The Kingdom Rosary

I know I said I wasn’t going to blog any more this month, but I found some time this lunchtime to write down a few thoughts…

Last week at “Theology On Tap” Bernadine Carr gave a talk on the subject of The Beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor in spirit…”). In the run-up to her talk I was reminded of a devotional practice I followed years ago when I was living in Cheltenham…

I found myself drawn to praying with rosary beads, but at that time I didn’t feel comfortable with praying the Marian prayers of the rosary. So what I did was to replace the “Hail Mary”s and “Hail Holy Queen”s with short passages of Scripture and pray with those instead.

An example of this is found below. It is a guide to what could be dubbed the “Kingdom Rosary” or “The Rosary of St. Matthew”.

The Kingdom Rosary (MS Word) | The Kingdom Rosary (PDF)

At the beginning of this month, in preparation for Bernadine’s talk, I began this “Kingdom Rosary” and quickly fell in love with it all over again. It’s really helpful for memorizing Scripture and it’s also much shorter than a traditional Rosary, which is ideal if I’m walking just a couple of blocks to pick up a sandwich for lunch.

If any of you end up doing one of these or have any suggested alterations, please leave a comment below 🙂

The Kingdom Rosary

The Beginning

The prayer begins at the cross…

1. The Cross
God’s Kingdom cannot be built without the cross. While making the sign of the cross, pray:

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up his  cross and follow me”
– Matthew 16:24

2. The large bead
Pray the prayer of the Kingdom:

“Our Father…”
– Matthew 6:9-13

3. The three small beads
Meditate on the three Kingdom invitations at the beginning of the Gospel:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”
– Matthew 4:17

“Come, follow me, …”
– Matthew 4:19

“…and I will make you fishers of men”
– Matthew 4:19

4. We should now be at the beginning of the rosary’s loop. This is usually marked with a medal or extra bead. To prepare to meditate on the Beatitudes, listen to the words of Jesus:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
– Matthew 11:28-30

The Decades

A “decade” is composed of one large bead and ten small beads. There are typically five decades on a rosary. Pray the following for each decade:

5. The large bead

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said…”
– Matthew 5:1-2

6. The smaller beads

1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs…”
– Matthew 5:3

2. “…Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”
– Matthew 5:4

3. “…Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth”
– Matthew 5:5

4. “…Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”
– Matthew 5:6

5. “…Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy”
– Matthew 5:7

6. “…Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”
– Matthew 5:8

7. “..Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of the Most High”
– Matthew 5:9

8. “…Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
– Matthew 5:10

9. “…Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”
– Matthew 5:11-12

10. Glory Be to the Father, …

The Ending

After praying five decades we return to the beginning of the rosary’s loop, often marked by a medal or an extra bead.

7. The Medal
Complete this “Kingdom Rosary”, by meditating on the Great Commission of the King:

 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:17-20