The Scripture Rosary
The thoughts presented here with each Hail Mary of the Rosary are actual quotations from the Old and New Testament.
By Unknown
Australian Catholic Truth Society No.1543 (1969)
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First Joyful Mystery. - THE ANNUNCIATION
Our Father
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luke 1; 26, 27
Hail Mary
He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, so highly favoured! --Hail! Full of grace!-- The Lord is with you.'
Luke 1; 28
Shout for joy, daughter of Zion!
(Zephaniah 3;14)
Hail Mary
She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean.
Luke 1;29
Hail Mary
But the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour'
Luke 1; 30
Hail Mary
'Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.'
Luke 1; 31
Hail Mary
'He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'
Luke 1; 32, 33
Hail Mary
Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?'
Luke 1; 34
Hail Mary
'The Holy Spirit will come upon you' the angel answered 'and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow.'
Luke 1; 35
Hail Mary
'And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.'
Luke 1; 35
Hail Mary
'I am the handmaid of the Lord,' said Mary 'let what you have said be done to me.' And the angel left her.
Luke 1; 38
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Second Joyful Mystery. - THE VISITATION
Our Father
Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zachariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.
Luke 1; 39, 40
Hail Mary
Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1; 41
Hail Mary
She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.'
Luke 1; 42
Hail Mary
'Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'
Luke 1; 45
Hail Mary
And Mary said: 'My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid'.
Luke 1; 46-48
Hail Mary
'Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.'
Luke 1; 48, 49
Hail Mary
'Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear Him'
Luke 1; 49, 50
Hail Mary
'He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart'.
Luke 1; 51
Hail Mary
'He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. '
Luke 1; 52
Hail Mary
'The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away'
Luke 1; 53
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Third Joyful Mystery. - THE NATIVITY
Our Father
While they were there the time came for her to have her child.
Luke 2; 6
Hail Mary
And she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes.
Luke 2; 7
Hail Mary
And laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.
Luke 2; 7
Hail Mary
In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them.
Luke 2; 8, 9
Hail Mary
They were terrified, but the angel said, 'Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.'
Luke 2; 10
Hail Mary
'Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'
Luke 2; 11
Hail Mary
'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.'
Luke 2; 14
Hail Mary
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. And going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.
Matt. 2; 1, 11
Hail Mary
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matt. 2; 11
Hail Mary
As for Mary, she treasured all these thing and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2; 19
Hail Mary.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Fourth Joyful Mystery. - THE PRESENTATION
Our Father
And when the day came for them to be purified, as laid down by the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
Luke 2; 22
Hail Mary
Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel's comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
Luke 2;25
Hail Mary
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord.
Luke 2; 26
Hail Mary
Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God.
Luke 2; 27, 28
Hail Mary
'Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised.'
Luke 2; 29
Hail Mary
'Because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see ...'
Luke 2; 30, 31
Hail Mary
'A light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.'
Luke 2; 32
Hail Mary
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected.'
Luke 2; 34
Hail Mary
'And a sword will pierce your own soul too - so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare'.
Luke 2; 35
Hail Mary
When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.
Luke 2; 39, 40
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Fifth Joyful Mystery. - THE FINDING OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
Our Father.
When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual.
Luke 2; 42
Hail Mary
When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it.
Luke 2; 43
Hail Mary
When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later they found him in the Temple.
Luke 2; 45, 46
Hail Mary
He was sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions.
Luke 2; 46
Hail Mary
And all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies.
Luke 2; 47
Hail Mary
They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, 'My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.'
Luke 2; 48
Hail Mary
'Why were you looking for me?' he replied. 'Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father's affairs?'
Luke 2; 49
Hail Mary
But they did not understand what he meant.
Luke 2; 50
Hail Mary
He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.
Luke 2; 51
Hail Mary
And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.
Luke 2; 52
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
First Sorrowful Mystery. - THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN
Our Father
Then Jesus came with them to a small estate called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, 'Stay here while I go over there to pray'. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, And sadness came over him, and great distress.
Matt. 26; 36, 37
Hail Mary
Then he said to them, 'My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here and keep awake with me.'
Matt. 26; 38
Hail Mary
And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by.
Mark 14; 35
Hail Mary
'Father,' he said 'if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine.'
Luke 22; 42
Hail Mary
Then an angel appeared to him, coming from heaven to give him strength.
Luke 22; 43
Hail Mary
In his anguish he prayed even more earnestly, and his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood!
Luke 22; 44
Hail Mary
He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'So you had not the strength to keep awake with me one hour?'
Matt. 26, 40
Hail Mary
'You should be awake, and praying not to be put to the test.'
Matt. 26; 41
Hail Mary
'The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!'
Matt. 26; 41
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Second Sorrowful Mystery. - THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR
Our Father
They had Jesus bound and took him away and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?'
