we attempt to control the various aspects of
our lives. This story has many meanings on many levels, yet the most powerful meaning
comes immediately: one does not have to be near the physical presence of the Master for the
bond to be seen. The open attitude and receptive nature of the heart makes the presence of
the Master come alive within us, and healing can take place therein. We cannot be healed
until we surrender our disbelief that the Divine can and does want to create within us a
perfect expression of itself. Yet we so often think of physical healing that we overlook that
the most important aspect of healing is a spiritual one.
Prayer:
O Mother of Divine Grace, melt our hearts with Love, and build within us the faith to
surrender to the healing Love of God. Amen.
Third Mystery of Divine Healing
The casting out of demons
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove
out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. Matthew 8:16
Thoughts…
To the people of the first century CE, demons were a way of describing a multitude of
physiological and psychological afflictions that people may experience. In many ways, we
create demons for ourselves, or subscribe to those of others, when we begin to think and act
in ways that are not life-supporting. Thinking and acting negatively towards ourselves and
others, gossip and addictive behaviors all entrap the mind in ways that are not healthy for us
or for the life around us. We become, in a sense, “possessed” by patterns of thinking and
behaving that continue to act out—as in a script—the same actions and reactions. When we
are in this cycle of behavior, we don’t interact with life in an honest and authentic manner
because we are cut off from our hearts, from our centers, by the action of our “scripted
patterns”.
Prayer:
O Queen of Peace, bring our patterns and our demons to our awareness, that they may be
made known to us, and bring us to the Grace of God that they may be dissolved and healed.
Amen.

Fourth Mystery of Divine Healing
The Transformation of the Wineskin
"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from
the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If
they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they
pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Matthew 9:16-17
Thoughts…
Healing means that some change occurs in us that allows us to see and feel more “whole”.
Yet this change, as discussed by the Lord, is not just a small shift, a patch applied to our
lives. What God demands is nothing less than a radical transformation—a transformation
that will remake us into a vessel for the expression of Divinity. By the pouring of new wine
into new wineskins, both are preserved because the container is strong enough to hold, to
bend, and apply itself to the need of the moment. Our lives and our hearts become our
vessels, and in the Grace of God they become strong.
Prayer
O Mother Mary, container of Grace, pour upon us the blessings of Love, that we may
transform our hearts and lives to truly hold the Love of God. Amen.
Fifth Mystery of Divine Healing
The Blind See
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us,
Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them,
"Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their
eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored.
Matthew 9:27-30
Thoughts…
As Christ encountered people in His ministry, he encountered people who were at their last
hope or who had given up on hope. Yet the one question that is repeated throughout these
narratives involves the matter of faith. We do have choice in life: we can choose to receive
the companionship of the Divine or we can choose to continue to see ourselves as apart from
it. To receive healing of our minds, hearts and bodies, we must open ourselves both to the
reality that we are loved by God and all of creation, and to the understanding that it is our
faith that will restore our sight. Like the blind men, we are constantly asked “do you believe
that I am able to do this?” and our challenge is to say “yes” every moment of every day.
When we can see the action of the Divine in our lives and in the lives of all about us, our
sight begins to be restored.

Prayer
Dearest Mother, help us open our eyes to faith, that through our faith we may say “yes” to
Love and “yes” to the Grace of the Divine. Help us to open our eyes to Love. Amen.

Sixth Mystery of Divine Healing
Raising the Dead
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up
and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you,
get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Luke 7:13-15
Thoughts…
In the Gospels are several stories of Christ bringing someone back from the dead. Yet today
many people live each day dead: dead to the life inside of themselves, dead to the life
present in all of creation, and dead to the feelings of their own hearts. Life flows from our
connectedness to the deepest expression of God within ourselves and in all things—from the
grass to the rocks to the light of the sun and the blue of the sky. To be dead is to be unaware
of this constantly flowing, constantly abundant heritage that is ours for the claiming. We get
it by giving of ourselves so totally that there is nothing left to block its flow. We give of
ourselves in surrender, compassion and love and what we get in return is life. The Love of
the Divine can raise the dead to life if we but ask.
Prayer
O Mother of Life, fill us with love, that the Life of Christ may raise us to fullness of life with
Him, and through our upliftment may we uplift all others around us. Amen.
Seventh Mystery of Divine Healing
Wholeness of Healing
He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there
and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of
Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled
by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming
from him and healing them all. Luke 6:17-19
Thoughts…
A large crowd of people stood around Christ and were healed of all manner of things that
kept them from living a more full life. People tried to touch Him; many could and many
could not. Yet all were healed, and none were turned away. God wishes nothing less than
our complete healing; the creation of complete wholeness of being. To come into the
nearness of the Divine is a transformative experience which forever changes us. We have but
to reach, and however far we can stretch, it is enough—for Love knows no distance or time.
We have only to reach.
Prayer
Heavenly Mother, Divine Mother, we ask for the healing of our hearts, our minds and our
souls. We ask for the healing of the divisions within ourselves, that we may be made whole.

We ask for the healing of the world, that all mankind may come to know the Divine life in
Christ. Amen


of simple souls.


The Holy Names of God
Whoever clings to me I will deliver;
whoever knows my name I will set on high.
All who call upon me I will answer;
I will be with them in distress;
I will deliver them and give them honor.
With length of days, I will satisfy them
and show them my saving power. (Psalm 91:14-16)
In all cultures and in all times, people have had names for God which were considered
special, sacred or holy and whic h were used sparingly or perhaps only for certain reserved
situations. In some cultures, these Holy Names were to be used by the individual in a way
that suggested that their use would contribute to the bringing together of God and man. The
Name was cons idered to be synonymous with the form—that the Name was God, was the
Divine, in a very real sense. There are many hundreds of Names that are holy, and many of
them are well known to the Christian tradition. It was often thought throughout history that
to name something, or to know its name, signified a mastery over life or a completion of a
growth process. To do something “in the name of” God meant that one acted with the status
of the Divine, from a place of knowingness and power. A deeper level of understanding that
can be applied to this idea is that a name reflects familiarity, as if to suggest that each time it
is used, it reflects a state of relationship. We have relationships with that which we name:
Mother, Father, Johnny, Sally. In Genesis, we are told that man was given dominion over
that which he could name. This implies a much more subtle process that occurs within the
individual. Naming something is a process of dividing, of separation. When we name
something we consider it unique enough, by virtue of its qualities, to be different from other
things, and we seek to designate it as special or distinct. This is a process of becoming
involved with creation in an intimate way: we no longer are observers, but participants in
life. When we name something, we take responsibility for understanding it.
In the completion of the wholeness of life—of the circle that begins with the Naming of all
creatures as worthy of distinctness and separation—we are led to understand and to
experience the underlying unity of all of diversity. Common to and surrounding all of life is
life itself. When we name Life as our Life, as our communion with all things distinct, we
begin to experience Unity of life in the Divine.
In this Rosary, seven Holy Names of the Divine are selected for contemplation because each
of the Names, like all names, are small glimpses of the infinity of the Divine. They represent
attributes of a Divine that is in itself complete and whole, containing all attributes. In and of
themselves, they are both suggestive of meaning yet obscure of definition, and this is their
power: for they suggest both familiarity and mystery. In this mystery they call us as deep
calls to deep, inviting us to fall into their sacred meaning and give up our conceptions of
what God is in favor of the experience of what God can be. For this process is one that
works from inside out: we learn of mystery from deep insight gained from deep experience.

Instructions:
Prayer of Intention
Heavenly Father, author of all names, we desire to experience You as the most sacred
mystery of life. Bless us as we grow in Your Name, that we may fulfill the promise of our
lives in Love and in service to You and your creation. Grant us the intimacy of all names,
that we may know all creatures as ourselves and ourselves as You . Amen. ?
evil. Amen.


PATRI.
First Mystery of the Holy Names of God
Alpha and Omega
“I am the Alpha and the Omega”, says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who
is to come, the almighty.” Revelations 1:8
Thoughts…
Alpha and Omega are the beginning and end of the Greek alphabet. These names bring the
qualities of encompassing and enfolding the creation, of being the first and last, the
beginning and the end. In them we see the circle of life: that life begins and ends in the
same place, without beginning and without end. This view of life as a circle instead of as a
straight line is a view that celebrates life in all of its diversity, for all things name the Name
of God. While these names are often understood in these meanings, there are other meanings
that have more intimate significance for us. The Divine is the beginning and the end, and
each time we search for God, we have already found God: for as we begin we end—we are
already there. The path to God is no path, as there is no place to go to find where the Divine
is not. As God exists in all things, Divinity lives in us, pouring out our lives each moment.
All we need do is turn our attention inward—to the place where the Word dwells in us.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mother, lead us to hear the Holy Names written upon our hearts, and give us
courage to speak them silently within our souls and to act them sincerely in our lives. Amen.

Second Mystery of the Holy Names of God
The Lion of Judah
“And I saw, at the right of the occupant of the throne, a book with writing on the inside and
outside, sealed with seven seals. And a saw a mighty angel heralding in a loud voice “Who
is worthy to open the book and break the seals upon it?” And there was no one, none in the
sky or on the earth or under the earth, who could open the book or look at it. And I burst
into tears because no one was found worthy to open the book or look at it. And one of the
elders says to me, “Do not cry: to the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, went the
triumph of opening the book and the seven seals upon it.” Revelations 5:1-5.
Thoughts…
The revelation of John contains many Holy Names, yet this reference to the Lord as the Lion
of Judah is a fascinating one. A lion, or wild cat, is courageous and fearless, yet silent in its
pursuit of its goal. It also spends much time watching and waiting with patience for the right
circumstances to arise before it attains its goal. In the vision of John, no one could be found
who could open the seals of the book of Life. Yet the Lord was represented as having the
ability to open the book because He was the lion of Judah—one who had the patience and
courage and focused attention of the lion. We may gain insight from this, in that our pursuit
of God—and His of us—reflects these qualities. We need the courage to undertake and
continue the process of recognizing the Divine, of opening the seals which bind us in our
circumstances. When we rest in the divine silence, we are both watchful and attentive. We
are made into those qualities reflected in this Holy Name of the Lord, and through that Grace,
we are open to the Book of Life.
Prayer:
O Mother of Courage, birth within us the courage to pursue our course of unity with God, the
patience to continue it, and the Love and Joy of its realization. Amen.
Third Mystery of the Holy Names of God
The Son of Man
“Foxes have their dens and the birds have their nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay
his head.” Matthew 8:20 “So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go
out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from
the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man....” Matthew
20:26-27
Thoughts…
This Holy Name of the Lord is perhaps one of the most confusing phrases that people
encounter. The Lord is born of man, and in that sense is the son of man. Yet He is also the
next step for man, just as one’s children are the next generation. In this sense, the Lord says
the son of man has no place to reside, no place to be located. Christ, as the cosmic Christ, is
present everywhere at once, and thus a part of all beings. To be ready to receive the son of

man, we must be ready to be what we already are—children of God. We need not look out in
the desert to find Christ. We need not look into the inner rooms to find Christ. Christ is
already there, and there is no place that Christ is not. The son of Man is the glory of
mankind, the potential and property of all of mankind, awaiting its own fulfillment.
Prayer:
Mother of Holy Names, help us hear the Holy Names of the Lord deeply in our beings.
Amen.
Fourth Mystery of the Holy Names of God
King of Kings
“…for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and those with him are called the chosen and
faithful.” Matthew 17:14 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are alone and chosen: you
will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again.”
Thoughts…
The phrase “king of kings” implies not simply authority, but causation. What makes a
person like royalty? The recognition that we are a part of God. When are we called chosen
and faithful? When we experience unity in Love with all of creation. We are created in the
image of God, and therefore we are of God. The Divine in us is the same divinity that lives
in all creatures. Yet we become the chosen not by the will of the Divine, but by our
experience of who we already are in God. By our faith we chose, and by our faith we
become chosen.
Prayer
O Mother Mary, Queen of the Rosary, remind us of our Royal status and help us chose each
moment that we may be chosen. Amen.
Fifth Mystery of the Holy Names of God
Morning Star
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay
attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star
rises in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19
Thoughts…
The morning star appears in the heavens just before dawn, heralding the rising sun. The
singular beauty of the Morning Star is captivating in its own way, yet points to something
other than itself—something more encompassing and brighter in aspect through which all can
be seen. As we discover Christ in us, we are captivated by it’s singular beauty. Yet the
dawning of Love spreads its light slowly at first, then outshines all and simultaneously
illuminates all. Through the light of Love life is seen as its own reflection. Through the light
of Christ the unity of all life is lived as Love, in Love, by Love and with Love.

