Power of the Rosary---is this True?

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I know the Rosary is a Marion Apparition–I’ve collected probably 10-15 rosaries before I even decided to become a Catholic–because I’ve always thought they are beautiful, sacred and mysterious. I haven’t yet learned to actually “pray the Rosary” but as I’m in RCIA at present, I so want to learn. BTW, will go to Mass this afternoon and to “The Rosary” as well.

Question for all you Catholic Apologists out there–is there really something to this beautiful sacred tradition? Do you really think Mary can intercede for us pitiful Christians still on earth?

I’ve given a couple Rosaries out to friends–not even knowing it’s power but just believing in its special graces I suppose. I have 2 by my bed, 2 by my sons’ beds, by my hubby’s bed, and throughout the house. I seem to hold such a special reverance for this “custom” and here I don’t even know why yet.

I’d like to hear some thoughts on this most mysterious grace—from you learned apologists out there, most gifted ones. What do you all think here?

On another thread, I’ve thrown out the question of whether I should give a Rosary to a Mom whose son has brain damage from an auto accident, (my son’s friend in school). I sooo want to, and feel in my heart that I should, but then again, they are Fundamental Protestants, don’t know how they’d react.

Some thoughts here?
 
Sparkle,
This may help. These are the promises to those who devoutly say the rosary.

Besides the Indulgences attached to the Rosary, Our Lady revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche additional benefits for those who devoutly pray the Rosary. Our Lady’s promise is shown in darker blue text. Additional explanation on and doctrinal connections to each promise is shown following in the smaller normal text font and color.

1.Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
Signal Graces are those special and unique Graces to help sanctify us in our state in life.
  1. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
  2. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
  3. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
  4. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. Since Our Lady is our Mother and Advocate, She always assists those who call on Her implicitly by praying the Rosary. The Church reminds us of this in the Memorare prayer, “… never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided …”
  5. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.
  6. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
    This promise highlights the benefits of obtaining the most possible Graces at the hour of death via the Sacraments of Confession, Eucharist, and Anointing of the Sick.
  7. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.
    Our Lady highlights the great quantity of Graces obtain through praying the Rosary, which assist us during life and at the moment of death.
9.I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
Should one require Purgatorial cleansing after death, Our Lady will make a special effort to obtain our release from Purgatory through Her intercession as Advocate.

continued:
 
  1. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.
  2. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.
    This promise emphasizes Our Lady’s role as our Advocate and Mediatrix of all Graces. Of course, all requests are subject to God’s Most Perfect Will. God will always grant our request if it is beneficial for our soul, and Our Lady will only intercede for us when our request is good for our salvation.
  3. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
If one promotes the praying of the Rosary, Our Lady emphasizes Her Maternal care for us by obtaining many Graces (i.e. spiritual necessities) and also material necessities (neither excess nor luxury), all subject to the Will of God of course.
  1. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
  2. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.
15.Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination. Predestination in this context means that, by the sign which is present to a person from the action of devoutly praying the Rosary, God has pre-ordained your salvation. Absolute certainty of salvation can only be truly known if God reveals it to a person because, although we are given sufficient Grace during life, our salvation depends upon our response to said Grace.

Reminder: these promises mean that, by faithfully and devoutly praying the Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary Graces to obtain said promises. It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those Graces in order to obtain salvation.
 
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sparkle:
I know the Rosary is a Marion Apparition–I’ve collected probably 10-15 rosaries before I even decided to become a Catholic–because I’ve always thought they are beautiful, sacred and mysterious. I haven’t yet learned to actually “pray the Rosary” but as I’m in RCIA at present, I so want to learn. BTW, will go to Mass this afternoon and to “The Rosary” as well.

Question for all you Catholic Apologists out there–is there really something to this beautiful sacred tradition? Do you really think Mary can intercede for us pitiful Christians still on earth?

I’ve given a couple Rosaries out to friends–not even knowing it’s power but just believing in its special graces I suppose. I have 2 by my bed, 2 by my sons’ beds, by my hubby’s bed, and throughout the house. I seem to hold such a special reverance for this “custom” and here I don’t even know why yet.

I’d like to hear some thoughts on this most mysterious grace—from you learned apologists out there, most gifted ones. What do you all think here?

