Praying the Rosary for Peace

RELIGION IN THE NEWS

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.  This week’s item is from Vatican Radio, October 7, 2007, with a headline:  “Praying the Rosary for Peace.”  The following are excerpts:  Pope Benedict XVI asked that the Rosary be prayed for peace in families and in the world.  This is something that Mary has also offered in various apparitions, the Pope explained today to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Mid-Day Angeles. “I’m thinking especially of her appearance at Fatima, which took place ninety years ago,” the Holy Father said, from the window of his study, “to the three little shepherds, Lucia, Paceito, and Francisco, presenting herself as ‘the Madonna of the Rosary.’  She insistently recommended praying the Rosary every day to bring an end to the war.  We also desire to welcome the Virgin’s maternal request, committing ourselves to saying the Rosary with faith for peace in our families, in countries, and the whole world,” he added.  On this day that the church celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary, The World Day of the Rosary also takes place.  That initiative began eleven years ago in Mexico, uniting millions of people on five continents to pray the Rosary in public places.  The Pope explained, “The Rosary is a means given by the Virgin for contemplating Jesus, and meditating on His life, for loving and following Him always more faithfully.”

Tom:

Dave, as you know, we just mentioned it, that I grew up Roman Catholic, and for the first 30 years of my life I prayed the Rosary, but there are some inconsistencies, there are also some real problems with it, and so on.  The Pope, just to begin with, he says that Our Lady gave the Rosary to the world, and he explained:  “The Rosary is a means given by the virgin for contemplating Jesus, and meditating on His life for loving and following Him always more faithfully.”  Now, I think his math is a little bit off here, because a new mystery has been added to, by Pope John Paul II, a new mystery has been added, so we have 20 mysteries of the Rosary.  We’re talking about praying to Mary, basically it’s ten to one for Jesus, and when you add all the mysteries, you’re talking about, I mean, it’s still the same ratio, but a couple of hundred times you are praying to Mary, and less than a hundred you are praying to Jesus—it’s a phenomenal.

Dave:

A lot less, it says.

Tom:

Right, and the idea of the Rosary, it supposedly goes back to St. Dominic in the 12^th century, right around there, and guess where it came from?  An apparition!  And just as he is mentioning that the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, supposedly, appeared to these 3 young Spanish children, and what are these apparitions?  The Rosary is not just a matter of being very Catholic. Islam has rosaries.  In Eastern mysticism, the religions in the East have beads that they pray upon, and so on.  So, it’s not a new thing, it’s hardly something that came through Mary, but it did come through an apparition, and it’s a promotion of moving away from truth, moving away from (in Catholicism) moving away from the Lord, but focusing on Mary.  It’s an abomination!

Dave:

Yeah, well, some observations:  Jesus said:  When you pray don’t use vain repetitions as the heathen, they think they will be heard for their much speaking.  The Rosary—I used to know the Rosary, but I’ve forgotten it in my old age, but—

Tom:

Dave, why did you know it?  You didn’t come out of Catholicism.

Dave:

No, but because I wanted to be able to deal with Roman Catholics on the subject, but it’s vain repetition.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

It goes over and over and over and over, the same thing, “Hail, Mary full of grace, and so forth.”  So, that’s one problem, it’s vain repetition.

Tom:

And I knew some who could say it so fast it almost sounded not like one sentence but a word, just to get through it, because you needed to get through it, especially if it was given to you as a penance, (interesting there) as a punishment in confession.  

Dave:

So, this is not a prayer, really, as I recall.  You’re asking God for something, or you’re worshipping, but it’s just repetition over and over.  Now, we’re going to pray this for peace, Pope John Paul II that was a big thing with him.  This is going to bring world peace, pray the Rosary for peace.  Now, in the earlier segment we talked about the EmergingChurch, and we talked about bringing in rituals.  It’s not the Bible, it’s not doctrine, but it’s kind of an experience.  Well, praying the Rosary is kind of an experience, and somehow this is going to bring world peace.  Now how is that going to come about?  Vain repetition, that as you point out Tom, they don’t even think while they are doing it,  not too many people are really contemplating, not thinking about Jesus for sure.  They may be thinking about Mary, and maybe get a little bit of Jesus in there, as a baby.

Tom:

But even so, Dave, what kind of communication is it?  How would you like for me to have a conversation with you in which I just kept repeating something over and over and over again.  You’d be gone so fast your head would snap.  

Dave:

Well, I don’t know about that, Tom, I think they would get to the phone and call the guys in the white coats that come out here.  It’s not biblical, it’s not accomplishing anything, and then of course, they admit this came from an apparition.  Apparition, that’s not Mary, Mary is not out there appearing to people, this could only be a demonic spirit pretending to be Mary in order to lead people astray.  And some of the things he says that Fatima, for example, he says there will never be real peace until—no, Jesus says that, the little baby Jesus who appears with her said, there will never be world peace until this world has given reparations to my mother for the sins committed against her.

Tom:

Now Dave, one other point that’s just amazing to me, remember, coming out of Roman Catholicism.  Scott Hahn, who was a Reformed theologian, now he’s a spokesperson for the FranciscanUniversity, and for the Roman Catholic Church, he’s an apologist. He writes at his conversion story, “I proceeded to pray the Rosary, and as I prayed I felt more in my heart what I came to know in my mind.  I am a child of God, I don’t just have God as my Father and Christ as my brother, I have his mother as my own.”  See the focus away from Jesus? Not what the Pope is saying at all.