A 20-decade Rosary? Are You Serious?

Recently I have had the opportunity to pick up a special Rosary that has been sitting on my shelf for some time. This is not like the one I carry with me every day. In praying this Rosary I can reflect on all twenty Mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Mary, his mother. This rosary takes a lot of concentration and time. It also takes some serious planning to prepare for. 

15 and 20-decade Rosaries

This Rosary looks a lot like the rosaries that one would see on the belt of a religious or priest. Originally the rosary had 15 decades that included the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. The rosary in the early Church developed as a means of counting prayers, specifically the Psalms of David. There are 150 psalms, so the 15-decade rosary was developed to keep count of the recitation of each psalm.

Blessed Pope John Paul II introduced the Mysteries of Light in 2002 during the Year of the Rosary. When saying the 20-decade rosary we can walk through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is like reading the gospel and seeing our own destiny. It takes about an hour and a half to recite, (that is some serious time), but it is time well spent.

Even if all you have is a 5-decade rosary, you can certainly recite these 20 decades as a special part of your devotional time. Just go around four times. Remember to prepare your reflections on each decade. Write them down, or use some pictures that  illustrate each Mystery. 

This may not be something that you pray everyday. At times during Advent and Lent this would be a good review of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consider this and let me know how it goes. 

Happy praying!

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!