Why do some people pray so fast?

[PJM]

=UntimelyBourn;10803437]Hi everyone! I’m relatively new to Catholicism and I’ve found myself drawn to the traditional side of things. When I can I really enjoy attending a parish in my area that offers the Tridentine mass. After the mass the priest leads us as we recite the customary prayers in English. Sometimes someone else will lead a rosary after that. So far so good.

My question arise from the fact that compared to other parishes Ive been to, these prayers are said very, very fast, so fast in fact that I’m literally out of breath of I try to keep up with them. Its not really a problem for me as I usually just listen or keep up by praying silently, but it is somewhat distracting, especially during the rosary. Are lightening fast Hail Mary’s common in traditional circles? I understand the value of saying prayers rhythmically but why so fast?

NOT be a smartalec here;

But Because they CAN

It’s NOT the best way

But ALL prayer is Good.

AND the Holy Spirit takes our prayers and perfects them for us. So God is RIGHLY honored.

But prayers with thoughtful intent are more beneficial to US!

Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings.”

It IS better to “pray fast” than NOT to pray at all.

 

[Prie_dieu]

It doesn’t matter how fast or slow prayers are said, it matters only how devoutly they’re said. Unless one is purposefully trying to speed through it then they’re doing no wrong.

It takes me 20 minutes to say a chaplet of the rosary, but I naturally speak fast and after saying so many, a rhythm develops.

 

[JuantheTuba]

I’m not sure about the situation at your parish, but also take into consideration that t since this Rosary takes before Mass, the leader might be conscious about wanting to complete the Rosary before Mass starts. I know from my own experience, at our parish there have been a couple of times were we didn’t finish the Rosary because Mass had to start.

 

[Domnall]

Oh boy, now us Irish get blamed for that! I have never heard of that before. I think it’s the person not the heritage. God Bless, Memaw

Haha, it does sound funny, doesn’t it? We actually talked about this in my Modern Irish History course in college.

Mind you, my professor is Irish, and Catholic!

 

[ccmcmg]

On the subject of praying the Rosary, I sincerely enjoy the “Laudate” application available on Android and Apple. You can choose the podcast for to pray along, and Melissa from ScripturalRosary.org has an excellent pace for me. I play it while praying the Rosary in the car or before bed.

Christina

 

[Memaw]

Haha, it does sound funny, doesn’t it? We actually talked about this in my Modern Irish History course in college.

Mind you, my professor is Irish, and Catholic!

So am I and a bit German too, so maybe that’s why I pray slower. Us Irish are generally a cheerful sort. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Aran_Houlihan]

I think its just a bad habit

 

[Damien_haha]

Because nobody listens to your prayers. Save time and say em hastily!

 

[loramaca]

Yes, it’s really hard to think about words in prayers when prayer is going too fast. If some can follow word in prayers so fast fine, but when we are praying rosary together they should be a little slower.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

Hmmm,

In our parish we say the rosary before the 7 am daily Mass. There is one woman who occasionally leads a decade of the Rosary at lightning fast speed. I have found it a bit irritating but just offered it up and we all just respond at our slightly faster than medium pace.

Some of the folks who lead the Rosary have a hard time properly pronouncing all the words as they have a French Canadian background. I used to find it irritating, too, until I took to heart two facts: (1) they’re smarter than I am in that they can speak two languages and I can only speak one and (2) God and Mary delight in their prayers, no matter what human language they use.

 

[NickD]

Perhaps another reason is that they just finished praying in Latin…which is often spoken at a faster rate than English (kind of like Spanish). I have found that many Spanish speakers (of which there are quite many in South Texas) speak even English faster than your typical Texan drawler, so perhaps Latin “speakers” do something similar…

 

[Abbigaelann]

I have to be able to understand it, to believe it, to feel it, to say it. Otherwise, it is rote without meaning…to me that would be an insult to God. The most difficult thing I had to work on, was how ‘demanding’ or ‘deal making’ some of the prayers could sound…But like when I worked for Census, How do I word this that I’m not some rude bimbette and awful to these people??? When you first read the survey…oh noooooooooooo!!!How rude! This is awful!

