The Cross:
O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!
The Invitatory Bead:
Stir up your power, O God, and come among us. Heal our wounds, calm our fears, and give us peace; through Jesus our Redeemer. Amen.
The Cruciform Beads:
Come, O Lord, and visit us in peace;Let us rejoice before you with a perfect heart.
The Week Beads:
My soul waits for the Lord;
In His Word is my hope.
This isn't exactly how the prayer was laid out on the website. I've switched it around just a bit (the words are the same, just in different places).
Praying with the beads is a great meditative prayer practice. I love to get up early, but often find myself so foggy-headed early in the morning that I bumble around with my prayers. I'm so focused on "saying the right words" that I forget the focus of my prayer should be communication with God. So, in the early morning, I use the prayer beads and a collect from the Prayer Book. Then later in the day, I find some time to journal prayers for various needs - a time of intercessory prayer. At other times of the day, I sometimes pull out the prayer beads again. I'd like to put some order to this, but haven't yet done so. That is New Year's Resolution material!
If you use prayer beads, please leave a comment and tell me how you use them.
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5 comments:
I use the Anglican rosary daily, usually in the evening after my children go to sleep. I use the Celtic prayer and then move into intercessory prayer.
I find the rosary a wonderful way to move from my hectic day into the presence of the Lord.
Amy - another homeschooling Anglican
Kerry asked me to say a little more about my use of the Rosary so here goes!
The Rosary is fairly new to the Anglican Church. It was created in the mid 1980’s by an Episcopal priest. It blends the Roman Catholic Rosary and the Orthodox Jesus Prayer rope in a form of contemplative prayer.
The Rosary is rich with sacred symbolism
I have had my Rosary for several years now. I routinely use it in the evening after my children go to bed – my only quiet time of the day! I find it a wonderful way to quiet my mind and remove the distractions of the day.
I must be a tactile person. I love the way the beads become warm in my hands as I pray. The warmer they get, the more I feel in the presence of the Lord.
The Rosary lends itself to many types of prayer. I start with the Celtic Prayer, three times around the beads:
The Cross
In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Invitatory
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Cruciforms
Be the eye of God dwelling with me,
The foot of Christ in guidance with me,
The shower of the Spirit pouring on me,
Richly and generously
The Weeks
Pray each phrase on a separate bead.
I bow before the Father who made me,
I bow before the Son who saved me,
I bow before the Spirit who guides me,
In love and adoration.
I praise the Name of the one on high.
I bow before thee Sacred Three,
The ever One, the Trinity.
(Last time through)
Invitatory Bead
The Lord’s Prayer
Cross
Let us bless the Lord (or I bless the Lord)
Thanks be to God.
When I finish the Celtic Prayer, I then move into intercessory prayer. I am on the prayer team at my home church so my prayer list is quite large. I name a name and visualize a face if I know the person I am praying for with each bead.
Some people devote the weeks to a certain group like the hungry, those who are addicted, or those in prisons. I am thinking of using it in my times of self-examination and prayer of confession as I ask the Lord to make me new in Him.
I love praying with my hands. Homeschooling is a very task oriented lifestyle so I often find myself praying with my hands as I move through the day but praying the Rosary is where I feel the Lord’s presence in my soul and all around me. This solitary time with the Lord is vital to the life I live today and brought me closer to Christ. I never leave home (honestly!) without it.
Thanks, Amy! Would you mind if I cut and pasted that into a post with a link to your blog? Or, if you'd rather, you could post it on your blog and I'll provide a link in a post on mine!
Kerry and Amy,
Thanks for the practical and inspiring information!
I'd really like to try this.
--Jeanne
Feel free to do with it as you wish!
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