Rosary - Straight Up

[roemer]

I like my rosarries neat, no mixing with anything else, just the apostles creed, hail Mary’s, glory be’s, and our Fathers, and the mysteries of the day.
Rosary groups who add stuff before, after, and in the middle make it more difficult and less appealing to those outside their groups, so their groups fade away .
So next time you do a public rosary, leave out fillers and buffers.

 

[Poisson]

roemer:

So next time you do a public rosary, leave out fillers and buffers.

I grew up saying the rosary with the Fatima prayer after the Glory Be. I was in my thirties when I went to a funeral in the US and heard the rosary for the first time in my life without it. It was very embarassing the first time the everyone finished the Glory Be and one loud voice began “Oh my Jesus forg…” That was me! I felt like everyone was looking at me like I was crazy. Boy was I embarrased.

 

[arnulf]

When I was in Spain recently I witnessed rosaries being prayed before mass in several different cities. They do not add the Fatima prayer or anything else during the rosary itself, but at the end, they recite the Litany of Loreto (Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.) All the prayers are said incredibly fast, though, so the complete recitation takes them less than 20 minutes.

 

[TCE]

Poisson:

I grew up saying the rosary with the Fatima prayer after the Glory Be. I was in my thirties when I went to a funeral in the US and heard the rosary for the first time in my life without it. It was very embarassing the first time the everyone finished the Glory Be and one loud voice began "

Oh my Jesus forg…" That was me! I felt like everyone was looking at me like I was crazy. Boy was I

embarrased.

Don’t be. Because that happened to me as well ! Is the only way I know how to say the rosary.

 

[Paul_W]

One of the people who encourages “adding stuff” is none other than Pope John Paul II.

From ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_en.html

1. In order to supply a Biblical foundation and greater depth to our meditation, it is helpful to follow the announcement of the mystery with the proclamation of a related Biblical passage, long or short, depending on the circumstances. No other words can ever match the efficacy of the inspired word. As we listen, we are certain that this is the word of God, spoken for today and spoken “for me”.

33 . . . The centre of gravity in the Hail Mary, the hinge as it were which joins its two parts, is the name of Jesus. Sometimes, in hurried recitation, this centre of gravity can be overlooked, and with it the connection to the mystery of Christ being contemplated. Yet it is precisely the emphasis given to the name of Jesus and to his mystery that is the sign of a meaningful and fruitful recitation of the Rosary. Pope Paul VI drew attention, in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, to the custom in certain regions of highlighting the name of Christ by the addition of a clause referring to the mystery being contemplated.(37) This is a praiseworthy custom, especially during public recitation. It gives forceful expression to our faith in Christ, directed to the different moments of the Redeemer’s life. It is at once a profession of faith and an aid in concentrating our meditation, since it facilitates the process of assimilation to the mystery of Christ inherent in the repetition of the Hail Mary. When we repeat the name of Jesus – the only name given to us by which we may hope for salvation (cf. Acts 4:12) – in close association with the name of his Blessed Mother, almost as if it were done at her suggestion, we set out on a path of assimilation meant to help us enter more deeply into the life of Christ.

 

[DeniseTOCarm]

Rosary devotion can get so perfunctory…I think putting extra stuff in such as the Fatima prayer (Oh my Jesus…) can make people think about what they are doing. Phrases that focus on the particular meditation are helpful because they pull one’s mind off of words said by rote and make it an actual prayer. I have heard the way some pray the rosary described as “spinning the beads”. I have witnesses the rosary “prayed” in 15 minutes. I think this is more like the empty repitition Jesus warned us against then a real devotion.

 

[ChrisDavis]

The Rosary is also used as the format of the Divine Mercy Chaplet which was written by Sr. Faustina.

Here is a description of it:
theworkofgod.org/Devotns/DivMercy/Chaplet.htm

 

[DrCat]

Poisson:

I grew up saying the rosary with the Fatima prayer after the Glory Be. I was in my thirties when I went to a funeral in the US and heard the rosary for the first time in my life without it. It was very embarassing the first time the everyone finished the Glory Be and one loud voice began “Oh my Jesus forg…” That was me! I felt like everyone was looking at me like I was crazy. Boy was I embarrased.

