Posted on 04/24/2010 5:08:36 PM PDT by stfassisi
Among things Catholic the Holy Rosary is one of the most misunderstood by our Protestant brethren. Many perceive the devotion to Mary as an overshadowing of Jesus, of giving too much importance to her. Extreme fundamentalist sects accuse it as worship to a Catholic goddess using pagan beads. Others cite the admonition of Jesus against praying like pagans in vain and repetitive babbling.
How sadly mistaken they are. Mary is the Mother of Jesus from whom He took flesh and we honor her because of this singular maternal privilege Adoration is reserved for God alone. Angels gathered around God's throne worship Him unceasingly in repetitious adoration saying "Holy, holy, holy…” (Rev 4:8). Our Lord did not condemn repetitive prayer; what He was against was pagan-like babbling (Mat 6:7) Any prayer that is not from the heart is a form of babbling; it becomes vain repetition when a babbler thinks his absent-minded mechanical praying is meritorious.
Unlike pagan prayer that is rooted in superstition and myth, the Holy Rosary is a Christ-centered, Scripture-based prayer with our Blessed Mother Mary as prayer partner. We emulate the heavenly host - not babbling pagans - as we meditate on the mysteries. Meditation is the soul of the Rosary, minus which we miss out on its power and efficacy. ''To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ," says John Paul the Great.
Mary pondered in her heart and we too focus on Jesus in the Rosary the way she did by viewing Gospel events in sweeping panorama of Salvation History: seeing the Old Testament foreshadowing events and prophecies fulfilled in Christ; contemplating the mysteries in His person and personages associated with Him as we identify ourselves with the Biblical cast who did or rebelled against God's will. Each bead in a progression along the time-line of Redemption, plumbing the depths of the mysteries with the aid of the Holy Spirit Who reveals marvelous insights in the meditations. Holy RosaryJesus is in the Holy Rosary for "where two or three or more are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them'' (Mt. 18:20). The Queen Mother of Heaven links us like beads with the angels and saints in their perpetual adoration. We the Church Militant commune with the Church Triumphant for the Church Suffering, interceding for souls in a Communion of Saints participating in Jesus' sole mediation in this power- house prayer.
We bless ourselves in the Trinity at the Sign of the Cross, profess our Faith in the Creed, address our Father in the prayer that Jesus Himself taught us, repeat the scriptural salutations of the Incarnation, implore and intercede for Jesus' mercy and forgiveness at the Fatima prayer, and glorify the One Triune God with Mary in the perpetual angelic song of praise - the Gloria. We ask for her motherly mediation and invoke God 55 times; Father 15; Son 9; Holy Spirit 10; Jesus 60; Christ once; and Lord 54 times.
A complete Holy Rosary comprised by all four mysteries - Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious - quadruples our invocations of these Most Sacred Names that render Satan and his legions completely powerless, frozen in Hell at each reverential utterance. It is the heavy chain with which the angel binds Satan (cf Rev 20:1-2). With this child- like prayer our Mother crushes the serpent dragon's head.
The Hail Mary is formed of two parts: the first is taken from Archangel Gabriel's greeting - "Hail, full of grace the Lord is with thee'' - and Elizabeth's - "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb". The second comes from a chant following the condemnation of heresy of Nestorianism that Jesus possessed two separate persons and natures, Mary being Mother of His human nature only. At the Council of Ephesus (AD 431) the heresy was condemned and the Marian Dogma Teotokos - God bearer or Mother of God - was proclaimed. On hearing the news the faithful joyously paraded about the city crying, "Holy Mary Mother of God'' Jesus HeadTowards the end of the twelfth and at the start of the thirteenth centuries, St. Dominic received from the Blessed Mother the inspiration for the Holy Rosary to counter another erroneous belief emanating from France and spreading throughout Christendom - Albingensianism, the heresy of dualism of good and evil; a revived form of Manichaeanism that thrived during the third century. Our Blessed Mother has endorsed her Holy Rosary in all her apparitions as the remedy for every false doctrine.
Today, the most insidious heresy is New Age Christianity which has taken on many forms through the syncretistic adulteration of Christian tenets and assimilated beliefs from other religions and secular attitudes. Heterodox-leaning theologians and clergy infected by modernist humanism are compromising the "hard teachings of Christ'' in the Gospels to a relativist outlook. God is not glorified, replaced by the gods of money, power, pleasure, and ego, which have brought about wars, famine, pestilence and death. Abortions have exceeded 100 million deaths annually. Evil thrives. Worst, it is glorified in media.
The spirit of the antichrist John wrote about in his Epistles (1 and 2 John) is upon us, ushering the Great Apostasy. Thus it is all the more imperative now for the faithful to heed our Mother's urging to "Pray, pray, pray, the Rosary". To be fortified and protected by this simple yet potent deterrent against evil. To be a formed Christian in this sublime childlike devotion where she acquaints all her children with her first born and instructs, ''Do whatever He tells you," (Jn 2:5) - an echo of the Father's command, ''Listen to Him'' (Mt 17:5). The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen articulated it best: "As she formed Jesus in her body, so she forms Jesus in our souls."