Prayer
Heavenly Mother, Bearer of Light, bring us to the dawn that we may witness the rise of the
bright and morning star. Guide us to spread that light to all creation. Amen.
Sixth Mystery of the Holy Names of God
Good Shepherd
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows
me and I know the Father…” John 10:14-16
Thoughts…
It is often said that “it takes one to know one”. This is a true and clear statement of our
relationship with the Shepherd. When we acknowledge the Divine Shepherd who constantly
calls us, we are invited to gather our fragmented selves into the oneness of the flock. We are
invited to see that the source of Divinity in us is the same Divinity in all of life, and we
experience Divinity as the deepest part of our being in common with all beings. As the
Shepherd, God constantly whispers the promise of our potential to know Him as He knows
us—in this sense the Sheep and the Shepherd become one.
Prayer
O Mother of Life, Bringer of Grace, gather us into the fold that we in turn may gather others.
Amen.
Seventh Mystery of the Holy Names of God
The True Vine
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears
no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more
fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and
I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither
can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:1-5
Thoughts…
Purification is a part of the pathless path, as we discard concepts, thoughts, habits and ways
of thinking and feeling. As our spiritual houses are cleaned, we become lighter and more
able to reflect the light of the Divine. As we sink into and remain in the love of Christ, in the
light of Christ, we reflect more and more the qualities of Christ and bear fruit for all to enjoy.

Prayer
Heavenly Mary, full of Grace, purify us with grace that we may shine as the bright and
morning stars, that by the light of Love we may live in love always. Amen

of simple souls.


A Litany of Mary
Instructions:
Prayer of Intention
draped across the left hand, begin with this version of the Kyrie Eleison:
Leader Response
Lord, Give Yourself to us Lord, give Yourself to us
Christ, give Yourself to us Christ, give Yourself to us
Lord, give Yourself to us Lord, give Yourself to us
God, our Father Give Yourself to us
God, the Son Give Yourself to us
God, the Holy Spirit Give Yourself to us
Holy Trinity Give Yourself to us
Amen. ?
evil. Amen.

PATRI.
First Mystery of the Litany of Mary
Leader Response
Holy Mary Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Most Honored of Women Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Christ Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Mother of the Church Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Divine Grace Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, bearer of light, enkindle our hearts with the flame of love and the heat of
devotion. Amen.

Second Mystery of the Litany of Mary
Leader Response
Mother most pure Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Love Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Dearest of Mothers Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Mother of the Savior Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Light Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Mother of Love, fill us with joy as we discover Christ within, the source of all
joy. Amen.
Third Mystery of the Litany of Mary
Leader Response
Mirror of justice Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Throne of wisdom Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Shrine of the Spirit Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Mystical Rose Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Vessel of devotion Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Vessel of Devotion, fill us with devotion as we melt into the Heart of God.
Help us through our devotion to spread Love to all of life. Amen.
Fourth Mystery of the Litany of Mary
Leader Response
Gate of Heaven Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Morning Star Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Refuge of many Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
House of Gold Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Source of Compassion Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Source of Compassion, fill us with compassion for all beings and through the
compassion of God, enfold and embrace all of life as our own. Amen.

Fifth Mystery of the Litany of Mary
Leader Response
Vessel of selfless service Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Most Honored of Women Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Comfort of many Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Mystery of Life Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Divinity Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Mother of Divinity, help us share in the Joy of creation and Love of life. Help
us to radiate the Love of Christ in all life. Amen.
Sixth Mystery of the Litany of Mary
Leader Response
Queen of Angels Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of Prophets Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of Apostles Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of the Rosary Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of Peace Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Radiant with Peace, fill us with the peace that passes all understanding.
Amen.
Seventh Mystery of the Litany of Mary
Leader Response
Mother of the Americas Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Europe Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Asia Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Africa Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of the World Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Mother of Wisdom, fill us with wisdom to use the gifts that God has given us
for the upliftment of all mankind. We pray for the growth in Love of all people, the spread
of Wisdom, the expansion of Happiness, the increase of Light, and the Birth of Christ into
the hearts of all mankind. Amen.


of simple souls.


The Rosary of The Living Parables
This Rosary is compiled from many of the Parables contained in the Gospel of Thomas, most
of which are also available in Mark and Matthew. While Thomas is not one of the synoptic
or “canonical” Gospels, it contains important clues about at least one kind of Christian
outlook or experience that was available to a small number of first and second century
Christians.
Portions of several copies of the Gospel of Thomas have been found in various places, and a
complete Coptic version was found as a part of the Nag Hammadi material. Although the
age of the Gospel of Thomas is uncertain, found copies have been dated to approximately the
years 200, 250 and 340 CE. Most scholars believe that Thomas was originally written in
Syria in the Greek language, but the style of the document may point to an earlier origin than
the synoptics. Scholars have long theorized about the existence of what has come to be
called the “Q” document, which would have been a collection of oral tradition or sayings
collected from recollections and traditional lore. Thomas seems to many scholars to point
strongly to the writer having had access to portions of the “Q” document in either oral or
written form.
The Gospel of Thomas is not a narrative story or message, but a collection of sayings. Even
so, the overall tone or character that they depict reflects a worldview that emphasized the
nearness of the Kingdom of God: the Kingdom of God is available to people here and now,
in whatever circumstances life places one. The sayings stress that God can be sought and
discovered inwardly as well as outwardly in the world, so that God is seen as a unity rather
than as a duality, and seen as well in the hearts and minds of all people. It is often called
“Gnostic” because it emphasizes inner knowing and inner experience to see the unfolding of
the Kingdom of God. In this sense—and this sense only—Thomas is Gnostic. However, the
Gospel is not a reflection of Jewish Gnosticism or other Greek Gnosticism, both of which
emphasized that the world was a creation of evil and that the world needs to be transcended
because it is evil. In this sense, it is not Gnostic. This differentiation is very important,
because scholars and theologians condemned Gnostic thought (of the Greek and Jewish
variety described above) in the second and third centuries.
The Gospel of Thomas emphasize a different aspect of the Christian experience that
recaptures the sense of awe that fills the heart of one who sees God in all things, and all
things in God. Rather than contain narrative, they challenge us to think and in many cases
their Zen- like koan character leads us to the end of thinking itself: to the regions where
intuition and Love are the only means possible to appreciate the depth of meaning available
in these sayings. They challenge us to re-examine our concepts about life and allow life
itself to speak to us through the portal of the heart, calling and inviting us to contemplation.

Prayer of Intention
evil. Amen.


PATRI.
First Mystery of the Parables
The Mustard Seed
The disciples said to Jesus, “Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like.” He said to them,
“It is like a mustard seed, the tiniest of all seeds. But when it falls on prepared soil, it grows
into a large plant and shelters the birds of the sky.” (Logion 20)
Thoughts…
The mustard plant—especially the variety that grows in the Middle East—is a plant that was
often considered a nuisance plant, and an invader, spreading beyond its boundaries and
taking over everything in its path. What starts as a small seed grows into a large and
spreading bush. The kingdom of God was likened to this: it starts small and grows into that
which takes over our lives. Yet when Jesus lived, Israel was an occupied country, and many
Jews expected a king to arise who would throw out the Romans and establish Israel as an
independent nation and a strong Kingdom…a kingdom of God. This parable takes that
expectation and turns it upside down, for rather than equating the expected kingdom with the
Cedars of Lebanon—the national symbol—Jesus equates it with a common, lowly, invasive
bush that out-competes all other plants until it completely takes over. The Kingdom of God
is shown to be available in the ordinary, breaking through our lives even when we least
expect it. Yet the soil should be prepared…for we should desire and want the Kingdom
revealed to us, and when we have prepared our soil, the seed grows by Grace and in time fills
all of the space it can, offering shelter for others.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mother, help us cultivate our lives so that the kingdom of God may grow and
become a large plant that reaches beyond our own boundaries. We desire to express that
Kingdom that we in turn may provide shelter for others. Amen.

Second Mystery of the Parables
The Jar of Flour
Jesus said, “The kingdom of the Father is like a women who was carrying a jar full of flour.
While she was walking on a road far from home, the handle of the jar broke and the flour
spilled behind her on the road. She did not know it: she had not noticed the problem. When
she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty.” (Logion 95)
Thoughts…
In this parable, the Kingdom is compared to a jar of flour, which leaks out all of the contents
until it is empty. This is an ordinary act of life, an ordinary occurrence. Around the world,
in many liturgies, is expressed the idea that “May our love be poured forth upon thy people,
and our lives be spent in thy service” and that we are called to service and through service we
come to see the Divine everywhere. This certainly was true for Mother Teresa and is equally
true for all of us. Yet this parable tells us that the women was in service to someone, for she
was engaged in bringing home flour, and that the things we hold on to—our patterns of
behavior, addictions, emotional hurts and frailties—can flow from our lives until we are
hollow and empty. When we are thus emptied of what we really don’t need, we are able
allow Love and Life to pass through us unconditionally and untouched by our attitudes and
deficiencies. When all of the stuff that we hang on to is gone and there is nothing left, when
we are empty, we are able to be more fully filled with Grace, and become fit instruments for
God to act through us and with us in service to others.
Prayer
O Star of the Heavens, help us gently let go of the addictions, the attitudes, the emotions, the
pain, fear and hurt that keeps us from experiencing unconditional Love. Inspire us to service,
that though service we may see the Kingdom of God in others and in ourselves, and as we
empty ourselves may we be more perfect instruments of God’s love and service for creation.
Amen.

Third Mystery of the Parables
The Shepherd
Jesus said, “The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the
biggest, wandered away. The shepherd left the ninety-nine and searched for that one until it
was found. After going to such trouble, the shepherd said to the sheep, “I love you more
than the ninety-nine.” (Logion 105)
Thoughts…
This parable is quite similar to the parable of the Prodigal Son, and like that parable we see
an individual wander away from their home, from their place of belonging to go out into the
world. Here the Shepherd leaves the rest to seek for the lost sheep, doing so with greater
love: for “I love you more than the ninety-nine”. Seeking God is risky: it is often fraught
with peril in that we are exposed to our thoughts of separateness from God, elements of our
own frailties and deficiencies, our emotional patterns and stresses, our mental concepts and
ideas. We are called to give them all up, to lose them, to seek the Kingdom as wise beings.
Yet in this activity we are not alone, for God is there with us each step of the way, having
searched us out and found us: once found, were are not lost. God pours upon us His Love as
we seek Him and gives to us the Grace and strength to come back to our original condition of
unity with God, for which we are given special strength and love for the journey. In this
way, we cannot fail to return.
Prayer
Mother Divine, guide us to the fold, to our Unity with God. Help us give up our thoughts,
emotions and concepts, that in our surrender we are receptive to being found, and in being
found, guided again to our home. Amen.
Fourth Mystery of the Parables
The Kingdom
Jesus said: If your leaders say to you, “Behold, the kingdom is in the sky,” then the birds in
the sky will get there before you. If they say to you, “It is in the sea,” then the fish will get
there before you. Rather, the kingdom is inside you and outside you. When you know
yourselves, then you will be known, and will understand that you are children of the living
Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and embody poverty.
(Logion 3)
Thoughts…
This parable, found only in the Gospel of Thomas, clearly locates the Kingdom of God
everywhere simultaneously, yet we may seek it “inside” by knowing ourselves. The process
of knowing ourselves encompasses a release of all that is truly not a part of who we are as
Children of God, such as our expectations, our emotions and thought patterns, as well as an

embracing of what we actually are: inheritors of the spark of Divinity which makes us
Children of God, and the Grace of God which exists always available to us. The awareness
of this simple fact is both enlightening and ennobling and makes of us the wealthiest citizens
of the Kingdom. Our ignorance of life in God makes us the most impoverished. We are
exhorted in this parable to live up to our inheritance and seek the Kingdom with courage and
simplicity, to learn to see it everywhere around us and to realize that there is nowhere—no
physical place nor state of mind or being—that the Kingdom does not embrace or that God
cannot penetrate. As we know ourselves, we are known indeed—as Children of God and
inheritors of the Kingdom.
Prayer
Mother of Love, Queen of Heaven, reveal to us the Kingdom inside and outside; help us to
know ourselves as Children of God and recognize others as Children of God. Amen.
Fifth Mystery of the Parables
The Yeast in the Dough
Jesus said, “The kingdom of the Father is like a woman who took a little yeast, hid it in the
dough, and made large loaves of bread. Whoever has ears ought to listen.” (Logion 94)
Thoughts…
When Jesus lived, the society of Israel considered yeast, or leaven, as a symbol of corruption
and ritual pollution. It was considered profane rather than sacred and was never used in
celebrations or temple worship. In those days, to make leaven, one placed a piece of bread in
a dark, damp place and let it rot. This parable, therefore, equates the Kingdom with the
profane, with the everyday, and thus emphasizes that the Kingdom of God is here and now in
all things. It is found in the common, in the ordinary, in the farthest reaches of places we
don’t expect to see Divinity. Yet it is hidden just as the yeast in mixed in the dough. It can’t
be identified as separate because it is a part of the whole loaf of bread so that it is both hidden
and accessible. All one has to do is partake and taste, for the leaven is immediately obvious
when one looks for it. Thus the Kingdom of God is immediate and available to us if we look
for it where we least expect to see it, and accept it’s breakthrough in our lives. In this way,
the Kingdom is revealed as breaking through the everyday circumstances of our lives…in
both laughter and tears.
Prayer
Mother of the Divine, help us see the Kingdom of God everywhere around us. Help us
celebrate the Divine in the ordinary; to see the mystery of God at work in all people no
matter who they are or what their circumstances in life. Open our eyes to the Kingdom of
God within and without so that like the leavened bread, we may taste God equally
everywhere. Amen.

