Rosary helps?

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_Darla

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I’m currently leading a self-destructive lifestyle. I know I have to get out of it but I don’t know how. I do believe in God and would like to live a better life according to his will but I still can’t seem to get myself out of the muck. And I feel terribly guilty because so often I told him I would. What can I do?

I read that the rosary is a very powerful prayer and I feel drawn to it.

Why is the rosary to be considered so powerful?

Do you think it would help me?

Would it be a (good) way to receive forgiveness?

I’m not Catholic nor do I go to any other church.
 
Hi Darla,

I started praying the rosary before I had any intention of becoming Catholic (I was reading the Bible, though), before I ever attended a Catholic church, and while I was in a very negative situation. God used it to transformed my life and is continuing to transform it. It is truly a powerful prayer and a great source of strength, and you will benefit from it even though you are not Catholic (but you might end up becoming Catholic!).

I am praying for you. 🙂
 
The Rosary is powerful because it is contemplation on the mystery of Jesus Christ through and with the intercession of Mary, who is the most powerful in Heaven next to Jesus Christ. By contemplating Jesus, by thinking of His life, we desire to live like Him, and so we amend our lives, and He leads us to the Catholic Church that we might become more like the Lord. Yet some have their own ideas of who Jesus is and so follow these ideas rather than get to know who Jesus is by study and meditation, and thereby they do not enter into communion with Christ. A good way to get to know who Jesus is to read a Catholic Bible, such as the New American Bible, and also to study the roots of the Christian Faith, such as through thesacredpage.com

Prayer is always helpful, whether it is long or short.

It is a good way to fill the heart with contrition, or sorrow over sin, and a desire to become Catholic. Catholics receive Baptism, by which God forgives the person’s sins and washes him clean of original sin, no matter what sins he has committed.
 
_Darla said:
I’m currently leading a self-destructive lifestyle. I know I have to get out of it but I don’t know how. I do believe in God and would like to live a better life according to his will but I still can’t seem to get myself out of the muck. And I feel terribly guilty because so often I told him I would. What can I do?

I read that the rosary is a very powerful prayer and I feel drawn to it.

Why is the rosary to be considered so powerful?

Do you think it would help me?

Would it be a (good) way to receive forgiveness?

I’m not Catholic nor do I go to any other church.
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Yes, the Rosary is a very powerful prayer 🙂 It’s powerful because Mary’s intercession is powerful. She helped me get rid of some sinful habits that were destroying my life. It also renews our mind to think about the “mysteries” of the Rosary - the events that lead to our redemption. Praying won’t forgive sin, that is what Confession is for… (if you can’t go to Confession now, since you’re not Catholic, just ask God for forgiveness… and ask Him to help you… and if you ever get a chance to go to Confession, it’s a great Sacrament, it’s really healing 👍 ) but prayer can help in many ways and that’s how we get to know God…and the closer we come to Him, the easier it gets to live in the right way. God bless you 🙂
 
Student09 said:
Hi Darla,

I started praying the rosary before I had any intention of becoming Catholic (I was reading the Bible, though), before I ever attended a Catholic church, and while I was in a very negative situation. God used it to transformed my life and is continuing to transform it. It is truly a powerful prayer and a great source of strength, and you will benefit from it even though you are not Catholic (but you might end up becoming Catholic!).

I am praying for you. 🙂
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I started praying the Rosary before I was a Catholic too, and it really helped me as well 🙂
 
Hi darla

I was away from the church for many years as a teen and young adult and the rosary helped me to return. It is indeed very powerful as others have stated and Mother Mary will help you lead you to Jesus gently and with love.