TCE:

Don’t be. Because that happened to me as well ! Is the only way I know how to say the rosary.

I also learned the Rosary with the Fatima prayer, as well as a couple of other Spanish prayers. If I don’t include them, I feel like my Rosary is imcomplete. My problem is that I then add the Miraculous Medal prayer “O, Mary concieved without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” I keep wondering how the people would look at me if I said it loud enough to be heard.

John

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

Fillers and buffers?

The Archangel himself gave those wonderful extras in Fatima… extras all the way!

 

[bernie]

roemer:

I like my rosarries neat, no mixing with anything else, just the apostles creed, hail Mary’s, glory be’s, and our Fathers, and the mysteries of the day.
Rosary groups who add stuff before, after, and in the middle make it more difficult and less appealing to those outside their groups, so their groups fade away .
So next time you do a public rosary, leave out fillers and buffers.

Fillers & Buffers? Reminds me of what our Lord taught us:

Matthew 6:
7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

…Bernie
www.FreeGoodNews.com

 

[meglin]

bernie:

Fillers & Buffers? Reminds me of what our Lord taught us:

Matthew 6:
7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

…Bernie

bernie…bernie…bernie…

You must learn to not take bible verses out of context. If you continue the bible passage you quote, you’ll find the “Our Father” quoted in the same chapter (verses 9-15) – immediately following.

The “Our Father”, as well as the “Hail Mary” (taken from biblical verses) and the profession of faith are all included in the Rosary. Also, all of the prays are said while meditating on Christ’s sufferings, joys and glory.

As for what you may consider to be traditions and therefore should be eliminated from theology because you demand a bible verse, take a look at 2 Thessalonians 2:15…

“Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.”

 

[Poisson]

DrCat:

I also learned the Rosary with the Fatima prayer, as well as a couple of other Spanish prayers. If I don’t include them, I feel like my Rosary is imcomplete. My problem is that I then add the Miraculous Medal prayer “O, Mary concieved without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” I keep wondering how the people would look at me if I said it loud enough to be heard.

Many around here are including a prayer to the Holy Spirit and I’m not sure what it is called or where it comes from. “Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse”
When we say the Rosary before mass we add at the end and “Our Father” a “Hail Mary” and a “Glory Be” for the intentions of the Holy Father.

 

[mkw]

Along with the Fatima prayer, I also say the Hail, Holy Queen prayer at the end of the Rosary.

On topic of the Rosary. What drives me crazy is reciting this most wonderful prayer in a group that thinks its a “Timed Event”.
I Dont understand why some prefer to rush through the Rosary as fast as possible. I may be wrong, (i’m a very new convert), but I thought we were to meditate on the mysteries of Jesus and Mary, not just “rattle” off the prayers.

God’s love to all

 

[Poisson]

mkw:

I Dont understand why some prefer to rush through the Rosary as fast as possible. I may be wrong, (i’m a very new convert), but I thought we were to meditate on the mysteries of Jesus and Mary, not just “rattle” off the prayers.

No, you are 100% right. I have to admit that I am sometimes guilty of rushing through. What a wonderful gift that God sends us converts to remind of the beauty of our faith.

 

[DrCat]

mkw:

Along with the Fatima prayer, I also say the Hail, Holy Queen prayer at the end of the Rosary.

On topic of the Rosary. What drives me crazy is reciting this most wonderful prayer in a group that thinks its a “Timed Event”.
I Dont understand why some prefer to rush through the Rosary as fast as possible. I may be wrong, (i’m a very new convert), but I thought we were to meditate on the mysteries of Jesus and Mary, not just “rattle” off the prayers.

God’s love to all

You are absolutely correct. As for reciting (racing?) the Rosary in group - and note I do NOT say praying. I also dislike this. Picture the following.

25 people sitting/standing on a carport (or in a living room, if you prefer) praying a novena for the eternal rest of a recently departed member of the family. The following is a translation of what occurred (and occurs all too often).

Leader: “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed”

Response (from one or two of the people) Holy Mary, . . .

Leader (speeding up) “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and”

Response: “Holy Mary . . .”

No, this is not a joke. It is, unfortunately, the way many people “race” the Rosary. As MKW says, they seem to think it is a “timed event” (or a competition to see who can finish first).

