Anglican Rosary with Byzantine Orans Cross

The cross I used in this rosary pictured on the right is a replica of a Byzantine cross. It depicts Mary the Mother of God in the orans posture of prayer with Jesus, God's only son, born of her womb.

The word orans literally means "one who prays." It comes from the Latin word "oro"--meaning to pray, beg, supplicate, or beseech. The orans posture is considered one of the oldest bodily attitudes for prayer. It was common among both Jews and Gentiles of the ancient world. The posture is described as standing with arms to the side, elbows bent, and hands opened upward.

For the early Christians in the 2nd-6th Centuries, a figure in the orans position was symbolic of the soul. Frescos of human figures in this position are represented 153 times in the Roman Catacombs. Some of the figures are distinctly Old Testament characters such as Noah, Moses, and Abraham. Others are more abstract and considered representations of the soul of the deceased.

(The Roman Catacombs are miles of underground tunnels containing ancient Christian tombs. During the persecutions (before 313 AD) they were used as secret hiding places for Christians and places to worship. Today, many of the Catacombs can be toured. This map gives you an idea of the extent of these elaborate underground passages beneath Rome. http://www.catacombsociety.org/maps.html)

(Pictured on the left is a fresco from the Catacomb via Anopo on the via Salaria dated 3rd Century Rome.)

Besides being a figurative imitation of Christ on the cross, offering himself as a complete and willing sacrifice, the orans posture is also symbolic of the risen Christ. Therefore the the orans figures found the Roman Catacombs have been interpreted as symbols of faith and even of the Church itself.

In I Timothy 2:8, Paul says, "I want peoples everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing." The orans gesture signifies one who is ready to receive the divine gifts for God. It is also considered a gesture of peace, as it is non-defensive and non-threatening.

Lately, there has been some controversy in the Roman Catholic Church about the use of the orans position in worship by the laity. Before pews were installed in churches, the orans stance was the norm. One thing one notices when entering an Orthodox Church is that there are not any pews. For the Eastern Orthodox Churches who use the Byzantine rite, the standard stance for prayer is in the orans position.

The Theotokos of the Virgin Mary standing in the orans position is very well known and pictured in most if not all Orthodox churches. In Greek, "Theotokos" literally means "she who is more spacious than the heavens." For Orthodox Christians, they consider the Theotokos to be one of the great paradoxs of the Christian faith. Mary contained within her womb a divinity which cannot be contained--God.

These icons of the Virgin Mary are also sometimes referred to as the "Icon of the Sign." This title is taken from the Prophet Isaiah's message, "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (meaning--God with us.)" Is 7:14

During the Reformation Period, the use of icons in the Western Church dwindled, but Eastern Christian churches held on to the belief that icons were "windows to heaven" and instruments of inspiration to the faithful of God's divine intervention in this world. Consequently, many of these beautiful pieces have been preserved for centuries in Orthodox Churches.

Iconography flourished in the early Byzantine Empire. Along with the art preserved in the Orthodox churches, many bronze artifacts have been found by archeologists, giving us evidence of the faith held by the people at that time.

(Pictured on the right is a Bronze Byzantine Processional Cross from the 11th Century.)

Origen, a 3rd Century philosopher and Father of the Church, includes instructions for the posture of prayer in his writing "Origen on Prayer." An article in the newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, summed up Origen's thoughts well.

Even more that stretching out the hands to heaven, one must lift up the soul heavenward. More than raising up the eyes, one must lift up the spirit to God. For there can be no doubt that among a thousand possible positions of the body, outstretched hands and uplifted eyes are to be preferred above all others, so imaging forth in the body those directions of the soul which are fitting in prayer. (1)

1. The Compass: Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Green Bay, Patricia Kasten, associate editor, July 27, 2001 (http://www.thecompassnews.org/compass/2001-07-27/01cn0727f1.htm)

http://www.prayerbedes.etsy.com

Free MP3 Audio Rosary for Fathers Day

Kimberly Winston, author of the book Bead One, Pray Two, has an interesting post on her blog about a new iPod Rosary Application.  It looks like it is only a prototype at this time, as I cannot find it for sale anywhere on the web.  However, it got me thinking.

My sister-in-law has a rosary CD that we have prayed together while riding together in the car.

Our priest prays the rosary when he is running.  "I think he uses one of the metal decade rings with a cross and knobs around the perimeter for each Ave."

As a runner, my husband thinks I should call the Irish Penal Era Rosaries I make "runner's rosaries."  I have sold them to runners for praying the rosary when they run.

The bible tells us to "pray without ceasing."  Surely, it is possible to pray while doing another task.  I very often pray when I am beading.  Maybe that begs the question, "what is prayer."  In lieu of getting too deep into that topic right now, I am going to say that quiet, meditative prayer has certainly had a profound impact on my life.  I savor that time I spend with Jesus.  But, it is not the only way to pray and spend time with God.

One of the things that I know I need to work on is getting my physical self in better shape.  I never worried much about my weight before, because it not much of an issue.  Now that I have gotten older, my metabolism has most definitely slowed down, making exercise more of a need for my health.  One of the problems is that I seem to get bored with it too fast.

