Might a Catholic prayer wheel innovation be acceptable?

[Kevin_Walker]

I greatly admire the Tibetan Buddhist practice of spinning prayer wheels to generate prayers to heaven. These are cylinders enscribed with various sutras, or have paper with Buddhist prayers attached and spun by hand on the temples as Tibetans walk by.

I was wondering if it would ever be possible in the climate of today’s liberal Catholic Church that the innovation of a Catholic Prayer wheel might be approved by the Vatican, for sending prayers to heaven? (only as a supplement to the Rosary of course)!

 

[ahimsaman72]

Kevin Walker:

I greatly admire the Tibetan Buddhist practice of spinning prayer wheels to generate prayers to heaven. These are cylinders enscribed with various sutras, or have paper with Buddhist prayers attached and spun by hand on the temples as Tibetans walk by.

I was wondering if it would ever be possible in the climate of today’s liberal Catholic Church that the innovation of a Catholic Prayer wheel might be approved by the Vatican, for sending prayers to heaven? (only as a supplement to the Rosary of course)!

I would welcome the possibility but think it will never happen. I’m impressed at your openness to the practice. It is just another way of practicing one of the most basic elements of any faith - prayer. The traditionalists would have a cow!

Peace…

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

ahimsaman72:

I would welcome the possibility but think it will never happen. I’m impressed at your openness to the practice. It is just another way of practicing one of the most basic elements of any faith - prayer. The traditionalists would have a cow!

Peace…

I would suggest reading crossing the threshold of hope,by our Pope.He is not a prude.God Bless

 

[Brain]

perhaps, so long as one knew it was their own act of will that was praying and not the wheel “sending” prayers to heaven. prayer wheels sound like a very nice devotion.

actually, if you think about it, votive candles seem to have the same purpose in catholicism as the tibetan wheels do for bhuddists. perhaps the wheels might be a bit more upbeat.

i am aginst radical progressivism and new age decor in sacred rites like the mass and the appearence of churhces. but many private devotions i am very willing to support so long as tehy remain theologically sound and respectful.

 

[reen12]

At first I was taken aback by the idea of a

prayer wheel. Then I thought about votive candles.
[oops…I see votive candles were mentioned above.]

Still, there’s something about the prayer wheel
idea that doesn’t set right with me [and I’ve been
reading Eastern philosophy for a lot of years, so
it’s not as if I’m unfamiliar with that practice.]

I’ll be interested in seeing what others add to
this thread.

reen

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

ahimsaman72:

I would welcome the possibility but think it will never happen. I’m impressed at your openness to the practice. It is just another way of practicing one of the most basic elements of any faith - prayer. The traditionalists would have a cow!

Peace…

If people think it’s a good idea, and it has not been forbidden, they should go ahead I have a Muslim “rosary” of 33 beads - why object to Buddhist prayer-wheels ? (I wouldn’t mind a Buddhist “rosary” either.)​

Coptic Christians, Catholics included, use the sistrum in the Liturgy - it goes back ultimately to the worship of the cat-goddess Bast.

touregypt.net/godsofegypt/bast2.htm

metmuseum.org/toah/hd/oking/hod_26.7.1450.htm ##

 

[Exporter]

We got candles from the Jewish religion. Jews do not have prayer wheels, that is oriental and Pagan. So the Catholic Church will not adopt “prayer wheels”. To spin a wheel is an external action. To pray is using one’s own free will and mind. Wheels dont do that. It is a silly idea.

 

[reen12]

Dear Exporter,

I was with you all the way in your reply above, until
I read: “It is a silly idea.”

Here’s another idea:

God is love; and he who lives in love lives in God,
and God in him.

reen12

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Exporter:

We got candles from the Jewish religion. Jews do not have prayer wheels, that is oriental and Pagan. So the Catholic Church will not adopt “prayer wheels”. To spin a wheel is an external action.

So is the singing of hymns. So is the use of the Rosary ​

To pray is using one’s own free will and mind. Wheels dont do that. It is a silly idea.

 

[ahimsaman72]

Lisa4Catholics:

I would suggest reading crossing the threshold of hope,by our Pope.He is not a prude.God Bless

I have tremendous respect for HH Pope John Paul II. He is one of the gems of the modern world. After he passes the next one has some mighty shoes to fill. I honor him and have never spoken ill of him. I don’t believe he is a prude. Quite the opposite really, he has forged friendships and peace like no pope in recent history.

