When praying the rosary ,can you "think"each Hail Mary or you need to actually say it?

[PatriceA]

I think this is just a difference of how we understand words.

If you read the Hail Mary again, no, we are not praying to her in the sense in which we pray to God. We are greeting her, hailing her, acknowledging her special position in God’s plan, and asking her to pray for us.

Where do you read ‘praying to her’ present in the words of the Hail Mary?

The first two words of the Hail Mary means I’m praying to her, I’m addressing her, same as I would start out a letter to someone that I want to say something to.

 

[paperwight66]

The first two words of the Hail Mary means I’m praying to her, I’m addressing her, same as I would start out a letter to someone that I want to say something to.

Yes, I would say that you are addressing her, not praying to her.

As has been pointed out, the Catechism says that we pray to the Father with the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

[PatriceA]

2682
Because of Mary’s singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her.

I think “entrust supplications TO HER” is praying to her, IMO.

 

[Brooklyn]

Yes, I would say that you are addressing her, not praying to her.

As has been pointed out, the Catechism says that we pray to the Father with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Certainly we are not to worship Mary or the saints. Worship belongs only to God. But prayer means to “talk”, to ask favors and intervention. How in the world is that wrong? In the creed, we talk about the communion of saints - what do you think that means?

 

[damooster]

And yet public praying of the rosary aloud carries a plenary indulgence. The teaching and practice of the Church are seldom “either/or” but usually “both/and.”

AMDG
jsa

You beat me to it. I always pray the rosary out loud because the requirements for the indulgence state that it is to be prayed out loud.

And I need all the indulgences I can get!

 

[Brooklyn]

You beat me to it. I always pray the rosary out loud because the requirements for the indulgence state that it is to be prayed out loud.

And I need all the indulgences I can get!

Does that mean that unless you are in a place where you can pray aloud, you don’t say the Rosary? I try to pray the Rosary every day, and often it means doing it on my Ipod on the way to or from work. I guess I don’t get any indulgences for that.

 

[lil_flower_luv]

The blessed virgin is not God and therefore can not read your thoughts. I would say that if you want the Blessed Virgin to pray with you it should probabley be vocal.

False.

Our Blessed Mother can hear our prayers and/or our thoughts.

I suggest you listen to this: Praying to Mary - A Biblical Defense

The above is our response to Protestant brothers and sisters, but we Catholics truly believe Mary and the saints can intercede on behalf of our souls. And that’s not just when we are saying vocal prayers. +

I pray my rosary out loud and set aside time to do just that. I rarely pray while my head or hands are busy working on something else – it just doesn’t feel like I’m giving my time fully to God. That’s just me. :twocents:

God bless

 

[PatriceA]

Does that mean that unless you are in a place where you can pray aloud, you don’t say the Rosary? I try to pray the Rosary every day, and often it means doing it on my Ipod on the way to or from work. I guess I don’t get any indulgences for that.

My opinion, you’re fine. It is a personal prayer. I found a good explanation of praying the rosary on EWTN: ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/rosary/scripture.htm

According to their information, you only get the indulgence if you pray the rosary in a group or individually in front of the blessed sacrament. Its says nothing that you get the indulgence only if you pray out loud.

 

[lil_flower_luv]

I’ve found when you pray each decade out loud it’s a lot easier to focus on the particular mystery.

I agree with the above poster that the way you have been doing it is fine, Brooklyn. I may just get it for my i-pod as well! Is this the app you have been using or a different one? Thank you.

 

[Brooklyn]

My opinion, you’re fine. It is a personal prayer. I found a good explanation of praying the rosary on EWTN: ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/rosary/scripture.htm

According to their information, you only get the indulgence if you pray the rosary in a group or individually in front of the blessed sacrament. Its says nothing that you get the indulgence only if you pray out loud.

Thank you, and you are absolutely correct. To gain a plenary indulgence, the rosary must be prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament or in a group setting:

A plenary indulgences is granted, if the Rosary is recited in a church or public oratory or in a family group, a religious Community or pious Association: a partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances.
A plenary indulgence can be gained, once a day, by praying the Rosary, privately or in common, before the Blessed Sacrament, exposed or in the tabernacle. (This is true owing to the plenary indulgence attached to a practice of Eucharistic adoration that is at least one half hour in length, according to the Enchiridion).
The gaining of the plenary indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

The recitation of a third part only of the Rosary suffices; but the five decades must be recited continuously.
The vocal recitation must be accompanied by pious meditation on the mysteries.
In public recitation the mysteries must be announced in the manner customary in the place; for private recitation, however, it suffices if the recitation is accompanied by meditation on the mysteries.

avemariarosaries.com/rosary/rosary_prayers_benefits.php

So just saying the Rosary out loud by yourself does not of and by itself gain a plenary indulgence. Also, “The vocal recitation must be accompanied by pious meditation on the mysteries”. How many people say the Rosary as quickly as they can barely thinking about what they are praying? That is why I listen to the scriptural meditations on my Ipod. I try to go to Mass every day, but too often I just don’t have the time to stay and pray the Rosary.

But I know that even if we don’t gain plenary indulgences each and every time we pray the Rosary, we still gain much spiritual help. I’ve talked to several older people in the Church who have remained faithful all their lives, and one thing they have in common is that they have always said the Rosary. Devotion to our Mother ensures that she will never let us go.