I searched the web and found that there are some wonderful, free downloads for iPods and MP3 players.  One that particularly caught my eye is a radio broadcast on the Desert Fathers from KVSS Spirit Catholic Radio in Stubenville, Ohio. It can be found on a site called Catholicipod.  Though I do not own an iPod, I can down load MP3's on my computer via iTunes.  As my computer is in my studio, I very often listen to iTunes.  The treadmill is in the adjoining family room, so I could easily listen to items on my computer from there as well.

When I was searching for the iPod rosary mentioned above, I came upon the siteCatholicipod.  Under 'Prayers" you can find free downloads of the Rosary, Scriptural Rosary, and Divine Mercy Chaplet to name a few.  Greg and Jennifer Willits', whose Rosary casts are listed on this site, also have their own website www.rosaryarmy.com.  You can download the webcast on either site.

Another site I found through comments on Kimberly Winston's Blog is pray-as-you-go.  This site is maintained by Jesuit Media Services in London.  The pray-as-you-go initiative is to provide daily prayer in MP3 format for people traveling to and from work.  These daily prayers can be downloaded daily or weekly.  The music on them is very inspiring.

I was thinking that I would download the Rosary, Scriptural Rosary, and Divine Mercy Chaplet as a Fathers Day gift for my husband to put on his iPod, which I will do.  But, after looking through the free download options out there, I am also going to download the broadcasts on the Desert Fathers and pray-as-you-go for myself.

(By clicking on any of the highlighted text, you will be taken directly to the link.)

Lutheran Rosary

Lutheran Rosary

In 2005, John Longworth, a seminarian at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and his wife, Sara, developed a Lutheran Rosary with prayers from Luther’s Small Catechism. 

As I was raised in the Lutheran Church, I found this configuration of beads and prayers quite intriguing.  I am afraid that I do not remember much from my confirmation studies, but I do remember memorizing the 10 Commandments and their meanings.  One thing I did not memorize, but wish I had, are Luther's Morning and Evening Prayers.

The Lutheran Rosary is comprised of 7 meditations:

• Meditation on the Cross
  
• Meditation on the Commandments
  
• Meditation on the Creed
  
• Meditation on the Lord's Prayer
  
• Meditation on Baptism
  
• Meditation on Confession
  
• Meditation of the Sacrament of the Altar
  

Each of the meditations include short suggested prayers from Scripture and/or Luther's Small Catechism.  Depending on the time of day, the Longworths have included Luther's Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer at the beginning of the prayers during the Meditation on the Cross.

For Lutherans who question the use of a rosary as a tool for prayer, it is interesting to note that even Martin Luther prayed the Catholic rosary.  In her book Praying with Beads, Nan Doerr explains that Luther shortened the Ave Maria to, "Hail Mary, full of grace.  The Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou and the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."  As Martin Luther was a Catholic Augustinian monk, this is probably no surprise.  It was not Luther's intent to leave the Catholic Church.  In fact, he did not leave, but was excommunicated.

I thank my grandfather, a Lutheran pastor, for encouraging me to become Catholic when I was married.  For him, it was more important that my husband and I were members of the same church than me being Lutheran.

When I study ancient Christian prayer practices, such as the use of prayer beads, I feel like I am  being reunited with my Christian ancestral heritage.  Those who have gone before us have much wisdom they can teach to us.

Though the Longworths configuration of beads and prayers is referred to as a Lutheran Rosary or Lutheran Prayer Beads, the prayers and meditations would be appropriate for any Christian, even Catholics!

Etsy Rosary Guild Preview

Etsy Rosary Guild

The Lazo Rosary - A Mexican Wedding Tradition

Lazo Wedding Rosary

The Lazo Rosary (sometimes referred to as a Laso, Lasso, or Lazzo Rosary) is a Mexican wedding tradition. It is made of two separate rosaries joined together with an additional center and crucifix. One 5 decade rosary loop is placed around the bride's neck and the other around the groom's during the wedding ceremony. The Lazo Rosary symbolizes the unity of marriage as one body in Christ.

Traditionally, it is the padrinos (godparents) that place to rosary on the couple.  Padrinos play a special role in the wedding ceremony and, in some cases, even offer financial support for the festivities.  The padrinos are typically a married or engaged couple.  Throughout the newly married couple's marriage, the padrinos also act as mentors.

The Lazo rosary can be kept by the couple as a reminder to pray together and as a wonderful keepsake of their wedding day.  Some separate the Lazo into two rosaries.  One rosary is given to the mother of the bride and the other to the mother of the groom.  The mothers of the newly married couple are to use the rosaries to pray for their children's marriage. 

As with many traditions, this ceremony has most likely evolved.  It is said to date as far back as the Aztecs.  During the Aztec wedding ceremony, the tunics of the couple were tied together as a symbol of their unity.  The phrase "tying the knot" comes from ancient acts in many cultures around the world where couples are joined together on their wedding day with a symbolic gesture that physically ties them together in some way.