One day I just had the biggest urge to pray the rosary and although I remembered all of the prayers I didn’t know the mysteries that accompanied it. I looked it up online and began praying it with a piece of paper in front of me to remind me of the mysteries 🙂

Shortly after that I had the biggest urge to go to Mass and so I did, I went to confession next and our Mother Mary helped me realize all of the sins I had committed. Often I would remember my past sins while praying the rosary. This assured me a good confession and i was able to partake in Communion once again 😃

Mary was not done though, I realized I had never been confirmed as a teen since I had stop going to church so I enrolled in an adult confirmation class and was confirmed a few months later.

I know that Mary is not done with me yet and I can’t wait what she will lead me to next. She has given me back my faith and I thank her everyday for that. I try to pray the Rosary daily and have never felt as connected to God as I am now.

So to summarize, yes you should pray the rosary lol!
 
Our Lady’s Rosary is a very powerful prayer indeed. This might open the gates of the Church to you. Just let the Holy Spirit lead you and you can do no wrong. 👍
 
Here is my take on praying the rosary. It takes about 20-30 minutes to pray a mystery of the rosary (5 decades). That is 20-30 minutes of prayer where you are thinking about your relationship with God, asking for mercy, asking to be a better person, and asking God to help those who need it most. That is 20-30 minutes where you focus on things other than yourself. And over time, 20-30 minutes a day adds up to some serious one-on-one time with God.

I find the rosary so powerful because it is so easy to pray. I don’t know about you, but I find the structure of the rosary to be a lot easier to follow than free-form prayer and meditation. For some reason, I find the rosary to be the most “user-friendly” form of prayer. And while simple in nature, the more your pray the rosary the deeper you really dig into your faith and relationship with God.
 
[I said:
Darla[/I];5916961. I do believe in God and would like to live a better life according to his will but I still can’t seem to get myself out of the muck.
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. . .
your instinct is right–we can;t get ourselves out of the muck, only Jesus can do this for us . …

I
read that the rosary is a very powerful prayer and I feel drawn to it.

Why is the rosary to be considered so powerful?

Do you think it would help me?
Click to expand...
It is powerful because just praying it is an act of admission that we need help, we can’t do it on our own, and the simple prayers, taken from Scripture, say what we want to say better than we can articulate by ourselves.

Why will it help you? because the basic human instinct when in real trouble is to call out for Mama.
Would it be a (good) way to receive forgiveness?

I’m not Catholic nor do I go to any other church.
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will you be forgiven just by praying to rosary, no the sacrament of confession is the means Christ gave us to be assured our sins are forgiven, but praying the rosary is an act of humility, it is also and act of entering into the mystery of Christ’s life, death, resurrection and glory, and that is the path to him and to his mercy.

you don’t have to be Catholic to pray the rosary, you just have to want to call out to Christ and to ask his mother to help you find him.
 
Our Mother, The Blessed Virgin Mary (let me be clear here, when I said “Our”, I mean that She is your mother too) is drawing you to her Son, Jesus Christ. The very fact that you want to pray the Rosary is a clear indication of that.

I, too, was in a place where I had lost all hope. But The Blessed Mother got a hold of me and never let go! She will most definitely do the same for you. 🙂

Pray the rosary. Call out to your Mother who loves you very much and wants to bring you into a special and unique relationship with her son, Jesus Christ.

If you enter into and embrace this family, I can assure you that you will never be rejected or cast aside. Quite the contrary, you will be happily welcomed for all eternity!

This is the reason you are so miserable now - you feel rejected and you need help. Help is there, you just need to ask for it - simply, humbly. Our Lord and Our Lady will step in and lead and carry you the rest of the way. 😉
 
Thanks for your answers.

But one thing stayed with me: praying won’t forgive sin? Then what chance do I have as non-Catholic? And isn’t this petition part of the Our Father?
 
i feel the rosary helps me i feel so different when i pray it…i feel so much stronger

the blessed mother prays for you…and a prayer of a righteous person does many things…
its like having someone praying for me…if no one prays for you on earth you ask the blessed mother to pray for me

it excercises you spiritually and is a wonderful things you should try it

God bless you.
 
