Why Do Catholics Pray the Rosary, When Jesus Forbade Repetitious Prayer?
Our Lord forbade vain, repetitious prayer. It was the habit of many at the time to “heap up words,” on the belief that God would more likely hear them and answer their prayers. But God hears us just fine the first time. Jesus warns that we will not be heard merely for using many words ( Matthew 6:7), but for what is in our hearts. Our choice of words is far less important than what is in our hearts. Carefully worded prayers help us to focus our thoughts, and are very important in certain times and places, such as liturgy. In private, what we say and even how we say it is far less important. The Rosary, however, is an example of a carefully structured prayer/litany that can be extremely powerful if it’s used properly. We must be properly disposed to it, have the right intentions for it, concentrate fully on what we are saying and upon the mysteries we contemplate. The Rosary is easy to learn, but difficult to master. There are a number of examples of efficacious, repetitive prayer throu
Our Lord forbade vain, repetitious prayer. It was the habit of many at the time to “heap up words,” on the belief that God would more likely hear them and answer their prayers. But God hears us just fine the first time. Jesus warns that we will not be heard merely for using many words (Matthew 6:7), but for what is in our hearts. Our choice of words is far less important than what is in our hearts. Carefully worded prayers help us to focus our thoughts, and are very important in certain times and places, such as liturgy. In private, what we say and even how we say it is far less important. The Rosary, however, is an example of a carefully structured prayer/litany that can be extremely powerful if it’s used properly. We must be properly disposed to it, have the right intentions for it, concentrate fully on what we are saying and upon the mysteries we contemplate. The Rosary is easy to learn, but difficult to master. There are a number of examples of efficacious, repetitive prayer throug
