The Rosary is NOT the Way

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It’s me again.😃

As for a cure-all, I want to tell you a story about my sister. She began wearing glasses in kindergarten. She had a degenerative disease in her eyes and each year her glasses grew thicker until she reached high school. In high school, they told her that she was legally blind without her glasses and they couldn’t make her glasses any thicker. They told her that when her eyes grew worse, there would be nothing they could do for her. They told her that by the time she reached her early twenties, she would be blind.
She was 16 years old. That year she began a rosary novena that she said for 365 days without missing a day. She prayed it on her knees and asked God to never take away any of her senses.
On the last day of the novena, a young man, who was not interested in dating my sister showed up on the doorstep with a dozen red roses. He was embarrassed, but he said he was praying and for some reason he felt that Mary wanted him to bring roses to my sister who was older than him. My sister said that she had been praying for roses as a sign that God had answered her prayers.
She is in her fifties and has never needed thicker glasses. The doctors had no explanation.
The story doesn’t end there. Whenever it is possible, my sister prays the rosary. In her forties, she ended up with melenoma cancer that matasticized to her lymph glands in her face. She had trouble opening and closing her eyes, trouble hearing and trouble tasting food.
The doctors around here told her she would be dead in five months. She continued praying the rosary. She went back to the doctors five months later. The doctor was surprised to see she was still alive. He recommended she see the best oncologist in the state. She saw this guy several months later. He was surprised she was still alive. Her face was swollen and mishapen. He wanted to operate immediately.
He told her that she would lose her sense of taste and the use of one eye. She continued to pray the rosary. She told the doctor that God had promised her that he would never take away any of her senses. She trusted God’s will. She said that if she died, she would die with all her senses. The doctor tried to get us to “talk some sense into her”. I, myself would have said, okay take out whatever you want. My sister said what good would it do to lose her senses and lose her trust in God’s will? The doctor opted to give her some shots of biological/radioactive material. (She wouldn’t take the shots until they told her no embryonic stem cells were involved.) The doctor told her that this would be the last time he would see her, because he felt sure she would be dead before her next appointment.
She went home and prayed the rosary. Her swelling began to shrink. By the time her next appointment came, she was completely without cancer. She goes to get checked out every year and the doctors who review her records are always amazed.

I don’t think praying the rosary is a cure-all, but, you might want to investigate saying it.;)😃 😃
 
Hi my name is Among, and I’m … I’m a Rosaryoholic.

(Hi Amonnnnnng)

It’s been 4 hours 12 minutes since I last prayed the Rosary. It’s a habit, I know. Every morning I grab that little soft brown lamb skin leather sack and I get that feeling of anticipation before I even undo the little snap on its flap. Then I slowly poor those shinny black beads into my left palm. They are so comforting to just feel their weight. Then I see that crucifix. I pause now, just gazing at it for a few moments. Then it’s almost automatic. I cross myself with that crucifix in my hand and I just start praying. And I pray and pray until the beads are gone. Then I start again but this time with the prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

(It’s OK, man. Just Let it out.)

sigh When I’m done I … I feel … just so …… I dunno … uplifted. You know?
 
Galnextdoor said:
I don’t think praying the rosary is a cure-all, but, you might want to investigate saying the rosary.;)😃 😃
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:confused: Nor sure what you mean by this or to whom it’s directed???

That’s a wonderful and very beautiful story. Thank you for sharing.
 
Zahmir said:
In particular, let us refrain from prescribing the Rosary as a cure-all for everyone struggling with their faith in whatever way, which I have seen happen several times on several different threads, usually coupled with a list of the promises granted to the reciters of the Rosary and a warning to those who recite it with fickleness. I promise you, many have entered heaven without ever reciting the Rosary. More than anything, let us remind people of the heart of our faith, for we are a holy people, saved not by our own words and deeds, but by the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
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I want to share what the Church teaches here:
This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine and at the same time admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered, and the practices and exercises of piety, recommended by the magisterium of the Church toward her in the course of centuries be made of great moment, and those decrees, which have been given in the early days regarding the cult of images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints, be religiously observed.(22*)
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I cannot imgaine how it would ever be wrong to recommend any person to our Blessed Mother or to the rosary.
 
fix said:
In which situation is the Rosary not helpful?
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Perhaps where it is not a suitable prayer form for an individual’s prayer life? I can only speak from my own experience here, and I’m reluctant to go into details but, as I said in an earlier post, it is not for me. I’m guessing I’m not alone.
 
I just want to take this time to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments and let everyone know that I watch this thread constantly.

It is obvious that this is a difficult issue for some, considering the graces they have been given by the power of Mary’s intercession.

And it certainly was not my intention to cause offense by the title of my thread. As I posted earlier, Jesus is the Way. And as long as you grant that the Rosary is not Jesus, then it holds that the Rosary is not the Way. (In fact, it has been interesting to me to see people more adamantly defend the “Way” of the Rosary rather than the Way of Christ.)