Jesus forgives sins! That is why HE IS! Praying brings you closer to Jesus! 😃 He will lead you out of the self-destructive lifestyle.
 
_Darla said:
Thanks for your answers.

But one thing stayed with me: praying won’t forgive sin? Then what chance do I have as non-Catholic? And isn’t this petition part of the Our Father?
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God gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) as the ordinary means to be forgiven of our serious sins. It is our duty to use the sacraments He gave us. They are an amazing gift, why would we want to refuse His generosity?

It is **possible **for God to work outside the sacraments, but only in the Sacrament of Reconciliation do we have the **assurance **of His forgiveness.

What chance do you have as a non-Catholic, you ask? The best opportunity you have is to become Catholic, to join the one Church founded by Jesus Christ. It’s a big step, not to be taken lightly, but you can start by learning as much as you can about the Church, by asking questions of faithful Catholics, by reading the writings of trustworthy Catholic authors, etc.

Perhaps your questions are the beginnings of the Holy Spirit’s work in you to draw you to the Catholic Church.

Keep on praying, and along with your prayers for forgiveness, pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you in seeking His will regarding becoming Catholic. While you are making that journey of seeking God’s truth, He will be pleased with your efforts. God bless you!
 
_Darla said:
I’m currently leading a self-destructive lifestyle. I know I have to get out of it but I don’t know how. I do believe in God and would like to live a better life according to his will but I still can’t seem to get myself out of the muck. And I feel terribly guilty because so often I told him I would. What can I do?

I read that the rosary is a very powerful prayer and I feel drawn to it.

Why is the rosary to be considered so powerful?

Do you think it would help me?

Would it be a (good) way to receive forgiveness?

I’m not Catholic nor do I go to any other church.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you’ve hit or are close to hitting rock bottom. You have no other way to go but up.

If you are not a catholic ( or of any other denomination) then now is a good time to start RCIA, catechism.

The Holy Rosary - very powerful because it is composed of the Lord’s Prayer and the Angelic Salutation…better known as the Hail Mary along with meditations on the various episodes of the life of Jesus and Mary… I’ve heard it called the poor man’s bible.

This attraction you feel towards the Rosary is a grace from God. It is the “rope” if you will, that God is throwing you to pull you out of the “rock bottom”.

You would be very wise to grab the “rope” and hold on tight.
 
_Darla said:
Thanks for your answers.

But one thing stayed with me: praying won’t forgive sin? Then what chance do I have as non-Catholic? And isn’t this petition part of the Our Father?
Click to expand...
no praying does not forgive sin. God forgives sin. We ask forgiveness in the OF and other prayers, He forgives when and how he wills but besides forgiveness we also need absolution, the cleansing of our soul and return to grace, that is, restoration of our relationship with Jesus Christ which has been broken by our sin. We have absolute assurance that this happens in the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. We have hope that this can happen through contrition, prayer and penance–which are part of this sacrament as well–on our part, offered to God, but not absolute assurance. I am quite sure God answers the prayer of sincere Christians of every denomination, in His own way and in his own time, but I cannot nor can anyone assure that person he has been forgiven and absolved, since I am not God. I can however assure those who come to sacramental confession that this sacrament will do what Christ has promised, because that assurance comes from Christ, not me.

for the person who is ready to explore further the Catholic Church and who feels eventually they would like to be fully in union with her, there are two paths, the short and the long way. The long way is to study on one’s own, at some point join an RCIA class, but insist on personal assurance and conviction on every point of doctrine before accepting the claims of the Church to teach the truth. This way amounts to buying a map and trying to navigate a trip over unfamiliar territory, and being skeptical of guidance you receive along the way.

The fast way is to start praying the rosary and ask Mary to guide you through the difficult areas. You will come to RCIA sooner and be more receptive to all the help the Church offers you through this process, the reading and study and prayer you do will have more effect and bear better fruit, and you will learn to trust on something other than your own judgement and conviction, and most of all, learn humility and obedience, which are essential to spiritual growth.
 
mangy_dog said:
Sounds like you’ve hit or are close to hitting rock bottom. You have no other way to go but up.

