The Changing Face Of Rosary Beads
Written by Angela Lovelock   
Saturday, 22 May 2010 07:36
Rosary beads have a very long history, lasting almost 1000 years.
by AngelaLovelock


Rosary beads have a very long history, lasting almost 1000 years.

First and foremost they are prayer beads. By themselves prayer beads are used in many religions. They are a way of focussing on a prayerful devotion, and to create a structure for prayer.

Each bead represents a single prayer. Ten beads are a decade, during which an event in the gospel is the focus of meditation. The events are grouped into fives, five each representing the life death, and resurrection of Christ, a simple way to remember the core mysteries of the gospel. Later and more recently St John Paul II added the luminous mysteries representing some of the mystical events of the gospels.

To a believer they represent a thing of beauty. They are also a memory of the mother of christ. The name rosary means a garland of roses, and the scent of roses is associated with many of the marian apparitions.

In some of the worst events of history the beads have become a place of refuge.Maximilian kolbe ( now saint) recited the rosary whilst condemned in a nazi concentration camp to a long lingering death of starvation. One by one all those condemned with him died, but the Nazis ultimately executed Maximillian when he survived too long for them. In the Rwandan genocide, Immaculee Illibagiza relied on the rosary, her sole occupation for months whilst hiding amongst those who sought to kill her. When the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima the rosary was credited with the survival of a handful of priests at the epicentre of the explosion.

Many Miracles have been attributed to penances and prayers of the rosary, and special dispensations have been offered to those who say them, at events such as Fatima.

The beads are also associated with other prayers, for example the divine mercy chaplet instituted by Saint Faustina.

Not all favour the rosary, indeed protestants think they symbolize erroneous doctrine.

Sad to say a top footballer and personality was seen wearing them as a fashion statement devoid of meaning A sacrilege to those who accept a greater meaning.

And for the third millennium the beads now appear as an iphone application, it is hard to see them surviving so long on an iphone. What will replace it in 1000 years from now? The changing face of Rosary Beads.

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