St. Martha - "Patron Saint of Preoccupied Women"

St. Martha - Patron Saint Decade Chaplet and Biography Prayer Card

We are told in the Gospels of Luke and John that Jesus spent time at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany.  On one occasion, Martha is frustrated because she has been busy around the house while her sister, Mary, sat and listened to Jesus.  Martha goes so far as to ask Jesus to tell Mary to come help her.  Jesus answers Martha by saying that what Mary had chosen to do was better.

Have any of you ever had that discussion of whether you are a Martha or a Mary?  I know I have on many occasions.  There are times when we need to cook, clean and make necessary preparations like Martha, but we must not forget to spend quiet time with Jesus.  Even though cooking and cleaning are not always my favorite things to do, I still manage to find other distractions.

When we get distracted by our worries and frustrations, we can remember that we are not alone.  St. Martha felt that way too.  We can also remember that we need to slow down and spend some time with God in prayer.

Patron Saint of:  Housewives, Cooks, Restaurants, and Hosts

Feast Day:  July 29

The Angelic Trisagion Chaplet

Hello, everyone.  I thought I would share what I just posted to my blog http://prayerbedes.blogspot.com.  You can find the chaplet pictured above in my Etsy shop http://prayerbedes.etsy.com.

"I have been researching the Angelic Trisagion chaplet lately, so I can add it to the selection of prayer beads I offer.

The first thing I did was to go into my studio and actually make one. As I was when I first heard about this chaplet, I was struck by its similarity in design to the Eastern Orthodox chotki. If you did not count the number of beads, you would think it was a chotki. (The chotki has three sets of ten beads between each section, whereas the Angelic Trisagion chaplet has three sets of nine beads between each section.)

A prayer of repentance—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”—is used on the 3 sets of beads with the chotki. However, a prayer of honor and praise— “To Thee, O Blessed Trinity, be praise, and honor, and thanksgiving, for ever and ever! Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts. Heaven and earth are filled with Thy glory. 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.”—is used on the three sets of beads with the Angelic Trisagion chaplet.

In the Angelic Trisagion chaplet, the three sets of nine beads are representative of the nine choirs of angels. Curious about the idea of the nine choirs of angels, I did some research and this is what I found.

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, who was a mystic and theologian of the late 5^th and early 6^th century, is attributed with proposing the concept of the nine choirs of angels in his writing The Celestial Hierarchy. However, it was not until the later 6^th Century that Pope Gregory I endorsed this teaching into Catholic doctrine. The writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite influenced many later theologians, including 13^th century theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite is often confused with Dionysius the Areopagite who Paul refers to in Acts 17:34. For this reason, “Pseudo” has been attached to his name to avoid confusion. Also sometimes confused with Pseudo-Dionysius is Saint Denis (or Denys) of Paris. There is actually not much known about Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite other than his writings.

In his writing Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of the hierarchy of angels and divides the nine choirs of angels into three groups of three. They are listed in descending order relative to their closeness to God:

1. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones
2. Dominators, Virtues, Powers
3. Principalities, Archangels, Angels

St. Thomas speculated that angels also had three roles:

1. To worship God
2. To implement the will of God
3. To serve as messengers from God

What we know biblically about God’s angels is quite vague, but their existence and presence has played significant roles in the lives of the men and women of the bible. It is mainly in the last role, which St. Thomas Aquinas refers to as messengers from God, that angels are mentioned in the bible.

I could go into describing the more specific roles that scholars have proposed for each of the angel classifications, but I heed Paul’s warning in Colossians 2:17 not to let angels become our sole focus. They were most definetely created to serve God, not to be the objects of our devotion.

The Trisagion is considered one of the oldest prayers in Christianity. Trisagion—pronounced “tree-sah-yon”—comes from the Greek tris (three) + hagios (holy). It is prayed on the three larger beads of the Angelic Trisagion Chaplet.

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy upon us.

Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite, use the Trisagion regularly in the Divine Liturgy and other services.

In the west, the Trisagion is the official prayer of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarians), which was founded in 1198 in France. Episcopalians today are familiar with the Trisagion—“Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy on us”—as it is used in both rites of the Holy Eucharist in the Book of Common Prayer published in 1979.

Though similar to the Sanctus (or Tersanctus) in the Latin Rite, the Trisagion is considered a separate prayer and used at a different point in the Liturgy. The Sanctus is taken from Isaiah 6:1-4, whereas the Trisagion is sometimes referenced with Revelations 4:8. Yet, interestingly, both of these verses refer to “beings” with six wings singing “Holy, Holy, Holy….” In Isaiah they are referred to as Seraphim, and in Revelations they are called “living creatures.” Drawing parallels between these verses may not be theologically sound, as angels are considered celestial beings while creatures are considered animals. But nevertheless, the intention of the Angelic Trisagion Chaplet is to give glory and praise to God, and both of these biblical references describe this practice.

The Angelic Trigasion Chaplet consists of three sets of nine beads separated by three larger beads. The intention is to join with the choirs of angles in praising our Triune God."