Peace…

 

[Marie]

Prayer Wheels in the Catholic Tradition do exist and have for as long as I can remember. Most people today call them Prayer Chains or simply requests for prayer. Neither is a physical apparatis.

A Prayer wheel is usually a request for prayer which is continually added to by a group of people, who use the prayer requests to continually pray for those who have requested prayer.

I belong to many prayer wheel groups.

You make the request…it is added to the list. Everyone can copy it and have it to take to Adoration or use at home etc. It’s a lovely old practice, but as I said…it does not involve a physical wheel to spin. That’s not needed. It is the continual praying for requests on the list, which make it a prayer wheel of lifting needs of others to heaven in prayer.

 

[Digitonomy]

Exporter:

Jews do not have prayer wheels, that is oriental and Pagan. So the Catholic Church will not adopt “prayer wheels”.

The Church has adopted many pagan customs and practices, converting them from their original pagan purpose, toward serving the glory of God.

Nonetheless, I share your skepticism about prayer wheels.

You will also find prayer flags among some Buddhists, particularly if you watch any documentaries about Mount Everest. The prayers are written or silkscreened onto squares of fabric, which are then strung up to flap in the wind. The idea is that each time the flag flaps, that prayer is sent again. Kind of a cool idea, and very similar to the wheel, where each time the wheel is spun, those prayers are sent again.

However, it is not really consistent with the Christian understanding of prayer. A prayer is something in our hearts and minds, which we consciously send. Writing prayers on paper, or lighting candles, or praying before a statue, are merely ways to help us to remember, focus our thoughts, and maintain a particular frame of mind when we pray. It’s not as though each flicker of the candle sends our prayer again. So if you wanted to throw a few prayers into the wheel, and kneel there by it praying while someone spins it, I suppose that would be ok. But I don’t see how filling it with several thousand written prayers, then carting it off somewhere away from the person praying (which is the Buddhist way of doing it) accomplishes anything useful.

 

[Marie]

Exporter:

We got candles from the Jewish religion. Jews do not have prayer wheels, that is oriental and Pagan. So the Catholic Church will not adopt “prayer wheels”. To spin a wheel is an external action. To pray is using one’s own free will and mind. Wheels dont do that. It is a silly idea.

True…they do not have Prayer wheels. But some Jews do use a ***Tefillim ** * ( the small boxes containing scriptures, which are worn strapped to the forehead and on the arm ) at morning prayers.

 

[Mickey]

We don’t need wheels. We have incense!

**Psalms 141:2 **Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

 

[maendem]

Marie:

True…they do not have Prayer wheels. But some Jews do use a ***Tefillim ***( the small boxes containing scriptures, which are worn strapped to the forehead and on the arm ) at morning prayers.

That is in response to the law requiring Jews of the OT to “wear the law at all times;” (a literal interpretation.) It doesn’t seem to be remotely related to the Prayer wheel concept.

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

Kevin Walker:

I greatly admire the Tibetan Buddhist practice of spinning prayer wheels to generate prayers to heaven. These are cylinders enscribed with various sutras, or have paper with Buddhist prayers attached and spun by hand on the temples as Tibetans walk by.

I was wondering if it would ever be possible in the climate of today’s liberal Catholic Church that the innovation of a Catholic Prayer wheel might be approved by the Vatican, for sending prayers to heaven? (only as a supplement to the Rosary of course)!

Thanks for bringing this up. There are some great answers. We never covered this in formation. Got more homework done just being at the forums.

Deacon Tony

 

[Marie]

maendem:

That is in response to the law requiring Jews of the OT to “wear the law at all times;” (a literal interpretation.) It doesn’t seem to be remotely related to the Prayer wheel concept.

Exporter stated:

Exporter:

We got candles from the Jewish religion. Jews do not have prayer wheels, that is oriental and Pagan. So the Catholic Church will not adopt “prayer wheels”. To spin a wheel is an external action. To pray is using one’s own free will and mind. Wheels dont do that. It is a silly idea.

The point being…to a Buddhist, a prayer wheel is not extreme nor Silly. But to say that Jew’s and Catholic’s do not have practices which to others may seem pagan…is the point. We do not wear a Tefillim, as Catholic’s, but some Jew’s still do. It is not pagan nor is it odd to them.

We have statues. We do not worship them…to others we seem odd for that reason (among others.)