For my “Sacred and Special Stuff” research project I chose to go to the Grace Episcopal Church to find my sacred object. As I wandered around the church there were many objects I’ve never noticed before and some that were very familiar to my eyes. I was raised as being Catholic; I attended a Catholic high school and went to mass every so often. I was searching the church, until I came to my senses I wanted to find a rosary because growing up that’s how I would pray and it was almost a part of me.
A very kind lady from the church guided me to the church book store; where there was a ton of “Anglican” prayer beads for sale. Right then and there I knew that was the object I wanted to do my final paper and presentation on.
These beads grabbed my attention even more because they weren’t just ordinary catholic rosaries. Instead they were known as “Anglican” rosaries so I knew I could dive deep into my research.
The Anglican prayer beads were all different; some having different colored beads along with different colored crosses. As I chose this object I was mainly confused on what made these beads “Anglican”; like what made them any different than the Catholic beads? In my research it is “Anglican” because it was created in the context, because it draws from the richness of many traditions, and because it provides a set form of prayer and blesses it with great flexibility.
As I learned more and more on the differences, as a Catholic our rosary is prayed to mostly fixed prayers.
Praying the Anglican rosary is much difference because there is no prescribed set of prayers. With there being no set of prayers, this really allows the person to connect to the rosary for their personal needs. These beads were created in the 1980’s by an Episcopal priest; Father Lynn Bauman. Anglican prayers beads are made up in total of 33 beads. They are divided up into four groups of seven; these are called “weeks”. Then there’s the four cruciform beads and the invitatory bead. The four sets of seven beads signify human time and the week of creation. The 33 beads represent the years of Jesus’ life.
The cross reminds us of the lengths to which God is willing to go for us. The cruciforms point to the four seasons and the four directions; reminding us that all time and creation were pronounced good by God, hallowed by Jesus’ incarnation, and redeemed by his death and resurrection. Last, the invitatory bead is at the end of the prayer and it calls us back into the world to love and serve others. The overall circle signifies the unending nature of God’s love and the endless flow of nature. “As we pray the Rosary, it must be prayed with concentration, attentiveness, and with an attitude of conversion of heart and life, or it is an empty, run-on prayer”. As I grew up, praying my rosary became second hand nature for me.
At one point of my childhood it was a commitment to meet with God everyday through praying my rosary. I knew it wasn’t just any ordinary rosary; it was “The living rosary”. Just as for Catholic rosaries, Anglican rosaries serve the same purpose. The rosary becomes technology to oneself and eventually its apart of you and your daily routine. Engaging with a rosary in the hands of Brent Plate would be gaining that partnership with God. As a community this object is interacted by simple and easily prayers that are committed to heart. Throughout praying the rosary people interact with the communion of God by the flow of words in praying repetitive. The value of this object is the ability to protect and comfort.
In the eyes of a Christian it is seen to be “Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church, who stands at the center. The love that she offers us in the rosary is given by her son, but because it comes through her it takes on a maternal character. A mother’s love is formidable, to be sure, but it comforts and nurtures even as it fiercely defends us from all enemies. You don’t mess with Mom”. Your rosary can become a tool of intercessory prayer for struggles and tragedies occurring in your life. During personal struggles, maybe with your family, friends, or even just a mutual relationship with someone; when your unable to pray because it seems impossible.
At that moment you are able to connect to the prayer, you and God have infused into your rosary. This technology becomes a fully embodied of second nature and is interacted through one’s mind of senses. The rosary will calm you if your ill and are suffering. It will reduce any irritation and inject prayer into a difficult situation you ever encounter. God offers us the opportunity to use the rosary for good use such as intercession. This form of prayer will set you free from concern over your feelings as you bring that person close to Christ. Praying everyday with your rosary makes you not only a better person for trying to connect with God but it will spiritually make you feel better.
Without say, every Christian is different when it comes to praying the Anglican rosary. People are different, and different people prefer different ways. In a way the rosary becomes so powerful to some people it will become a tool for meditation. A method to gaining deeper meditation is repetition of your prayers. Throughout centuries, praying the Anglican rosary is known to bring out a spiritual light. Religious technologists connect to this object by letting the rosary invoke a spiritual light and the light will be directed by the words in the rosary. Most Christians it will take practice to reach the ability of gaining that light but eventually it will become a natural process. This process of engagement is not an intellectual process; it does not involve the mind or the head. This process is considered an intuitive process and your intuitive faculties are centered in the heart.
As Brent Plate mentions the phrase “We are half bodies seeking wholeness” in this process; when you pray the rosary and fully commit it to your heart you will produce a result which is adapting to that spiritual light. Your heart will become engaged once it feels connected. Like I mentioned before, all people are different; some people think in words and some people think in images. Therefore, some Christians enhance the process by visualizing while praying the Anglican rosary. It is important not to get lost in visualization; you want your heart to remain engaged. Your half body will respond to anything your calling for, even if visualizations aren’t for you. If words are more precise then focusing on words they will do just as much and produce the best outcome.
The power of praying the rosary and getting that spiritual connection is beyond description. Anglican prayer beads have always and will remain to be an important practice for many Christians. “The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying”. The rosary is seen as such a powerful weapon and it can bring us to true peace. Reflecting in your prayers will offer you much more success and will help you whenever you need calmness. As a child I was always told my church leader to think of the rosary as being like the ocean; meaning there’s something in it for everyone. Even if your busy it can take up two minutes of your down time and by simply praying your Anglican rosary it can change your day. It will draw out the deepest desires in our souls; such as desires for God and God alone. Some of the desires that humans are made up of can only be fulfilled by God.
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