The Wildflower Rosary for Protestant Disciples

This Wildflower Rosary is designed for Protestant disciples, with an extended series of mysteries for meditating on the whole mission of Jesus Christ, plus a few of his parables. It is formulated for evangelism and teaching about the life of Jesus to those new to the Gospels. Yet, it is also offered as a engaging way for all devout followers of Jesus to pray without ceasing, or to follow St. Benedict's hours of prayer in a more simple, memorable format. We can meditate on important episodes in our Lord's life and teachings, and reflect on how He has impacted our lives at each step along his courageous journey. Perhaps, it may help the rest of us to become more contemplative, to seek a daily quiet time, and to consciously walk with our best Friend through this world of distractions and challenges. 

It is my secondary hope that this Wildflower Rosary might serve to knit back together the disparate members of the Body of Christ. As Protestants, we tend to think of the Rosary as just for Catholics, full of empty repetitive prayers to Mary. But that is just a dismissive stereotype. The mysteries fill the Rosary with opportunities to connect with Jesus. While it is true that most of the prayers were offered to Mary, that is because the Rosary as we know it originated in the visions of St. Dominic, who was a devotee of Mary. Long before that, Christians had been praying simple prayers on a knotted rope with the intent to pray without ceasing. 

Many Orthodox Christians, today, still continue that tradition, often with prayers quite similar to the Rosary. Using a specially knotted rope, they have an even simpler prayer than the Hail Mary, the Sinner's prayer, which they repeat over and over, endlessly,  throughout the day. As you might imagine, that could become an empty habit, too. We don't want to become too familiar with the prayers, letting them run on too long without having to think about what they mean. As a result, most Protestant sects have given up and ignored our mandate to pray without ceasing, and this has allowed us to drift away from the traditions of the older Church. 

That leaves us with only two options, if we want to follow the example of the early Church and try to pray without ceasing. We can try to memorize the entire Book of Psalms, and then say them all every day, as the desert monks did in the 4th and 5th centuries. Or, we can relearn the Rosary in a slightly more challenging form, and direct our prayers to our Lord Jesus, instead of Mary. Jesus asked us to pray always, persistently, for our friends and our own needs, for the conversion of sinners, then for the peace of Jerusalem, and the coming of the Kingdom of God, according to the Father's will. We can dedicate each day's Rosary for any of those concerns. 

We don't want to completely forget Mother Mary, however, because of her indispensable contribution to the formation of the Rosary. Plus, as Mother of our Lord and the Queen of Heaven, she deserves at least a few of our prayers. Our primary focus must always be on Jesus, even so, while we nod reverently to our Queen, because He is the only source of our salvation. Let Her recommend us as She will, He is our mediator before the Father, and only his acknowledgement of our faith will open the doors of Heaven. 

That is why we need to pray the Rosary, and why I have written out this Wildflower Rosary for our use. As you shall soon see, there has been a little reorganization. I moved some days around and added whole new sets of mysteries, so that the teaching would be more systematic, but I have tried to remain faithful to the intent of the original. Hopefully, the innovations won't be too much of an impediment for those already familiar with the Rosary. I did intend for there to be a degree of flexibility in the choice of prayers, so that any Catholics who want adopt this can continue to say the prayers they prefer. 

Some, who already have the habit of saying the whole Rosary every day, might complain that the extension of three more days, with new sets of mysteries to memorize, adds too much burden for us to keep up with in our busy lives. That was also my concern, so I made it easier and quicker to do each decade by suggesting the Sinner's Prayer instead of the Hail Mary. Doing one day's mysteries should be a little quicker now than it was before. And we can still say the whole series simply by breaking up our schedule to match St. Benedict's canonical hours, but without waking in the middle of the night. However, if you do wake up at 3am, you could say Sister Faustina's chaplet of the Divine Mercy. 

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So, as we begin, let us carefully examine our conscience, and consider how much we have to repent for. How abundant God's grace is to forgive us and offer us his salvation and eternal life! Then, let us humbly address our devotions to our Lord. We should meditate a few lingering moments on each mystery before concluding with the decade of short prayers. It can be our choice either to read the short Scripture passage corresponding to the mystery, or to visualize the story in a devotional way, imagining how we might feel as a witness. This meditation is what makes the Rosary more than merely repetitive rote prayers. 