For everyone who has posted “success stories” about the Rosary, may God continue to bless you and may you continue to share the fruits of your prayer. I also will defend to the death the power of Mary’s intercession and the significance of the Hail Mary, as well as the contemplation afforded by praying the Rosary completely and with sincerity.

Let us agree, however, that the heart of Christianity lies with the one intercessor between God and Man, Jesus Christ, whose place before God we take in prayer. Let us not forget the relationship with God Christ won for us by his death and Resurrection. In short, all prayers are subordinate to the “I love you” said directly to God, or, as we are well familiar, to the “Let it be done according to your will” or “I am the handmaiden of the Lord.”
 
Seems like this thread has been mostly resolved, which is good. But I’d like to add my 2 cents in response to the OP.

If what you’ve written is in fact true…why do you think that the Rosary is prescribed by so many people for any and all matter of spiritual problems? Why are you reading about it here on these forums so much, to the point that it’s bugging you? Stands to reason that maybe there’s something to it, right?

People pray the Holy Rosary because it’s the prayer of Gospels. It’s a meditation on the life of Christ. Anyone who prays it with faith and humility will be brought closer to God. Thousands of years of saints as well as generations in my own family can attest to that. The Rosary as a prayer WORKS and it’s right.

Or else…the Church, the saints and all these people are wrong. Which makes more sense? The fact is, there’s something to it. As a prayer, the Rosary is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Sometimes we simply don’t know how to pray as we ought to. Sometimes we’re distracted, Sometimes we are so bogged down in pain, anxiety and sinfulness that we don’t even know where to start. If you fall into any of the categories I just mentioned, then just try this: Make a committment to pray the Rosary every day. If you can’t do that, commit to one decade a day. Pray as you can.

Pray it no matter how difficult it may be for whatever reason. Take a small leap of faith and approach it with humility-- that’s the key. Our Lady will take your by the hand and guide you the rest of the way.

The Rosary is centered around Christ and praying it will lead you closer to Him. Of course it’s not the only way, and nobody is saying that. But it’s one way that works, and has stood the test of time. Just try it. 😉
 
Ok. A friend of mine wrote a little song about the Rosary the other day when I told him about this thread. I thought some of y’all might enjoy it. 😉

(to the tune of Marine Corp Spirit)

IT WAS GOOD FOR ST. DOMINIC

IT WAS GOOD FOR ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT

IT WAS GOOD FOR ST ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

AND IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

IT WAS GOOD AT LOURDES

IT WAS GOOD AT FATIMA

IT WAS GOOD AT LEPANTO

And it’s GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

:tiphat:
 
Zahmir said:
This is a reaction post, a reaction to unseemly strands of thought that lurk beneath the surface of this forum.

Before someone bashes me and accuses me of heresy, let me just say that the Rosary is a wonderful devotion and a great entrance to the throne of God, in prayer.

However, just as all things, the Rosary can be abused. People may recite it, over and over–with such emphasis on the recitation of it and the promises granted to those who recite it, that they may lose track of the heart of our faith. All devotions are merely a means to God.

In particular, let us refrain from prescribing the Rosary as a cure-all for everyone struggling with their faith in whatever way, which I have seen happen several times on several different threads, usually coupled with a list of the promises granted to the reciters of the Rosary and a warning to those who recite it with fickleness. I promise you, many have entered heaven without ever reciting the Rosary. More than anything, let us remind people of the heart of our faith, for we are a holy people, saved not by our own words and deeds, but by the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
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I always found the Rosary boring. Just my,:twocents:
 
Glorfindel said:
I always found the Rosary boring. Just my,:twocents:
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I am glad someone else feels the same way. I do pray the Rosary several time a week but I find it boring and most of the time I am not focusing on it but on other things, even though I try to focus on it. I find saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Jesus Prayer (both on my beads) keeps me more focused. With the Rosary I am just going through the motions. I have come to the conclusion that after so many years this is just not the prayer form for me. I will still pray it, hoping someday I might get something out of it. And yes, I have tried different ways of praying it, using the Scriptural Rosary, trying to focus on the Mysteries, focusing on different things…still I find it boring I see I am not the only one.
 
Joannm said:
I am glad someone else feels the same way. I do pray the Rosary several time a week but I find it boring and most of the time I am not focusing on it but on other things, even though I try to focus on it. I find saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Jesus Prayer (both on my beads) keeps me more focused. With the Rosary I am just going through the motions. I have come to the conclusion that after so many years this is just not the prayer form for me. I will still pray it, hoping someday I might get something out of it. And yes, I have tried different ways of praying it, using the Scriptural Rosary, trying to focus on the Mysteries, focusing on different things…still I find it boring I see I am not the only one.
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That was my problem! By the way, I meant NO insult to those who do get a lot out of it! Really I was giving my personal opinion. I am glad no one took it in a manner that I was not showing respect!🙂 Pax.
 
