L
lareinatortura
Guest
Hi guys,
I felt compelled to share some thoughts about the Rosary from my perspective, as I will come from one denomination to the Church. Before I begin, I just want to mention (for those of you who don’t know me) that I am a non-denominational Protestant, who was raised Southern Baptist, who also wants to become Catholic.
I still do not know much of the basic information on the Rosary, but as I learn it and pray it, I have realized something: The prayers we recite when we pray the Rosary are more about God and Christ than they are about anyone else, AKA the Blessed Mother. (The prayers most certainly include her, but I’ll get to that. . )
I feel compelled to discuss this realization because so many Protestants are confused and misinformed about the Rosary; heck, some even seem to fear it. This is evident through many Protestant comments and questions like, “When I pray it, am I worshiping Mary?” or “Is it even Christian to pray the Rosary?” even still, “Where in the Bible does it discuss this Rosary you speak of. . ?” or “That must be some kind of superstition–those beads can’t save you!”
I can also admit honestly, first hand, that when I first was given objective information about the Rosary, fear and suspicion immediately set in because of things I was told as a child. (For example, "Catholics worship Mary because every time they pray, they say “*Hail *Mary,”) When I was first learning about the Rosary, I definitely got caught up on the language. It made me a little uncomfortable. I know there are other Protestants who share these same feelings–I’ve seen question after question about this sort of thing, right here on our forums.
If you are Protestant, I have a few things to share with you:
-Catholics definitely do not *worship * Mary–they reserve that for God and Him alone. Do they place a lot of respect in the Blessed Mother? To this I say, yes, they do, but shouldn’t we all? (Without her, Jesus Christ would not have been born to walk the earth as a human being.)
-The Rosary is not “all about Mary;” from what I have learned, it is about the Father and the Son. Yes, there are definitely parts of the prayer that speak of Mary; but, if you pay close attention to those prayers, you will see that Mary is not always center-stage. Christ is placed center-stage. I encourage you to analyze the Ave Maria for yourself, as well as all the others prayers prayed during the Rosary. If you do not agree with me, that’s perfectly fine; but, just go find out yourself. No matter what your view, you will become more enlightened because of it.
Ave Maria
Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of** God**,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
To my understanding, the prayer basically says this:
“Hello Mary, who is so very blessed! The Lord is with you.
You are greatly blessed because you bore Jesus.
Mother of God (and our mother, too), please pray for us.” (We are all sinners and require lots and lots of prayer. . -.-
That might be a very childish or maybe even ignorant interpretation of such a beautiful prayer, but that is the gist of it in my mind. I have to mention “Hail Mary.” A lot of Protestants I know–myself included, at least, in the past–interpret “Hail Mary,” as a verbal confirmation of devotion to the point of worship.
While I could be wrong, I was told that the phrase “Hail, Mary” was:
The Rosary is a powerful and valuable gift. If you feel compelled to pray the Rosary, don’t waste it–it’s worth your time, and it is certainly about the Lord. In that same vein, I have discovered that it only takes about 18-20 minutes to pray the Rosary. One thing that has made it easier for me to do is this video:
youtube.com/watch?v=6AW5wueFe-w&feature=player_profilepage
This person’s channel is excellent, in my opinion. I enjoy it very much and I visit it often. I especially love how they include prayers in Spanish! I’ve been looking for those! They also include Irish-Gaelic and (I think) Latin, by the way.
In any case, if you’re a Protestant and you want to convert, don’t be afraid. You are not being mislead. When you come home to the Church, you are coming under the care of the Holy Spirit. The Church is always protected by the Holy Spirit, even if the leaders sometimes show their human weaknesses. If you are with the Church, you will not be mislead because the Holy Spirit will guide you. What better reason for “taking the plunge?”
I felt compelled to share some thoughts about the Rosary from my perspective, as I will come from one denomination to the Church. Before I begin, I just want to mention (for those of you who don’t know me) that I am a non-denominational Protestant, who was raised Southern Baptist, who also wants to become Catholic.
I still do not know much of the basic information on the Rosary, but as I learn it and pray it, I have realized something: The prayers we recite when we pray the Rosary are more about God and Christ than they are about anyone else, AKA the Blessed Mother. (The prayers most certainly include her, but I’ll get to that. . )
I feel compelled to discuss this realization because so many Protestants are confused and misinformed about the Rosary; heck, some even seem to fear it. This is evident through many Protestant comments and questions like, “When I pray it, am I worshiping Mary?” or “Is it even Christian to pray the Rosary?” even still, “Where in the Bible does it discuss this Rosary you speak of. . ?” or “That must be some kind of superstition–those beads can’t save you!”
I can also admit honestly, first hand, that when I first was given objective information about the Rosary, fear and suspicion immediately set in because of things I was told as a child. (For example, "Catholics worship Mary because every time they pray, they say “*Hail *Mary,”) When I was first learning about the Rosary, I definitely got caught up on the language. It made me a little uncomfortable. I know there are other Protestants who share these same feelings–I’ve seen question after question about this sort of thing, right here on our forums.
If you are Protestant, I have a few things to share with you:
-Catholics definitely do not *worship * Mary–they reserve that for God and Him alone. Do they place a lot of respect in the Blessed Mother? To this I say, yes, they do, but shouldn’t we all? (Without her, Jesus Christ would not have been born to walk the earth as a human being.)
-The Rosary is not “all about Mary;” from what I have learned, it is about the Father and the Son. Yes, there are definitely parts of the prayer that speak of Mary; but, if you pay close attention to those prayers, you will see that Mary is not always center-stage. Christ is placed center-stage. I encourage you to analyze the Ave Maria for yourself, as well as all the others prayers prayed during the Rosary. If you do not agree with me, that’s perfectly fine; but, just go find out yourself. No matter what your view, you will become more enlightened because of it.
Ave Maria
Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of** God**,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
To my understanding, the prayer basically says this:
“Hello Mary, who is so very blessed! The Lord is with you.
You are greatly blessed because you bore Jesus.
Mother of God (and our mother, too), please pray for us.” (We are all sinners and require lots and lots of prayer. . -.-
That might be a very childish or maybe even ignorant interpretation of such a beautiful prayer, but that is the gist of it in my mind. I have to mention “Hail Mary.” A lot of Protestants I know–myself included, at least, in the past–interpret “Hail Mary,” as a verbal confirmation of devotion to the point of worship.
While I could be wrong, I was told that the phrase “Hail, Mary” was:
- Spoken by the Angel Gabriel, so when we say it, we’re echoing his words, the good news he brought.
- A way to say, “Hey, there!”
The Rosary is a powerful and valuable gift. If you feel compelled to pray the Rosary, don’t waste it–it’s worth your time, and it is certainly about the Lord. In that same vein, I have discovered that it only takes about 18-20 minutes to pray the Rosary. One thing that has made it easier for me to do is this video:
youtube.com/watch?v=6AW5wueFe-w&feature=player_profilepage
This person’s channel is excellent, in my opinion. I enjoy it very much and I visit it often. I especially love how they include prayers in Spanish! I’ve been looking for those! They also include Irish-Gaelic and (I think) Latin, by the way.
In any case, if you’re a Protestant and you want to convert, don’t be afraid. You are not being mislead. When you come home to the Church, you are coming under the care of the Holy Spirit. The Church is always protected by the Holy Spirit, even if the leaders sometimes show their human weaknesses. If you are with the Church, you will not be mislead because the Holy Spirit will guide you. What better reason for “taking the plunge?”