Monday: The Joyful Mysteries 

1. Annunciation of Fulfillment 

    Luke 1:26-38 

2. Visitation of Elisabeth 

    Luke 1:41-45

3. Nativity of Jesus 

    Luke 2:4-7 

4. Presentation of the Baby 

    Luke 2:22-35 

5. Adoration by the Magi 

    Matthew 2:1-12 

6. Discovery in the Temple 

    Luke 2:45-49 

Parable: The Importuning Friend at Night 

    Luke 11:5-13 

Tuesday: The Luminous Mysteries 

1. Baptism of Jesus 

    Matthew 3:16-17 

2. Wedding at Cana 

    John 2:5-7 

3. Proclaiming the Kingdom 

    Mark 1:14-15 

4. Casting out Demons 

    Mark 9:17-29, Luke 11:14-23 

5. Transfiguration of his Appearance 

    Matthew 17:1-8 

6. Feeding the Multitudes 

    Luke 9:11-17 

Parable: Finding Great Treasure 

    Matthew 13:44-45

Wednesday: The Believing Mysteries 

1. Healing the Sick 

    Mark 5:21-43, Luke 7:1-10, Matthew 8:1-4 

2. Including the Despised 

    John 4:4-26 

3. Forgiving the Broken 

    Matthew 9:2-8 

4. Relieving our Blindness 

    Mark 10:46-52 

5. Power over Nature 

    Matthew 14:22-34 

6. Promising Resurrection 

    John 11:1-44 

Parable: The Wheat and the Tares 

    Matthew 13:24-40 

Thursday: The Theological Mysteries 

1. Rebirth into the Kingdom 

    John 3:3-8 

2. Foundation of the Church 

    Matthew 16:13-17 

3. Words of Eternal Life 

    John 6:63-69 

4. Revealing his Identity 

    John 10:22-42 

5. Establishing the Eucharist 

    Luke 22:14-20 

6. Abiding with Jesus 

    John 15:1-10 

Parable: The Good Shepherd 

    John 10:1-18 

Friday: The Sorrowful Mysteries 

1. Agony in the Garden 

    Matthew 26:36-45 

2. Scourging at the Pillar 

    Mark 15:15 

3. Crowned with Thorns 

    John 19:2-3 

4. Carrying the Cross 

    John 19:17 

5. Mary is our Mother 

    John 19:25-27 

6. Death by Crucifixion 

    Luke 23:32-34 

Parable: The Vinyard Owner 

    Matthew 21:33-44 

Saturday: The Holiness Mysteries 

1. Greatest Commandments 

    Matthew 22:36-40 

2. Kosher Speech 

    Matthew 15:11,15-20 

3. Corporal Works of Mercy 

    Matthew 25:34-40 

4. Love Your Enemies 

    Matthew 5:43-48 

5. Seek First the Kingdom 

    Matthew 6:19-34 

6. Keep my Commandments 

    John 15:9-17 

Parables: The Good Neighbor 

    Luke 10:25-37 

Sunday: The Glorious Mysteries 

1. Resurrection of Jesus 

    Mark 16:5-7 

2. The Great Commission 

    Matthew 28:16-20 

3. Ascension into Heaven 

    Acts 1:9-11 

4. Descent of the Holy Spirit 

    Acts 2:1-4 

5. Coronation of the Queen 

    Revelations 12:1 

6. The Return of the King 

    Matthew 24:30, Revelations 1:7 

Parable: Light of the World 

    Matthew 5:14-16 

....

These are the prayers I use for saying the Wildflower Rosary: 

Apostle's Creed
Our Father
Hail Mary (3x)
Glory Be

I have included the prayer added by St. Faustina, as it addresses Our Lord directly, and it was given in a vision of Our Lady at Fatima in Portugal in 1917.

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins! Save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who most need thy mercy." 

Beloved Face of Jesus (on the center medal)
"O Holy Lord, my sweet Jesus, living and eternal expression of Divine Love and Compassion, I weep for the terrible painful martyrdom you suffered for the redemption of mankind. I adore Thee and love Thee, my precious Friend. Today and always, I consecrate to Thee my heart and my whole being, offering Thee my prayers and actions, joys and sufferings of the day, and asking only for thy companionship and the promise of thy mercy. If Thou dost will, make of me a fruitful servant, that I may help others to recognize thy Presence in the world. Grant me the humility to accept simplicity and the clarity to express your love to those you lead across my path. Impress your Beloved Face on my heart, Lord, so that I may see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, and follow Thee more nearly with each passing day. Amen. 

As you begin the cycle of today's mysteries, name each mystery and say the Our Father, followed by the Disciple's Prayer, which I wrote as a counterpoint for the Hail Mary, as follows:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, my wise and wonderful Shepherd, help me to observe thy ways, and lead me to follow thy path. Lord, teach me thy Way of Truth, and let me share thy Life, now and forever. Amen." 

Then, read the relevant Scripture and/or meditate on the scene described there. After that, on each of the 10 beads, say the Sinner's Prayer.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen." 

