Catholics, Why is there so much repetition with your prayers?

Question

In my area there is a Catholic radio station. I have been listening to it to try and learn more about Catholicism, and I enjoy some of the music too. But everyday around 7pm they recite prayers for half an hour, and for the most part it sounds like the same exact thing recited 200 times or so (Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee...., For the sake of his sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the whole world..., etc.). And they do this EVERY day! Doesn't it get monotonous after a while? Does God require you to say the same thing over and over again before he'll listen to you? Mainly I'd like to know: 1) why these prayers are recited, 2) why the repetition, and 3) why it's aired on the radio every evening?

I would prefer it if only practicing Catholics answered. Thanks.

Answer 1

Let's take this one question at a time. Shall we?

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Matt. 6:7 - Jesus teaches, "do not heap up empty phrases" in prayer. Protestants use this verse to criticize various Catholic forms of prayer which repeat phrases, such as litanies and the Rosary. But Jesus' focus in this instruction is on the "vain," and not on the "repetition."

Matt. 26:44 - for example, Jesus prayed a third time in the garden of Gethsemane, saying the exact same words again. It is not the repetition that is the issue. It's the vanity. God looks into our heart, not solely at our words.

Luke 18:13 - the tax collector kept beating his breast and praying "God be merciful to me, a sinner." This repetitive prayer was pleasing to God because it was offered with a sincere and repentant heart.

Acts 10:2,4 - Cornelius prayed constantly to the Lord and his prayers ascended as a memorial before God.

Rom. 1:9 - Paul says that he always mentions the Romans in his prayers without ceasing.

Rom. 12:12 - Paul commands us to be constant in prayer. God looks at what is in our heart, not necessarily how we choose our words.

1 Thess. 5:17 - Paul commands us to pray constantly. Good repetition is different than vain repetition.

Rev. 4:8 - the angels pray day and night without cessation the same words "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty." This is repetitious prayer that is pleasing to God.

Psalm 136 - in this Psalm, the phrase "For His steadfast love endures forever" is more repetitious than any Catholic prayer, and it is God's divine Word.

Dan. 3:35-66 - the phrase "Bless the Lord" is similarly offered repeatedly, and mirrors Catholic litanies.


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If I had to guess, you were listening to the praying of the Rosary. The Rosary is the Prayer of the Gospels, and surely you don't object to the Gospels.


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As you read above, the Bible warns of vain repetitious praying. While repetitious prayer is not wrong, it does have the potential to get monotonous. After a while, people may become so accustomed to offering these repetative prayers, they do it without thinking, hence the "heaping up of empty phrases". When making repetitious prayer, such as the Rosary, we must stay focused on what we are saying, lest it becomes vain.

(I am focusing on the Rosary because I believe this to be what you are hearing daily at 7pm)

Praying the Rosary also entails the meditation of the Mysteries of the Rosary. There are 20 such mysteries, divided into four sets of five, a different set for each day. Pratying the Rosary, at once, entails praying five decades (a decade being an Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, and a Glory Be). During this praying of a decade, one also meditates on one of the mysteries of the Rosary. When one finishes a decade, they move onto the next mystery and meditate on that mystery while praying the next decade of the Rosary.

Ideally, the Rosary should be prayed daily. Many people, myself included, may not have the time for praying an entire decade. Such people should pray as much of the Rosary as they have time for, even if it is only one decade daily.


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God is always listening to all our prayers. Think of how much more devotion it takes to pray the Rosary regularly, than to offer a single prayer once. As you might imagine, it takes far more discipline to sit down and pray the Rosary than it does to offer a quick "Dear Jesus" petition. Not that there is anything wrong with "Dear Jesus" prayers.


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Again, using the Rosary as the example (because I believe this to be what you are listening to on the radio). Praying the Rosary is praying the Gospel. We may read the Gospel, listen to the priest or someone else read the Gospel. We may even try to memorize the Gospels as best we can. There's nothing wrong with any of that but there's something more we can do with the Gospels - pray them.

I mentioned the Rosary is the Prayer of the Gospels, and that praying the Rosary entails meditation on four sets of five mysteries of the Rosary. These mysteries are events that take place in the Gospel.