Sixth Mystery of the Parables
The Prophets
His disciples said to him, “Twenty- four prophets have spoken in Israel, and they all spoke of
you.” He said to them, “You have ignored the Living One who is with you, and have spoken
only of the dead.” (Logion 52)
Thoughts…
This parable, contained only the Gospel of Thomas, tells us that the Living One is always
found in the present, and that although others have spoken in the past, the Kingdom of God
or the Living Presence of God will not be found when the attention is in the past or in the
future, but only found in the present moment. This parable reminds us that we are to find the
Living One in the ordinary, in everyday life rather than looking for special significances or
signs or portents because if we are, then we waiting for something, judging all things and
saying “not now, not now”. We miss the Kingdom in the present moment. To attend to the
Living One is to attend to God in the present and in our present lives.
Prayer
Mother Mary, Mystery of Life, help us claim the present moment as God’s moment in
revelation, to see the Kingdom of God in the ordinary, in the everyday, hearts and minds of
all people, and through our love and service to others claim the Living One as our own.
Amen.
Seventh Mystery of the Parables
I Am The Light
Jesus said, “I am the light that is over all things. I am all: all came forth from me, and all
attained to me. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Pick up a stone, and you will find me
there.” (Logion 75)
Thoughts…
This saying is not really a parable, yet amplifies all of the parables in that it emphasizes the
here and now aspect of the Kingdom of God and it’s immediate availability to our lives. It is
also a reminder that the Kingdom can be found both in the sacred and the profane, not only in
the dualities of opposites, but in all places and in all times if we can but see it. We came
from the Divine, and our awareness will onc e again rest in the Divine as we “attain” to the
Divine. In the sense that we feel separated from God, we are not really separate—we just
feel ourselves to be so. And this is a self- imposed limitation that by perception, by seeing
Christ in the wood and in the stone, we will find Him—and He will find us.
Prayer
Mother of Unity, pull us toward Christ, that we may attain to our birthright as Children of
God. We know that we live with God, through God and in God, and that we are called to

serve God in creation. Help us attain our unity with God not for ourselves alone, but for the
sake of all of creation. Amen.

of simple souls.


The Kingdom of God is Like…More Parables for Contemplation
These words, taken from Mark 4: 30, is the key phrase which names the purpose for parables.
Parables challenge the listener or reader to think and experience outside the box, sometimes
outside the realm of intellect entirely. Parables challenge us to see behind the allegory, and
although a parable and an allegory have different meanings to the biblical scholar, the
comparison or allegorical situation presented gives us pause to consider other meanings,
other shades of truth. Jesus taught in allegories and parables for various reasons, and it is
difficult to suggest that they were only for the purpose of keeping the less enlightened from
being confused. There is good evidence to suggest that this was a deliberate teaching tool
designed to further the experience of the listener in much the same way as a koan does in
Buddhist philosophy.
Parables told to listeners during the lifetime of Jesus were likely stories which produced both
shock and surprise, for the kinds of characters and their behaviors were things that spoke
readily to the social structures, religious and social habits and constrictions of the day in a
way which is difficult for us to grasp today. The net effect of these stories was to place in
comparison or juxtaposition situations that conveyed a radical message about the nature of
the kingdom of God. The radical quality of many parables still speak to us today, hinting by
their multi- level content and rich symbolic meaning of a view of life from God’s eyes, of
radical inclusiveness and boundary-breaking behavior. They continue to challenge us at a
moral and ethical level as well as challenge us in a deeply disturbing spiritual level. At the
same time they challenge and stir us, they also sooth and assure us of the unrelenting, radical,
continual presence of God in creation when we choose to look for it.
The parables tell us that the kingdom of God is beyond our expectations, beyond our
concepts, yet can be found in ordinary activity in the lives of ordinary people. The parables
challenge us to go beyond the ability of the mind to think altogether and enter into the
mystery of God in being, for being itself is the playground of the Divine in nature and in our
lives. The parables encourage us to think, then to be stretched, then to break—and in the
breaking of our ideas and concepts we gain insight. Beyond our insight is the kingdom itself
made manifest by all people who choose to come to the table for the feast already prepared
for us, for our job is to share that feast with others.

Prayer of Intention
1. Holding the cross in the right hand (if right ha nded), with the rest of the rosary in the left
evil. Amen.


PATRI.
First Blessing
The Good Samaritan
In reply Jesus said: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the
hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half
dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he
passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed
by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he
saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and
wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The
next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he
said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” Which
of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?
Luke 10:30-35
Thoughts…
This parable is one which is given in answer to the question “who is my neighbor?”, and
would have spoken to the lives of the original listeners in a way not quite possible in today’ s
world. Modern people need some historical background to understand the deeper dimensions
of what is being said in this comparison. Jewish society of the time was highly stratified with
many levels of hierarchy. On the top were the priests, then the Le vites, then the common
people. There were sharp distinctions between the people of Israel and everyone else. All
things, people and places were assigned to their relative rank in society, and ritual laws of
purity decreed that there be no intermixing or intermingling as sacred and profane things
were rigorously separated. Samaritans were peoples considered “lost”, despised and outcast
from Israel as non- members of the people of Israel. Why this was so stemmed from both the
political and religious history of the separation of Israel into two kingdoms—Israel and
Judah—in the ninth century BCE. King Omri of the Northern Kingdom bought the hill of
Samaria from Shemer (1 Kings 16:24). He built there the city of Samaria which became his
capital.

The city was strongly defended, and it controlled the valley through which the main road ran
between Jerusalem and Galilee. In 722 B.C. the city fell to the Assyrians and became the
headquarters of the Assyrian province of Samarina. While many of the inhabitants of the city
and the surrounding area of Samaria were led off into captivity, some farmers and others
were left behind, and they intermarried with new settlers from Mesopotamia and Syria.
The Samaritans were condemned by the Jews for intermarrying and diluting the racial purity,
but were also condemned by the Jews for having set up a rival temple on Mount Gerizim,
which had become the Samaritan equivalent of Jerusalem. Thus they were despised for both
political as well as religious reasons, and were considered not just outsiders, but occupied a
special place of hatred and bigotry in the social heart of Israel not unlike that of the warring
factions in Northern Ireland or of Serbs and Muslims in modern Bosnia.
What this does is set up a scene in which the answer to the question of whom may be counted
as our neighbor demonstrates that the kingdom of God has no distinctions, boundaries or
exclusions. In this parable a priest and a Levite—countrymen of the injured man—both
ignored the half-dead traveler and continued upon their way. Why was this so? Was it
because they were both hard- hearted, callous or cruel people? Perhaps they were, but what is
more likely is that they were simply following the rules set out for them by their religious
and social ideas…rules that carefully separated the “clean” or ritually pure from the
“unclean” or ritually polluted. They were in other words constrained by their conceptions
and thoughts about what a “righteous” person should be like and should behave.
How was the Samaritan thinking? In this example it would appear that the Samaritan either
was not bound by such ritual laws or choosing to ignore them, used compassion and treated
the injured man with dignity and further treated him as if he were his own brother…offering
whateve r it took to help him in his need. The kingdom of God is like this Samaritan in that
when it breaks through our awareness, we are no longer compelled to observe life in the
same way; indeed, we are freed to act and create as God wants us to act and create. We are
able to become open to what God wants in our lives without judging how, where, or why.
The Samaritan was a neighbor because through compassion the Samaritan saw himself in the
injured person, and through seeing himself in that place began to touch that part of himself
where the Divine life animates all of us, and in that act of compassion showed himself open
to the action of God in his life. This is what the parable asks of us—to be ready to be open to
receive the blessings of the kingdom of God from any direction and to have the courage to let
go of the things which bind us to our misery and ignorance. This is the goal of service to
others: that we forget our own conception of who we are when we act for the benefit of
others.
Prayer:
Heavenly Mother, help us open ourselves to compassion, and like the Good Samaritan, help
us with the courage to go beyond our conceptions of ourselves, and allow God to show us
who we are His eyes. Amen.

Second Blessing
The Publican
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The
Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men-
-robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a
tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to
heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this
man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke18:10-14
Thoughts…
In this parable, we are shown two men in the temple praying, one who believes that he is
better than others, and another man who feels himself weighed down with his burdens and
can only ask for Divine help in his life. This speaks to us not so much about ego, but about
receptivity. The miserable man in the parable is a man who has given up, and feels lost and
empty. He doesn’t feel that he has anything to give, and is fully ready to say “not my will
but yours” when he says “have mercy upon me”. He is ready to receive. In contrast, the
Pharisee is making judgments about those around him. Two things are interesting about this:
the first is that whe n we make judgments, the mind is busy saying “not this, not that” and is
making choices about life. The second is that because of this he was not open to receive, not
open to hear the word of God in his life. We need to be “as little children” to receive the
kingdom of God because we need to be non-judgmental about how blessing comes in our
lives. If we are busy looking for blessing in only one direction, we are not attentive to
blessing which comes from elsewhere. In the kingdom of God all blessings come from
everywhere and anywhere, and those who heard this parable must have been shocked, for it
turns upside down their conceptions of how the kingdom of God should be. No longer is
God in the Temple, nor any longer is God the exclusive domain of the self- righteous. There
is no dividing line between the temple—the sacred—and the profane—the sinner. God is
found equally in all places.
When we make of ourselves as the sinner in this story, we are opened to the blessings of God
in our lives wherever they may come from, and this action allows us to feel gratitude for
what we have as well as be open to blessings from anywhere. We empty ourselves of
ourselves, and allow the Divine nature of God to well up from the wellsprings of our inner
birthright—our nature as Children of God.
Prayer
O Mother, receptacle of Grace, bless us that we may open ourselves daily to God, saying
“yes” to course that God has set for us, and “yes” to the Love of God every moment of every
day . Amen.

Third Blessing
The Prodigal Son
Jesus continued: There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father,
“Father, give me my share of the estate”' So he divided his property between them. Not long
after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there
squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe
famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to
a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach
with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his
senses, he said, “How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am
starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have
sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make
me like one of your hired men.” So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a
long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son,
threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son”
But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring
on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and
celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So
they began to celebrate.” Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the
house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was
going on. “Your brother has come,” he replied, “and your father has killed the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.” The older brother became angry and refused to go
in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, “Look! All these
years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even
a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has
squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”
“My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we
had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he
was lost and is found.”
Thoughts…
This parable is quite similar to the parable of the Lost Sheep, and like that parable we see an
individual wander away from their home, from their place of belonging to go out into a world
of individuality in which we squander our birthright—Unity in God—for a set of experiences
which seem to satisfy our needs for happiness and love but ultimately we starve—
spiritually—and long to return to our father’s house where everybody is fed. This part of the
parable is a classic story of mankind, who is wandering about in the world thinking that he
can sustain himself as a separated and lonely being, yet all the while starving for spiritual
food.

In this parable we are shown the joy that is experienced by creation and by the Divine when
we return. What is not so evident is why the other son would display such anger and
jealousy. On one level, the original listeners to this story must have been thinking of the
story of Jacob and Esau, in which the elder son was cast aside and the younger son
celebrated…a veiled allegory to the situation Israel faced as a people. Yet the parable turns
the tables, and the elder son is not only welcomed but assured of a place in the wealth of the
father’s house.
The kingdom of God therefore cuts through our expectations of everything: it encompasses
those that stray, it comforts and keep those who strive, it accepts all things and nourishes all
things, and most importantly: it celebrates all things.
Prayer
Mother Divine, who embraces us and enfolds us in Love, be for us a beacon to guide us
home to our Unity with God. Help us give up our tho ughts, emotions and concepts, that in
our surrender we are receptive to being found, and in being found, guided again to our home.
Amen.
Fourth Blessing
The Lost Coin
Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the
house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and
neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.” Luke 15:8-9
Thoughts…
This parable—found only in Luke—illustrates the juxtaposition of the ordinary and the
extraordinary in our lives. In the Greek version of Luke, the amount of the coin is one
drachma, which would have been a small amount of money equivalent to less than a day’s
wages. It was not much money even then, yet the women looks all over for it and searches
until she finds it, and once having found it, celebrates and rejoices. We are told that the
kingdom of God is like this woman, engaged in the ordinary. The kingdom of God is found
in ordinary acts and ordinary people. Yet what is extraordinary is that the woman was aware
that she has lost something…and that awareness impels her to look until she finds it.
Without the absence of something, we are not often impelled to search to find something, and
in this case it illustrates that God is found in lacking as much as in finding, for both lead to
the same outcome: celebration! In this ordinariness, then, God speaks to us from three
angles: loss, gain, and celebration. God is found in all three.
Prayer
Mother of Life, help us celebrate each day, help us to remember that God is found as much in
loss as in gain, and so through our lives to celebrate each moment as the precious presence of
God. Amen.