On another thread, I’ve thrown out the question of whether I should give a Rosary to a Mom whose son has brain damage from an auto accident, (my son’s friend in school). I sooo want to, and feel in my heart that I should, but then again, they are Fundamental Protestants, don’t know how they’d react.

Some thoughts here?
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The Rosary is not part of Fundamentalist piety - a lot of them find it alien, and wrong. We have to consider, less what it pleases us to give our Fundamentalist brothers and sisters in Christ, than what God wishes for them. Our generosity will be secure only if it is in accord with God’s Will instead of ours. So, good as the Rosary is, it might not be good for these Christians, at this time. What we want, is not the main thing, ever :).​

If your friend wants a rosary - that is different; but we need to avoid imposing what helps us, on them.

After all, if we ourselves don’t know what the rosary is for - we can’t tell others 🙂

Why not ask someone who is Catholic, who is nearer at hand ? 🙂 ##
 
Absolutely, the Holy Mother can and does intercede for us. Look, I can pray for you, why in the world couldn’t Mary do it too, she’s more alive than we are and she has a son who loves his mother!

I joined the Church last Easter, started praying the Rosary every day about three months ago and I spend time in Eucharistic Adoration when I can. All I can tell you is that I’m a changed man, people that have known me for years have told me that seeing me for the first time they knew immediately that something’s different.

It’s like I’m immersed in a vast, bottomless, endless river of living water that wells up around and through me. It’s like a light that grows ever brighter, purer, more beautiful, filling the universe with its presence so that it would either vaporize me or fill me to overflowing with life and grace – and yet I’ve only been brought to the shallowest depth.

I’m certainly not learned or gifted, but I’m thinking that you’d find praying the Rosary and meditating on it’s mysteries to be time well spent.
 
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neophyte:
I joined the Church last Easter, started praying the Rosary every day about three months ago and I spend time in Eucharistic Adoration when I can. All I can tell you is that I’m a changed man, people that have known me for years have told me that seeing me for the first time they knew immediately that something’s different.
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Well said Neophyte. I am glad you mentioned the ability for the blessings from these devotions to change you, open up your heart and recognize truth. Truth can hurt - but without it you cannot ask for a change of heart. This is truly a gift of God.

I cannot imagine how miserable life would be without the gifts I have received recently - though small at times, they make trials far easier to endure. I really do attribute them to frequent Adoration, daily rosary, and frequent mass.

And I do a family rosary every Sunday with my 2 sons. The impact on them has been amazing as well. When something good happens to them - like they catch a “lucky” break, they are starting to attribute this to God and the power of the rosary.

That could only happen by God’s grace!
 
Just my :twocents: I would never refer to it as the “power of the Rosary”. That starts sounding like magic whether or not that is your intent. The intercession of Mary, the Power of God, God’s Glory manifested through the intercession of Mary.

Praying the Rosary can be a wonderful thing. Meditating on Christ’s Life can be truly powerful. I usually find as I meditate on some aspect of Christ’s life, heartfelt prayers for myself or others spring forward for things I was not consciously aware of.

Praying the Rosary can bring tremendous peace to your life, so can any prayer, but I feel our Lord is happy to say yes to His Mother.

Your sister in Christ,
Maria
 
These quotes are from the blue Pieta prayer booklet about the power of the rosary:

“The rosary is the scourge of the devil” - Pope Adrian VI

“The rosary is the treasure of graces” - Pope Paul V

“The rosary is THE WEAPON” - St. Padre Pio

“The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Herat of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who so loves His Mother.” - St. Louis de Montfort

St. Francis de Sales said the greatest method of praying IS to pray the rosary.

“The rosary is packed with power - it’s our spiritual nuclear weapon” - jrabs - oh yeah - that’s not in the blue Pieta booklet.
 
The Rosary was brought into being in the middle ages and was unheard of by early Christians. One wonders how God answered prayers for Christians for nearly a 1,000 years if the Rosary is the key to prayer?

The truth is, that more devotion is said to Mary reciting the Rosary then to Christ himself and that is wrong. Christ should always be given exclusive devotion in prayer. When Jesus was on earth he did not say, if your soul is troubled and heavy burdened, then come to my Mother and me and I will give your soul rest. Rather he said COME UNTO ME. Because Jesus is the ONLY one who can give you peace and help in time of need. As one poster stated, Jesus is our High Priest and Advocate. He intercedes for us.