They are as follows:
The Joyful Mysteries
(Said on Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent)

First Joyful Mystery - The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary
I Desire the Love Of Humility
Think of...
The humility of the Blessed Virgin when the Angel Gabriel greeted her with these words: "Hail full of grace".
Luke 1:26

Second Joyful Mystery - The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
I Desire Charity Toward My Neighbor
Think of...
Mary's charity in visiting her cousin Elizabeth and remaining with her for three months before the birth of John the Baptist.
Luke 1:39

Third Joyful Mystery - The Birth of Jesus
I Desire the Love of God
Think of...
The poverty, so lovingly accepted by Mary when she placed the Infant Jesus, our God and Redeemer, in a manger in the stable of Bethlehem.
Luke 2:1

Fourth Joyful Mystery - The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
I Desire a Spirit of Sacrifice
Think of...
Mary's obedience to the law of God in presenting the Child Jesus in the Temple.
Luke 2:22

Fifth Joyful Mystery - Finding Jesus in the Temple
I desire Zeal For The Glory Of God
Think of...
The deep sorrow with which Mary sought the Child Jesus for three days, and the joy with which she found Him in the midst of the Teachers of the Temple.
Luke 2:41

The Luminous Mysteries
(Said on Thursdays throughout the year)

First Luminous Mystery - The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Matthew 3:17

The Second Luminous Mystery - The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
John 2:11

The Third Luminous Mystery - the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Mark 1:15

The Fourth Luminous Mystery - The Transfiguration of Jesus
And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.
Matthew 17:2

The Fifth Luminous Mystery - The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26

The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Said on Tuesdays, Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday)

First Sorrowful Mystery - Agony of Jesus in the Garden
I Desire True Repentance for My Sins
Think of...
Our Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemani, suffering a bitter agony for our sins.
Matthew 26:36

Second Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus is Scourged at the Pillar
I Desire a Spirit of Mortification
Think of...
The cruel scourging at the pillar that our Lord suffered; the heavy blows that tore His flesh.
Matthew 27:26

Third Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus is Crowned With Thorns
I Desire Moral Courage.
Think of...
The crown of sharp thorns that was forced upon our Lord's Head and the patience with which He endured the pain for our sins.
Matthew 27:27

Fourth Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus Carries His Cross
I Desire the Virtue of Patience
Think of...
The heavy Cross, so willingly carried by our Lord, and ask Him to help you to carry your crosses without complaint.
Matthew 27:32

Fifth Sorrowful Mystery - The Crucifixion of Jesus
I Desire the Grace of Final Perseverance
Think of...
The love which filled Christ's Sacred Heart during His three hours' agony on the Cross, and ask Him to be with you at the hour of death.
Matthew 27:33

The Glorious Mysteries
(Said on Wednesdays, and Sundays throughout the year)

First Glorious Mystery - The Resurrection of Jesus
I Desire a Strong Faith
Think of...
Christ's glorious triumph when, on the third day after His death, He arose from the tomb and for forty days appeared to His Blessed Mother and to His disciples.
John 20:1

Second Glorious Mystery - The Ascension of Jesus
I Desire the Virtue of Hope
Think of...
The Ascension of Jesus Christ, forty days after His glorious Resurrection, in the presence of Mary and His disciples.
Luke 24:36

Third Glorious Mystery - The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
I Desire Zeal for the Glory of God
Think of...
The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles, under the form of tongues of fire, in fulfillment of Christ's promise.
Acts 2:1

Fourth Glorious Mystery - The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
I Desire the Grace of a Holy Death
Think of...
The glorious Assumption of Mary into Heaven, when she was united with her Divine Son.

Fifth Glorious Mystery - The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
I Desire a Greater Love for the Blessed Virgin Mary
Think of...
The glorious crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven by her Divine Son, to the great joy of all the Saints.

As you can see, the Rosary is not as repetative as it may appear to be.


<<2) why the repetition,>>

Why not? Repetition is not a bad thing. Besides, if one really wants to benefit from meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, one should want to invest the time to meditate. Praying is part of meditating.


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Again, why not? It's not wrong to air the praying of the Rosary on the radio. Like I said, it takes discipline to pray the Rosary, especially from start to finish. It takes even more discipline when you are the only one there who is trying to pray the Rosary.

Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I will also be." When we are in the company of people devoted to prayer, we are more apt to internalize that same same devotion. I guarantee you, there are many - many - out there praying the Rosary next to their radio when such a broadcast is being aired. Would there be as many people praying the Rosary on their own if there was no such broadcast? I don't so, and therein lies the justification for such a broadcast.


Well, I certainly hope this helped.

