Defending the Rosary

[guanophore]

Then why not call it the Godary? You call it one thing and then say it actually means this. It’s no wonder some people don’t understand Roman Catholisism. Why Pray to others (and Praying TO someone is different than asking someone to Pray FOR you) when you can go directly to God, is he to busy to answer all the Prayers that he needs someone else to take down Prayers for him?

And why not ask Christ to your guide, he is our Savior. It’s Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and NO other.

I understand people that don’t find the Rosary helpful, but I don’t understand why there is so much criticism of it. If it does not commend itself to you, fine, but why berate those who find it helpful?

This is such a myopic view of prayer,anyway. Jesus wants us to pray with one another. Scripture encourages us to pray with and for each other. If Jesus wanted to be the “only only only” He would not have started a church! Scripture also encourages us to look to our spiritual guides that have tread the path ahead of us. Why is this such a problem?

 

[RevDrNorth]

I am a Protestant and I pray the Rosary. I use the scriptural Rosary. In between each Hail Mary I meditate on the specific piece of scripture that is attached to the Mystery (10 scripture verses for each section). It has been insightful.

When I say the Hail Mary I focus peripherally on Mary and mainly on the blessed event itself (ie Mary’s faithfulness to God, the Incarnation and what followed…blessed is the fruit of thy womb…Jesus). When I have finished praying the Rosary I go on to other prayer (petitionery, etc) and find myself in the right spirit due to having first prayed the Rosary.

I think many Protestants think the Rosary is one long prayer to Mary…not true.

{I even enrolled in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary}

RevNorth

 

[Stillkickin]

My 2 cents worth (I may have short changed everyone )

When we pray the Rosary we are praying the Gospel. As we say the prayers we are meditating on the life of Christ. Hopefully as we meditate on the life of Christ we will internalize what we are meditating on and in turn become more Christ-like. One way I heard of looking at the Rosary was the prayers we say are the body of the Rosary and the meditations are the soul of the Rosary. The Rosary brings us closer to God, not away from him.
All but two of the mysteries are straight out of the Gospels, they are the important events in the life of Christ, and the two that are not do not contradict the Gospels.

When I have had difficult times, I know that it was faithfully praying the rosary that got me through them. The rosary is a very powerful prayer.

Stillkickin

 

[Pixie_Dust]

I am a Protestant and I pray the Rosary. I use the scriptural Rosary. In between each Hail Mary I meditate on the specific piece of scripture that is attached to the Mystery (10 scripture verses for each section). It has been insightful.

I have a book called Speak, Lord, I am Listening that has Scriptures for each bead, and gorgeous watercolor illustrations to go along with the Rosary.

When I say the Hail Mary I focus peripherally on Mary and mainly on the blessed event itself (ie Mary’s faithfulness to God, the Incarnation and what followed…blessed is the fruit of thy womb…Jesus). When I have finished praying the Rosary I go on to other prayer (petitionery, etc) and find myself in the right spirit due to having first prayed the Rosary.

I think many Protestants think the Rosary is one long prayer to Mary…not true.

{I even enrolled in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary}

RevNorth

How I wish all Protestants would have your understanding! I too prayed the Rosary for a long time before I had a clue that God was moving me towards the Catholic Church. As I said before on this thread, I think of Mary’s Fiat, “Let it be done to me according to thy word” and her “Do whatever He tells you” with every. Hail. Mary. I. say.

 

[DebChris]

I like the method though I use different terms.

Most of the terms I use come from a class for Catechecists.
They are meant to convey either Christ’s role or action.
At the Annunciation, He became incarnate.
He sanctifies at the Visistation.
God is with us (Emmanuel) at the Nativity.
The Israel firstborn male serves as ransom, in remembrance of the Passover and the Egyptian firstborn that were killed, making Him our Redeemer at the Presentation.

When I say “King of Kings” at the Crowning of Thorns, I reflect not only on how Jesus was mocked at the time; I also reflect on how God is still mocked today.
I have physically felt my burdens lifted from my shoulders as I recall Jesus “taking my cross” and felt his forgiveness as “Crucified.”
As a Charismatic, I am thankful for his Indwelling in my own heart as I pray the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

I do like The Miraculous for the Wedding at Cana since it is indeed the first Miracle performed; although sometimes I need to remind myself that God will provide for all my needs.
I use Messiah for the Proclamation of the Word, because he is the Annointed One.

What is important, of course, is the term that brings any of us individually closer to God.

 

[DebChris]

I am a Protestant and I pray the Rosary. I use the scriptural Rosary. In between each Hail Mary I meditate on the specific piece of scripture that is attached to the Mystery (10 scripture verses for each section). It has been insightful.

When I say the Hail Mary I focus peripherally on Mary and mainly on the blessed event itself (ie Mary’s faithfulness to God, the Incarnation and what followed…blessed is the fruit of thy womb…Jesus). When I have finished praying the Rosary I go on to other prayer (petitionery, etc) and find myself in the right spirit due to having first prayed the Rosary.

I think many Protestants think the Rosary is one long prayer to Mary…not true.