Fifth Blessing
The Great Feast
Jesus replied: A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the
time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for
everything is now ready.” But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, “I have
just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.” Another said, “I have just
bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.” 'Still
another said, “I just got married, so I can't come.” The servant came back and reported this
to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, “Go out
quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind
and the lame.” “ Sir,” the servant said, “what you ordered has been done, but there is still
room.” Then the master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make
them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited
will get a taste of my banquet.”
Thoughts…
This parable is a complex juxtaposition of concepts, and one that requires some explication.
To the listeners of this tale the honor of the host is being rejected by those who are in
positions of honor themselves, and who should accept the invitation, yet they are giving
excuses for their non-attendance. In the end those who have no honor in society are invited
to the table. Why this was a shocking revelation of the kingdom of God for the original
listeners was that the kingdom of God is shown to have an open invitation to everybody: the
lowly, the outcast, the destitute, homeless, the prostitute, the people considered by others to
be “rejects” of society. What is fascinating about this story is that the host did not reject the
original people who were invited, they chose not to come, and continue to do so. We choose
not to come to the table when we decide that business or pleasure or obligations keep us from
coming to the feast which is already prepared for us…the bounty of God is already ours to
have! Perhaps we choose not to come because we can’t really believe that there really is a
feast after all. Perhaps we choose not to come to the table when we set up differences
between ourselves and other people, somehow believing that they too are isolated creations
separate from God and from ourselves. Sometimes we choose not to come because we
ourselves don’t feel worthy.
Yet this parable emphasizes that the kingdom is inclusive of all, no matter who they are. In
today’s world it shows that the kingdom of God encompasses all people: black, white, red,
yellow; gay and straight, single and married, poor and rich. It encompasses all opposites
because it is far more than any duality can describe. It also emphasizes that the Divine Host
is always beckoning us to attend the feast, always gathering from the roadsides and country
lanes. It is always up to us to enter the House of the Lord and seat ourselves at the table, for
we are told that we are always welcome.

Prayer
Mother of the Divine, help us see the Kingdom of God everywhere around us. Help us to see
the mystery of God at work in all people no matter who they are or what their circumstances
in life. Open our eyes to the Kingdom of God within and without so that we can be seated at
the feast of life and welcome all creation as our own. Amen.
Sixth Blessing
The Hidden Treasure
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it
again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44
Thoughts…
The kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure that is worth everything we have—and
more—to enjoy. Does this mean that we must sell all we have and become poor to enjoy this
treasure? No, it means that once having discovered our buried treasure—the spark of
Divinity that we share with God, that represents the spirit of God in us—we are indeed rich
in that we posses that which nothing else can buy. And it is our greatest joy to give up
everything—our mental concepts, our patterns of behavior, our sense of who we are as
separate from God—and offer everything to God. Only when God is satisfied that we have
offered everything—so that we become poor of individuality, poor of ego, poor of
separation—then God fills us so completely that our treasure is the treasure of Heaven, of
Divinity itself. And this is worth more than we can ever give to receive it. In a real sense,
we find the treasure that was already always ours, given to us by God from the beginning of
the world and awaiting our discovery of it.
Prayer
Mother Mary, vessel of treasure, help us find our own treasure hidden within our own lives
and hidden in the lives of others. Help us become poor in what keeps us separate, that we
may become rich in what makes us whole. Amen.

Seventh Blessing
…the Kingdom of God is like…
He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not
know how. All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full
kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest
has come."
Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use
to describe it?” Mark 4:26-30
Thoughts…
The kingdom of God is lush in fertility, birthing new growth with wild abandon and without
regard to what we do. This mystery—that God is always so green, vibrant and fertile—is the
mystery of continual creation, of making new each moment in each moment. This presence
of “the present” is what makes the Divine available to us in each moment, in all places and in
all times. The kingdom of God is so vibrant with growth and fruit that it is available
everywhere in creation. When we too learn to become green and moist and fertile; when we
too learn to become supple and joyous in our growth; when we too become ripe with fruit
and in our turn become seed for new growth, then we too are gathered by God to be used as
instruments of the Divine play in creation. This is the ultimate goal for mankind—to know
ourselves as one with God in creation and to act from that knowledge, planting seeds and
nurturing growth and joy in others, for our unity in God is not for us alone, but for all of
creation.
Prayer
Mother of Unity, pull us toward Christ, that we may attain to our birthright as Children of
God. We know that we live with God, through God and in God, and that we are called to
serve God in creation. Help us attain our unity with God not for ourselves alone, but for the
sake of all of creation. Amen.

of simple souls.



The Rosary of Beginnings
People often pray for new beginnings, to be lightened of a burden, to be given another
opportunity to learn or to grow. Looking at the first of the two creation stories in Genesis
(whose translation is “beginnings”) by itself reveals a tremendously simple and beautiful
description of the creation of the earth and the beauty in it. The words are unspeakably
profound, for they are as well a description of the process of creation within each of us as we
give birth to new ideas, new insight and new directions for our own lives.
Often we are undecided about something: we don’t know which choice is best or that we
have more than one choice. We are aware of conflicting ideas, loyalties, desires and
directions. The process of giving birth to insight is remarkably similar to the creation story
in Genesis in that somewhere deep in our awareness we may appreciate the swirling energies
of the mind wherein ideas are given form from the deep, yet that form is not yet concrete
enough for us to differentiate as a distinct idea. We are, at that stage, only aware of its subtle
existence. At some other stage of the process the idea seems separate and illumined from the
deeper aspects of the mind and being lit with it’s own illumination we recognize it as a subtle
thought, gaining in form and having unique properties of its own, and in its turn spawning
new ideas and new thoughts…a form of blossoming and greening. If we are listening close
enough, perhaps this thought gives us insight into a problem or desire, and gives us a
direction or a solution. If we are strong enough, and have enough faith, this insight may lead
us to further growth. Insight can come quietly and warmly and without fanfare, or can burst
through our awareness with a piercing suddenness that takes our breath away.
Insight is powerful because it can allow us to make new beginnings…to do something we

always wanted to do, to drop the fear that keeps us from our dreams or from the work that
God gives us to do. New beginnings are blessings in that we are energized for the work at
hand, whatever it may be. New beginnings allow us to forgive, accept forgiveness, dare to
love, and dare to accept love. The energy of Genesis is the energy of growth, of potential
being realized, of the Divine coursing in and through itself and expressing itself. It is the
budding of dormant winter plants, the blossoming of spring buds. It is the greening of the
leaf and the growth of the acorn. It is the surrender of the seed to the ground and the
reaching of roots to soil. It is the rest of winter and the cycle of life.
Our Holy Mother is a Mother of birth, of beginnings and of fruitfulness, of Wisdom and of
Life. She is the leaf, the tree, the seed and the soil. She is the ground in which we grow.
This rosary is a celebration of beginning, of insight, of Wisdom, of new resolve, of letting go
and surrender, of reaching roots to the soil of love and the fruit of it’s vitality. It is a rosary
in praise of creation, in praise of God and in praise of the Wisdom that deepens our
experience of God in our lives, and our lives in God.
This Rosary uses Genesis, Chapters 1 and 2 (up to verse 4) from the New Jerusalem Bible.

Prayer of Intention
draped across the left hand, begin with this prayer adapted from the Book of Wisdom,
Chapter 7, verses 7-11 (New Jerusalem Bible translation).
Lord, we pray that the spirit of Wisdom come to us, that we may say with the ancient author
“I esteemed her more than scepters and thrones; compared with her, I held riches as
nothing. I reckoned no precious stone to be her equal, for compared with her, all gold is a
pinch of sand, and beside her, silver ranks as mud. I loved her more than health or beauty,
preferred her to the light, since her radiance never sleeps. In her company all good things
came to me, and at her hands incalculable wealth.” We pray this day for Wisdom, that she
may come to us and guide us to the wealth of God in creation. Amen.?
evil. Amen.
Alternate “Our Father” translated from the Aramaic (see int roduction)

PATRI.
First Mystery of Beginnings
The Light
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void,
there was darkness over the deep, and God's spirit hovered over the water.
God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God
divided light from darkness. God called light "day," and darkness he called "night." Evening
came and morning came: the first day.
Prayer:
Mother of the uncreated Light, we pray for light that we may see clearly, know confidently
and act divinely as we undertake each new day, giving ourselves to God in each moment
experiencing Divine Love in all of the dualities of life…light and dark, warm and cold, near
and far. Amen.

Second Mystery of Beginnings
The Heavens
God said, "Let there be a vault in the waters to divide the waters in two." And so it was. God
made the vault, and divided the waters above the vault from the waters under the vault. God
called the vault "heaven." Evening came and morning came: the second day.
Prayer
Mother of Heaven, Vault of Wisdom, give us your Grace that we may see heaven on earth:
in everybody we meet, in every breath we take, in every joyous action. Amen.
Third Mystery of Beginnings
The Good Earth
God said, "Let the water under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land
appear." And so it was. God called the dry land "earth" and the mass of waters "seas," and
God saw that it was good.
God said, "Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing
fruit with their seed inside, on the earth.” And so it was. The earth produced vegetation:
plants bearing seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside in
their several kinds. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the third
day.
Prayer
Mother of the Earth, illumine our souls with grace that we may become wet with dew, and
verdant with growth. May we sprout with joy, blossom in Love, and may the seeds of our
joy spread throughout creation and help the greening of the Earth. Amen.

Fourth Mystery of Beginnings
The Stars, Brother Sun and Sister Moon
God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them
indicate festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to shine on the
earth." And so it was. God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day, the
smaller light to govern the night, and the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine
on the earth, to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that
it was good. Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.
Prayer
Mother of Love, Queen of Heaven, be for us a moon, immaculate, shining in the hearts of
mankind, spreading the light of the sun. Illuminate our hearts and minds that we may know
the work of God, and give to us the strength to do the work of God in creation. Amen.
Fifth Mystery of Beginnings
The Fruit of the Earth
God said, "Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth within
the vault of heaven." And so it was. God created great sea serpents and every kind of living
creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of winged creature. God saw that it was
good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let
the birds multiply upon the earth." Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.
Prayer
Mother of Life, Queen of the Sea, fill us with Grace that our Joy may be fruitful and
multiply, filling creation with Love. As the sea enfolds and nurtures so many creatures, each
appointed to its rightful place, so may our lives be nurtured by God, that Wisdom and truth
bless us and all of the Earth. Amen.

Sixth Mystery Beginnings
The Prophets
God said, "Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be
masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the
reptiles that crawl upon the earth.
God created man in the image of himself.

In the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be
masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth." God
said, "See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the
trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven
and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food." And so it was.
God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came:
the sixth day.
Prayer
Mother of the Son of Man, Queen of Hearts, fill us with wisdom that we may see our place in
creation as brothers and sisters to all of the life that comes forth from the mind of God.
Inspire us to serve tha t life as God serves us: with unconditional Love and infinite
compassion . Amen.
Seventh Mystery of Beginnings
Rest
Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God
completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day and made it holy,
because on that day he had rested after all his work of creating.
Such were the origins of heaven and earth when they were created (Gen 1:1-2:4).
Prayer
Mother of Bliss, Queen of the seasons, we praise your fruitfulness which fills our Earth and
our hearts with Love, as God made and filled the Universe. We pray that our hearts and
bodies may rest in Love, that we may look upon creation with balance and harmony, that we
may gain the Wisdom to serve God in and through each other, in the wonderful beauty of
nature, and to be in gratitude for our many blessings. We desire to live God’s perfect love in
our lives, and to reflect Wisdom’s perfection in our actions. Amen.


of simple souls.

I give myself this day to the strong power of Love. Amen

The Union of Saint Symeon
St. Symeon the New Theologian is an Eastern

Orthodox saint. He lived from 949 to 1022 in the
Byzantine Empire (now part of Turkey). While
presiding as abbot over St. Mamas Monastery in
Constantinople, he delivered a number of sermons
which stressed that Christianity only becomes
meaningful when the living Christ is encountered
personally. Since many individuals of his day felt
that this was either impossible or was only possible
during the apostolic era, St. Symeon felt compelled
to share his personal experiences of Christ. As he
puts it:
There are many who harm those who hear them by
saying that nobody can be like {the fathers of the
church}, or in his deeds attain to what our great
fathers achieved, or be found worthy of the spiritual
gifts that were granted them. Their unbelief compels
me, unwilling as I am, to say the things I never
wanted to say, and so to proclaim publicly the reality of God's love for man in order to reprove the
slothfulness and carelessness of those who make those claims. (Symeon the New Theologian: The
Discourses, p. 126)
Despite the controversy which his teachings stirred, St. Symeon asserted again and again that what he was
teaching was no different than what the Holy Scriptures and the fathers of the church had taught from the
beginning. As he says:
You, on your part, must see and test that which we say. If we have views different from those of the
apostles and of the holy God-inspired fathers, if we speak contrary to what they said, if we fail to
repeat what the Holy Gospels say about God, then let me be anathema from the Lord God Jesus
Christ. Let it fall on me if we do not enkindle in everyone that life-giving energy and gift which is in
these [writings] (yet lamentably extinguished, as far as men are able, by foolish reasonings) and fail to
point to the light that already is shining, as we establish and assert all things from the Holy Scriptures
themselves and clearly demonstrate. (Symeon the New Theologian: The Discourses, p. 354)
For the benefit of others he described his own enlightenment, referring to himself in the third person:
During the day he managed a patrician's household and daily went to the palace, engaged in worldly affairs, so
that no one was aware of his pursuits. ...One day, as he stood and recited, "God, have mercy upon me, a
sinner" (Lk. 18:13), uttering it with his mind rather than his mouth, suddenly a flood of divine radiance
appeared from above and filled all the room. As this happened the young man lost all awareness of his
surroundings and forgot that he was in a house or that he was under a roof. He saw nothing but light all around
him and did not know if he was standing on the ground. He was not afraid of falling: he was not concerned with
the world nor did anything pertaining to men and corporeal beings enter his mind. Instead, he seemed to
himself to have turned into light. Oblivious of all the world he was filled with tears and with ineffable joy and
gladness. His mind then ascended to heaven and beheld yet another light, which was clearer than that which
was close at hand… (The Catechetical Discourses XXII)

Instructions:
Prayer of Intention
Leader Response
Amen. ?
evil. Amen.