At the end of each decade, we say the Glory Be, and Fatima prayers, and after the last mystery, we return to the central medal and end the Wildflower Rosary with one or more prayers to Mary, as follows, and then the Deo Gratia. 

For Transforming Grace (optional)
"O Sweet Mary,
most holy Mother of God,
we seek thy favor.
Pray for us always,
that by the grace of the holy Name,
of your Son, Jesus Christ,
we may find the strength of will,
to follow Him and imitate his example.
Ask that we may be transformed by his life,
saved by his redeeming death,
and raised by the greatest Love
of his infinite Mercy.
Amen." 

Hail, Holy Queen (optional)
"Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope,
to thee do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate,
thine eyes of mercy towards us,
and after this, our exile, show unto us
the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement! O loving! O sweet virgin, Mary!
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Amen." 

Sub Tuum Praesidium (optional)        

"Beneath thy merciful compassion we fly for refuge, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our petitions in our times of great need, but deliver us always from all dangers. O pure, O glorious, O Blessed Virgin Mary, recommend us to your Son as we are in distress. Amen."  

Deo Gratia
"O Holy, Compassionate, Merciful God,
It was by the resurrection of thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that Thou brought joy to the world, and we are forever grateful. Grant now, we beseech Thee as we meditate upon these mysteries of his courageous mission through this most holy Rosary, that we may imitate his Life, and be transformed by his Love. Allow, Lord, that we may be saved from sin by his redeeming death, and reprieved from judgment by his Infinite Mercy. We adore thy perfect holiness, and love thy grace and compassion. With great longing, we wish to receive what thy Son has promised. Give ear, Merciful Father, to the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and pour out thy grace upon us, that we might be granted eternal life and come joyfully into thy presence.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." 

Lastly, if you would be entirely consistent, you can say the Disciple's Prayer after every Our Father, including the very first one. That makes for seven times in each day's cycle. Just don't leave out the Hail Marys at the beginning, and be sure to say at least one Marian prayer at the end, to remember her part in the Father's plan of salvation. 

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Who was saved before the Bible?

We say that Heaven is a place for two kinds of people, perfect people and forgiven people. Up to now, Jesus has been the only perfect person, but He isn't the only one in Heaven. You ask, quite astutely, what about the many generations who lived before the Bible, who never heard of Jesus? The answer: Before the Bible was written, the evidence for God was available in creation, via what we call "natural revelation." But getting saved that way required a special grace from God. Those who truly desired to know Truth might be granted the grace to hear his Voice.

In Genesis, Enoch walked with God until God took him straight to Heaven. That happened because he lived so intimately with God, loved Him so much, and obeyed Him, that God accepted him as righteous because of his faith and trust and love. Thus, God made a special plan for him. He decided that he didn't deserve to die like a common man and took him to Heaven. Enoch had the kind of relationship with God that Adam was meant to have, walking with God in the Garden. He wasn't perfect, but because of his faith, he was forgiven. By contrast, most of the rest of humanity was following the promptings of the fallen angels, lying and misleading them to follow their own desires.

Abraham, too, was willing to listen, follow and obey God when he was called out from Mesopotamia. He didn't have a Bible, but he had a heart that desired Truth. Thus, when God called his name, he responded with faith. Abraham left his city, his father, and his work to follow the Voice of God into a new land, and he chose to believe when God offered him a future in Covenant between Himself and his descendants forever. When he was tested, Abraham didn't even withhold his only legal son, who would inherit the birthright. He was willing to offer everything most precious to him as a sacrifice if God wanted it. This was the kind of faith that God wanted from his people, so He counted it as if Abraham was righteous. 

Moses was given up for adoption, and raised as a prince in Egypt, so his heart was filled with compassion for all people. Yet, he was a man of violence and killed a man for abusing a slave. When he fled into the desert, God spoke to him by a miracle, and he listened and humbled himself. God gave him a role in his plans, to save the slaves from bondage and return them to the promised land. Moses believed, and had the faith to follow Him back to Egypt, to oppose Pharaoh and lead his people back to Canaan, and so, God reckoned that faith for him as righteousness. Moses was given the Ten Commandments, and God told him how to build the Ark of the Covenant so that He could dwell among his chosen people. Moses was forgiven his sins, and became the Prophet and Lawgiver for God's people. 

King David, who grew up as a shepherd of sheep, loved the Lord and spent his lonely hours in prayer and song to God. He was brave to defend his sheep, so God chose him to lead and protect his people. When he was called, David believed, and despite all the challenges he would face, he chose to follow his Lord and believe his promises. David became known as "a man after God's own heart," and God recognized his faith as righteousness, even when he made mistakes. David knew how to repent when he sinned, and God accepted his humility. Thus, David was promised that the Messiah would come from among his descendants. 

