The Anglican Rosary: Penitential
I’ve been using an Anglican rosary for several years now, and one of my personal projects has been to create guides for using it to pray Scripture. Each of these is structured around a different theme (e.g., Penitential, Health & Healing, Thanksgiving, etc.). The first of these, Penitential, is below.
The format includes prayers for the cross, the invitatory bead, and the cruciform beads, as well as a Bible verse and a short prayer for each of the 28 beads in the weeks (indicated by a bullet point for each bead).
I offer it here with the hope that it blesses your own prayer life! You can download a printable version below. Feel free to use, print, copy, and distribute it.
Read The Anglican Rosary: An Introduction
CROSS
☩ Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(Glory Be)
INVITATORY
Take a moment to confess your personal and particular sins silently or out loud.
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much the devices and desires
of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not
to have done;
and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare all those who confess their faults.
Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises
declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer)
CRUCIFORM 1
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
(Kyrie Elieson)
WEEK 1
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James 4:8–10)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.
(Psalm 38:18)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
(Psalm 38:3–4)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
(Psalm 25:11)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
(Psalm 6:1)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
(Psalm 51:1–5)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
(Psalm 51:9)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)
CRUCIFORM 2
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
(Kyrie Elieson)
WEEK 2
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.
(Proverbs 5:21–23)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.
(Genesis 4:7)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
(Colossians 3:5–6)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
(James 4:17)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
(Ezekiel 18:30b)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.”
(Daniel 9:4–5)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”
(John 8:34)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)
CRUCIFORM 3
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
(Kyrie Elieson)
WEEK 3
I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
(Romans 7:18–19)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
(1 John 1:8–10)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
(1 Corinthians 6:9–10)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3:23)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
(Romans 7:24)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him.
(Luke 18:38–40)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
(Psalm 25:18)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)
CRUCIFORM 4
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
(Kyrie Elieson)
WEEK 4
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
(Psalm 32:5)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
(Proverbs 28:13)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
(James 4:8–10)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
(Acts 3:19–20a)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
(Ephesians 1:7)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven — for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
(Luke 7:47–48)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
(Psalm 32:1)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
(Jesus Prayer)
CRUCIFORM FINAL
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
(Agnus Dei)
INVITATORY
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9)
CROSS
Grant to your faithful people, merciful Lord, pardon and peace; that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. ☩ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer)
☩
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