Answer 2

The Rosary is repetitious because it is a different kind of prayer, actually a form of meditation. The prayers are like a mantra, a familiar phrase repeated over and over again to get the mind to move beyond the words and into an altered state of consciousness. (If you keep your mouth busy, it's harder for other distractions to crep in.) You may have noticed an occasional brief description of a Biblical or traditional event in the life of Christ or Mary. That is called a "Mystery" and it is the actual subject of contemplation.

Some people simply pray the rosary as a spiritual exercise for some special prayer intention. Others meditate on the mysteries. The Catholic station likely schedules the prayer at the same time everyday because some Catholics try to make it a habit and the regularity helps.

Answer 3

You were probably listening to the rosary.
It is a reptitive prayer that meditates on the life of Jesus.

5 decades - each one focuses on one 'mystery' - such as the resurrection
Each decade starts with an 'Our Father' and then 10 "Hail Mary' prayers.

1) They are prayers. Why do you recite any prayer?
2) Repitition does several things. It makes the prayers easier. It allows one to focus on a meditation instead of the words. While I pray, I concentrate on Jesus' resurrection. I ask God to help me to be better, to focus on his love and trust. If I was making up prayers, it would be difficult to do this extra thought process. It is also soothing.
3) Because many people like to pray the rosary each day. Hearing it on the radio allows you to pray along.


Many people say that this is an example of "vain repitition" that the Bible urges against. This is not true. The key word is vain. It is referring to repeating something merely to be repeating it - it has no value then. We repeat the prayers as part of a process. If we were to pray it and not pay attention, to just say the words without focus or a prayerful heart - then it would be vain repetition. But we are supposed to do more then just mouth the words.
Sort of like when someone (parent, wife, husband, child) says they love you. Just because they tell you thousands of times they love you, doesn't mean it is meaningless. Because despite the repeating, they have meaning and passion behind each time they say it. If they just mumble "love you" while watching the game, not even aware they did it.. then it wouldn't have much meaning. Similar.

Answer 4

I'm not a Catholic but I did spend a year living in a convent. I think there are several reasons for the repetition, which is for the benefit of the people praying, not because God needs it. One is that repetition builds a habit of thought. Another is that it creates a meditative state in ones mind. Prayer can also be used for penitence and once wouldn't really be enough for many sins. Also, in the days of the Latin mass and large families,it would have taken quite a few repetions to make sure everyone heard. Most likely the radio station is doing some form of a rosary. I suggest you research the rosary for yourself as it has had a long and interesting history.

Answer 5

The daily Rosary is a very powerful prayer recommended to us personally by the Mother of God when She appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal in 1917.

This is not a vain repitition of prayers since as we say aloud the 'Hail Marys' ' Our Lords prayer' and 'Glory be' (which are not meaningless chants) we also immerse our thoughts at the same time on the Mystery applicable to that decade. As you may know, each set of ten beads on the Rosary (a decade) represents one Mystery depending on the day of the week. So for e.g. if you are saying the Rosary on a Friday there are five Mysteries , one for each decade of beads. The five Sorrowful Mysteries are: The Agony of Our Lord in the garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The crowning with thorns, The carrying of the Cross to Mount Calvary and The Crucifixion , Death and Burial of Our Lord.
So as you say the vocal prayers for each bead , you must immerse yourself mentally in the Mystery of that decade.
If you are saying the first decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries on a Friday, you say the vocal prayers while meditating on Our Lord as He prays in agony in the garden, the burden of our sins on His Shoulders, His immense sorrow and His fear of the coming tortures, His great love for us that overcomes His fear etc: till you come to the next decade whereupon you begin meditating on the terrible Scourging at the Pillar which Our Lord suffered for us, how this Scourging delivers us from our sins,........and so on and so forth.
Here are the mysteries of the Holy Rosary:
http://www.catholic.net/RCC/Indices/Inspirations/rosary.html

Even the Divine Mercy prayer that is recited preferably at 3 o'clock is repetitious but not vain as it does not have meaningless words. As one repeats the prayers one meditates on the Passion of Our Lord. You may have found it monotonous since you were just a listener, but if you join in prayer and meditate on Our Lord's sufferings you will realise the fruits of these prayers. These prayers will be useless if one just rushed through these prayers without meditating properly and prayerfully, then it would be vain repetition.

I think there is no better method of meditating on the Holy Mysteries than the Holy Rosary.