The prophet Elijah was taken to Heaven in a fiery chariot. He was chosen like Enoch and didn't have to die, because of his faith and intimate relationship with God. He had served God faithfully for a lifetime, and allowed the Holy Spirit to dwell in his heart. He had dared to speak Truth to power, offending the King and Queen, and the priests of Baal. But he believed, and God proved his Word. Thus, God considered him righteous because of his faith, just as He had done for Abraham. Elijah only had the Law of Moses to follow, and parts of the histories of Judah and Israel. But he had faith in the plans and beneficence of God, and he fought to keep his people on the right track. He listened and followed God's Voice, and was one of his greatest prophets. 

All of these men, and I could list more, lived before Jesus, and none was perfect. But they believed in God and put their faith in Him without receiving the written revelation of the Bible. We can still learn from the natural world around us, and from human nature, to see that God exists, and we can seek to know Him intimately. God loves those who seek to know Truth, and He often speaks to those willing to listen. He blessed the ones who followed and humbled themselves in faith and obedience, even before they had received the message of Christ through the Bible. He can teach us what He wants us to know. The trouble, from the beginning up to now, is that almost no one ever did that. It's not that easy. So God made a more obvious Way for us to follow the Truth and find eternal Life. He sent his true Son, Jesus, to be our Messiah. That was his plan from the very beginning. But now, we must have faith in Jesus, and believe that He is the Voice of God, who reveals the Way, the Truth and the Life. Now, we have the Gospels and the Bible. 

No one discovers God in his creation unless they think to ask the big questions, and then they need to discern and accept the answers before them. They have to choose to love God and walk with Him for the rest of their lives. How many have gone to Heaven before the Bible promised that Jesus was coming to save us? Too few. The world is fallen, and full of temptations and distractions, leading us to ignore God's Voice. Then, after the time of Abraham, and once the Torah was written, many more have been saved, but still too few. That's why we need Jesus. 

When Jesus came, He chose to complete God's plan to be merciful to us. He died to forgive and save us. All those who choose to believe and follow him will be saved. It is on us to recognize the Truth given us in special revelation and see the evidence left for us to piece together. Now, the problem of filling Heaven rests with us to believe and carry the Gospel to the whole world. We will have God's help to succeed. Then, only those who refuse to believe and repent, those who refuse to have faith and follow Jesus, will be judged on the Last Day as stubborn and unforgiven. They are the ones going to Hell. 

Jesus let Himself be crucified so that we could avoid that dreadful fate. He died and was buried. While his body was in the grave, He went down into the stillness of Sheol, a dark place of eternal sleep, where those who had died uncertainly awaited their fate. He called to those who had hoped for a Saviour, offering them the chance to follow Him. Those who believed were promised that they would rise on the day of resurrection. Then on the third day, He rose from the dead Himself, to prove He has the power to keep his promises. 

After the Last Judgment, those who have rejected Jesus and refused his mercy will be cast into the pits of Hell, also known as Gehenna, the place of eternal exile, darkness and fiery punishment, a smoky trash heap where the refuse is forever burning. There, the rebel angels suffer torment forever in the Lake of Fire, down at the very bottom. They deserve their punishment for having defied God and defaced his image which He put into humanity. We, too, will have deserved such punishment, if we deny the Truth and refuse God's offer of mercy and grace. It's not God's choice to abandon us to Hell, but ours, if we refuse to have faith and accept his gift of righteousness. 

If you have not yet decided to believe in God and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, let this be the day. You are not perfect, I know, because not one of us is perfect. We have all sinned and fallen far short of God's original hope for us. But God sent his only begotten Son to live a perfect life among us and to sacrifice Himself to pay our penalty for sin. That is how much He loves us, and how far He extends his mercy and grace to save us. Jesus died for you, but God raised Him from the dead, to prove the Truth of his promises. He promised to raise us up, too, and to share his Life with us, if we put our faith in Him. Then, after He told us to spread the Good News around the world, Jesus rose up to Heaven while all of his disciples watched. So on this very day, let your heart be opened to his love. Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, turn from those sins which your conscience has been convicting you for, and decide to follow the Voice of God. 

Jesus is Lord, the Son of the Living God, the promised Messiah, who came to redeem Humanity from the depravity of sin. Without Him, Satan has a claim on your soul, because you listened to him prompting you to follow your own way. Choose now to repent, turn around, and follow Jesus. Be reconciled to God, and let Him count your faith as Jesus' righteousness. It's his gift to you.