Please, try to read some of these as if you weren’t brought up in the catholic church…it can be terrifying…If I’d have spoken to my parents the way some of the prayers first come off, I’d have been grounded for life! No please and thank you and if it’s not too much of a problem and I know you’re busy but if you’d be so kind…

 

[Cojuanco]

Hi everyone! I’m relatively new to Catholicism and I’ve found myself drawn to the traditional side of things. When I can I really enjoy attending a parish in my area that offers the Tridentine mass. After the mass the priest leads us as we recite the customary prayers in English. Sometimes someone else will lead a rosary after that. So far so good.

My question arise from the fact that compared to other parishes Ive been to, these prayers are said very, very fast, so fast in fact that I’m literally out of breath of I try to keep up with them. Its not really a problem for me as I usually just listen or keep up by praying silently, but it is somewhat distracting, especially during the rosary. Are lightening fast Hail Mary’s common in traditional circles? I understand the value of saying prayers rhythmically but why so fast?

It depends from parish to parish, and person to person. Some people have to enunciate every syllable of every word when speaking to people, while others are motormouths, like your average Manhattanite. Is it any wonder that they talk to God in a somewhat similar way? Nothing sinful about it, merely the product of one’s tastes and background.

 

[Phemie]

I avoid the rosary at our parish because of the speed and the mumbling. They add prayers that the uninitiated have never heard and mumble them so that we only understand a word here and there. These are elderly folks of various ethnic backgrounds but my aunt used to do the same thing when we were kids so I think it’s more of a personal habit than anything else. I probably drove them nuts when I recited a decde clearly and at a regular pace the odd time that I was present.

Priests can do this too. The Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are recited at breakneck speed by our present Pastor. He doesn’t do that with the rest of Mass. I think it has more to do with familiarity with the prayers.

 

[LegoGE1947]

I avoid the rosary at our parish because of the speed and the mumbling. They add prayers that the uninitiated have never heard and mumble them so that we only understand a word here and there. These are elderly folks of various ethnic backgrounds but my aunt used to do the same thing when we were kids so I think it’s more of a personal habit than anything else. I probably drove them nuts when I recited a decde clearly and at a regular pace the odd time that I was present.

Priests can do this too. The Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are recited at breakneck speed by our present Pastor. He doesn’t do that with the rest of Mass. I think it has more to do with familiarity with the prayers.

Didn’t the change in the Mass that took place at the end of 2011 slow him down any? Or perhaps being in Canada there was no change?

 

[Matt241]

I try to make a habit of praying in Latin (just three main prayers, Ave Maria, Pater Noster, Gloria Patris) when I pray the rosary. When I switch back to English, I always find that I pray just as quickly. Sometimes we speak faster when we’re praying because…it’s difficult to explain…well, when we love a person (when we speak of Christ or of Mary), we just love that person so much that we speak quicker and in a type of ecstasy when we pray to them.

I hope you can understand this, it’s the only way I can express such a feeling of love when I pray (I try to pray with all my heart and soul). Or it may just be confusing. In which case I apologise, and will try to express myself better in another post.

 

[ccmcmg]

I try to make a habit of praying in Latin (just three main prayers, Ave Maria, Pater Noster, Gloria Patris) when I pray the rosary. When I switch back to English, I always find that I pray just as quickly. Sometimes we speak faster when we’re praying because…it’s difficult to explain…well, when we love a person (when we speak of Christ or of Mary), we just love that person so much that we speak quicker and in a type of ecstasy when we pray to them.

I hope you can understand this, it’s the only way I can express such a feeling of love when I pray (I try to pray with all my heart and soul). Or it may just be confusing. In which case I apologise, and will try to express myself better in another post.

Matt, that does make sense. For me, I must pray so that I can understand the words as I pray them. That may change in the future.

God bless you!
Christina

 

[Phemie]

Didn’t the change in the Mass that took place at the end of 2011 slow him down any? Or perhaps being in Canada there was no change?

Oh, no, we changed, but the Lord’s Prayer wasn’t affected. As for the Creed, he reads it from the handout and ploughs right through it. It’s different with the rest of Mass since he’s still pretty uncertain and takes pains to read it right. He’s not always successful.

 

[LegoGE1947]

Oh, no, we changed, but the Lord’s Prayer wasn’t affected. As for the Creed, he reads it from the handout and ploughs right through it. It’s different with the rest of Mass since he’s still pretty uncertain and takes pains to read it right. He’s not always successful.

Our priests pretty much read their parts of the Mass even though the new Mass has been around for over a year. (I do too, so I’m not complaining.)