Lexine Muella 6- Hildegard

CLE REVIEWER
Human beings: Masterpieces of God

- Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and
over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the
earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and
female he created them

- Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground[a] and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The History of the Rosary

Pre-Christian and Early

- The use of prayer beads and repeated prayers dates back to early Church Christian traditions
and even pre-Christian times.
- Evidence from the Middle Ages shows strings of beads (called Paternosters) were used to count
Our Fathers and Hail Marys.

Middle Ages: The Rosarium Emerges

- Between the 12th and 15th centuries, the rosary began to take shape
- The term rosary means “Crown of Roses”
- 50 Hail Marys were recited, often linked with psalms or verses from the lives of Jesus and Mary

St. Dominic and the Rosary

- Tradition attributes the rosary to St. Dominic, who preached its use to combat heresies, though this is
debated

- Many popes have supported St. Dominic’s connection to the rosary, at least as a 'pious belief.'

The Battle of Lepanto

- In 1571, Pope Pius V asked the faithful to pray the rosary for victory against the Moslem fleet
- On October 7, 1571, Christian forces triumphed at the Battle of Lepanto.
- The Feast of Our Lady of Victory was established, later renamed to the Feast of the Holy Rosary.
Luminous Mystery was added To the Mysteries

- In 2002, Pope John Paul II instituted in his apostolic letter the Luminous mysteries (Mysteries of
light) showing the light of God manifested through Jesus
- In reflecting on the Luminous Mysteries, we walk through key aspects of Jesus’ ministry and life
on earth, meditating on the significance of each for our faith.

Summarized Timeline of the History of the Rosary

Early Origins (3rd-5th centuries)

 3rd century: Christian hermits and monks, particularly the Desert Fathers in Egypt, used stones
and prayer ropes to track their recitation of the 150 Psalms.

 Jesus Prayer: A short prayer (e.g., "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.") became
popular, often recited repetitively with beads to aid meditation.

 Paternoster (Our Father): Catholics also prayed the "Our Father" 150 times, using a string of
beads, referred to as "Paternoster."

Development of the Hail Mary (1st-16th centuries)

 Early 1st millennium: The Hail Mary prayer developed slowly, starting with "Hail Mary, full of
grace, the Lord is with thee" (Luke 1:28).

 1050 AD: The phrase “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”
(Luke 1:42) was added.

 1261: Pope Urban IV added "Jesus" to the prayer.

 1555: St. Peter Canisius published the Hail Mary with nearly the full text.

 1566: The final petition, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death," was included in the official version.

 1568: The Hail Mary prayer, as we know it today, received official approval.

The Role of Beads

 Ancient Use of Beads: While beads were used for prayer in other cultures (Hindus, Buddhists,
etc.), Catholics adopted them to help keep track of prayers and focus on their deeper meaning.

 The word bead comes from the Old English word bede, meaning "prayer."

The Rise of the Rosary (13th-16th centuries)

 1214: St. Dominic had a vision of Mary, who presented him with the rosary, both the beads and
the prayers, which he promoted.

 13th century onward: St. Dominic’s followers began to gather in small groups to pray using the
rosary, marking the beginning of rosary prayer groups.
  1597: The term "rosary" was officially used to describe the prayer beads and the associated
prayers.

St. Louis de Montfort (17th century)

 1700: St. Louis de Montfort, a priest devoted to Mary, contributed greatly to the spirituality of
the rosary, writing on consecration to Jesus through Mary and promoting the rosary’s use.

The Growth of the Rosary (16th-20th centuries)

 Pope Gregory the Great (590-604): Popularized the Hail Mary prayer, which was to be recited
on the fourth Sunday of Advent.

 1917: The apparition of Our Lady of Fatima occurred. Mary instructed three shepherd children
to pray the rosary daily for world peace and added the Fatima Prayer:
"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially
those in most need of thy mercy."

The Mysteries of the Rosary

 1410-1439: Dominic of Prussia introduced the three sets of mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, and
Glorious.

 2002: Pope John Paul II added a fourth set, the Luminous Mysteries (Mysteries of Light).

The Rosary Today

 Modern rosaries contain 59 beads: 6 large beads for the Our Father, 53 small beads for the Hail
Mary, and other prayers (e.g., Apostles’ Creed, Glory Be, Hail Holy Queen).

 5 decades of 10 small beads each form the main structure

Sin breaks our loving relationship with God

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the
help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of
the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the
firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he
did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right,
will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to
have you, but you must rule over it.

Genesis 4: 1-8: Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the
field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
God’s plan was revealed by Abraham

Advent Season

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a traditional Christian hymn with origins dating back to the 8 th or 9th
century. The song is often sung during the Advent season, leading up to Christmas , and reflects themes
of longing, anticipation, and hope for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 33:14-16: “The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made
to the people of Israel and Judah.

“In those days and at that time

I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

What promise does the Lord declare He will fulfill in the days to come?: The Lord promises to fulfill the
good promise He made to the people of Israel and Judah, which includes sending a righteous leader to
bring justice and righteousness to the land

From which lineage will the righteous Branch sprout, according to this passage?: The righteous Branch
will sprout from the line of David.

What will the righteous Branch do in the land, as described in verse 15?: The righteous Branch will do
what is just and right in the land.

Meaning of the passage: Fulfillment of God’s Promise, The Coming of a Righteous Branch, Salvation and
Safety for Judah and Jerusalem, The name of the place: The Lord our Righteous Savior

What is Advent?
Advent is a four-week season in the Church calendar dedicated to anticipating the arrival, or "advent," of
Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited Messiah and King. Christians from many backgrounds celebrate this
time with reflections on hope, peace, love, and joy.

What do the four candles represent?: The 4 candles represent the 4 Sundays before Christmas day. We
light one candle on each Sunday of every week.