Mark 15; 1, 2
Hail Mary
Jesus replied, 'Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.'
John 18; 36
Hail Mary
'So you are a king then?,' said Pilate. 'It is you who say it' answered Jesus. 'Yes, I am a king. It was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth.'
John 18, 37
Hail Mail
Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, 'I find no case against this man'. So I shall have him flogged and then let him go.'
Luke 23; 4, 16
Hail Mary
Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged.
John 19; 1
Hail Mary
By force and by law he was taken, for our faults struck down in death. A thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.
Isa. 53; 8, 3
Hail Mary
Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house.
Isa. 53; 7
Hail Mary
Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins.
Isa. 53; 5
Hail Mary
And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried.
Isa. 53; 4
Hail Mary
On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed.
Isa. 53; 5
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Third Sorrowful Mystery. - THE CROWNING WITH THORNS.
Our Father
The soldiers led him away to the inner part of the palace. Then they stripped him and made him wear a scarlet cloak.
Mark 15; 16; Matt. 27; 28
Hail Mary
And having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand.
Matt. 27; 29
Hail Mary
To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!'
Matt. 27; 29
Hail Mary
And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it.
Matt. 27; 30
Hail Mary
Pilate came outside again and said to them, 'Look, I am going to bring him out to you to let you see that I find no case'.
John 19; 4
Hail Mary
Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.
John 19; 5
Hail Mary
Pilate said, 'Here is the man'. 'Take him away, take him away!' they said. 'Crucify him!'
John 19; 5, 15
Hail Mary
'Why?' Pilate asked them 'What harm has he done?' But they shouted all the louder, 'Crucify him!'
Mark 15; 14
Hail Mary
'Do you want me to crucify your king?' said Pilate. The chief priests answered, 'We have no king except Caesar'.
John 19; 15
Hail Mary
So in the end Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
John 19; 16
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Fourth Sorrowful Mystery. - THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS.
Our Father
Then to all he said, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself.'
Luke 9; 23
Hail Mary
'And take up his cross daily, and follow me.'
Luke 9; 23
Hail Mary
They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull, or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
John 19; 17
Hail Mary
As they were leading him away to Calvary, the place of the skull, they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus.
Luke 23; 26
Hail Mary
'Shoulder my yoke and learn from me.'
Matt. 11; 29
Hail Mary
'For I am gentle and humble in heart.'
Matt. 11; 29
Hail Mary
'And you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.'
Matt. 11, 29; 30
Hail Mary
Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too who mourned and lamented for him.
Luke 23; 27
But Jesus turned to them and said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children.'
Luke 23; 28
Hail Mary
'For if men use the green wood like this, what will happen when it is dry?'
Luke 23; 31
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Fifth Sorrowful Mystery. - THE CRUCIFIXION.
Our Father
When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, and the two criminals also, one on the right and the other on the left.
Luke 23; 33
Hail Mary
Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.' Then they cast lots to share out his clothing.
Luke 23; 34
Hail Mary
Even the robbers who were crucified with him taunted him in the same way. One of the criminals hanging there abused him. 'Are you not the Christ?' he said. 'Save yourself and us as well.' But the other spoke up and rebuked him 'Have you no fear of God at all?' 'Jesus,' he said 'remember me when you come into your kingdom.'
Matt. 27; 44; Luke 23; 39, 42
Hail Mary
'Indeed, I promise you,' he replied 'today you will be with me in paradise.'
Luke 23; 43
Hail Mary
Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her.
John 19; 26
Hail Mary
Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son'. Then to the disciple he said 'This is your mother'.
John 19; 26, 27
Hail Mary
And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.
John 19; 27
Hail Mary
A darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. At that, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Luke 23; 45; Matt. 27; 51
Hail Mary
And when Jesus had cried out in a loud voice, he said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit'.
Luke 23; 46
Hail Mary
With these words he breathed his last. And bowing his head he gave up his spirit.
Luke 23; 46; John 19; 30
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
First Glorious Mystery. - THE RESURRECTION
Our Father
'I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.'
John 16; 20
Hail Mary
'So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.'
John 16; 22
Hail Mary
On the first day of the week, at the first sign of dawn, the women went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared.
Luke 24; 1
Hail Mary
And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.
Matt. 28; 2
Hail Mary
But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, 'There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.'
Matt. 28; 5
Hail Mary
'He is not here, he has risen. See here is the place where they laid him.'
Luke 24; 6; Mark 16; 6
Hail Mary
'He has risen from the dead and now he is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him'.
Matt. 28; 7
Hail Mary
Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.
Matt. 28; 8
Hail Mary
'I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day'. Jesus said "I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me even though he dies, he will live.'
John 11; 25
Hail Mary
'And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?'
John 11; 26
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Second Glorious Mystery. - THE ASCENSION.
