Can one pray the Rosary while in Mass?

[Odilon]

• we all are sinners without exception.

Most assuredly.

seemingly without any exceptions at all.

What exceptions could there possibly be? This is the Holy Mass, the most complete prayer that can be offered unto God - no, there can be no deviations. The priest for instance would never insert a recitation of the rosary during any part of the Mass. The Mass is so sacred a prayer, so sacred a liturgical tribute before God, that even the recitation of one “Hail Mary” is a rare occurrence let alone a full bore recitation of the prayer dedicated to the Blessed Mother.

 

[redcatholic]

Oh, ok. That must be it

 

[Odilon]

And I suspect that if one were to be transported back to the Last Supper, and went over to Mary to start a private conversation, she would politely say “Shhh” and point to Jesus - telling you to pay attention.

Amen! Amen!

 

[otjm]

There could be a bit of danger in the above type of fixed general attitude with a sort of lack of flexibility and recognition of differences, it could lead to scruples.

If one were in school and the teacher was giving a lecture, it would be considered inappropriate for a student to be on thier phone in a conversations with someone else.

Saying the rosary during the highest act of worship we have betrays a serious lack of understanding of the Mass; a willingness to basically ignore Scripture as well as the official prayers of the Church (and we presumably are members of the Church therefore praying the prayers and offerings of the Church with the priest), and replacing tht with a private conversation.

And following along with the priest is not going to be a source of scrupulosity, which is a mental issue.

 

[JimG]

It’s not always possible to follow alomg with every word of the priest. Sometimes we are singing a hymn while the priest is saying the Offertory.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Not to make too fine a point of it, but it is no longer the 1950s, let alone the 1880s.

And aside from having a liturgy in the vernacular, what exactly has changed about the Mass, and about prayer during Mass, and about prayer in general, between the 1880s, the 1950s, and today? (Not to mention the 1500s.)

This kind of reminds me, mutatis mutandis, of the question once posed to a Jesuit, “can I smoke while praying?”. The Jesuit replied, “look at it this way — can you pray while smoking? — there you have your answer”.

The question here would be “can you pray any other prayers during Mass, aside from the prayers that are being said ‘in real time’, or are the ‘real time’ prayers the only legitimate ones? And why? And what about the parts where your response isn’t needed, such as the Eucharistic Canon? What then?”

And, I’ve just got to say it, after you’ve heard the various Eucharistic Prayers 1000 times, isn’t it a bit mind-numbing to have to give them your undivided attention yet one more time?

 

[Margaret_Ann]

How can she properly meditate on the various mysteries during Mass?

When I used to go on retreat, we would do our first meditation of the day during Mass (TLM).

 

[JimG]

When the Mass changed from Latin to English, a fellw parishioner once told me, “I can be distracted in English as easily as I can in Latin.”

 

[jeannetherese]

If liturgy is work of the people, then praying the rosary would be part of a communal work.
We assist the priest with our prayers.

 

[MtnDwellar]

Your reliance on their comments also ignores the 2,147 bishops (with 4 others in opposition) who signed Sacrosanctum Concilium - the document in which they expressed their desire that people actively participate in the Mass - active participation not being the recitation of a private devotion

Although Sacrosanctum Concilium does express a desire for active participation, it doesn’t define what active participation is or is not.

I was taught to actively participate by raising my heart and mind to join the angels and saints in the heavenly liturgy. Praying the rosary may be a means of accomplishment.

 

[BarbTh]

And following along with the priest is not going to be a source of scrupulosity, which is a mental issue.

“Following along with the priest” was not my issue re scruples, otjm. Scruples can indeed be a spiritual trial or suffering permitted by God for His Reasons, which always are Good.

Rather it was a seeming inflexibility of general attitude that could lead to being scrupulous about matters that are secondary and potentially, perhaps, might lead to neglecting the most important matter of all i.e. Charity.
That sort of scrupulosity just might or could lead to spiritual pride, that one is better than anyone else not sharing one’s attitude.
And if you did read my post and understood, I did point out that to follow The Mass is the ideal without a doubt one iota, but that we do not always meet our ideals. One person might meet this ideal perhaps, but if he or she looks a little deeper, he or she would not be meeting some other ideal probably, even in fact for sure.
Better to pray during The Mass even if it is Our Lady’s Rosary, than not to pray at all. Our Lady will surely lead to Her Son always. It may not be as a person expects or indicates she should; nevertheless, Our Lady always will in God’s Time, His Way.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ll never for the life of me understand why people get so het up over this issue. We’ve had past threads on it and they always seem to go the same way.

Yes, it is possible to pray the Rosary while you’re at Mass.

Whether it’s desirable or not depends on a whole host of factors, including why you’re praying the Rosary at that particular Mass.

As shown by this thread, people have a whole host of vehement opinions about this practice. But in the end, assuming that you’re not praying the Rosary in a manner that distracts others at Mass (such as out loud in the hearing of others present), it’s your own business.

 

[stpurl]

As ever, the voice of sanity. Thank you, Tis.

 

[Julius_Caesar]

The greatest prayer is being offered. I’m sure the Blessed Mother would want you to focus on her Son’s Sacrifice as it’s the reason why the rosary has any weight.
My answer is no.

 

[otjm]

And aside from having a liturgy in the vernacular, what exactly has changed about the Mass, and about prayer during Mass, and about prayer in general, between the 1880s, the 1950s, and today? (Not to mention the 1500s.)