PATRI.
First Mystery of the Union of Saint Symeon
Saint Symeon wrote:

We awaken in Christ's body
as Christ awakens our bodies,
and my poor hand is Christ,
he enters my foot, and is infinitely me.
Prayer:
Holy Mary, awake within the Lord, lead us to awaken to our true nature in the infinite Body
of Christ. Amen.

Second Mystery of the Union of Saint Symeon
Saint Symeon wrote:

I move my hand, and wonderfully
my hand becomes Christ, becomes all of him
(for God is indivisibly
whole, seamless in his Godhood).
Prayer:
Holy Mother, guide us to wholeness and completeness, and in that completeness may we see
others as ourselves—all together wrapped in the seamless garment of the Love of God.
Amen.
Third Mystery of the Union of Saint Symeon
Saint Symeon wrote:

I move my foot, and at once
He appears like a flash of lightning.
Do my words seem blasphemous?—Then
open your heart to him.
Prayer:
Mother of our hearts, fill us with the light of love that we may open our hearts fully and
unconditionally to God everywhere—in all people and all things. Amen.
Fourth Mystery of the Union of Saint Symeon
Saint Symeon wrote:

And let yourself receive the one
who is opening to yo u so deeply.
For if we genuinely love Him,
we wake up inside Christ's body
Prayer:
Mother of Grace, we are opening up in sweet surrender to the luminous love- light of the
Lord, who in turns opens to us and with open arms welcomes us home. Aid us in awakening
to our true nature in the Body of Christ. Amen.

Fifth Mystery of the Union of Saint Symeon
Saint Symeon wrote:

we wake up inside Christ's body
where all our body, all over,
every most bidden part of it,
is realized in joy as him,
and he makes us, utterly, real,
Prayer:
Mother of Joy, help us share in the Joy of creation and to realize our place in it as bearers of
Joy so that we live all mystery as our mystery—our life in God and God in our life. Amen.
Sixth Mystery of the Union of Saint Symeon
Saint Symeon wrote:

and everything that is hurt,
everything seemed to us dark, harsh, shameful,
maimed, ugly, irreparably damaged,
is in him transformed
Prayer:
Mother of Ascension, lead us to this transformation, wherein we see all that is imperfect with
eyes made whole by Grace; and with new vision we may know the beauty and truth of all
things. Amen.
Seventh Mystery of the Union of Saint Symeon
Saint Symeon wrote

is in him transformed,
and recognized as whole, as lovely,
and radiant in his light
we awaken as the Beloved
in every last part of our body
Prayer:
Mother of the Body of Christ, help us to unite our lives in God, that we may see all of
creation as our Beloved, and awake in His Joy and Light, fulfill His desire for our lives. As
Saint Symeon found such wholeness and beauty, may we also find ourselves radiant and
awake in God and God radiant and awake in ourselves, and we pray that all of mankind may
fulfill this Divine destiny—through Christ our Lord. Amen.


of simple souls.


The Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon
"Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society"

--Saint Francis
One of the most famous and enduring, if not endearing saints of
the West was born the son of a wealthy silk merchant in the
southern Italian town of Assisi. Peter and Pica Bernadone
became parents while Peter was away in France on business.
The newborn was baptized and christened with the name of
John (Giovanni), but upon his father’s return from a successful
business trip to France, he was renamed Francesco, or as we
know it, Francis.
Francis grew to be like most of the privileged youth of his day,

gaming, playing and having fun. Like most such youth, his
interests were far from business or scholarship. The ideals of
chivalry were both a romantic idea and a set of social mores
which influenced Francis, and in his idealism he joined in a war
against the neighboring Perugians and was taken prisoner
during the conflict in 1202. He was released upon ransom, and resuming his lifestyle
experienced an illness and was not fully recovered when he again volunteered to join the
army of Walter (Gualtier) de Brienne, who was marching in southern Italy. Arming himself
with the best equipment money could buy, he set off to war.
At this point the story gets rather muddy, for some suggest that he had an illness in the town
of Spoleto, during which he had a vision of Christ that changed his outlook and his life. One
account suggested that he exchanged his finery with that of a poor peasant, whereupon he
returned home to Assisi and faced derision for turning back from the war. In 1206, dressed
in rags, he went upon a pilgrimage to Rome, where he met a leper and we are told that he was
so moved by compassion that he kissed the man’s diseased hand and gave him money. This
was highly symbolic, for leprosy was a highly communicable disease and carried with it the
highest possible social stigma, and in this act Francis showed his solidarity and compassion
for people of all circumstances. When he returned from Rome his course had been set for
him: he would care for the sick, the poor, the powerless and the forgotten.
Francis spent many hours in solitary prayer and silence, and while doing so one day in an
abandoned and dilapidated chapel of San Damiano, which was located near the gates to the
city of Assisi. As he meditated, he heard a voice speaking to him from the crucifix which
said to him: Francis, go and repair my house which you see in now in ruins.”
Francis understood this to mean that he was asked to repair the building, which was in
serious disrepair, and promptly went to one of his father’s warehouses, gathered some cloth
and a horse to carry it all on, and sold both cloth and horse in a nearby market town. He
returned to San Damiano and attempted to give the money to the priest there, but it was
refused since the money was obtained without his father’s consent. The elder Bernadone,
hearing of this, was angry and sought for Francis. Hiding from his father in a cave near the

town, he emerged a month later and was immediately taken, beaten and locked up in the
family’s house. He eventually escaped and went to the church at San Damiano, where he
sought shelter.
His father—believing Francis to be insane, sought to have him dispossessed of his

inheritance, and brought him before the Bishop to have the matter decided. In one of the
most dramatic scenes in church history, Francis, declaring himself all too glad to separate
himself from his father, removed his clothes and gave them to the elder Bernadone, declaring
that “Hitherto I have called you my father on earth; henceforth I desire to say only 'Our
Father who art in Heaven.”
Eventually Francis came to understand that this mission was meant to apply to the church as
a whole, requiring a call to renewal of the people and a recommitment to their spiritual
journey. In this he undertook to live his life espoused to “Lady Poverty”, living near San
Damiano church and restoring it with his own hands in labor each day. In 1209 he was
inspired to live the rule of poverty in St. Mathew’s gospel literally: he gave away his shoes,
his walking staff and his belt. Keeping only an undyed woolen cloak and a cord for a belt, he
began preaching.
His preaching soon attracted others who agreed that poverty and service to others was a way
to serve God, and among those were a leading citizen of the community, Bernard da
Quintavalla, a rich merchant as well as Peter of Cattaneo, a cannon of the cathedral. Both
were given the sheppard’s cloak in April of 1209, and together they comprised the Friars
Minor. In 1210, with permission from Pope Innocent III the Friars Minor became an official
order in the church. With the passage of time, more and more people were attracted to
Francis, including Saint Clare, who founded a Franciscan order for women known as the
Poor Ladies, and later known as the Poor Clares.
Two years before his death, Francis began a forty day fast and while in prayer received the
marks for which he would become legendary. He was the first known saint to have
experienced the stigmata, and they were a continual source of pain and discomfort for him,
yet were a source of inspiration and faith for countless thousands—perhaps millions—of
people throughout time.
This Rosary is written using Francis’s Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon, emphasizing
our unity with all creatures of creation. In the Canticle, Francis names the powers of nature
as our family, as our kin and relations. This canticle has remained a powerful statement of
the commonality and unity in God of all people, of the earth and of the creatures of the Earth.
This awareness of our essential unity with all there is cannot help but underscore our need for
a renewed appreciation for the gifts that we are given through the virtues of Mother Earth, in
whose very body we find life. Francis celebrated that relationship with the “earthiness” of all
things in a way that found dignity and value in the simplest expression of life. We are called
by Francis to observe what is around us with simplicity and wonder, with acceptance and
awe. We are called to change our perspective. What changes is not nature itself, but our
awareness through prayer and silence of what nature has all along presented to us: a clear
and unobstructed vision of God in Creation, and through creation, in ourselves.

Instructions:
Prayer of Intention
draped across the left hand, begin with this Prayer of Praise from St. Francis:
Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen,

Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin.
You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven,
consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son
and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good.
Hail, His Palace.
Hail His Tabernacle.
Hail His Robe.
Hail His Handmaid.
Hail, His Mother.
and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
are poured into the hearts of the faithful
so that from their faithless state,
they may be made faithful servants of God through you.
Amen. ?
evil. Amen.


PATRI.
First Decade of the Canticle
Most High, all-powerful, all- good Lord,

All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
Prayer:
Holy Mary, Mother of Creation, bless us that we may experience God as Love in praise of all
creatures, in love of all of creation. . Amen.

Second Decade of the Canticle
Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,

especially Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.
Prayer:
Holy Mother, be to us a sun, illuminating our way in life, opening our eyes to the radiant
splendor of Love. Amen.
Third Decade of the Canticle
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,

In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,

And fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.
Prayer:
Praise be to you, Women clothed in the Sun, who wears a crown of stars. May we see and
cherish all expressions of God’s infinite mind. Amen.
Fourth Decade of the Canticle
Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,

So useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,

through whom You light the night
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Prayer:
Holy Mother, remind us of water and spirit, of the limitless love of God, and like water cool
and refresh our hurts and pain. Like fire, help us to burn with Love for all of creation. Amen.

Fifth Decade of the Canticle
Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,

Mother Earth who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Prayer:
Mother of Life, instill in us a keen awareness of our Mother the Earth, in whose care we
spend our lives. Help us remember her with love and respect and gratitude for her gifts.
Amen.
Sixth Decade of the Canticle
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon

for love of You and bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
By You Most High, they will be crowned.
Prayer:
Mother of Compassion, bless us with patience, that we may go through our challenges with
grace and emerge from them stronger and more vibrant with love. Amen.
Seventh Decade of the Canticle
Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,

from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.
Prayer:
Mother of the Eternal Life, bless us with grace that as we live our life, we live as God intends
us to live, according to our birthright and our inheritance as children of God. In that life, like
the moon may we reflect the love of God; like fire may we radiate with love; like water may
we pour blessing on others. Like Earth may we embrace and nurture all of life everywhere as
our own life and like Wind may we carry the Love of Christ to all of creation. Amen.

Note: the following prayer is optional. Holding the cross, this last prayer of praise, written by
St. Francis, is said by all:
You are holy, Lord, the only God,

and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good,
Lord God, living and true.
You are love. You are wisdom.
You are humility. You are endurance.
You are rest. You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our ric hes, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord,
God Almighty, Merciful Saviour.
Amen.

A Rosary Litany of the Divine Mother Mary as Mother of Mothers
This Rosary was modified and used for a ceremony involving expectant mothers along with
the new fathers-to-be. The ceremony involved giving small presents to the women along
with wishes that were read for their success and happiness as mothers. Then the Rosary was
done. The very first time this was done, over a dozen people gathered around two expectant
mothers who were due to give birth within several weeks. At the close of the prayer session,
all of the people placed their hands on the wombs of the yet-to-be-born children and prayed
the last prayer “We give you to the strong power of love”. It was a most profo und and
powerful experience! Interestingly enough, one of the expectant mothers gave birth—two
weeks early—several hours after the ceremony. Her labor was less than 20 minutes. While
this is written for a single mother and child (including, of course, the father) more than one
may be accommodated by substituting plural words appropriately.
There is an additional aspect to this ceremony, for while it does not seek to replace baptism,
it does mark a new beginning—and a new relationship with the community as a family. An
African proverb says that “it takes a village to raise a child” and in today’s world this is more
true than ever before. By welcoming the expected child with warmth and love—even before
birth—we send a powerful message as a community which seeks to strengthen the bonds of
commitment and responsibility to extend to all of the members of a family’s community.
Just as in Baptism a child receives a Godparent for a more specific duty, in this ceremony we
extend our love and blessings, protection and nurturance to both the mother and baby. In this
way we also support the father as well. A baby born is more than just another human being,
another statistic. It is a gift of God not only to the parents and families, but to the entire
community as well. As a community, it is a privilege to bless, honor and support the new
mothers and babies.
Prayer of Intention
Heavenly Father, we gather together in blessing for this mother and for this child, that
together we may share in love what you have given to us: the gift of life. As this baby seeks
birth, so do we seek birth: the birth of Your heart and Your mind in our hearts and minds.
For this mother and child we ask for and seek the blessings of life, of love, of happiness, of
joy, of play, of laughter, of companionship, of trust, of innocence, of simplicity, of grace and
of strength. Be their guide and their light, their teacher and their friend, their joy and their
fulfillment.
For this father and child we seek the blessings of love, of joy, of unfolding heart, of
compassion, of devotion, of comfort, of strength, of wisdom, of learning, of exploration, of
confidence. Be their guide and their light, their teacher and their friend, their joy and their
fulfillment.
We ask of your angel host to guide and companion this mother and child and this father and
child, to love and care for them, to share in their joy, to strengthen them and give them your
blessings all the days of their lives. Amen.