Battle lines are drawn for the looming apocalyptic confrontation: the prophesied Woman of Genesis 3:15 - present at Cana in Calvary at the foot of the Cross, and in Revelation 12:1 - versus the ancient serpent dragon. Armed with what St. Padre Pio called ''that terrible weapon," we enter the fray in daily spiritual combat, praying to Mary and with Mary for the conversion of sinners and the attainment of world peace, the peace only Jesus can give - a peace where the Holy Spirit is present in every facet of life.
I'm a devout Christian. Ephesians 4:4
Martin Luther had a deep devotion to Mary and believed in the Immaculate Conception. I don’t understand why so many Protestants today believe the way they do. Many don’t believe as Luther believed.
The original rosary was psalms. I’m a bit curious why there isn’t a move back to that.
Prayer is prayer so I have no doubt as to the efficacy of the rosary for many. Personally I would not choose a 10 to one ratio of prayers to a person versus prayers to the Creator, but that’s just me.
Discussion: If Mary and Jesus were both sinless, Jesus could not have been tempted by the devil.
You say that the Trinity is not in the Bible? Are you representing the Roman Catholic faith when you deny that Scripture clearly speaks of the Trinity?
Seriously, do you honestly not see the Trinity described in Scripture? Or are you just playing games with doctrine?
Martin Luther’s list was too short.
That doesn’t follow either. Too many imponderables; too much intellectual conceit.
Jesus was tempted scripture clearly shows that...but Jesus did not say yes to temptation and sin.
Yes, Rome must decrease and Christ must increase. Just as I and any preacher must always think foremost... i must decrease and Christ must increase. Any good Christian should always keep this foremost in their mind and heart. It’s called humility. Mary was the perfect examply of humility.
The thought crossed my mind . . . and I wanted an answer.
Luke 1: 38. I am the handmaid of the Lord, said Mary “let what you have said be done to me.
Mary became God’s chosen vessel. God chose her to bring Himself into the world. He used her flesh a living Tabernacle to bring his Son into the world. She was so humble that she did not think of herself. Pregnant and riding on a donkey goes to see her cousin Elizabeth.
Luke 1: 42. Elizabeth says Of all women you are most blessed... on to Luke 1:55. This scripture says so much of this woman, Mary who was chosen and said “yes”.
And that's where you and I part ways. Mary was blessed, and through her womb all creation is blessed. But in NO WAY was she "perfect." Except maybe she was a perfect sinner, like me.
Man, I hate doctrinal systems to promote people over Christ, or promote them to a Christ-like level.
Mary is indeed blessed.
It was very good that Mary agreed to submit to God. She was blessed because of her obedience. I am grateful she chose to obey.
But come on — you are making her into an idol, little different from the golden calf. Look to Christ, bellfleur, not to Mary. She’s DEAD. Christ is ALIVE.
What you don’t understand is that Mary always leads to Christ. She asks nothing for herself...never she always leads to Christ. That is why she is mentioned so little in scripture. If you think of the few words that she does say, they are very powerful. The wedding of Cana to the servants... do as He tells you...That is what she says to all of us...do as He tells you..never drawing attention to herself. A good mother is self sacrificing. She wants her children good and obedient. She will do whatever she can, make any sacrifice to make sure they follow the right path. The long nights with a sick child the endless hardship a mother endures for her children those are hidden. Mary wants the same thing a good, holy mother would want for her children. And we are her children. She was given to us by Jesus as He hung on the cross. Behold your mother. We are not taking anything away from Jesus when we love and honor His mother.
we are not making her an idol. We are honoring her because she is the mother of Jesus. If you went to visit a friend and walked in through the door and not not aknowledge the mother of your friend as she opens the door wouldn’t that be rude? When I see a picture of Mary or any other saint, I am reminded of the Lord because their lives were a witness of the love they had for the Lord. That gives me hope when when I am week. It brings me back to Jesus in hope and faith. And there I find the grace to move on.
Yes rejoice Christ is alive !!! Jesus has conquered death for us. But she is with Christ among the saints in the heavens. Worshing as the saints and angels do. So true...Christ is alive...alleluia...He is alive...God bless you and yours..
not just blessed...most blessed...of all the women from the beginning and end of time...there is no other woman that has been so richley blessed as Mary. Ask Jesus and I believe you are very sincere...do you want me to honor Mary your mother?
It's your loss!
You posted: “That is why she is mentioned so little in scripture.”
Perhaps she is mentioned so little because the apostles, who were very familiar with her, and no doubt loved and respected her, realized her role was NOT what the Catholic Church has made it to be.
She is mentioned ONCE after the gospels, in Acts 1:14: These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
However, if you want to major on what neither the apostles, the scriptures, nor the Holy Spirit is majoring on, help yourself — but consider if you major on minors you will also likely minor on majors.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.