Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucsd!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: billmc@microsoft.UUCP (Bill MCJOHN) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: the rosary Message-ID: Date: 2 Jul 90 04:56:12 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 35 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Mark C. Christianson says: > I personally find praying the rosary objectionable for one mail reason. > Praying the complete rosary is a long process, and one must repeat > the Hail Mary and the Lord's Prayer many times. I don't think God is > going to hear us any better if we pray a prayer once, ten times, or > even a million times. He will hear and understand fully the first time. > Christ condemned the pagans' prayer for "thier many words." That would > seem to me to also apply to the practice of praying the rosary. > But the purpose of the Rosary is not so much in the repetition of the prayers as the meditation on the mysteries (five joyful, five sorrowful, and five glorious) which follow the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary. In this way it is indeed intense, interior prayer. A parallel which you might find more appealing is the Jesus Prayer, which is prominent in Orthodox spirituality (especially in the Russian church): 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' This simple (and beautiful) formula, which succinctly sums up the central mysteries of Incarnation and redemption, is repeated continually and endlessly, until it becomes a constant background to daily life. Both the Rosary and the Jesus Prayer reflect a mystical, or contemplative, understanding of prayer. They are not intent on particular needs, but seek to transform the worshipper, and to bring him or her to a more perfect union with God. I don't repeat my prayers to make sure God hears them--I repeat them to make sure _I_ hear them. Bill McJohn