I have a question. I am a lifelong Catholic, and I have begun saying the rosary every day. However, my girlfriend questioned me about it, citing Matthew 6:7, which in the KJV Jesus says "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." How does the rosary hold up to this exhortation from Christ?
2007-01-07 16:48:36 · 19 answers · asked by Jimmy R 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thank you. Most of you are echoing what I was thinking, but it is good to get other ideas and perspectives on things like this. Thanks you all again.
2007-01-07 16:55:28 · update #1
I was originally assuming only Roman Catholic answerers, but many of you seem to be Anglican and I am really liking your answers. I amend my question: Saying the rosary- please, informed and serious answers only. :-) God Bless all of you.
2007-01-07 17:11:38 · update #2
Note: Repetition, by itself, is not bad - the KJV speaks against "vain" repetition. There is nothing vain about asking Our Lady to pray for us and our Father in Heaven to grant us to know His will.\
God's Holy Angels certainly repeat "HOLY HOLY HOLY" over and over, according to Revelation....for eternity. Is that "vain repetition"? Of course not!
Read this article: http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2006/0603fea2.asp
2007-01-07 16:52:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
You didn't say Roman Catholics only, as a High Church Anglican I consider myself to be Anglo-Catholic and will also answer. The rosary is a form of meditation and you must say it as a repetition to get into an altered brainwave pattern necessary for meditation. While you are doing that you are also focusing your heart and mind on the mysteries of Jesus' life. Your girlfriend does not understand the deep spiritual traditions of the Church. It is very good that you are saying the rosary every day. It is also OK to just talk to Jesus or to God at other times of the day. Both type of prayer are valid.
Peace.
2007-01-08 01:07:18 · answer #2 · answered by tonks_op 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, Jesus was referring to a pagan practice whereby devotees would utter the name of the god or goddess in the belief that calling out the name or repeating vain formulae would have power with the divinity. The Rosary is the repetition of prayers AND the meditation upon the mysteries of Christ's Life and the life of His Mother. The words are mostly scriptural, the mysteries are also explicitely scriptural excepting the two last Glorious mysteries (though I find scriptural support implicit for those). So the whole experience is NOT just the repeating of words but the meditation of the heart upon the words and mysteries of Christ's life. Like any devotion it can be done with fervour, with true devotion, or with great distraction due to lack of intention. Sometimes one can not help distractions and then there is no fault. Also Christian prayer doesn't have magical powers over God nor does it seek to persuade God. Rather Christian prayer seeks to unite the believer with God and to increase one's openness to the will of God in all things.
2007-01-08 01:05:28 · answer #3 · answered by Xpi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It also says in the Bible that you should not always trust everything in the Bible. I am sorry I don't know what passage it is but its there. What religion is your girlfriend. The passage is not saying what you pray, its saying how you pray it. If you pray the rosary slowly and think about each prayer and what it means then you will enjoy it more. Plus each time you pray it, you are asking Mary Mother of God, to pray for your soul. And isn't Jesus big on salvation? Keep it up. The world needs more die-hard Catholics like yourself. I'm Catholic and I do two things with regard to salvation. I pray for the poor souls in purgatory and I wear a scapular. God bless you.
2007-01-08 00:55:39 · answer #4 · answered by TheSilverBeetles 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
not everyone is really good at "expressing" their heart, so I think the roasry is a good meditation. I started praying the rosary when I just didn't know what to pray anymore as there were so many dissappointments. And I found it good. People like to criticisize catholic style, but how do we really know how people personally prayed in Bible times. We only have a few glimpses.
2007-01-08 01:24:19 · answer #5 · answered by Annmaree 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Point out to your girlfriend that Jesus Himself prayed repetitiously: "And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words." (Mark 14:39) The people Jesus was talking about thought that merely mouthing the words would have some effect. If the rosary is prayed that way, yes, it would be wrong. When Jesus prayed repetitiously, He put His heart, mind and soul into it. Do the same.
2007-01-08 01:00:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Even when I was a practicing Catholic, I had problems with that verse. All I can say is that it's not supposed to be merely repetition. It's a meditation tool, and you are supposed to be considering the various Mysteries while your mouth is moving. Sorry I can't give a better answer, but there are a number of things about the 'Marian' appearances that I find... suspicious.
2007-01-08 00:56:39 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Obviously, Catholics believe that the prayers in the rosary should not be said as a vain repetition -- but rather from the heart.
Just because you count something doesn't mean you don't mean it.
2007-01-08 00:51:35 · answer #8 · answered by Ranto 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The source of the Rosary is extraBiblical and came supposedly from a vistation from Mary to St. Dominic. This is another problem since scripture is clear that communication with the dead is an abomination (Deut 18:11). The rosary is the type of prayer warned about in Matthew 6:7.
2007-01-08 00:55:30 · answer #9 · answered by Toms777 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
The rosary is a meditation on the life of Christ. As a Catholic you know everything can't be found in the bible. We are also taught by the Magisterium and tradition.
2007-01-08 00:53:47 · answer #10 · answered by robert m 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