Galnextdoor and co.,

Your “success stories” are great, but do you think there would have been a different “result” had your sister spent a half an hour a day on her knees reading the Bible? Or if your sister had said the Liturgy of the Hours every day? Or if she’d prayed the 15 Prayers of St. Bridget every day? Way of the Cross? Divine Mercy Chaplet? Chotki?

The foundation of Catholic prayer is the Gospels and the Psalms.

If one must force a “choice,” preference should always be given to praying the Office, or just the Psalms. The Rosary is a “convenient” alternative for meditating on the Gospel when one does not have a Bible handy, cannot read, etc. That’s how it originally started.

The Rosary is not even the only way to be devoted to mary. One can pray the Angelus 3 times a day on time. One can pray the Litany of Loreto. One can use any of the beautiful Eastern Catholic devotions to Mary like the Moleben and the Akathist. One can pray the Miraculous Medal Novena.

The reason the Church offers us so many devotions is that she understands that different people have different spiritual and psychological needs.

Recommending that people try the Rosary as a devotion is great. But too many Catholics have the idea that the Rosary is ‘necessary’, that you’re less of a Catholic if you don’t say the Rosary, etc. And this is putting extra requirements on people that the Church does not have.

Even the OCDS, which have some of the strictest prayer requirements of Lay Orders, makes the following requirements:
  1. Divine Office, morning and evening prayer.
  2. 1 half an hour of meditation
  3. Some Marian devotion, like the Rosary (OR the Litany of Loreto, the Angelus, the Moleben, etc.).
 
I can say this from experience. If I pray the Rosary the way it’s supposed to be prayed, that is with serious contemplation on the mysteries, instead of just recitation, I know that it can definitely calm me down. I’ve had experiences where my mind was cleared, and I felt a great peace. I don’t know if this peace was just because the mental act of contemplation of the mysteries cleared my mind of other things, or if there was either a divine presence, or the presence of Mary, that brought the peace. I do know that the Rosary can be a great help for people who have a lot of mental anxiety, and I can say this from experience.

Of course, it’s not the be-all and end-all prayer, but for people like me, it’s great.
 
I found that when praying the rosary…if I can’t stop the distractions and can’t get myself to meditate on the mysteries…just holding the rosary and/or meditating very slowly on a few hail mary’s helps a lot. I feel very guilty if I the rosary starts to seem like empty words. People should be careful not to let it be empty. But still better to say it than not to…period.
 
Zahmir said:
And as long as you grant that the Rosary is not Jesus, then it holds that the Rosary is not the Way. (In fact, it has been interesting to me to see people more adamantly defend the “Way” of the Rosary rather than the Way of Christ.)
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Fr. Corapi says it best…

The rosary is the prayer of the gospel. The gospel is Jesus. When you pray the rosary (correctly) you pray the gospel…you pray Jesus.
 
Eli4n4 said:
Fr. Corapi says it best…

The rosary is the prayer of the gospel. The gospel is Jesus. When you pray the rosary (correctly) you pray the gospel…you pray Jesus.
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Amen!

And if the Holy Father can pray all the decades in one day, who are we to say that it is NOT the way?

Perhaps those who find the Rosary boring simply need to acquaint themselves with what it’s actually about.
 
Perhaps those who find the Rosary boring simply need to acquaint themselves with what it’s actually about.
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Or perhaps the Lord is calling them to other ways of growing in holiness and a life of prayer.
 
Yes, when you pray the Rosary, you pray the Gospel.

No one in this thread has said anything against the Rosary. The OP was speaking against the obession that some Roman Catholics have with the Rosary as the end all and be all of spirituality, ignoring the wider rich tradition of Catholic spirituality, making requirements that the Church does not make, and actually exalting the Rosary to a position it does not have.

Perhaps it would have been better to say, “The Rosary is not THE Way.”

Yes, when one prays the Rosary, one prays the Gospel, “the Gospel in miniature,” and all that. But isn’t it better, if one must make a conflict, to pray the actual Gospel?

Fr. Corapi and the Holy Father may pray the Rosary every day, but I’m sure they also fulfill their priestly duties of saying the Office. I’m sure they also meditate on Sacred Scripture.

The OP’s point was merely that there are other ways to pray.

A Catholic can go through his or her entire life without ever saying a single Rosary and still get to Heaven. Does that shock you?

As I said in my last post, every story that’s been told about the powers of “the Rosary” could just as easily have been told by substituting “a half an hour of the Bible” or “the Stations of the Cross” or “The Moleben” or “the Jesus Prayer” or “The Divine Mercy Chaplet” for “the Rosary.”

If you believe there is some special “power” in the Rosary that means it should be given preference to other devotions, then even Fr. Corapi would say that you are comitting superstition–as he does caution in all his talks on these subjects.
 
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