The Rosary

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mango_2003

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So…OK.

I don’t want to get into the whole “Roman Catholics worship Mary!” type of thing. Those kinds of disscussions are niether beneficial nor constructive.

However, I was watching EWTN today…and there was a small program about the Rosary. I had never seen anyone “do the Rosary”. It was a new experience for me.

To be honest and to put it bluntly…it freaked me out. I just don’t understand why so much emphasis is put on Mary. Even if I believed in praying the Hail Mary…I would still be uneasy about how often it is said in proportion to the amount of time spent praying to the Holy Trinity.

~mango~
 
I do it because it calms me and I feel closer to God, but I can understand why a non-Catholic would see it as something it is not. Just my opinion but if you feel uncomfortable doing it then don’t do it. 😉
 
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mango_2003:
So…OK.
To be honest and to put it bluntly…it freaked me out. I just don’t understand why so much emphasis is put on Mary. Even if I believed in praying the Hail Mary…I would still be uneasy about how often it is said in proportion to the amount of time spent praying to the Holy Trinity.

~mango~
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Mango, you need not worry that praying to Mary takes anything away from praying to the Holy Trinity. The end is not Mary. Everything that is prayed to Mary is directly presented to her son Jesus, only purified from all of the impure garbage that can accompany our human intentions in prayer.
 
Dr Paul:
Mango, you need not worry that praying to Mary takes anything away from praying to the Holy Trinity. The end is not Mary. Everything that is prayed to Mary is directly presented to her son Jesus, only purified from all of the impure garbage that can accompany our human intentions in prayer.
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Please trust that these are honest questions and not loaded…enquiring minds want to know! :D;)

1.) Why so repititious? I don’t get what difference it makes if you Hail Mary once during a prayer or 50 times…?

2.) How can Mary hear everyone at once? Is she omnipotent?

~mango~
 
The Rosary is a meditative prayer. While reciting all of the Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s and so forth, you are supposed to be meditating and contemplating the various aspects of the mysteries you are praying. You don’t just meditate between the decades (sets of ten Hail Mary’s), but you also meditate while you are saying the Hail Mary’s. Thus, your mind is not focused on the Hail Mary’s, but the a specific aspect of the life of our Lord and how it relates to us. While watching someone pray the Rosary, it does give the appearance that the focus is on Mary. But when praying the Rosary, the focus is on Jesus, and anybody who prays the Rosary hopefully understands this.

For a description of the different decades, look at the Praying to Mary thread, or do a google search on the Rosary.

Peace
 
The rosary is a medatative prayer. When one prays the rosary, one contemplates the gospel (the mysteries which separate the decades)and God’s graces.

Catholic.com has a tract on the rosary and the Holy Father has written a great deal on the value of this prayer in the life of Christian.

catholic.com/library/Rosary.asp
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_en.html

Look past the obvious and you may see the beauty of this form of prayer.
 
hiya Mango!
praying the rosary involves more than reciting the words of various prayers. It is also largely internal. Have you read of the ‘mysteries of the rasary’? They are aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry that one meditates on in prayer. So, while saying ten hail Marys one is also remembering, drawing closer to and praying to Jesus at the same time. We are worshipping God while praying the rosary. It is something that you just can’t understand by watching somebody else.
Do we pray to Mary more than we do to God in the roasry? By no means! It is very much like how, when someone goes on a retreat to be with other Christians to study the bible and pray to God. We do not overly fixate on other people by seeking out their company … but rather, the company of other faithful Christians helps us grow closer to God. The Rosary offers us a way of worshipping God in the company of the greatest of all the saints, Mary. If it looks freaky, it’s only because you can’t see what goes on in the heart and mind of the one in prayer.
 
Mary lives in heaven as do all the Saints. In heaven there is no time so “hearing everyone at the same time” doesn’t mean anything there.

Mary gave birth to the Savior, she is the one human being who knew him best. We ask her to pray for us:

“Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death”

Mary leads us to her Son. Don’t take my word for it: there are scores of people who have eleganly written about how devotion to Mary has led them to a better relationship with Jesus.

Everybody wants that.
 