Answer 6

Hm. The first time I heard the Rosary recited on the radio, I thought to myself: they sound so dead! It was nothing like how we do it at home. I mean, it just seems more alive at home for some reason or other. The nun who taught us would regale us with stories from time to time about the rosary and the people who have prayed it. Surprised, we were, for she seemed like such an OLD lady. But I ramble

The Lord exhorts us to pray always. Try doing that all day. You will soon run out of words to say. So we dedicate our work as prayer, and in that way, we offer our entire lives to Him. Repetitious prayer or anything said over and over again is known to build up your self, especially if it is positive or life-giving. To pray in a group is a multiplication of that blessings. So praying on your own is good, but praying together is much better.

After a while, your mind wanders a bit, but it helps to tell yourself that a musician cannot play good music if he doesn't practise his scales. over and over and over again.

Within the Rosary are the basic tenets of the Christian faith. The Angelic Salutation, the Creed, the Our Father. To not say them is to never take out your sword and sharpen it. Sure it's boring and repetitious, but in the end, it makes you stronger.

To say it as if it had no meaning is difficult and dry, like the desert heat. To question it, and await the answer is good, for the answer to such things are swift and deep. To read up on it and entwine it with the other practices and good works, it becomes the thread that holds together the material of our lives.

For me, it is like holding a string of rubies, and the words that I say fall upon the ground, banishing the evil that walked there. It is a weapon that we cannot imagine the power of it. Before it's presence, evil dissipates like a fog under the hot sun.

Answer 7

The Holy Rosary is a meditation of the gospels and its mysteries. It is a most powerful prayer in asking Mary to interceed for us to Her son Jesus for the conversion of souls
The next prayer you mention is the Divine Mercy prayer usually done at 3:00 the hour of Christ' death on the Cross It was instituded By Christ to St. Faustina each of these can be researched

Matt. 6:7 - Jesus teaches, "do not heap up empty phrases" in prayer. Protestants use this verse to criticize various Catholic forms of prayer which repeat phrases, such as litanies and the Rosary. But Jesus' focus in this instruction is on the "vain," and not on the "repetition."

Matt. 26:44 - for example, Jesus prayed a third time in the garden of Gethsemane, saying the exact same words again. It is not the repetition that is the issue. It's the vanity. God looks into our heart, not solely at our words.

Luke 18:13 - the tax collector kept beating his breast and praying "God be merciful to me, a sinner." This repetitive prayer was pleasing to God because it was offered with a sincere and repentant heart.

Acts 10:2,4 - Cornelius prayed constantly to the Lord and his prayers ascended as a memorial before God.

Rom. 1:9 - Paul says that he always mentions the Romans in his prayers without ceasing.

Rom. 12:12 - Paul commands us to be constant in prayer. God looks at what is in our heart, not necessarily how we choose our words.

1 Thess. 5:17 - Paul commands us to pray constantly. Good repetition is different than vain repetition.

Rev. 4:8 - the angels pray day and night without cessation the same words "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty." This is repetitious prayer that is pleasing to God.

Psalm 136 - in this Psalm, the phrase "For His steadfast love endures forever" is more repetitious than any Catholic prayer, and it is God's divine Word.

Dan. 3:35-66 - the phrase "Bless the Lord" is similarly offered repeatedly, and mirrors Catholic litanies.

Answer 8

I'm not Catholic, but I have a good answer to that question. There is the same thing in Hinduism called "japa" which means "mantra repitition." A mantra is almost like a prayer.

The purpose of repeating a prayer, mantra or Divine name is to train the mind to focus on God. It purifies our minds from impure thoughts. Our minds create attachments easily. We let it wander aimlessly thinking all sorts of ungodly thoughts. When we do the repetitions, it makes us think more about God.

Liberation can be gained from repetition 24/hr. That is quite a challenge, but saints and sages have been known to do that. They have been able to train their minds to repeat God's name, mantra or prayers endlessly.

This has been proven scientifically by yogi's in India for thousands of years. Catholism is not the only religion that does this.

Answer 9

1) They are historically important
2) They are designed to encourage contemplation and devotion
3) It is the rosary, most likely, and is a widely widely prayed Catholic prayer.

Answer 10

The numbing effect it gives the brain is beneficial to maintain delusional stupor, heavenly bliss state which makes the feeling of being one with god a reality.

Answer 11

I do not know the answer to this but I do know what the bible says about this chanting....It says don't do It like the pegans do. It's a chant and I think it's wrong. Besides you aren't supposed to pray to Mary...She Is not our mediator!!! Jesus is the only mediator!