Over the years, people who know of my interest in prayer have given me some amazingly thoughtful gifts. Among them have been collections of prayers, a holding cross, finger labyrinths – and several rosaries.
Rosaries, sometimes called “prayer beads”, were not part of my Anglican upbringing – in fact, prayer beads were not widely used among Anglicans until the 1980’s when an Episcopalian priest in Texas, the Rev. Lynn Bauman, created Anglican prayer beads with symbolism more familiar to our tradition. Since then, they’ve been adopted by many other denominations as a tactile aid to prayer.
Prayer ropes with knots or beads have been used for centuries by Christians as well as by people of other faiths. Members of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism and the Baha’i Faith among others, all utilize a similar aid to mark the repetitions of their prayers or chants.
From the 3rd century, early Christian hermits carried a handful of pebbles with them, discarding one with each prayer said. When all the pebbles were gone, they would collect more and begin again, thus praying “without ceasing”. (1 Thessalonians 5:16) It is believed that the use of prayer beads and knotted ropes evolved from this practice.
The Way of a Pilgrim, written by an anonymous 19th century Russian peasant, recounts his inquiry into a life of constant prayer. A hermit he encounters invites him to his cell and teaches him the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!”. This ancient prayer of the Church is traditionally prayed with a prayer rope, similar to a rosary, yet made out of black knotted wool.
The creation of the prayer rope can be traced to Pachomius the Great in the 4th century as an aid for illiterate monks to accomplish a consistent number of prayers and prostrations while alone in their cells. The Eastern Orthodox Church uses prayer ropes that bear 33, 50 or 100 knots, with particular prayers assigned to each knot.
Similarly, the rosary is used for contemplative prayer. The beads serve a practical purpose in helping keep track of where one is in the prayer sequence, and because they are tactile, they also assist those holding them to emotionally connect with the prayers being prayed.
The term rosary comes from the Latin rosarium meaning “rose garden” and in some cases, the beads of the rosary are made from dried rose petals. The rose beads have a rough rustic texture and as they are handmade, each one is unique, with an earthy colour and sweet rose fragrance and one’s hands can soon become accustomed to their feel.
It can be said that the Anglican Rosary combines elements of both the Roman Catholic Rosary and the Orthodox Prayer Rope. Made up of thirty-three beads (the number of years of Jesus’ life), it includes a cross, an invitatory bead, four cruciform beads, and four groups of seven-week beads. Many people pray through the cycle three times, signifying the Trinity. While this practice may be challenging to remember at first, faithful repetition eventually leads to memorizing the prayers for particular beads. Developing this ease of practice invites us into the contemplative practice of being still in God’s presence.
There are no set prayers to use with Anglican prayer beads. Instead, the intent is to use them with any prayer, for any intent. The prayers are most often based on scripture, other ancient Christian texts or even hymns. This versatility enables the prayer to be seasonal and address current need.
For me, the value in using prayer beads of whatever make or measure, is in finding I spend more time in prayer and that I am more fully present with God. The beads help to slow me down, to eliminate distractions and stray thoughts, in much the same way using a Mantra does in Meditation. Accompanied by scripture or other spiritual reading, this form of prayer helps commit the verses to my both heart and memory, similar to the way Lectio does. And there is an added blessing in the feel of the gently worn and comfortable beads or knots nestled in my hands.
In a world so often distracted by itself, wool and knot and bead form an accessible and tangible way to be still and know God is.