The Knights of Columbus give out Rosary beads with instructions on how to pray the Rosary. Contact any Knight in your area and I am sure they would be more than happy to get you the instructions and beads or just the instructions if that is all you want. 👍
 
The repetitiveness centers me and allows me to clear my mind so I can focus on whichever mysteries I happen to reflecting on. While it may appear purely robotic on the outside, for the person saying it as it is meant to be done, it is a truly peaceful, spiritual, and meditative experience on the inside.
 
Mango,

Priests used the prayer to teach Biblical truth about the mother of God and the mysteries make sure the focus is on Jesus, not Mary.

God Bless
 
As a Protestant, you have been taught that “repetition” in prayer is “vain” and to be avoided, based on a wrong interpretation of Mt 6:7.

Revelation 4:8 describes what goes on in heaven: Day and night (that’s 24/7 :D)* they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.”* Kinda repetitious, don’t you think? Does God tell 'em to stop? Uh uh.

As has been pointed out to you, the Rosary is a meditation on the Life, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the role of Mary in the events of our salvation. The meditation is the melody; the prayers are background music.

I’ve never heard such repetitious prayer as when I was a Protestant. Lord, we just thank you … Lord, we just ask you … Lord, we just praise you …

Catholic prayers are beautiful and biblical. The Hail Mary is from Luke 1:28. Is repeating Bible verses “vain repetitions”? We add to the words in Luke our petition: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” The other repeated prayers of the Rosary are the Glory Be (Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen). And the Our Father (which Protestants have been saying incorrectly since 1611 due to an error in the KJV).

Warning: The Rosary is a powerful prayer. A person could learn to love it in no time at all, if they understand how it is to be said and what it really means. :yup:

Hide and watch as the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is to be the mother of our Savior. Imagine that you’re there, an unseen witness. How would you feel? What would your reaction be? Ask God to help you see what Gabriel saw as he spoke those words, “Hail, Full of Grace . . .” Now as you meditate, say one Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s, and finish with the doxology of praise to the Holy Trinity, Glory be . . .

And then pray your way through all the events of the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord. It’s a lesson in salvation history.

Go here for help: virtualrosary.org/

JMJ Jay
 
From another thread but hope it helps you

I am going to list the mysteries of the Holy Rosary with one of the many scripture passages for each of the mysteries, also a thought that often goes through my mind when praying the Rosary. Please see it for what it is a the sinner that I am trying to look through the eyes of the mother of God to understand all that he has blessed us with.
  • The Annunciation Luke 1:28 For the love of humility, think of it the God of all creation coming to be with us in flesh in blood, the divine one coming to put on flesh for my sake.
  • The Visitation Luke 1:42 For Charity toward my neighbor, She had God within her, and instead of filling with pride she was filled with the desire to serve others, how many times my pride has stopped me from serving others.
  • The Nativity Luke 2:7 For the spirit of Poverty The king of all creation, the Alpha and Omega, the salvation for all man kind not born into a palace but into a simple manager, The love he must have for me.
  • The Presentation Luke 2:28 For the virtue of obedience Mary shows us here and makes clear none of us are above the will of God, if we love God we do his will not our own. How many times I have twisted things to make it seem my will was His will.
  • The finding in the temple Luke 2:46 For the virtue of piety. Such a fool am I it is never Him that is out of reach, or hiding from me it is simply for me to seek him and he will be there.
  • The Agony in the garden Mark 14:35 For true contrition. How is it Lord you love me enough to pay this price for me? Please give me the strength to be honest when confessing my sins.
  • The Scourging at the Pillar Mark 15:15 For the virtue of purity. The price is paid with love and blood am I truly accepting what he has done for me? Why wont I let go of the pride? Lust? Envy?
  • The Crowning with Thorns Mark 15:17 for Moral courage. Any time I have stood for the least, any time I have had the courage to stand for what is right, I know that it came not from me but rather from my Lord, and call on him I must when faced with a need for courage which in today’s world is every day.
  • The carrying of the cross John 19:17 For the virtue of patience. This is so hard to speak of it might be best to let you speak to my wife and children. Think of is he did this and took every painful step to show us how to carry our own cross with his help.
  • The Crucifixion Luke 23:33 For final perseverance. So much easier not to think of this the price he paid, but with out the crucifixion there is no salvation, with out the blood no release from my sins. He died for me!!!
 