{I even enrolled in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary}

RevNorth

It is always nice to see a non-Catholic view that counters criticism of Catholic devotions. Many who criticize the rosary are unaware of its historical development or its Biblical roots starting with the Annunciation (for the Hail Mary) and the Visistation (the Magnificat).

PC Master asks why we do not pray 10 Lord’s Prayers. The rosary is a prayer form that began with peasants hearing the monks recite the 150 Psalms. Illiterate and wanting to join the monks, the rosary began as 150 “Patre Nostras” or “Our Fathers” to coincide with the recitation of the Psalms which the peasants could recite while continuing their physical labor.
The Jesus Prayer, recited on beads, is another powerful method of being drawn into the Presence of God.

 

[cpayne]

I don’t think this would be an issue of practicality. At “standard rosary speed”, a Hail Mary takes me about twelve seconds while an Our Father takes me about fourteen seconds. So swapping Our Fathers for Hail Marys on a 5 decade rosary would increase my total time by about a minute and a half, on average.

Of course, as soon as I read this, I had to time myself. My conclusion: If we were in a “Rosary Race,” you’d beat me, but not by much.

Of course, if we were in a “Rosary Race,” that would rather defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?

I’ve only been praying the Rosary about nine months. How blessed, how helpful, how enriching it has been.

 

[DebChris]

I like the method though I use different terms.

Since the terms you use are similar to the fruit of each mystery, this seemed like a good place to list them. Next to each fruit[re:Marian Press flyer], I listed the graces from Montford’s intercessory prayer:

Joyful

1. Humility—Profound Humility
2. Love of Neighbor–Charity toward Neighbor
3. Poverty–Detachment from things of the world, Contempt of riches, Love of poverty.
4. Obedience–Purity of Body and Soul
5. Joy in Finding Jesus—True Wisdom

Sorrowful

1. Sorrow for Sin–Contrition
2. Purity–Mortification of Senses
3. Courage–Contempt of the World
4. Patience–Patience in bearing our crosses
5. Perseverance–Conversion of sinners, perservance of the just, relief of souls in Purgatory

Glorious

1. Faith–Love of God, Fervor in service
2. Hope–Ardent desire for Heaven, our true hope
3. Love of God–The coming of the Holy Ghost into our souls
4. Grace of a Happy Death–Tender devotion for so good a Mother
5. Trust in Mary’s Intercession–Perseverance in grace and a crown of glory hereafter

Luminous—Added by Pope John Paul II

1. Openness to the Holy Spirit
2. To Jesus through Mary
3. Repentance and Trust in God
4. Desire for Holiness
5. Adoration

Part of the prayer at the start of Montfort rosary:
“We offer you, O Most Holy Trinity This creed in honor of all the mysteries of our faith.
This Our Father and these three Hail Mary’s in honor of the unity of your Essence and the Trinity of your persons.
We ask of You, a lively faith, a firm hope, and an ardent charity.”

 

[DarkMark]

If some non-Catholic feel uncomfortable praying the Rosary due the “Hail Mary” prayer, one can pray the Protestant and Ecumenical versions of the Rosary:
1)pathguy.com/rosary.htm
2)Christianrosary.com

I find these versions great for Protestants, although most do not have a problem with the Catholic version of the Rosary. Many Protestants have now started to pray the Rosary, realizing that it is a biblical prayer . The Bible does not forbid the Rosary. . . .

 

[itsjustdave1988]

I am a Protestant and I pray the Rosary. I use the scriptural Rosary. In between each Hail Mary I meditate on the specific piece of scripture that is attached to the Mystery (10 scripture verses for each section). It has been insightful.

When I say the Hail Mary I focus peripherally on Mary and mainly on the blessed event itself (ie Mary’s faithfulness to God, the Incarnation and what followed…blessed is the fruit of thy womb…Jesus). When I have finished praying the Rosary I go on to other prayer (petitionery, etc) and find myself in the right spirit due to having first prayed the Rosary.

I think many Protestants think the Rosary is one long prayer to Mary…not true.

{I even enrolled in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary}

RevNorth

God bless you RevNorth. The Tiber is such a short swim from here…jump in…the water’s fine.

 

[Jaypeeto4]

I do, however, spend many an hour in Bible study.

Not to knock bible study per se by any means, but the bible itself talks about people who are “always learning, yet never able to come to a knowledge of the Truth.”

Jaypeeto4
+JMJ+

 

[hagia_sophia]

i do not find anything wrong about praying the rosary. There is this protestant boy who asked his mom about the rosary. Her mom, due to her “faith” told his son to never mention it again to her. Because its blasphemous for her. I led the boy to curiosity. After some thorough research and a lot of Grace from God, he came upon the story of the annunciation in the bible where the angel greets the Blessed Virgin Mary,“Hail Mary, Full of grace…” So he asked a catholic to teach him the rosary. After learning it, he made it a daily habit to pray to mother Mary through it. After sometime his mother caught him praying the rosary. She was very angry and she slapped the boy on his face. The boy, with tears from his eyes asked his mother, “Why mom? What’s wrong with repeating bible verses? Is it bad to say what the angel Gabriel told Mary about her and about the baby Jesus?”

The boy grew up to be a good priest and a faithful devotee of the Holy Rosary…