We are all familiar with the Catholic rosary, but it’s anathema to many Protestants, primarily because it’s full of prayers to Mary instead of God, literally “Hail Mary” prayers, which Protestants consider Marian idolatry (see my post Mary the “Mother of God” and other Marian idolatries). 1 A second reason is that it is highly repetitive, and though its goal may be to get one into a restful state focused on God, it can feel too much like “vain repetition,” which some may interpret it as God hearing only because of our persistence in repetition (Matthew 6:7). The challenge becomes, are we trying to get into an ecstatic or catatonic state, a false peace that is mindless, or into a meditative and mentally present peace that ends in communion with God?
However, there are high church Protestants, including the Anglicans, who very recently (1980’s) created their own similar prayer bead method. It was created by Rev. Lynn Charles Bauman, an Episcopalian priest (now defrocked due to his molesting at least one boy. 2 Despite the Priest’s infamy, this method is used by many Anglicans and Episcopalians (the American branch of the Anglican “Church of England”). While it shares the same goal of quiet contemplation in the presence of God, it differs in three major ways:
- It is shorter
- It is very unscripted, so you can basically fill each section with whatever you like
- You can entirely omit prayer to saints
How to Pray the Anglican Rosary
Typically, the Anglican rosary is focused on scripture, but you can include any of the various creeds. I have inserted it in my second option for Week 4 in my examples below. The key is to go slowly, and roll the ideas around in your mind as you recite and repeat them. All the while listening for God to speak to you through them.
1. Start with the Cross
The New Testament is filled with verses you can use for this. Repeat the verse a few times. I like John 3:16, but you can also try Luke 9:23, John 19:30, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Galatians 6:14, Philippians 2:8, Colossians 2:14.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NKJV)
2. Invite the Spirit
Again, many options exist for inviting God to instruct, cleanse, or change us. I prefer Psalm 51:10-12, but you can also use Psalm 139:23-24, Isaiah 64:8, or Jeremiah 10:24.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)
3. Ask for Mercy
This is my definition for the four “cruciform beads” (in red), named so because the four of them form a cross. I prefer to use the Jesus Prayer for this (Mark 10:47-48, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’), but you can also use any other cry for mercy from the scriptures, including these:
Psalm 51:1 (David’s cry for mercy)
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.”
(David pleads for God’s mercy and forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba.)Psalm 57:1 (David’s prayer for mercy in distress)
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.”
(David seeks refuge under God’s mercy during a time of distress.)Psalm 6:2 (David’s plea for mercy during sickness)
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.”
(David calls on God for mercy due to physical and emotional affliction.)Psalm 30:10 (David’s plea for mercy in times of trouble)
“Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!”
(David cries out to God for mercy and help in his distress.)Psalm 86:3 (David’s prayer for mercy in times of trouble)
“Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long.”
(David calls on God’s mercy repeatedly throughout his difficulties.)Isaiah 33:2 (A cry for mercy in times of judgment)
“O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.”
(The people cry out for God’s grace and mercy, trusting in His deliverance.)Lamentations 3:22-23 (God’s mercy in the midst of suffering)
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
(The prophet acknowledges that God’s mercy sustains His people even in judgment.)Daniel 9:18 (Daniel’s prayer for mercy)
“O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.”
(Daniel asks for God’s mercy, acknowledging the sins of Israel and their unworthiness.)New Testament:
Matthew 15:22 (A Canaanite woman’s cry for mercy)
“And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.'”
(A Gentile woman pleads for Jesus to show mercy to her daughter.)Matthew 17:15 (A father’s cry for mercy for his son)
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.”
(A father appeals to Jesus for mercy to heal his son.)Matthew 20:30-31 (The blind men’s cry for mercy)
“And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!’ And the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!'”
(Two blind men cry out to Jesus for mercy, despite being rebuked by the crowd.)Mark 10:47-48 (Blind Bartimaeus’ cry for mercy)
“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!'”
(Blind Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus for mercy in spite of opposition.)Luke 18:13 (The tax collector’s cry for mercy)
“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!'”
(A tax collector humbly cries out to God for mercy and forgiveness.)Luke 17:13 (The ten lepers cry for mercy)
“And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'”
(Ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy to heal them.)
4. Week 1
Weeks 1-4, with 7 beads each, can be anything you want. My favorites are using either Psalm 1 or Psalm 23. In reality, you can use either or both of these for extended periods of time, years if you like. The key is deep familiarity, not breadth of scripture. Pick ones you think are worthy of internalizing. You will note that to fill all 7 beads, I have sometimes added an Amen, and in the case of Psalm 1, in week three I have repeated the last two lines.
Here’s how I break those up and use these two Psalms:
4.1 Psalm 1:1-2
- Blessed is the man
- Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
- Nor stands in the path of sinners,
- Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
- But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
- And in His law he meditates
- Day and night
4.2 Psalm 23: 1-3
- The Lord is my Shepherd
- I have all that I need
- He makes me to lie down in green pastures
- He leads me besides still waters
- He restores my soul
- He leads me in His paths
- For His name’s sake
5. Week 2
Don’t forget to pray the cruciform bead before moving on to this week!
5.1 Psalm 1:3-4
- He shall be like a tree
- Planted by the rivers of water,
- That brings forth its fruit in its season,
- Whose leaf also shall not wither;
- And whatever he does shall prosper.
- The ungodly are not so,
- But are like the chaff which the wind drives away
5.2 Psalm 23:4
- Yea, though I walk through the valley
- Of the shadow of death
- I will fear no evil
- For You are with me
- Your rod and your staff
- They comfort me
- Amen
6. Week 3
For my setup, this week finishes the Psalm(s). Stay slow and meditative.
6.1 Psalm 1: 5-6
- Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
- Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
- For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
- But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
- For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
- But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
- Amen
6.2 Psalm 23:5-6
- You prepare a table for me
- In the midst of my enemies
- You anoint my head with oil
- My cur overflows
- Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
- All the days of my life
- And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
7. Week 4
For this week, since both of my Psalms are done, I insert the Our Father prayer.
- Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. - Your kingdom come.
- Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven. - Give us this day our daily bread.
- And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors. - And do not lead us into temptation,
- But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
8. Rest in the Spirit
On the way in, we invited the spirit to teach and heal us. In this return, we merely rest for a second, listen, and bask.
9. Meditate on the Cross
We can recite the same scripture we did on entry, or we can merely picture the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ for our sakes.
Conclusion
Benefitting from the rosary takes time and repetition. Like with playing music, you can’t really emote freely until AFTER you’ve mastered the material. This may be why the Catholic Rosary is so simple and repetitive – it gets you to that point of mastery faster. However, if the content is prayer to Mary, I am not sure how efficacious that really is. You could reduce the complexity of what I have presented here to be much more repetitive and with less content. But in the end, the goal is still this – quiet the soul before God, allow his truth to ruminate within you, express your heart to God, and experience his transforming presence.
- Mary the “Mother of God” and other Marian idolatries (wholereason.com)[↩]
- Spotlight on abuse: Episcopal priest Lynn Bauman (anlglicanwatch.com)[↩]