Leader Response
Holy Mary, our Heavenly Mother Give Yourself to us
Amen. ?
evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Amen.

PATRI.
then on the chain the GLORIA PATRI, the n the next mystery.
First Blessing—Bearing the Light
Leader Response
Holy Mary Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Most Honored of Women Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Christ Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Mother of the Church Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Divine Grace Enfold us in Love, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, bearer of light, enkindle our hearts with the flame of love and the heat of
devotion. May this child and mother be held in your arms and nurtured by your love always.
Amen.
Second Blessing—Birthing Love
Leader Response
Mother most pure Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Love Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Dearest of Mothers Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Mother of the Savior Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Light Fill us with Grace, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Mother of Love, fill us with joy as we discover Love within, the source of all
joy. Bless this mother and child with love, enfolding them in your grace, melting their hearts
with yours. Amen.

Third Blessing—Filling the Vessel of Devotion
Leader Response
Mirror of justice Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Throne of wisdom Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Shrine of the Spirit Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Mystical Rose Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Vessel of devotion Fill us with devotion, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Vessel of Devotion, fill us with devotion as we melt into the Heart of God.
Help us through our devotion to spread Love to all of life, and through this mother and child
spread the kingdom of heaven on earth. Amen.
Fourth Blessing—Compassion
Leader Response
Gate of Heaven Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Morning Star Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Refuge of many Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
House of Gold Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Source of Compassion Fill us with compassion, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Source of Compassion, fill us with compassion for all beings and through the
compassion of God, enfold and embrace all of life as our own. May this mother and child,
though their compassion, inspire all who know them and draw many to the heavenly life
within. Amen.
Fifth Blessing--Service
Leader Response
Vessel of selfless service Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Most Honored of Women Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Comfort of many Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Mystery of Life Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Divinity Fill us with Joy, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Mother of Divinity, help us share in the Joy of creation and Love of life. Help
us to feel the Love of God in all life, and through this mother and child teach us the
simplicity of love and the closeness of heaven in small things as well as in large. Amen.

Sixth Blessing--Peace
Leader Response
Queen of Angels Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of Prophets Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of Apostles Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of the Rosary Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Queen of Peace Fill us with Peace, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Radiant with Peace, fill us with the peace that passes all understanding.
Through this mother and child, teach us that peace is our birthright and joy is our inheritance.
Amen.
Seventh Blessing--Wisdom
Leader Response
Mother of the Americas Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Europe Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Asia Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of Africa Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Mother of the World Fill us with wisdom, Pray for us in Love
Prayer:
Mother Mary, Mother of Wisdom, fill this family—and all of us—with wisdom to use the
gifts that God has given us for the upliftment of all mankind. We pray for the growth in
Love of all people, the spread of Wisdom, the expansion of Happiness, the increase of Light,
and the Birth of Love into the hearts of all mankind. Amen.
BENEDICTION (based upon the “breastplate” of St. Patrick)
NOTE: This is done with all placing a hand gently upon the wombs of the expectant
mothers, if this is allowable according to local custom and personal comfort level of the
mothers -to-be. If there are too many people for this, allow several to so place their
hands, with the remaining people placing a hand upon those in direct contact with the
expectant mothers. If there are far too many people for this—or the mother(s) do not
feel comfortable being touched, then raising a hand in benediction toward the expectant
mothers may suffice.
We give you this day to the strong power of Love

of simple souls.

We give you this day to the virtues of the starlit heavens, the brightness of the sun, the
We give you this day to the power of God to lead you, His eye to watch over you, His hand
to guide you, His Word to give you speech.
God with you, God beside you,

God behind you, God within you,
God beneath you, God above you,
God to the right of you, God to the left of you,
God in lying down, God in sitting, God in rising up,
God in the heart of every person who may think of you,
God in the mouth of everyone who may speak of you,
God in the eye of everyone who may look on you,
God in the ear of everyone who may hear you.
We give you this day to the strong power of Love. Amen.

A Rosary of Saint Michael and the Archangels
Angels transcend every religion, every philosophy, every creed. In fact

angels have no religion as we know it...their existence precedes every
religious system that has ever existed on earth.
St. Thomas Aquinas
Archangels and angels have places in all the world’s religious and spiritual traditions as
helpers to ma nkind. In many societies and cultures, guardian angels are seen as being
particularly close to specific individuals over whom they keep a watchful eye. Archangels in
particular are seen as possessing vast dominion over vast reaches of creation, and as well are
seen as able to pay attention to individual needs.
Angels and Archangels do not possess physical bodies as humans do, yet are apparently
capable of appearing quite solid and quite human looking when the occasion requires such an
appearance—see, for example, the story of Lot. In modern times stories abound about people
appearing—literally—out of nowhere to help a stranded person and who disappear instantly
upon completing their mission.
In the Old Testament angels were described as the messengers from God, being used for that
purpose in many stories, bringing news, help and inspiration to many people. The Old
Testament describes only two orders, or classes, of angels: The Seraphim and the Cherubim.
In the New Testament Paul adds seven new orders. His list includes—in order of importance
or rank—Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities,
Archangels and Angels. Archangels and Angels have a specific mission to the Earth and all
who live upon it, while the other “choirs” of celestial beings have responsibilities for other
aspects of creation. It is said that the most important Archangels are Michael, Gabriel,
Raphael and Uriel.
Legends and scriptures—both Christian and Muslim—describe many other Archangels and
their duties.
This rosary of the Archangels and the orders (or choirs) of angels is dedicated to calling upon
the influence of these powers of nature and servants of the Divine to bring to us their special
blessings and to ask for their help in bringing the blessings of God to our lives. Raphael,
Gabriel and Michael are represented here. Each is described briefly.

MICHAEL
Archangel Michael is said to be the highest of the Archangelic Host.. With Gabriel, Michael
is the only angel mentioned in the Bible. In the Aggadah, he is seen as the guardian of Israel.
He is the head of all the great warring angels who do battle against evil and against that
which takes people away from their path of Unity to God. He is therefore depicted as a
warrior with large and powerful wings as well as a flaming sword, and sometimes pictured
with a spear as well. Associated with justice and balance, he is often shown holding the
scales of justice.
The name Michael (Micha-el) means "Who is like to God?” Another interpretation is “He
who is like God”. Michael has been especially honored and invoked as patron and protector
by the Church from the time of the Apostles, and although he is always called "the
Archangel," the Greek Fathers and many others place him over all the Angels - as Prince of
the Seraphim.
Michael is the protection Archangel, patron of policemen and bringer of the gift of patience.
Angel of careers, courage, achievements, ambitions, motivation, and life tasks. He is the
great prince charged to defend the people.
RAPHAEL
Raphael, "God has healed", is one of the seven chief angels. He is known as the Semitic God
of Air and one of the four presences set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the
children of men.
Raphael is charged to heal the earth and has a special charge of protecting the young, the
innocent, and travelers. He is the regent of the sun, Patron of Travelers, Chief of the order of
virtues and overseer of the evening winds. He is the angel of prayer, love, joy, providence,
healing, light, science, and knowledge. He is associated with Spring and rebirth
Besides Raphael, Michael and Gabriel are the only Archangels mentioned by name in the
bible. Raphael's name means "God heals." This identity came about because of the biblical
story which claims that he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen
angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch. Raphael is also identified as the angel who moved
the waters of the healing sheep pool. He is also the patron of the blind, of happy meetings, of
nurses, of physicians and of travelers.
GABRIEL
The name Gabriel means "Man of God" or "God Has Shown Himself Mightily." It appears
first in the prophecies of Daniel in the Old Testament. This Angel announced to Daniel the
prophecy of the seventy weeks, (Daniel 9, 21-27). His name also occurs in the apocryphal
book of Henoch. He was the Angel who appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St.
John the Baptist (Luke 1, 11), the messenger Angel who announced to Mary that she would

bear a Son who would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, Son of the Most High, and the Savior
of the world, (Luke 1, 26), and the angel who buried Moses.
Gabriel is one of the two highest ranking angels as well as one of the three Archangels
mentioned in the bible by name. He is the Archangel of annunciation, humanity,
resurrection, heavenly mercy, revelation, truth, and hope. He is considered the bringer of
news and heralds the revealing of answers. He is the patron saint of communications and
postal workers.
It was Gabriel who dictated the Koran to Muhammad, and according to Babylonian legend,
Gabriel fell from grace for not obeying a command exactly as given and remained outside the
heavenly curtain for a time.
According to legend, it is Gabriel who will blow the horn anno uncing the second coming of
Christ
Prayer of Intention
We ask of your angel host to guide us and companion us in our journeys, to share in our joy,
to strengthen us and give us your blessings all the days of our lives.
draped across the left hand, begin with the Prayer of St. Francis:
Leader Response
Heavenly God Bless us with your Archangel Michael
Holy Trinity Bless us with your Archangel Raphael
God, our Mother Bless us with your Archangel Gabriel
God, our Father Bless us with love for those who aid and help us.
God, the Son Bless us with gratitude for your angelic servants.
God, the Holy Spirit Bless us with gratitude for those who—known and unknown to
us—serve us in the Lord.
Amen. ?

evil. Amen.

O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, focus your light within us—make it useful.
Create your reign of unity now; Your one desire acts with ours, as in all light, so in all forms.
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight. Loose the cords of mistakes binding us,
as we release the strand we hold of others’ guilt. Don’t let surface things delude us, but free
us from what holds us back. From you is born all ruling will, the power and the life to do,
the song that beautifies all; from age to age it renews. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Amen.
5. After the third AVE MARIA hold the chain and say the GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Ho ly Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is
6. Name the blessing and read the prayer that follow each one. Begin with the OUR
FATHER on the bead just before the medal and the AVE MARIA on the next ten beads
following the medal. On the chain following these ten beads, say the GLORIA PATRI.
Then, name the next blessing and proceed exactly as above until all the mysteries have been
said—that is say the OUR FATHER on the single bead, then the ten AVE MARIAs, then on
the chain the GLORIA PATRI, then the next blessing.
First Blessing—Charity
Prayer:
By the intercession and blessings of Archangel Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim,
may the Divine Love of God make us to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.
Second Blessing—Healing
Prayer:

By the intercession and blessings of Archangel Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim,
may we be healed and strengthened in body, mind and spirit, that we may perfectly manifest
the gifts that God has given us with joy and clarity.
Third Blessing—New Beginnings
Prayer:
By the intercession and blessings of Archangel Raphael and the celestial Choir of Thrones,
may God in Love infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility, accepting new
beginnings and changes in our lives with grace. Amen.
Fourth Blessing—Service
Prayer:
By the intercession and blessings of Archangel Raphael and the celestial choir of Dominions,
may the Lord give us grace to serve in the great work of gathering all to God.

Fifth Blessing--Beauty
Prayer:
By the intercession and Blessings of Archangel Gabriel and the celestial choir of Powers,
may we be blessed with the appreciation of beauty in all things, and learn to see beauty in all
people and in all of creation. Amen.
Sixth Blessing--Forgiveness
Prayer:
By the intercession and blessings of Archangel Gabriel and the celestial Choir of Virtues,
may we be blessed with forgiveness for ourselves and others, keeping all people everywhere
always alive in our hearts in love and prayer before God. Amen.
Seventh Blessing--Dedication
Prayer:
By the intercession and blessing of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and the celestial Choir of
Principalities, may God fill our souls with a true spirit of spiritual power, filling us with a
sense of clarity and dedication to our path of unity in God. Amen.
BENEDICTION
When the center medal is reached, this last prayer is said:
By the intercession and blessings of Archangel Michael and the celestial Choir of
Archangels, and by the special blessings and ministrations of the countless angels and in
particular our tireless guardian angels, may we be protected, nurtured, guided and loved in
this life that we may offer the same to others. Amen.