Most Catholics do not have a one on one relationship with Jesus in prayer, but a “back door” approach where they pray to Mary to have her in turn take our prayer requests to Jesus. This is contrary to scripture. We are to BOLDLY come before the throne of God, because Jesus has now made that possible by dying for us and cleansing us from our sins. So now our Father in heaven will hear our prayers, because of what Jesus has done. As Jesus so fondly said, Whosoever will may come. Will you come to him today. It is my prayer that you do.

Ron from Ohio
 
Ron,

I respectfully sugggest that you’re objecting, not to Catholicism or Catholic practices, but rather to a grotesque caricature of them.

Are you saying that we can’t ask each other to join us in prayer? That’s what we do when we invite Mary to pray for us, and after all, it’s not like she’s dead.

Are you saying that we can’t be devoted to her as though she were our own mother?

Are you saying that Jesus doesn’t like it when we tell her that we love her?

Are you saying that it’s anti-scriptural to recite a prayer that, in large part, is a recitation of scripture?

Are you saying that it displeases the Lord to meditate on His incarnation, suffering and glorious resurrection while we pray?

As for a “back door” approach, I’ve found that no Protestant denomination has as direct a door to the presence of our risen Lord as I the one am privileged to enter as a Catholic: the reception of Him in the Holy Eucharist. That’s why I became a Catholic last Easter - so I could come unto Him in the manner He intended.
 
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rarndt01:
The Rosary was brought into being in the middle ages and was unheard of by early Christians. One wonders how God answered prayers for Christians for nearly a 1,000 years if the Rosary is the key to prayer?

The truth is, that more devotion is said to Mary reciting the Rosary then to Christ himself and that is wrong. Christ should always be given exclusive devotion in prayer. When Jesus was on earth he did not say, if your soul is troubled and heavy burdened, then come to my Mother and me and I will give your soul rest. Rather he said COME UNTO ME. Because Jesus is the ONLY one who can give you peace and help in time of need. As one poster stated, Jesus is our High Priest and Advocate. He intercedes for us.

Most Catholics do not have a one on one relationship with Jesus in prayer, but a “back door” approach where they pray to Mary to have her in turn take our prayer requests to Jesus. This is contrary to scripture. We are to BOLDLY come before the throne of God, because Jesus has now made that possible by dying for us and cleansing us from our sins. So now our Father in heaven will hear our prayers, because of what Jesus has done. As Jesus so fondly said, Whosoever will may come. Will you come to him today. It is my prayer that you do.

Ron from Ohio
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Ron,

Brother, you do not know what the Rosary is. I have never heard anyone say that the Rosary is necessary to have a life of prayer. I have never heard anyone say that prayers can only be answered by praying the Rosary. It is a tool that can lead us into a deeper prayer life and deeper walk with Christ.

Do you know that while reciting the Hail Mary’s Catholics are contemplating the Mysteries of Christ’s life? It is a Christocentric prayer from beginning to end. The hinge to the Hail Mary are the words … and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. For example today I will be praying the Luminous Mysteries.
The first mystery is the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. The second mystery is the miracle of changing the water to the wine at Cana in Galilee. The third mystery is when Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God to His disciples. The fourth mystery is His transfiguration on the mountain. The fifth mystery is the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the Holy Eucharist. How is the Rosary I am going to recite today to be considered praying to Mary. The Rosary is a prayer with Mary, as both of us contemplate the mysteries of her Son and the grace He has given to us.

I have prayed the Rosary daily since becoming Catholic, and my prayer life is stronger and deeper and more consistant than it ever was as a non-Catholic.

The Rosary can never be the Rosary by simple repitions of the Hail Mary’s without contemplation on Christ, as Pope John Paul II said in his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae. The Rosary is and must be Christocentric. The purpose of the Marian mysteries is also to give glory to Christ. I would encourage all Catholics to read this encyclical, and Ron as well if he wants to know what the Rosary really is.

Most Catholics in America do not have a one on one relationship with Jesus in prayer-- I would ask how you know this. Asking Mary or the Saints to intercede for us does not put a barrier between us and Christ (any more than you asking you Pastor for prayer does). In a sense thought I do agree with you in that many Catholics do not seem to have a close relationship with Our Lord, but I would say the same is true for just as many Protestants (our country is still greater than 50% Protestant). Those Catholic who dearly love the Lord do not do so in spite of Catholic teachings and the Sacraments, but because of it.

