I would like to ask whether in the recitation of the Rosary I can replace the “classical” mysteries with other events from Holy Scripture 

Dearest Father Angelo,

I hope this finds you well!

I wanted to ask you whether, in addition to the fundamental and irreplaceable “canonical” mysteries of the Holy Rosary, it is permissible to meditate/contemplate “other mysteries” (episodes, exhortations, prophecies, parables, etc.) from the Old and New Testaments, either alone or as a family.

Remembering you in my prayer, I thank you and greet you with affection!

Leon Battista

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The priest’s answer

Dear Leon Battista,

1. if you want to pray the Rosary and also take from it that precious fruit which consists in indulgences, you must mention the mysteries indicated.

Within those mysteries you can meditate and contemplate any other event or word of Holy Scripture.

In fact, the prayer of the Rosary is very broad.

2. If, on the other hand, you don’t mention the mysteries, you certainly do a good thing… 

but since it is not the actual Rosary, as it has been indicated by the Church, you don’t obtain indulgences from it.

3.One should not see simple legalism in what I am saying, but a maternal trait of the Church toward her children: she cares that they keep the main events of Jesus’ life in their memory so that then, with ease, they can meditate on them and put them into practice.

4. I repeat it: If you don’t mention the mysteries, you do a good thing.

In fact, if this meditation goes on for about half an hour, you can still obtain indulgences.

But properly speaking, it is not Rosary although it has very strong similarities to it.

5. I happened to participate in the prayer of the Rosary on the occasion of the death of a known person.

The priest did not mention the mysteries provided, but he made them up, without any biblical connection.

Instead of the mysteries of the Rosary, he talked about friendship, work, solidarity…

All good things. But this is not the Rosary.

And so, those people who rarely go to Church and perhaps only on the occasion of the Rosary for a deceased person, while they might remember the events of Jesus’ life, do not even hear them mentioned.

This is not help given to the believers. It is not pastoral.

6. Praying the Holy Rosary in the classical way also makes it easier to perform the three acts that accompany our meditation on the mysteries: reconstructing the event, giving thanks to the Lord for what He accomplished in that event, and asking for graces by virtue of the merits that Jesus procured us through that event.

7. To come back to you: do mention the classical mysteries. Then do the various readings from Holy Scripture.  In the contemplation that follows you will happen to connect what you have read with the events in Jesus’ life mentioned at the beginning of each decade. And you will discover new treasures.

I bless you, wish you well and remember you in my prayer.
Father Angelo

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