continued
  • The Resurrection Mark 16:6 For the virtue of Faith. HE IS RISEN INDEED My Lord and My God Death could not hold you. You again did all that you said you would you are my salvation.
  • The Ascension Mark 16:19 For the virtue of hope. He left us to prepare a place for us, and this indeed he has done how do I know this, I know it because he always does what He says He will.
  • The Descent of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:4 For the Love of God. What a God we have He has chosen to live within me to be one with me, to be with me always. Lord allow me to be remade by your sprit.
  • The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Gen 3:15 For honor to Mary. Oh holy Mother teach me to trust the Lord as you did, to have the faith in him that you have, to allow the Fathers will in my life as you did, show to me your Son, teach me Mother to answer as you did and for me to become the handmaid of the LORD.
  • The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary Apoc 12:1 For eternal happiness. There are crowns that await all who follow his will, and non followed it better than she did, may I learn from her example that someday I to will be given a crown to place at his feet.
Please learn to see this pray as what it is a gift from God to allow us to see his Love for us through the eyes of His and our Mother. 10 hail Mary’s 10 times to do as commanded and call her blessed, 10 times to think of the hurt she had when he suffered and to make that hurt our own, 10 times to think of the trust she showed and to learn to trust in Him that way, 10 time to see him rise and the joy they all must have had, 10 times to hear His promises and know the He always does what he says he will. 10 little prayers designed to do one thing teach us to see Our Lord up close and personal.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it.

I still don’t know what I think. It’s all still so wierd to me.

I’ll continue reading up on the subject.

~mango~
 
this is a question asked out of love so please respond accordingly. there is some one on this forum that has as his signature, “the rosary is the scourge of the devil” and it is quoted from a pope (i don’t know which one). i did not take this from some anti-catholic website, i have seen it on here and didn’t understand it since it comes from some one who seems to be catholic in their responses. was there a debate over the validity of the rosary? does it still go on today? where did the rosary come from and what were the circumstances? these are things i would like to know.
 
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bengal_fan:
this is a question asked out of love so please respond accordingly. there is some one on this forum that has as his signature, “the rosary is the scourge of the devil” and it is quoted from a pope (i don’t know which one). i did not take this from some anti-catholic website, i have seen it on here and didn’t understand it since it comes from some one who seems to be catholic in their responses. was there a debate over the validity of the rosary? does it still go on today? where did the rosary come from and what were the circumstances? these are things i would like to know.
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I can see how that quote can confuse you. It does not mean that it is a scourge used by the devil. It is a scourge used on the devil. Those who pray the rosary quickly lead more devout, pious lives. Anything that can help us do that is hated by the devil. The history of the rosary is a little harder to explain, but I’ll try to condense it. The beads come from an old custom of praying the psalms. 150 beads were used to keep count. Other prayers were added, such as the Glory be and the Our Father, eventually the Our Father replaced the psalms. Now, this next part is a little disputed. According to pious tradition, during the albinginsium heresy, Mary appeared to St. Dominic and taught him the rosary in the form today. The Joyful mysteries to show Christ had a human childhood and birth, Sorrowful to show he suffered and died, and Glorious to show his Godhood. Remember, at this time people were for the most part illiterate, so this was a good way to teach Bible texts without Bibles. The other story, proably more historic but not as nice, is that the mysteries evolved with time, with the Dominicans leading the way for the spread of the Rosary. Recently, Pope John Paul II added five more mysteries: the Luminous. These focus on Christ’s ministry on earth. These are an excellent group of mysteries for a protestant to look at if one wishes to pray the Rosary. They are Christ’s Baptism, the Wedding at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration, and the Last Supper (institution of the Euchirist). I also like meditating on the Sorrowful.

Studies have show that people who pray the rosary daily have lower heart rates, better mental health, and tend to be calmer. Try it for a while and see, Bengal_fan.
 