Good Day,

Peter John
 
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MariaG:
Just my :twocents: I would never refer to it as the “power of the Rosary”. That starts sounding like magic whether or not that is your intent. The intercession of Mary, the Power of God, God’s Glory manifested through the intercession of Mary.
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Thanks Maria. You are right. I should clarify myself. The rosary is not beads - it is the prayers and the intercession of Mary to Her Son. When I said the power of the rosary, I really should be clear for all the reasons you stated.

Thanks for the correction.
 
Peter John

Your post was very good. But what I meant was, by a “one on one” relationship with Jesus in prayer was praying exclusively TO HIM. Reciting the Rosary and the Hail Mary prayer is not EXCLUSIVELY praying to Jesus at all. Because you are first addressing Mary and not Jesus. The first words are “Hail Mary, full of Grace”.

Also I believe the Hail Mary prayer is recited some 50 times over the Our Father which is only said 10 times. But no matter. That is not the issue. Why not pray ONE ON ONE to Jesus alone, especially when Jesus ALREADY told us “to COME UNTO ME and I will give your soul rest?” That is the whole point.

Ron from Ohio
 
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rarndt01:
Most Catholics do not have a one on one relationship with Jesus in prayer, but a “back door” approach where they pray to Mary to have her in turn take our prayer requests to Jesus. This is contrary to scripture.
Will you come to him today. It is my prayer that you do.

Ron from Ohio
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I think you have a huge misunderstanding of the rosary as well as what most Catholics believe.

I think there are a majority of Catholics here on this forum that have an intimate relationship with Jesus. I have a one-on- one relationship with him, but that does not limit me from having one with Our Lady as well.

I think it pleases Him greatly for us to honor His Mother - not worship, mind you, but love and seek Her intercession. He loves His Mother just as we love our moms. After all, He gave us His Mother to be our mother too, as He was dying on the cross.
 
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rarndt01:
The Rosary was brought into being in the middle ages and was unheard of by early Christians. One wonders how God answered prayers for Christians for nearly a 1,000 years if the Rosary is the key to prayer?

The truth is, that more devotion is said to Mary reciting the Rosary then to Christ himself and that is wrong. Christ should always be given exclusive devotion in prayer. When Jesus was on earth he did not say, if your soul is troubled and heavy burdened, then come to my Mother and me and I will give your soul rest. Rather he said COME UNTO ME. Because Jesus is the ONLY one who can give you peace and help in time of need. As one poster stated, Jesus is our High Priest and Advocate. He intercedes for us.

Most Catholics do not have a one on one relationship with Jesus in prayer, but a “back door” approach where they pray to Mary to have her in turn take our prayer requests to Jesus. This is contrary to scripture. We are to BOLDLY come before the throne of God, because Jesus has now made that possible by dying for us and cleansing us from our sins. So now our Father in heaven will hear our prayers, because of what Jesus has done. As Jesus so fondly said, Whosoever will may come. Will you come to him today. It is my prayer that you do.

Ron from Ohio
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Hiya, Ron!! Preparing to use the curse of St. Jerome on anyone?

Justin
 
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rarndt01:
Peter John

Your post was very good. But what I meant was, by a “one on one” relationship with Jesus in prayer was praying exclusively TO HIM. Reciting the Rosary and the Hail Mary prayer is not EXCLUSIVELY praying to Jesus at all. Because you are first addressing Mary and not Jesus. The first words are “Hail Mary, full of Grace”.

Also I believe the Hail Mary prayer is recited some 50 times over the Our Father which is only said 10 times. But no matter. That is not the issue. Why not pray ONE ON ONE to Jesus alone, especially when Jesus ALREADY told us “to COME UNTO ME and I will give your soul rest?” That is the whole point.

Ron from Ohio
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You are still viewing the Rosary very superficially. The Hail Mary’s are not the focus of the Rosary, they help to keep a rhythm for meditating on the mysteries of Christ.

I suppose you have no problem praying with others at a weekly prayer meeting nor with your family prior to dinner to thank God for His goodness or to petition Him in time of need… Does this somehow invalidate “COME UNTO ME and I will give your soul rest”. As a Catholic I not only pray with my brothers and sisters in Christ (including the Saints), but “one on one” with Christ, and often in the context of the Rosary. There is no prohibition or discouragement from communing with Christ directly (far from it).

