What exactly is Jesus referring to when, in the Sermon on the Mount, he warns against the “gentile” way of praying repeatedly? I had someone accuse the rosary of doing this.
Jesus said, “in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Mt 6:7). Praying isn’t just about quantity – quality matters, too. When repetition is used, meditation is important so that our prayers do not become meaningless. For more on this see Expressions of Prayer.
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