If you are not a catholic ( or of any other denomination) then now is a good time to start RCIA, catechism.

The Holy Rosary - very powerful because it is composed of the Lord’s Prayer and the Angelic Salutation…better known as the Hail Mary along with meditations on the various episodes of the life of Jesus and Mary… I’ve heard it called the poor man’s bible.

This attraction you feel towards the Rosary is a grace from God. It is the “rope” if you will, that God is throwing you to pull you out of the “rock bottom”.

You would be very wise to grab the “rope” and hold on tight.
Click to expand...
What a beautiful answer! 🙂
 
stanncie said:
Hi darla

I was away from the church for many years as a teen and young adult and the rosary helped me to return. It is indeed very powerful as others have stated and Mother Mary will help you lead you to Jesus gently and with love.

One day I just had the biggest urge to pray the rosary and although I remembered all of the prayers I didn’t know the mysteries that accompanied it. I looked it up online and began praying it with a piece of paper in front of me to remind me of the mysteries 🙂

Shortly after that I had the biggest urge to go to Mass and so I did, I went to confession next and our Mother Mary helped me realize all of the sins I had committed. Often I would remember my past sins while praying the rosary. This assured me a good confession and i was able to partake in Communion once again 😃

Mary was not done though, I realized I had never been confirmed as a teen since I had stop going to church so I enrolled in an adult confirmation class and was confirmed a few months later.

I know that Mary is not done with me yet and I can’t wait what she will lead me to next. She has given me back my faith and I thank her everyday for that. I try to pray the Rosary daily and have never felt as connected to God as I am now.

So to summarize, yes you should pray the rosary lol!
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wow that is amazing 🙂
_Darla said:
Thanks for your answers.

But one thing stayed with me: praying won’t forgive sin? Then what chance do I have as non-Catholic? And isn’t this petition part of the Our Father?
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There are two types of sin… mortal and venial. Mortal sin is sin that is grave matter (against the Commandments), done with knowledge, and intent (was chosen). Little everyday mistakes are venial sins. Venial sins can be forgiven without Confession… for example, through praying the Our Father or the Act of Contrition. In addition, there’s a prayer in the beginning of the Mass for this as well… and when we receive the Eucharist, that takes away all venial sins. The ordinary way that mortal sins are forgiven is through Confession. (the Sacrament of Reconciliation.) THis is because Jesus told the Apostles, whatever sins they forgive, will be forgiven. The Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, and the priests share in this… (Apostolic Succession.) When we go to Confession, even if we only have a bit of contrition (though we should always strive for more) - we can KNOW that we have been forgiven… it’s a Sacrament so God’s grace is always present there.

So what are the other ways to forgive mortal sin… We believe if a person is not Catholic, they can still potentially have their sins forgiven through either perfect contrition (but this is rare,and involves intense sorrow solely for hurting God), or because they never learned about Confession and don’t have in their church. (for example, Protestants.) God is merciful and won’t put someone in hell JUST because they were born and raised in another Christian faith, and never realized that the Catholic Church is true - as long as they’re repentant for sin. We entrust them to God’s mercy. But if they know the truth, they are responsible for it, because this truth is a gift given to them by God… so for Catholics, if someone dies before Confession, they can still be forgiven if they intended to go to Confession as soon as possible.

God looks at the heart, but Confession is the regular, ordinary way to be reconciled to Him.

If you’re a catechumen, or looking into the Church, then of course it’s not required for you to go to Confession until you actually join the Church. God knows you’re not able to at the time. Just praying for forgiveness and being repentant is sufficient… but if God is calling you to the Church, that’s a great thing to do, and then you’ll be able to receive the Sacraments 🙂

hope that helps…

God bless
 
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