When buying a rosary, does it matter what center is used? I know there are many choices these days (Miraculous medal, Scapular, St. Patrick, etc). I've heard some women in my church say it's not a rosary unless it has a Miraculous medal center (or a small Miraculous medal charm on the center), but with all the choices out there, does it matter if the rosary has St. Patrick on the center?
Please no rude answers.
2007-01-05 00:57:42 · 3 answers · asked by sister steph 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Your Catholic rosary can have any religious medal or medallion for the center to hold the long strand together. Because the rosary is heavily influenced by devotion to the Blessed Mother, the center is most often (in my experience) a medallion of Mary, and frequently of Mary on one side and Jesus on the other. If you want St. Patrick, go ahead. The women in your church who say you should have a Miraculous medal as the center are just plain wrong. You could have a rosary without any medallion at all, in fact. What matters is the number of beads, as they are aids to counting the proper number of Hail Marys. And, I must say, what matters most is the prayerful attitude, the devotional state, that praying the rosary brings about. When all is said and done, the physical rosary is of little significance. It is merely a counting device, a means to a much greater end--your devotional meditative state--and is not an end in itself.
As a final thought: many holy monks and deeply religious people centuries ago fashioned rosaries out of string and acorns or whatever they had at hand, and did so with no medallion at the center.
2007-01-05 01:16:09 · answer #1 · answered by Marion111 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mine has the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side and Mary as Queen holding baby Jesus on the other side. It's an old rosary, and I don't know where I got it from. I'm sure it's just a device to hold the beads in a circle. St Patrick is good. Why not? It's the prayers that count most anyway, and the condition of your heart and soul that matters. It is a noble thing to pray the rosary, and I encourage you to do so even if all you have is your 10 fingers upon which to pray it.
2007-01-05 09:07:09 · answer #2 · answered by Shinigami 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the most important part is the prayer and the meditation of the mysteries. Mary would be pleased regardless. God Love You
2007-01-05 09:05:14 · answer #3 · answered by Gods child 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