How to use the Bible when praying the Rosary

If you find it difficult to meditate during the Rosary, try adding a few scripture passages to deepen your prayer.

The Rosary is a beloved prayer of many Christians, but sometimes it can be difficult or overly monotonous to pray. One way to combat these distractions is to incorporate more of the Bible into the Rosary.

Typically when praying the Rosary, an individual will announce a particular “mystery” from the life of Jesus Christ before each decade of Hail Marys. In order to deepen your meditation on this mystery, some have found it beneficial to read a short passage from the Bible that corresponds to each mystery of the Rosary.

This will naturally lengthen your time of prayer, but it will also enrich it and provide you with many images to meditate on from the life of Jesus Christ and his Mother.

Here is a list of every mystery of the Rosary, with a corresponding passage from the Bible that you can use the next time you pray.

1Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation – Luke 1:26-38
The Visitation – Luke 1:39-56
The Nativity – Luke 2:6-20
The Presentation – Luke 2:22-39
The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple – Luke 2:41-51

2Luminous Mysteries

The Baptism of Jesus – Matthew 3:11-17
The Wedding Feast at Cana – John 2:1-12
The Proclamation of the Kingdom – Mark 1:14-15
The Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-8
The Institution of the Eucharist – Matthew 26:26-28

3Sorrowful Mysteries

The Agony in the Garden – Matthew 26:36-46
The Scourging at the Pillar – Matthew 27:26
The Crowning of Thorns – Matthew 27:29-30
The Carrying of the Cross – Luke 23: 26-32
The Crucifixion – Luke 23: 33-46

4Glorious Mysteries

The Resurrection – Matthew 28: 1-10
The Ascension – Mark: 16: 19-20
The Descent of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2:1-41
The Assumption – Revelation 12:1
The Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth – Revelation 12:1