Lutheran Rosary
“Rosary” is the name given variously to the Roman Catholic cycle of prayers and to these beads, which are a touch-sensory tool for praying the Catholic Rosary. It is a coincidence that these collections of beads are called “Rosaries”, since the Rose of Sharon or the “Mystic Rose” are ancient titles given to the Mother of God. The Catholic Rosary in sum alternates prayers to Jesus and invocations* of the Virgin Mary in the form the Ave Maria or “Hail Mary.”
Given this background, many are rightly wondering whether it is appropriate for a Lutheran to sport these rosary beads and adopt a “Lutheran Rosary.” The answer depends largely on whom you ask – but ultimately lies with your own conscience.
I, personally, fall in line with those who believe there is a Scripturally faithful way to pray using these beads. Rosary beads are a globally recognized and powerful symbol of Christian witness. I first began wearing them, admittedly, as a stamp of the traditional Christian values which I share with mainline Catholicism and a minority of conservative Protestants. But this “accessorizing” didn’t last long before I came to appreciate the Rosary’s value in forming a pious rhythm of prayer.
In the early 2000s, a Lutheran Rosary originated within the ranks of the ELCA. This Lutheran Rosary expunged the Marian invocations and placed due emphasis on Jesus. However, the Lutheran Rosary did not do away with Mary completely because it is consciously modelled after Martin Luther’s own piety – in which the Mother of God always held a place of high esteem. The Lutheran Rosary, in place of the Ave Maria, recommends the Magnificat or the “Song of Mary” (Luke 1:46b-55); alternately, Martin Luther’s “Praise of the Virgin Mary” found in his Commentary on the Magnificat; or, alternately, the original version Ave (called the “Pre-Tridentine), which is nothing more than the greetings which Mary received from the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:28) and Elizabeth (Luke 1:42b).
Since Lutheran Rosaries are coming somewhat into vogue, there have developed several Lutheran rosaries which incorporate meditations on the Small Catechism as well as portions of the liturgy. Certain “Lutheran beads” have replaced the traditional place of the Virgin’s image with a Luther Rose or the symbol of All Saints: a Communion chalice crowned with stars. (I have even seen one marketed with Martin Luther’s image, which is probably taking things too far.) The rosary I have adopted is not one that is practiced by anyone else. It is a unique blend of Luther’s Small Catechism, liturgical prayers, and portions of Scripture, namely, the Matthean Beatitudes (Matt 5:2-12), the Benedictus or the “Song of Zechariah” (Luke 1:68-79), and the Magnificat.
What follows is a step-by-step guide to my Lutheran Rosary:
(Crucifix) Recite the Invocation.
(First Bead) Recite the Apostles’ Creed.
(Cycle of Three Beads)
(1-3) Recite Luther’s Explanation of each Article of the Creed.
(Second Bead) Recite the Gloria Patri.
(First Cycle of Ten Beads) (1-10) Recite the Ten Commandments.
(Third Bead) Recite the Agnus Dei.
(Second Cycle of Ten Beads) (1-10) Recite Luther’s Explanation of each of the Ten Commandments.
(Fourth Bead) Recite the Agnus Dei.
(Third Cycle of Ten Beads) (1-10) Recite the “Jesus Prayer”.
(Fifth Bead) Recite the Lord’s Prayer.
(Fourth Cycle of Ten Beads) (1) Recite Luther’s Explanation of the Introduction. (2-8) Recite Luther’s Explanation of each Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. (9) Recite Luther’s Explanation of the Conclusion. (10) Recite the Gloria Patri.
(Sixth Bead) Recite the Benedictus.
(Fifth Cycle of Ten Beads) (1-9) Recite the Matthean Beatitudes. (10) Recite the Gloria Patri.
(Seventh/Second Bead) Recite the Magnificat.
Finally, recite Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer.
Pastor Heide