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bengal_fan:
this is a question asked out of love so please respond accordingly. there is some one on this forum that has as his signature, “the rosary is the scourge of the devil” and it is quoted from a pope (i don’t know which one). i did not take this from some anti-catholic website, i have seen it on here and didn’t understand it since it comes from some one who seems to be catholic in their responses. was there a debate over the validity of the rosary? does it still go on today? where did the rosary come from and what were the circumstances? these are things i would like to know.
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Umm… that would be me :o
Now, I’m not an aggressive angry boy, so don’t worry 😛
Anyway, to your questions: “…didn’t understand it since it comes from some one who seems to be catholic in their response…” – I don’t understand what you implied by this? I sort of caught it that you meant Rosary devotion is not Catholic? I might be wrong (most probably) but reclarify it for me anyway :confused:

“Validity of the Rosary” – again, confused :confused:
The Rosary is a private devotion, it’s not a sacrament bound by liturgical laws. I don’t think there’s the issue of “valid/nonvalid”

The Rosary was given by Our Lady to St Dominic who was battling the rampant Albegensian Heresy – which, thanks to the power of Our Lady and her holy Rosary, has been completely eradicated, no trace of it / the sect’s teaching is remaining now (except if you count abortion becoming more popular :mad: )

But the practice of praying with beads itself was not new at that time. Early Christians who were not so educated memorised their 150 Psalms (then, their main form of prayers, like the Jews, was reciting the Psalms) by the aids of these beads. A full Rosary is also 150 Hail Marys, so there you have it.

In Christ through Mary,
S4ntA.
 
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ralphinal:
I can see how that quote can confuse you. It does not mean that it is a scourge used by the devil. It is a scourge used on the devil. Those who pray the rosary quickly lead more devout, pious lives. Anything that can help us do that is hated by the devil. The history of the rosary is a little harder to explain, but I’ll try to condense it. The beads come from an old custom of praying the psalms. 150 beads were used to keep count. Other prayers were added, such as the Glory be and the Our Father, eventually the Our Father replaced the psalms. Now, this next part is a little disputed. According to pious tradition, during the albinginsium heresy, Mary appeared to St. Dominic and taught him the rosary in the form today. The Joyful mysteries to show Christ had a human childhood and birth, Sorrowful to show he suffered and died, and Glorious to show his Godhood. Remember, at this time people were for the most part illiterate, so this was a good way to teach Bible texts without Bibles. The other story, proably more historic but not as nice, is that the mysteries evolved with time, with the Dominicans leading the way for the spread of the Rosary. Recently, Pope John Paul II added five more mysteries: the Luminous. These focus on Christ’s ministry on earth. These are an excellent group of mysteries for a protestant to look at if one wishes to pray the Rosary. They are Christ’s Baptism, the Wedding at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration, and the Last Supper (institution of the Euchirist). I also like meditating on the Sorrowful.

Studies have show that people who pray the rosary daily have lower heart rates, better mental health, and tend to be calmer. Try it for a while and see, Bengal_fan.
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Oooooooo…
so that what Bengal_fan meant…
Oh, and sorry if my post was repetitious to yours, I was typing it quite slowly, but I hit “reply” before your post came out, so mine came after yours.

And anyway, the sig certainly doesn’t mean what you meant, Bengal_fan – or I’ll be damned! shudder

I love the Rosary, it’s certainly “the scourge of the Devil.” 👍
 
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srkbdk:
continued
  • The Resurrection Mark 16:6 For the virtue of Faith. HE IS RISEN INDEED My Lord and My God Death could not hold you. You again did all that you said you would you are my salvation.
  • The Ascension Mark 16:19 For the virtue of hope. He left us to prepare a place for us, and this indeed he has done how do I know this, I know it because he always does what He says He will.
  • The Descent of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:4 For the Love of God. What a God we have He has chosen to live within me to be one with me, to be with me always. Lord allow me to be remade by your sprit.
  • The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Gen 3:15 For honor to Mary. Oh holy Mother teach me to trust the Lord as you did, to have the faith in him that you have, to allow the Fathers will in my life as you did, show to me your Son, teach me Mother to answer as you did and for me to become the handmaid of the LORD.
  • The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary Apoc 12:1 For eternal happiness. There are crowns that await all who follow his will, and non followed it better than she did, may I learn from her example that someday I to will be given a crown to place at his feet.
Please learn to see this pray as what it is a gift from God to allow us to see his Love for us through the eyes of His and our Mother. 10 hail Mary’s 10 times to do as commanded and call her blessed, 10 times to think of the hurt she had when he suffered and to make that hurt our own, 10 times to think of the trust she showed and to learn to trust in Him that way, 10 time to see him rise and the joy they all must have had, 10 times to hear His promises and know the He always does what he says he will. 10 little prayers designed to do one thing teach us to see Our Lord up close and personal.
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These are wonderful! Now how about The Luminous Mysteries!🙂
 
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