The Method of Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer has many antecendents in the history of Contemplation. Yet one
of the strongest seeds and clearest expositions of it’s dimensions was a book written
by an anonymous English (British) author approximately in the year 1375. The year
is an estimate, but likely very close to the actual date. Little is known of the author,
but it is clear that the author was a cloistered monk, and a well educated man. He is
clearly “one who as been there” and offers advice to young novices as they choose to
embark upon the path of interior meditation and prayer. He is clearly familiar with
the concepts of prayer discussed by Dionysius the Areopagite in his “Mystical
Theology”. There is some consideration that this same author may have penned a
version of this work—entitled “Dionise Hid Divinite”, which was released during
this same time period. Scholars suggest that the styles of writing strongly suggest
the same author.
He was clearly familiar with other sources who have described prayers of
transcendence. He weaves together themes touched upon by St. John of the Cross,
and St. Theresa of Avila into a wonderful exposition of what we would now call
Centering Prayer. The author was a man who experienced what he wrote, for he
wrote things that could only come from experience. He wrote with wit and humor,
patience and kindness, clarity and subtlety. In this famous exposition, he outlines
the process and procedure for performing the technique, as well as the possible
experiences that could come up as a result of its practice.
While written in the context of the monastic life—at the time, the only place where
such attention to the interior life could be examined—the technique of prayer itself
which arises from the “Cloud” is universal in its application. One does not have to
be a monk to practice this kind of prayer. Indeed, the author himself says “this work
is not time consuming, even though some people believe otherwise…”. It is
available now, in the form of Centering Prayer, to people everywhere. Nothing
special is needed. One does not have to be a monk to meditate in the way that leads
to transcendence and unity in God. Both the Rosaries of Divine Union and the
technique of Centering Prayer offer a way to transcend and “rest” one’s awareness
with the intention that we remain open to the Grace of God. This openness, this
“waiting” is a form of non-attachment which quickly allows us to perceive the
Graces of Divinity in our lives.

One may wonder where the title for the book “Cloud of Unknowing” came about.
Although Dionysius the Areopagite used the term in the work discussed above,
there is one clue given in the beginning of the “Cloud” in which the author tells the
reader (who is supposed to be a novice in the way of contemplative prayer) that the
mind seems to be wrapped in a “cloud of unknowing” during the practice of the
technique. Another and more telling clue is that the experience of transcendence
itself is one in which one becomes aware of it—in the beginning—only after it has
passed. It is as if the mind itself disappeared for a few moments into a “cloud” or a
space in which there are no thoughts, no feelings and no awareness of anything
except awareness itself.
Thus, once experienced, and then continually experienced on a regular basis, it is

easy to see how the phrase “cloud of unknowing” became attached to this process.
It is an apt and accurate description of the process of transcendence itself. It is an
apt description of “resting in God” in which our awareness is not fixed upon
anything at all, nor is it waiting. It simply experiences itself as it is. This process,
repeated, opens us to both an emptying process in which we are purified mentally,
emotionally and physically, as well as filled…filled with joy, bliss, equanimity,
insight. Eventually this journey of “waiting in God” takes us completely beyond
anything we can conceive…for the spark of Divinity which is God in our soul is
beyond all conception, all notions, all emotions, all thoughts and all feelings. In this
heart lies the very core of Love itself, burning brightly with the spark of God which
gave us birth.
There is one important point to remember about Centering Prayer: it is a process. It

is not a goal, it is not an end to itself. It is a tool. When the house is built, there is no
need to continue to use the hammer and saw. As a process, it takes a life of its own,
directed only by God. As we sit in meditation, we say “yes” to God and open
ourselves to the intent that God act within us.
It is very important to remember that the point of this tool is that we don’t—by the
use of it—in and of ourselves create our unity in God. This unity is ours to begin
with. What we do is open ourselves to the transformative action of God in our lives
that we may fully express the Grace of unity that God gives us. This Grace is not an
emotion or a mood or a feeling. This Grace powerfully restructures and remodels
our awareness and our perception. It is a gift given to us. All we have to do is open
and receive. Centering Prayer is a method of doing this.
Like the Rosaries of Divine Union, this practice is best done regularly. Perhaps it
can be said that both practices can be done as a part of our spiritual unfoldment, but
not together simultaneously. In other words, if one wanted to incorporate Centering
Prayer as a practice, room for this practice should be made in the daily schedule—
and it is recommended that twice each day be set aside for that practice. Rosaries of

Divine Union can be done in a group or by oneself at other times when NOT doing
Centering Prayer.
In other words, Centering Prayer is a technique whose integrity should remain

inviolate: don’t mix practices. Do one in the way that is recommended, and find
another time to do another kind of prayer. The goal of Centering Prayer is that it
leads to “contemplative” prayer, in which in it’s purest form there are no words, no
thoughts, feelings or emotions. In this pure form of silence, “contemplation” is not a
process, it is an outcome. Although we may loosely refer to Centering Prayer as a
“technique” is really much more than that for it encompasses so much more than a
“technique” could.
Following are discussions of some of the dimensions of Centering Prayer and then a
description of it’s actual practice and use.
Theological Background
The grace of Pentecost affirms that the risen Jesus is among us as the glorified Christ. Christ
lives in each of us as the Enlightened One, present everywhere and at all times. He is the
living Master who continuously sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and to bear witness
to his resurrection by empowering us to experience and manifest the fruits of the Spirit and
the Beatitudes both in prayer and action.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is the most traditional way of cultivating friendship with Christ. It is a
way of listening to the texts of scripture as if we were in conversation with Christ
and he was suggesting the topics of conversation. The daily encounter with Christ
and reflection on his word leads beyond mere acquaintanceship to an attitude of
friendship, trust and love. Conversation simplifies and gives way to communing, or
as Gregory the Great (6th century), summarizing the Christian contemplative
tradition, put it, "resting in God." This was the classical meaning of contemplative
prayer for the first sixteen centuries.
Contemplative Prayer
Christian Contemplative Prayer is the opening of mind and heart - our whole being -
to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words and emotions, whom we
know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, thinking, feeling and choosing;
even closer than consciousness itself. The root of all prayer is interior silence.
Though we think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words, this is only

one expression. Contemplative Prayer is a prayer of silence, an experience of God’s
presence as the ground in which our being is rooted, the Source from whom our life
emerges at every moment.
For the Church's first sixteen centuries Contemplative Prayer was the goal of
Christian spirituality. After the Reformation, this living tradition was virtually lost.
Today, with cross-cultural dialogue and historical research, the recovery of the
Christian contemplative heritage has begun. The method of Centering Prayer, in the
tradition of Lectio Divina (praying the scriptures) is contributing to this renewal
Contemplative Prayer is the normal development of the grace of baptism and the
regular practice of Lectio Divina. We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings
expressed in words. But this is only one expression. Contemplative Prayer is the
opening of mind and heart - our whole being - to God, the Ultimate Mystery,
beyond thoughts, words and emotions. We open our awareness to God whom we
know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than
choosing - closer than consciousness itself. Contemplative Prayer is a process of
interior purification leading, if we consent, to divine union.
The Method of Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of
contemplative prayer by preparing our faculties to cooperate with this gift. It is an
attempt to present the teaching of earlier time (e.g. The Cloud of Unknowing) in an
updated form and to put a certain order and regularity into it. It is not meant to
replace other kinds of prayer; it simply puts other kinds of prayer into a new and
fuller perspective. During the time of prayer we consent to God's presence and
action within. At other times our attention moves outward to discover God's
presence everywhere.
The Guidelines
1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's
presence and action within.
2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce
the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action
within.
3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred
word.
4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a
couple of minutes.

Explanation of the Guidelines
I. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's
presence and action within." (Open Mind, Open Heart, chap. 5)
1. The sacred word expresses our intention to be in God's presence and to

yield to the divine action.
2. The sacred word should be chosen during a brief period of prayer
asking the Holy Spirit to inspire us with one that is especially suitable
for us.
a. Examples: Lord, Jesus, Abba, Father, Mother
b. Other possibilities: Love, Peace, Shalom, Maranatha, God
3. Having chosen a sacred word, we do not change it during the prayer
period, for that would be to start thinking again.
4. A simple inward gaze upon God may be more suitable for some
persons than the sacred word. In this case, one consents to God's
presence and action by turning inwardly toward God as if gazing
upon him. The same guidelines apply to the sacred gaze as to the
sacred word.
II. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently
introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence
and action within.
1. By "sitting comfortably" is meant relatively comfortably; not so

comfortably that we encourage sleep, but sitting comfortably enough
to avoid thinking about the discomfort of our bodies during this time
of prayer.
2. Whatever sitting position we choose, we keep the back straight.
3. If we fall asleep, we continue the prayer for a few minutes upon
awakening if we can spare the time.
4. Praying in this way after a main meal encourages drowsiness. Better to
wait an hour at least before Centering Prayer. Praying in this way just
before retiring may disturb one's sleep pattern.
5. We close our eyes to let go of what is going on around and within us.
6. We introduce the sacred word inwardly and as gently as laying a
feather on a piece of absorbent cotton.
III. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred
word.
1. "Thoughts" is an umbrella term for every perception including sense

perceptions, feelings, images, memories, reflections, and
commentaries.

2. Thoughts are a normal part of Centering Prayer.
3. By "returning ever-so-gently to the sacred word", a minimum of effort
is indicated. This is the only activity we initiate during the time of
Centering Prayer.
4. During the course of our prayer, the sacred word may become vague
or even disappear.
IV. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a
couple of minutes.
1. If this prayer is done in a group, the leader may slowly recite the Our
Father during the additional 2 or 3 minutes, while the others listen.
2. The additional 2 or 3 minutes give the psyche time to readjust to the
external senses and enable us to bring the atmosphere of silence into
daily life.
Some Practical Points

1. The minimum time for this prayer is 20-30 minutes. Two periods are
recommended each day, one first thing in the morning, and one in the
afternoon or early evening.
2. The end of the prayer period can be indicated by a timer, providing it does
not have an audible tick or loud sound when it goes off
3. The principal effects of Centering Prayer are experienced in daily life, not in
the period of Centering Prayer itself.
4. Physical Symptoms:
a. We may notice slight pains, itches, or twitches in various parts of the
body or a generalized restlessness. These are usually due to the
untying of emotional knots in the body.
b. We may also notice heaviness or lightness in the extremities. This is
usually due to a deep level of spiritual attentiveness.
c. In either case, we pay no attention, or we allow the mind to rest briefly
in the sensation, and then return to the sacred word.
5. Lectio Divina provides the conceptual background for the development of
Centering Prayer.
6. A support group praying and sharing together oncee a week helps maintain
one's commitment to the prayer.
Extending the Effects of Centering Prayer into Daily Life

1. Practice 2 periods of Centering Prayer daily.
2. Read Scriptures regularly and study Open Mind, Open Heart.

3. Practice one or two of the specific methods for everyday, suggested in Open
Mind, Open Heart, chapter 12.
4. Join a Centering Prayer Support Group or Follow-up Program (if available in
your area.)
a. It encourages the members of the group to persevere in private.
b. It provides an opportunity for further input on a regular basis through
tapes, readings, and discussion.
Points for Further Development
1. During the prayer period various kinds of thoughts may be distinguished. (cf.
Open Mind, Open Heart, chapters 6 through 10):
a. Ordinary wanderings of the imagination or memory.
b. Thoughts that give rise to attractions or aversions.
c. Insights and psychological breakthroughs.
d. Self-reflections such as, "How am I doing?" or, "This peace is just
great!"
e. Thoughts that arise from the unloading of the unconscious.
2. During this prayer, we avoid analyzing our experience, harboring
expectations or aiming at some specific goal such as:
a. Repeating the sacred word continuously
b. Having no thoughts.
c. Making the mind a blank.
d. Feeling peaceful or consoled.
e. Achieving a spiritual experience.
3. What Centering Prayer is not:
a. It is not a technique.
b. It is not a relaxation exercise.
c. It is not a form of self-hypnosis.
d. It is not a charismatic gift.
e. It is not a para-psychological phenomenon.
f. It is not limited to the "felt" presence of God.
g. It is not discursive meditation or affective prayer.
These guidelines form an outline of the practice, but what is lost in these instructions
is how easy the practice really is. There is a subtlety to this practice which when
first experienced is both powerful and yet easy, leaving one with a sense of
amazement that it can be so easy. Yet each session is and can be different, because
Centering Prayer does relay on our “consent” to the action of God and the Holy
Spirit in us, and each time we sit with Centering Prayer we are in need of differing
things known only to God…and this means that whatever happens during our
session, we make no judgment about it’s value, whether we felt it was “good”, or
“productive” or “insightful” or “restful” or “silent” or gave us an especially close
feeling of one-ness with God. All or none of these things may be true at any time in

our sessions, yet our job is to remain non-judgmental about it. We simply sit,
consent to be present, begin the use of our sacred word, and let go of any outcome
that may result. It is important to understand that this is a process that leads to our
continual awareness of unity in God, but these graces are ones bestowed by God at
whatever timetable is suitable to God. We don’t “earn” this. We become receptive,
and the more we sit in Centering Prayer the more receptive our whole body, mind
and spirit become: yet our very receptivity is not for us to judge. We leave that to
God.
Also, each time that we sit with Centering Prayer our bodies are different: we may
be well rested, we may be physically tired or fatigued; we may be sick or we may be
in great health. Our minds may be different each time as well: as we begin to sit, we
may have been stressed and worried or mentally fatigued by our work or our
responsibilities. Our job is to let them go in the process, and offer them to the feet of
God. All of these factors may effect our experience of our session of Centering
Prayer, yet our perception of our experience is not a good or valid understanding of
what was actually taking place at very silent levels of our being, and when we a
finished we may very well feel much different mentally or physically. Nonetheless,
it is important to remember that whatever our experience is during our session, we
cannot use that experience to make any conclusions about any meaning it may have.
The time to notice changes or benefits or insights or graces or blessings that may
arise from the practice of Centering Prayer is really when we’re not actually sitting
for a session. Often we are able to notice changes in our behavior toward others, or
how we think or see situations or people, or how we feel physically or mentally. We
may gain insights into ourselves or others that we never had before. We may feel
greater love in our lives. We may feel greater peace and harmony, compassion or
happiness in our lives. If changes occur, that is good. If they don’t , that is also
good. The Divine knows what it wishes to do in our lives, and all we need do is
consent, and like Mary, we learn more and more to say “yes” to the action of the
Divine in our lives. This effort in itself is all that’s needed to begin.
Fr. Thomas Keating’s book Open Mind, Open Heart is a great resource to have when
engaging in Centering Prayer, and it is well recommended.
Centering Prayer can be done in a group, and like the Rosaries of Divine Union,
there seems to be a special benefit from doing it together in a group. Many
churches, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran and Methodist have meetings
periodically to host Centering Prayer sessions. The Contemplative Outreach website
offers the names and contact numbers for many of these churches throughout the
country. Check their website, http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org for details.