It is important to also note that the Church is a Body, and the life of prayer should involve others in the Body as well. But you already believe this, you just seem to have a problem with the way in which Catholics exercise this (in that they view the Church not only as those alive on earth, but also those in Purgatory and those in Heaven, and that we all as the Body of Christ must care for one another and bear each others burdens, especially in prayer).

Peter John
 
Ron,

Also remember that “prayer” is not synonymous with “that worship due only to God”. Yes, in the current vernacular they are treated so, but they are not.

To pray to someone is merely to ask something of them, as in “Prithee (pray thee) pass the black-eyed peas” or “Prithee pray for me”. So when I pray to Mary to pray for me, it’s no different than if I were to pray to you to pray for me. It’s not that worship due only to God.

“Worship” doesn’t necessarily mean “that worship due only to God” either, it can also mean “to honor”. In the States we address a judge as “your honor”, but in England they say “your worship”. Means the same thing.
 
Hey ya’ll,

FYI, in his bio and in countless posts, Ron claims to be Catholic.

God Bless,

Maria
 
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rarndt01:
The Rosary was brought into being in the middle ages and was unheard of by early Christians. One wonders how God answered prayers for Christians for nearly a 1,000 years if the Rosary is the key to prayer?..
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Clarification must be made here:

The most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the most effective and meritorious prayer **after ** the Holy Mass. Nothing can have more value than the Divine Liturgy, of course.

That being said, it seems to me you don’t have a clue how to pray the Rosary. We meditate on Christ and His life and ministry on earth whilst reciting the Angelic Salutation – focus must be maintained on the meditation, not on the words themselves. So there.

from me blog:

Personally, I have a very high regard to the Rosary – Our Lady’s most favourite form of devotion, given by her herself to St Dominic in the 1200s. I contribute it to Our Lady and her Rosary my personal “conversion of the heart.” The Rosary had touched the very core of my heart. It was Our Lady, through her Rosary, who took my hand and led me to her Son. She performed (quite literally) a spiritual miracle in my heart. But that’s another story. ;p

The Rosary is the most meritorious prayer after Holy Mass and since it was given to us in its present form by Our Lady to St Dominic it has performed many miracles in the history of the Church. Its power is doubtless very effective in gaining Our Lady’s favour and the answering of prayers and petitions. It has defeated a great heresy (the Albigensian), it has won battles (Lepanto, Peterwardein, etc), driven out demons (many are forced under the influence of its power to confess that the Rosary is the most detestable tool to them) and many other miracles private or public. Its power is so powerful that Our Lady repeated again and again to Blessed Jacinta in Fatima: “Pray the Rosary daily.” It is told to her that only Our Lady can obtain peace for the world, through the devotion to her most holy Rosary.

The power of the Rosary, of course, lays not in the repetition of the Lord’s Prayer and the Angelic Salutation, but in the mysteries that encapsulate it. The mysteries are the soul of the Rosary, as the Holy Father put it. In the complete set of twenty mysteries (comprised of the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries) the life, ministry and mysteries of Our Lord and Our Lady is meditated upon. It is highly focused on the very centre of the Christian faith: the God-Man Jesus Christ and His incarnation on earth. That’s where its merits lie. That’s why it is the most highly favoured and meritorious form of prayer after Holy Mass.

Pray the Rosary daily. It will change you, I’ll bet you on that. To finish with quotes:

“The Rosary is the scourge of the devil.”
– Pope Adrian VI.

“The Rosary is a treasure of graces.”
– Pope Paul V.

“The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.”
– St Louis Marie-Grignon de Montfort.

“The Rosary is the WEAPON.”
– St Padre Pio.

In Christus via Maria,
S4ntA.
 
Thanks Maria. You are right. I should clarify myself. The rosary is not beads - it is the prayers and the intercession of Mary to Her Son. When I said the power of the rosary, I really should be clear for all the reasons you stated.
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Thanks for the correction
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Not a problem. I have frequent, almost daily contact with Christians who do not think Catholics are Christians, Mary and the Saints being a big sticking point. Although when talking with fellow Catholics, I have finally gotten comfortable with Catholic shorthand, I always try to mind my speech in “mixed company”. Little things like this stick in peoples minds for a long time.

Your sister in Christ,
Maria
 
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