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The
Original (and Pre-Patriarchal)
Version of the Rosary 01/27/2024 |
Sad to say, there is a shadow side to today’s rosary practice which taints the original version of the “Hail Mary” prayer created in the Middle Ages. |
A pope in the sixteenth century remade the medieval rosary by adding the words, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death” at the end. The emphasis on sin and fear of death became prominent in the 16th century both in Protestantism and
in Roman Catholicism unfortunately.* That familiar ending to the prayer taints and compromises the original version of it that was practiced by the pre-modern |
Found at the Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine. Photo taken by Robert Lipka. Wikimedia Commons. |
church including notables like Saints Dominic, Francis, Thomas Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Julian of Norwich, Nicolas Cusa, etc. Below I will share the original version of the ”Hail Mary” prayer that I respect and prefer because it does not dwell on sin or guilt or
fear of death but instead emphasizes the dignity of the human that we strive to uphold, including the dignity of our powers of creativity. As Mahatma Gandhi has warned, “a religion based on fear is not a religion.” |
Rosary. Wikipedia. Public domain. | This surely addresses the immediate question that death raises: Is one’s work, one’s vocation, finished? And what was that work, that vocation, that one gave to the world while on earth? Such a response to death deals with a question of substance therefore in preference to conjuring up |
the
fear of death and what follows with punishment for sin and “fires of hell” (words from the ritual) that sadly dominate the prayers that are recited. |
Following is the original “Hail Mary” prayer from the 12th century: Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you, untroubled maiden.
You are blessed among women, you who brought forth
peace to people and glory to the angels.
Blessed too is the fruit of your womb,
who by grace made it possible for us to be his
heirs. I much prefer this prayer to the one that has dominated from the fear-ridden and patriarchal 16th century up to today. To be continued. |
Queries for Contemplation How does the older (and for many the all-new) version of the Hail Mary prayer strike you? How would you name the differences between
the older and the more recent versions? |
Responses are welcomed. To add
your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
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