Saturday, February 24, 2018

Is the Rosary simply a repetitive prayer?

The repetition of the Hail Mary is not meant to awaken a sleeping god but rather to express our love and devotion, to God and Mary, for how can we forget that the Lord has done mighty things for her? Like the beloved disciples we welcome Jesus' mother into our homes by praying the Rosary. Repetition of prayer is not wrong. The Lord himself repeated the same prayer thrice at Gethsemane. Psalm 136 (135 according to the Greek) repeats "Because eternal is his love (or mercy)"26 times. When bishop Fulton Sheen was asked by a young fiancee: "Why do we repeat the Hail Mary so often?" The Bishop asked him: "How many times do you tell your fiancee that you love her?" Let us not forget that the Rosary is a popular prayer, but not an official one we find in the Holy Mass or in the Breviary.