Centering Prayer and the
Transformation of Divine Love
Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O.

With regard to our psychological experience of
Centering Prayer, we have to be careful not to project
our own judgment on God. God responds to each of
us where we are, and takes into account what we are
capable of. Everyone of good will who offers prayer of
any kind is certainly going to be heard. We do not
have to wait until we have reached deep interior
silence in order to pray. We must pray as we can and
hope for the mercy of God. It is by doing Centering
Prayer on a regular basis that God is moved to raise us
to higher states of prayer. After all, the fundamental
purpose of prayer, including the prayer of petition, is
not to get something from God or to change God, but
to change ourselves. When we have changed, God can
give us everything we want, because our wills will be
one with God, and we will want only what God
wants.
The ultimate purpose of every kind of prayer is to give ourselves to God, and to
make it possible for God to do what he always wanted to do in the first place, which
is to give us the divine life. Deep prayer is the condition that God is waiting for in
order to communicate his divine life and holiness to us. Such is the purpose of our
creation in the first place.
There is an important connection between vocal prayer and the experience of

interior silence. The Word of God emerges from the infinite silence of the Father,
Who is the source of the divine life. That is the model for every Christian life. When
our own words and actions (which are also words) emerge from regular periods of
deep interior silence, we will begin to see spontaneously what is more important

and what is less important in our daily occupations and duties. That will save us a
lot of time in the long run.
In the liturgy, for instance, if the service itself began with a few moments of silence
and ended with silence, or if the readings were preceded and followed by silent
pauses, the experience of the sacred words emerging out of the silence would be
much more powerful and effective. It would make the hymns of praise and the
prayers of petition much more meaningful to the congregation. There is an essential
relationship between silence and speech, because everything comes out of silence.
When our life emerges from periods of silence, it is a more genuine life; and when
we return to silence, our life receives its truest meaning. In the beginning, both
cannot be done at the same time, but in time they will tend to merge. Then, interior
silence does not have to be prolonged in order to produce its transforming effects in
daily life.
One of the things that Centering Prayer, as it deepens, will affect is our intuition of
the oneness of the human family, and indeed, the oneness of all creation. As one
moves into one's own inmost being, one comes in contact with what is the inmost
being of everyone else. Although each of us retains his or her own unique
personhood, we are necessarily associated with the Divine-human person who has
taken the whole human family to himself in such a way as to be the inmost reality of
each individual member of it. And so, when one is praying in one's inmost being, in
one's spirit, one is praying so to speak, in everyone else's spirit.
In the Eucharist, we are not only joined to Jesus Christ present with his whole being
under the symbols of bread and wine, but we believe we are joined with all other
Christians, with every member of the human race, and indeed with the whole of
creation. Jesus Christ in his divinity is in the hearts of all men and women and in the
heart of all creation, sustaining everything in being. This mystery of oneness enables
us to emerge from the Eucharist with a refined inward eye, and invites us to
perceive the mystery of Christ everywhere and in every thing. He who is hidden
from our senses and intellect in his divine nature becomes more and more
transparent to the eyes of faith - to the consciousness that is being transformed.
Christ's Spirit in us perceives the same Spirit in others. The Eucharist is the
celebration of life, the dance of the divine in human form. We are part of that dance.
Each of us is a continuation of Christ's incarnation insofar as we are living Christ's
life in our own lives - or rather, instead of our own lives. The Eucharist is the
summary of all creation coming together in a single hymn of praise and
thanksgiving. In the Eucharist all creation is transformed into the body of Christ,
united with his divine Person, and thrust into the depths of the Father for ever and
ever. Even material creation has become divine in him. "For the creation," says Paul,
"waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God" (Rom.
8:19).

Centering prayer and interior silence deepen our appreciation of and receptivity to
the Eucharist. The Eucharist also helps to develop and nourish Centering Prayer and
interior silence. They are mutually reinforcing. Through deep prayer, one
appreciates the meaning of the sacraments and increases their effectiveness.
It is not so much the length of time that one spends in prayer but the quality of it
that is transforming and that nourishes and refreshes at the deepest level. The most
effective prayer takes place when one is not even aware of praying - when one has
merged and lost one's own identity in the mystery of Christ. This union is the
ultimate goal of the Eucharist. Interior union with Christ comes by assimilating the
Eucharistic food into our own body and spirit. The physical act of eating is the
symbol of what is happening spiritually and points to the interpenetration that is
taking place between Christ and us. This interpenetration is designed to further our
evolution into vertical time and our assimilation of the eternal values that Christ has
brought into the world through his incarnation and communicated to us in all its
fullness by his passion, death, resurrection and ascension. The purpose of our
historical lifetime is to provide us with space to complete this transformation of
body, soul and spirit.

Centering Prayer
New Testament Scriptural
and Theological Inspirations

Contemplative Prayer is not a technique, although it makes use of methods as starting
points to awaken spiritual attentiveness. Contemplative Prayer is a gift of the Holy
Spirit. A basic tenet of the Christian Contemplative Tradition is that this gift cannot
be earned, but it is freely given by God. Centering Prayer is not that gift, or even a
way to make Contemplative Prayer happen. Rather, it is a means of preparing to
receive it by opening to God’s presence and action within. The following texts from
the Gospel of John are a New Testament scriptural and theological inspiration for
the practice of Centering Prayer and Contemplative Outreach.
The relationship in the Trinity between the Father and the Son
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? I am not myself the
Source of the words I speak to you: It is the Father who dwells in me doing his own work.
Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else accept the
evidence of the deeds themselves. In very truth I tell you, whoever has faith in me
will do what I am doing, indeed he will do greater things still because I am going to
the Father. Anything you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. (John 14: 10)
The invitation to share in the Trinitarian relationships

I will not leave you alone; I am coming back to you. In a little while the world will
see me no longer, but you will see me; because I live you too will live. When that
day comes you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. (John 14:
18)

The presence and action of the Holy Spirit
I have told you these things while I am still with you; but the advocate, the Holy
Spirit whom the Father will send in my name; will teach you everything and remind you of
all that I have told you. (John 14: 18)
The necessity of union with Christ

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.... Dwell in me, as I in you. No
branch can bear fruit by itself, but only if it remains united with the vine; no more can
you bear fruit, unless you remain united with me... (John 15:1)
I am the Vine and you are the branches. Anyone who dwells in me, as I dwell in him,
bears much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4)
The movement of Union with Christ towards pure love

If you dwell in me, and my words dwell in you, ask whatever you want, and you shall have
it. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Dwell in my love. If you heed my
commands, you will dwell in my love, as I have heeded my Father’s commands and dwell in
his love. (John 15:7)
Christ’s prayer for the unity of all his followers

Protect them by the power of your name, the name you have given me, that they may
be one as we are one. (John 17:12)
May they all be one in us; as you, Father are in me, and I in you, so also may they be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you gave me I have given to
them, that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, may they be perfectly
one. Then the world will know that you sent me, and that you loved them as you
loved me. (John 17:20)

The Active Prayer
The active prayer is a method that comes from many sources, especially from the
Eastern Orthodox traditions.
Active prayer is—unlike Centering Prayer—done with the eyes open and in daily
life. It can be done while walking or swimming, riding the bus or plane, driving to
work, riding a bicycle, mowing the lawn or doing other activities. It really has a
positive effect to help us integrate an assent God’s presence in our lives as continue
through our day’s activities.
The active prayer - an aspiration drawn from scripture for use in daily life - should
be longer -five to nine syllables. The saying of the syllables is synchronized with
one's heartbeat. While some people like to use a variety of aspirations for this
purpose, it is easier to work a single aspiration into the subconscious. The great
advantage of this practice is that it eventually becomes a "tape" similar to the "tapes"
that accompany one's upsetting emotions. When this occurs, the aspiration has the
remarkable effect of erasing the old tapes, thus providing a neutral zone in which
common sense or the Spirit of God can suggest what should be done.
This reprogramming of our awareness—a reordering of our attitudes—is again an

open invitation to Divine breakthrough and the release of Love.
The active prayer has to be repeated again and again at free moments in order to
work it into the subconscious. The old tapes were built up through repeated acts. A
new tape can be established in the same way. It may take a year to establish one's
active prayer in the subconscious. It will then arise spontaneously. One may wake
up saying it or it may accompany one's dreams.
Go about this practice without anxiety, haste, or excessive effort. Do not blame
yourself for forgetting to say it on some days; just start up again. It should be
repeated when your mind is occupied with other things such as conversation, study,
or work requiring concentration.
Following are examples of the active prayer:
O Lord, come to my assistance.

God, make haste to help me.

Holy Mary, Mother of God.
Abide in my love.
My God and My All.
My Jesus, mercy.
Kyrie Eleison.
Veni Sancti Spiritus.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Agnus Dei dona nobis pacem.
I belong to you, O Lord.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Take, Lord, and receive all I have.
Bless the Lord, my soul.
Open my heart to your love.
Lord, I give myself to you.
My Lord and my God.
Body of Christ, save me.
Lord increase my faith.
Not my will but thine be done.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.
Open my heart to your love.
Jesus, my light and my love.
May my being praise you, Lord.
Through Him, with Him, in Him.
Jesus, my light and my love.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Holy Spirit, pray in me.
Lord, do with me what You will.
Speak Lord, Your servant is listening.
Heavenly Father, the world is my family.
I am opening up in sweet surrender.
Not mine, but Yours.
I am all Yours.
All Yours.

Rosaries of Divine Union

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Rosaries of Divine Union

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Rosaries of

Rosaries for the

Copyright © 2001, Fr. Michael Adams and Rosaries of Divine Union

Introduction to the Rosaries of Divine Union, Third Edition ........................................................ 1

The Glorious Mysteries............................................................................................................ 18

A Litany of Mary .................................................................................................................... 56

The Rosary of Beginnings........................................................................................................ 80

The Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon ............................................................................ 93

The Method of Centering Prayer ............................................................................................. 112

Centering Prayer New Testament Scriptural and Theological Inspirations................................ 123

Copyright © 2001, Fr. Michael Adams and Living Rosaries

Fr. Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart

Rosaries of Divine Union 1

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 2

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 3

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 4

About These Rosaries

We fly to your patronage,

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 5

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 6

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 7

A second and alternate wording is offered as a translation of the traditional “Our

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 8

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 9

Fr. Michael Adams,

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 10

Alternate “Our Father” translated from the Aramaic (see introduction)

4. On the next three beads say the “AVE MARIA”:

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 11

First Joyous Mystery

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 12

Second Joyous Mystery

Third Joyous Mystery

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 13

Fourth Joyous Mystery

Fifth Joyous Mystery

The finding of Jesus in the Temple

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 14

Sixth Joyous Mystery

Seventh Joyous Mystery

The Assumption and Coronation of Our Lady

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 15

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 16

I give myself this day to the strong power of Love

Christ with me, Christ beside me,

I give myself this day to the strong power of Love. Amen.

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 17

4. On the next three beads say the “AVE MARIA”:

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 18

First Glorious Mystery

The Changing of Water into Wine

Second Glorious Mystery

The Healing of the Leper

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 19

Third Glorious Mystery

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Fourth Glorious Mystery

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 20

Fifth Glorious Mystery

The Appearance to the Disciples

Sixth Glorious Mystery

“Lord Jesus was taken up unto heaven.” Mark 16:19

Rosaries of Divine Union, Page 21

Seventh Glorious Mystery