The topic is saying the rosary during the Mass. I fail to see what your question has to do with that.

And, I’ve just got to say it, after you’ve heard the various Eucharistic Prayers 1000 times, isn’t it a bit mind-numbing to have to give them your undivided attention yet one more time?

Isn’t telling your spouse or child you love them 1,000 times mind numbing to both you and them?

Isn’t going up to Communion 1,000 times and hearing “Body of Christ” and saying “Amen” 1,000 times mind numbing? In fact, isn’t going up to Communion 1,000 time mind numbing?

I have even heard people say that religion is mind numbing - wouldn’t you agree?

And saying the rosary 1,000 times…

And saying I’m sorry" to your spouse…

 

[otjm]

I was taught to actively participate by raising my heart and mind to join the angels and saints in the heavenly liturgy. Praying the rosary may be a means of accomplishment.

Let’s cut to the chase.

The Masss is worship; it is our central act of worship.

Saying the rosary is not worship.

Why would anyone, when present at the act of worship of the Church, engage in a devotional prayer, and in essence, ignore what everyone else is engaging in - the act of worship given to us By Christ?

The argument used to be that few, if any could understand what the priest was saying; when I was a child in the 1950’s and capable of following along with the priest by use of a missal, my parents provided me one and saw to it that I used it. The majority of the rest of the congregation did not have a missal, and rosaries were in plain view. I don’t recall any of my classmates having a missal.

Praying the rosary was and remains a means of occupying oneself during the Mass; when the Mass is the OF, then I would submit it is force of habit and a m=poor understanding of wht liturgy, and the Mass specifically is.

When it is the EF, missals are available; failing to buy one leaves me wondering why that is such a low priority that one would ignore what is happening and not join in.

No one said a rosary at the Last Supper. And I have really serious doubts that anyone was off in a corner chatting with Mary during it, if for no other reason than I strongly suspect Mary would have quietly directed them to Christ - to pay attention.

Nor did people say the rosary for the first 11 centuries, as it appeared somewhere between the 12th and 15th century.

 

[MtnDwellar]

Let’s cut to the chase.

The Masss is worship; it is our central act of worship.

Saying the rosary is not worship.

The rosary is not an act of worship? I beg to differ.

Regardless, the Mass is foremost a sacrifice which consists of an offering, the slaying of the victim, and the meal. As I stated, we can participate in Mass by joining the heavenly hosts in the liturgy. All of the communal prayers and songs are intended to direct us to this union. They are not the end game.

We can also actively participate by consuming the meal.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

My thirteen year old daughter actively prays the rosary at Mass. and it’s pretty easy for her. She prays 3 rosaries a day, she is the only child I have out of seven that has, unprompted, adopted a prayer regimen.

Do you have any earthly idea what a jewel you have in this young lady?

Three rosaries a day. That is amazing. I would never think this of a young person in the modern world.

I’d love nothing more than to see my son marry a young woman so devoted to the rosary, but I must warn you, he’s a good kid, but a little rough around the edges. Don’t know where he gets it. I talk until I am blue in the face, to remind him of what kind of person Almighty God wants each of us to be, and how he will only be truly happy in life if he surrenders his will totally to the Divine. I tell him that he needs to wake up in the morning seeking to do God’s Will and nothing more.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

HomeschoolDad:

And, I’ve just got to say it, after you’ve heard the various Eucharistic Prayers 1000 times, isn’t it a bit mind-numbing to have to give them your undivided attention yet one more time?

Isn’t telling your spouse or child you love them 1,000 times mind numbing to both you and them?

Isn’t going up to Communion 1,000 times and hearing “Body of Christ” and saying “Amen” 1,000 times mind numbing? In fact, isn’t going up to Communion 1,000 time mind numbing?

I have even heard people say that religion is mind numbing - wouldn’t you agree?

And saying the rosary 1,000 times…

And saying I’m sorry" to your spouse…

On its face, conceded, a good point, but on another level, it’s apples and oranges. Sitting and listening to the same 10-minute canon, in one’s own vernacular, requiring one’s total attention, over, and over, and over again… yes, in my book that could fall under "mind-numbing’.

I may be a poor one to offer an opinion. I much prefer the Traditional Latin Mass, which does not make this requirement of you, in that the canon is whispered and nobody is expected to hear or listen to it. Some follow along with either the vernacular or the Latin side of the missal, some don’t. Different people like different things. People find different levels of detail and attention to be “enough”, and some clamor for more. When my father was able to go to Mass, he said “it’s the same thing over, and over, and over”. This didn’t make him a bad person or a bad Catholic, it’s just his temperament. Maybe I inherited that. He, too, much preferred the TLM. Again, everyone is different. The Church used to be able to allow for such differences. I have my concerns that in our times, that ability is getting lost.

HomeschoolDad:

And aside from having a liturgy in the vernacular, what exactly has changed about the Mass, and about prayer during Mass, and about prayer in general, between the 1880s, the 1950s, and today? (Not to mention the 1500s.)

The topic is saying the rosary during the Mass. I fail to see what your question has to do with that.

Well, I think it does. I was referring to whether the Mass is an appropriate time to be reciting the rosary. Past popes said yes. Paul VI wasn’t so sanguine about it.

 

[Odilon]

He was wrong (in my humble opinion).