In the case of the specific event I mentioned above, the leader finally stopped and asked the people who were interrupting if they would like to just go on by themselves.

To be continued.
John

 

[DrCat]

(Continued from above)

I used this experience once when talking about the Rosary. Mary may be prominent in it, but the center of the Rosary is Jesus, both in the meditations and in the Hail Mary. What these people were doing was removing Jesus from the prayer (notice that it continually removed an additional word or two. First, they removed Jesus, then they removed “womb, Jesus”, then they romoved “fruit of your womb, Jesus” and so on.

While this is just one example, it was (and sometime still is) very common. Maybe the person who prayes this way is so involved in the meditation that he doesn’t realize what he is doing. But I wonder if they are really praying.

In the previous post, I emphasized that I said reciting instead of praying. For me, to really pray the Rosary, you have to be meditating. Just saying the words is not enough. The experiences I had were enough to turn me off from praying the Rosary for many years. It was only about four or five years ago that I returned to praying it daily.

Sorry about the ranting, but I am extremely emotional about the correct praying of any prayer - but especially this one.

John

 

[rosarywarrior]

I love to pray the rosary and not just with the original prayers but the Fatima prayer also. Not only that, but I have come to completely LOVE praying the scriptural rosary where a scripture from the Bible is recited inbetween the Hail Mary’s, helping even more to focus on the mystery being prayed. I also pray the scriptural rosary at the nursing home, with school moms on Wednesdays and with my teen age son and his friends on Thursdays. So much can be learned by praying the rosary and putting yourself into each mystery beside Mary as you walk slowly through Jesus’ life. I have fallen in love with Jesus by praying the rosary this way. The Sorrowful Mysteries were the hardest to get through as I usually would end up sobbing just contemplating the pain and sorrow of Mary and what Jesus had to endure for our sins. It was alway so good to pray the Glorious next because of the joy of the resurrection. In the end, if you are praying the rosary and are growing stronger in your faith and are acting on the inspirations you receive from it, then it doesn’t matter which way you pray it. JUST PRAY IT!

 

[bernie]

meglin:

bernie…bernie…bernie…

You must learn to not take bible verses out of context. If you continue the bible passage you quote, you’ll find the “Our Father” quoted in the same chapter (verses 9-15) – immediately following.

The “Our Father”, as well as the “Hail Mary” (taken from biblical verses) and the profession of faith are all included in the Rosary. Also, all of the prays are said while meditating on Christ’s sufferings, joys and glory.

There was nothing out of context. Jesus said it straight up. He said not to babble like the pagans, with their many words. Deep down, you know that’s what the rosary is about (I did, when I was a Catholic). Don’t numb yourself from the plain common sense teaching of scripture:

“Matthew 6:7
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

Are you counting on your “many words,” contrary to the plain teaching of our Lord?

…Bernie
www.FreeGoodNews.com

 

[Authorkat]

bernie:

There was nothing out of context. Jesus said it straight up. He said not to babble like the pagans, with their many words. Deep down, you know that’s what the rosary is about (I did, when I was a Catholic). Don’t numb yourself from the plain common sense teaching of scripture:

“Matthew 6:7
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

Are you counting on your “many words,” contrary to the plain teaching of our Lord?

…Bernie
www.FreeGoodNews.com

If you’re going to go by the “plain teaching” of scripture, then you must believe in John 6:54-55 where it tells us “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” In other words, we need the Eucharist.

If we aren’t going to do anything pagan, then you might want to quit wearing your wedding ring if you wear one. It’s a pagan tradition. You’ll also have to stop coloring Easter eggs, stop putting up a tree at Christmas, change the date of Christmas, and change the days of the week and months of the year. These things all have pagan roots.

I wonder if Jesus would see the repetition of the Our Father, a prayer he commanded us to say, as “babble.” I doubt it. The Hail Mary is also rooted in the words of the Bible. When you say these words over and over, it helps to block other thoughts out so you can focus on the mystery itself.

 

[nancy3159]

While roemer might like his rosary “straight up,” it’s only one way of saying it. I never knew that there was a single “right” way of saying it…ultimately, it’s about what helps each us best focus on God.