Hi Chris. I used to help teach RCIA in my parish, and your questions come up quite often from new ones entering the Church as well as from people of other faiths. This is how we’ve dealt with them in RCIA.
Often times I hear Catholics talk about the rosary and the implied message I receive is that it is somehow the superior form of prayer…Should Catholics pray the rosary daily in preference over the other forms of prayers? E.g. spontaneous prayers, or meditations on the 7 sorrows of Mary, or other written out prayers.Sometimes I feel guilty for praying though not praying the rosary. Is this valid or am I being too scrupulous?
The Rosary is based on the official prayer of the Catholic Church: the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office). Adopted from the Church’s earliest Jewish roots, the Church has incorporated Israel’s daily praying of the Psalter into it daily service to God.
But the Liturgy of the Hours is a bit complex and involves reciting the Psalms from a collection of pre-printed books called “breviaries.” These can be quite hefty and hard to carry around.
In the past the laity of the Church was not as encouraged to join the clergy and religious who are generally required to recite this combination of prayers which marks the major hours of the day. There was also the problem of illiteracy around the world until the beginning of the 20th century.
The Most Holy Rosary (as it is often called) grew out as a simple alternative. Since the Liturgy of the Hours contains 150 psalms recited over a period of several days, originally the Rosary contained the reciting of 150 “Hail Mary’s” to match (there are now more since the addition of the Luminous Mysteries added by St. Pope John Paul II).
Since the psalms are arranged in such a way as to focus on Christ being the fulfillment of the promises in Scripture, the recitation of the prayers in the Rosary is accompanied by meditating on the “mysteries” or main teaching events regarding the life of Christ, especially as seen from the eyes of Mary. This allows anybody to meditate on the events of Christ’s life without the need for a breviary collection or being able to read. Even the prayer “Hail Mary” is reciting Scripture, like the Liturgy of the Hours does, except it is reciting two texts from Luke 1:28, 42.
As time passed, God’s blessing has been so witnessed through the praying of the Rosary that even clergy and religious have adopted it. It has become a prayer in its own right, not merely a substitute to the Divine Office. Having played such a major part in the history of the Church and her people, and being based on the official prayer of the Church, it is often spoken of in the lofty language you mention.
But no one is required to pray it, thus you are not disappointing God or Mary if you don’t. I suffer from narcolepsy, and because of its meditative nature praying the Rosary for me often triggers a “sleep attack,” even cataplexy, which can put me in physical danger. So I can’t pray the Rosary as I used to. So not every good and faithful Catholic does or can pray the Rosary.
Jesus condemns ‘vain repetitions’ in regards to praying. During the rosary we are told to pray ‘Hail Mary’s’ whilst meditating on the mysteries. Sometimes I feel that, as I meditate on the mysteries, I am just parroting off ‘Hail Mary’s’ because my mind is focused on the mystery instead of the words of the Hail Mary…Some of the mysteries (especially the ‘Luminous’ ones) I find do not even really explicitly have anything to do with the Virgin Mary. So does that count as ‘vain repetitions’ of the Hail Mary? How is one supposed to meditate on the mysteries whilst simultaneously reflecting on the words of the Hail Mary?
Actually, at Matthew 6:7 Jesus condemns repetitions as done by the “pagans” or “Gentiles” (depending on your particular Bible translation). Their particular brand of repetition was vain because it had to do with repeating lists of divine titles and pronunciations of divine names. The pagan Gentiles believed that their gods would not listen to them unless you uttered their name, uttered that name correctly, and employed certain formulas. Without such, they believed, their gods might not even pay attention to them let alone answer their prayers.
Jesus’ statement at Matthew 6:7 is followed by his assurance that such things aren’t necessary (which is why they are “vain”). Why not? Because we don’t need to get God’s attention by such things as if God isn’t already paying attention to our needs. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
This is
not a command on not repeating phrases in worship or prayer. Remember, the Rosary is based on the Divine Office which is modeled on the type of prayer Jesus and the Jews did (and still do). The Psalms were written to be recited and chanted as prayers. This meant repeating them often throughout the year.
And finally, the Rosary, like the Divine Office, is meant to be “Christ-centric.” Thus it is not merely about the life of Christ as seen through Mary’s eyes, but the “mysteries” or “truths” regarding Christ. Mary was not present at many of these events, but the Hail Mary is meant to ask for intercession so we might better grasp them. Like Jewish prayer, Catholic prayer is not merely a direct petition to God or even to a saint. It is often a communication with God that speaks to us as we say the words, even transcending them as we become one with the Source of these Mysterious. The idea is get past words to commune with God and hear God, not just have God hear us.