 

[Brooklyn]

I’ve found when you pray each decade out loud it’s a lot easier to focus on the particular mystery.

I agree with the above poster that the way you have been doing it is fine, Brooklyn. I may just get it for my i-pod as well! Is this the app you have been using or a different one? Thank you.

Actually I haven’t seen that one. I downloaded a couple of other apps that did were “read only” and no sound. This looks very good.

I actually use this website and download the audio to my Ipod. It’s free and I find it very helpful to meditate.

EDIT: Just did a little searching and I found this Itunes page for downloading to your Ipod:

itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rosary-cast-the-gospel-as/id216763425

 

[damooster]

Does that mean that unless you are in a place where you can pray aloud, you don’t say the Rosary? I try to pray the Rosary every day, and often it means doing it on my Ipod on the way to or from work. I guess I don’t get any indulgences for that.

I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you aren’t.

I will pray the Rosary anytime I feel moved to, but if I can get an indulgence for doing so, I make every attempt to do it that way. I don’t pray the Rosary just to get an indulgence, but if I can get one, why not do it?

I’m pretty lucky when it comes to being able to pray the Rosary aloud and in a group setting. The parish on my way to work will recite the Rosary prior to morning Mass and so I can stop by, pray, and then head straight to work. I’ve also identified parishes in the area that pray the Rosary in the evenings, so sometimes I’ll go pray with them.

There’s nothing wrong with praying the Rosary by yourself. I just prefer groups.

 

[ProVobis]

No such thing as an invalid prayer.

and

The blessed virgin is not God and therefore can not read your thoughts. I would say that if you want the Blessed Virgin to pray with you it should probabley be vocal.

Not trying to start any trouble here but shouldn’t one be concerned if she can understand English as well?

 

[newyorkcatholic]

When I am in a place where I need to be quiet (like on the train) I pray the rosary very very quietly. Someone right next to me couldn’t here me.

But I still move my lips and move air through the words. I really feel this is necessary to properly pray the rosary. No traditional teaching about how to pray the rosary tells us to “think” the words. I don’t feel like I’d get the indulgence just thinking it. And if I had the obligation to pray the rosary daily (e.g. if I were a Marian Catechist) I would feel obligated to say the words, however softly.

I want to be clear: I think thinking the words and meditating on the mysteries is truly wonderful and a great thing to do. But to actually say them is, more specifically, a proper way to pray the traditional prayer we call the Rosary.

Re the indulgence: you must be in a group or before the sacrament for the plenary indulgence. But otherwise it is a partial indulgence. And I don’t think the partial indulgence is for thinking only, at least that’s not the most reasonable interpretation based upon the traditional understanding.

 

[Tamsulosin]

Thank you for everybody’s (name removed by moderator)ut.
I guess I will drink some water before I get started with the rosary so that my mouth does
not get dry.
Summary: need to pray continuously with no breaks,pronouncing all the words, meditating on the mysteries, preferably with a group and in front of the Blessed sacrament or the tabernacle.Or if alone, saying the words .
But, if you think of each word you are saying,can you meditate on the mystery at the same time?In other words I do not see how the mind can concentrate on two separate thoughts at unison.
Example :I am saying “Blessed are you among women”(I am talking to my celestial mother here)while my mind is contemplating the baptism of Jesus as one of the mysteries.And by the way ,why does the Church call them “mysteries”?
Sorry for all my questions.I just want to get it right.
Tam

 

[Joe_Kelley]

My sister trained, as a nurse, in a Catholic Hospital some 50+ years ago. The sisters would patrol the corridors of the student quarters at night saying the rosary but silently - i.e. mouthing the words or a sub-audible whisper.

If the sisters did it in those days it must be the right way

 

[lil_flower_luv]

Actually I haven’t seen that one. I downloaded a couple of other apps that did were “read only” and no sound. This looks very good.

I actually use this website and download the audio to my Ipod. It’s free and I find it very helpful to meditate.

EDIT: Just did a little searching and I found this Itunes page for downloading to your Ipod:

itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rosary-cast-the-gospel-as/id216763425

Thanks for this. I was wondering if it would be possible to get it for free. And it looks like that particular podcast has a scriptural meditation said before each Hail Mary… I’m looking forward to that for my walks!! Thanks again, sister.

God bless

 

[MerryCatholic]

Sometimes my mouth gets dry and tired of taking and talking the prayers and I end up
going through them in my thoughts ,but without actually saying them.Is this a valid form?
I do not want to be viewed as lazy,but am I the only one with this problem?

if iam ill and not well enough to talk, and i pray the rosary, i wont verbalize it. i get a really dry mouth at times as well. even if i drink water before i pray it. sometimes, i even yawn a lot when i pray the rosary. i don’t know why i end up yawning, but i do. usually into the third decade i yawn, and it doesn’t stop. doesn’t mean iam bored or tired. far from it. i just yawn. as far as i know, there is nothing wrong with mentally praying it. say for instance, you have a terrible sore throat and you can;t verbalize it. why not say it mentally? God hears your prayers whether you verbalize them or not. He who is above all things knows our thoughts and hears them.