Our Father
Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
Luke 24; 50
Hail Mary
Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'
Matt. 28; 18
Hail Mary
'Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations.'
Matt. 28; 19
Hail Mary
'Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.'
Matt. 28; 19
Hail Mary
'And teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.'
Matt. 28; 20
Hail Mary
'Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved.'
Mark 16; 16
Hail Mary
'He who does not believe will be condemned.'
Mark 16; 16
Hail Mary
'And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.'
Matt. 28; 20
Hail Mary
Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them.
Luke 24; 51
Hail Mary
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place.
Mark 16; 19
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Third Glorious Mystery. - THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Our Father
When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room.
Acts 2; 1
Hail Mary
When suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting.
Acts Acts 2; 2
Hail Mary
And something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire, these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.
Acts 2; 3
Hail Mary
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit; 'we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.'
Acts 2; 4, 11
Hail Mary
Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven.
Acts 2; 5
Hail Mary
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed them in a loud voice. 'Men of Judaea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, make no mistake about this, but listen carefully to what I say.'
Acts 2; 14
Hail Mary
'You must repent,' Peter answered 'and every one of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'
Acts 2; 38
Hail Mary
They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptized. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
Acts 2; 41
Hail Mary
You send forth your spirit, fresh life begins, You renew the face of the earth .
Ps 104; 30 (103; 30)
Hail Mary
'When the Spirit of truth comes He will lead you to the complete truth.'
John 16; 13
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. (Alleluia, Pentecost Sunday)
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end.
Amen.
Fourth Glorious Mystery. - THE ASSUMPTION.
Our Father.
May you be blessed, my daughter, by God Most High, beyond all women on earth.
Judith 13; 23 (13; 18)
Hail Mary
The trust you have shown shall not pass from the memories of men, but shall ever remind them of the power of God.
Judith 13; 25 (13; 19)
Hail Mary
May you be blessed in all the tents of Judah and Jacob, and in every nation; for in every nation which shall hear the sound of your name men will be seized with the urge to have the God of Israel magnified on occasion of you.
Judith 13; 31 (14; 7)
Hail Mary
You are the glory of Jerusalem. You are the great pride of Israel! You are the highest honour of our race!
Judith 15; 10 (15; 9)
Hail Mary
Listen, daughter, pay careful attention: So will the King fall in love with your beauty.
Ps 45; 10, 11 (44; 10, 11)
Hail Mary
Then the sanctuary of God in heaven opened, and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Then came flashes of lightning, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great storm of hail.
Apoc. 11; 19
Hail Mary
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun.
Apoc. 12; 1
Hail Mary
Standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown.
Apoc. 12; 1
Hail Mary
Dressed in brocades, the King's daughter is led in to the King, with virgin companions in her train.
Ps. 45; 14 (44; 14)
Hail Mary
Sing to the Lord a new song for he has performed marvels.
Ps 98; 1 (97; 1)
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Fifth Glorious Mystery. - THE CORONATION
Our Father
Who is she arising like the dawn, Fair as the moon, resplendent as the sun, as awesome as an army set in battle array?
Cant. 6; 10 (Song of S. 6; 9)
Hail Mary
Like the rainbow gleaming against brilliant clouds, like roses in the days of spring.
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 50; 8,9
Hail Mary
I am the mother of pure love, of fear and reverence, of true knowledge, and of holy hope.
Ecclesiasticus 24; 18 (24; 24)
Hail Mary
I am bestowed on all my children, from all eternity on those appointed by him. From me comes the One who is the Way and the Truth, every grace of faithful observance, from me comes all promise and hope of life and virtue.
Ecclesiasticus 24; 18 (24; 25)
Hail Mary
Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits.
Ecclesiasticus 24; 19 (24; 26)
Hail Mary
For memories of me are sweeter than honey, as is my spirit, inheriting me is sweeter than the honey comb. Mine is a renown that endures, age after age.
Ecclesiasticus 24; 20 (24; 27, 28)
Hail Mary
And now, my sons, listen to me; listen to instruction and learn to be wise, do not ignore it.
Proverbs 8; 32, 33.
Hail Mary
Happy those who keep my ways! Happy the man who listens to me, who day after day watches at my gates.
Proverbs 8; 34 (8; 32, 34)
Hail Mary
For the man who finds me finds life, He will win favour from the Lord.
Proverbs 8; 35
Hail Mary
'...Why should I be honoured with a visit from the Mother of my Lord?'
Luke 1; 43
Hail, Queen of Mercy, protect us from the enemy, and receive us at the hour of death.
(Gradual, Queenship B.V.M.)
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end.
Amen.
Nihil Obstat: BERNARD O'CONNOR, Diocesan Censor. Imprimatur : + J. R. KNOX Archbishop of Melbourne. 8 December, 1968