| Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
|---|---|---|
| the rosary | omar | Friday, October 19, 2007 |
Question: Hello Brother, My prefered form of prayer is having a general dialogue with God and our Blessed Mother. I've had several priests, including my spiritual director, tell me that this can be a more powerful way of prayer than the rosary. This makes sense, because for me, the rosary becomes rather dry and redundant. However, the rosary is the most stressed form of prayer in a lot of different Catholic avenues, whether it's Catholic media, the internet, etc. So on one hand, I have priests tell me that an open dialogue with God is very powerful, and on the other hand, praying the rosary is constantly and perpetually emphasized, to the point where you feel like it's the "ultimate" form of prayer. What I'm trying to say is that I personally feel like I accomplish more with open prayer than I do with the rosary, but because the rosary is so emphasized and, (for lack of a better word,) promoted, it makes one feel that any other form of prayer is insignificant. Your insight is greatly appreciated. God Bless. |
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| Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM
Dear Omar: The rosary is without question a powerful prayer that God honors. Battles in war have been won by soldiers praying the rosary; souls have been saved. But the rosary is not the most powerful prayer in the Church. The First most powerful prayer of the Church is the Most Holy Sacrament of the Mass. The Second most powerful prayer is the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office). The reason that these two prayers outrank the rosary is that they are official liturgy of the Church. When a person prays the rosary it is him praying. If a group of ten people pray the rosary it is ten people praying. But, when one prays the Liturgy of the Hours it is the entire Church praying. Thus, the official liturgy of the Church represent the most important prayers. Next come the Devotional prayers of which the rosary is the number one devotional prayer. Devotional prayers are optional. Thus, one is not required to pray the rosary and when they do pray the rosary they can change it or modify it as they wish because it is not regulated like the Liturgy of the Hours. That is the background. As for your specific question if the rosary is not your preference that is okay. As for which devotional prayer is the most powerful I would say that the most powerful devotional prayer is the one that is devoutly prayed. But we need to always remember and respect the power of our Blessed Mother's intercessions. Her motherly intercession can be asked, however, in any prayer and not just in the rosary. The Rosary need not be dry and redundant however if one prays it as a meditation. The problem is that it can take long while of dryness before the more meditative effect of the rosary comes alive for some people. In any event, pray the prayers that are meaningful to you. I would not completely avoid the rosary as it is a time-honored and powerful prayer that is deep in the tradition of the Church. It is efficacious to join others in a Rosary before Mass, for example. But, the rosary need not be your primary prayer method. The rosary is not my favorite prayer either. For me the Liturgy of the Hours is my favorite prayer. God Bless,
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