Why do you pray a rosary?

Answer 1

Catholics pray the Rosary because it will give them graces granted by Mary, the Virgin Mother of God. Also, those who pray the Rosary will be granted a plenary indulgence, that is, something that takes away ALL the punishments due to sins already forgiven.

Also, these graces help Catholics (and even non-Catholics who pray the Rosary fervently) to get to Heaven.

Answer 2

I, personally, pray the Rosary because it helps me keep focused on Christ and his life; and at times of great sorrow, I turn to those Blessed Beads and turn my cares over to Our Lady. By the time I am finished - I feel much better, kinda like I just cried on my mother's shoulder and found comfort and consolation.

When I pray the Sorrowful Mysteries (The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, and The Crucifixion) I am brought to tears, at times, thinking about the tremendous suffering that Christ underwent for our sake. Each day is different for me when pray and I guess my mood and life dictate which mystery strikes a cord with me.

My favorite is the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: the Carrying of the Cross. Jesus weak and beaten starts out walking among the jeering crowds, he falls, he meets his mother, etc. I think of his suffering and find the strength to carry on - if he could go on - so can I (Mass also helps)!

Each person has his own reasons for praying the Rosary, but I have never meet any one who prays it who is sorry he started.

The Rosary is a Marian Devotional and a popular non liturgical prayer. Despite what some might think, the Rosary's focus is on Christ and the mysteries of salvation during his lifetime. One is supposed to meditate on the Mystery while reciting the prayers.

It is kind of intimidating for people who are not used to it; but it is a wonderful devotional.

I would suggest that you commit to praying it every day for one month - kind of a test drive - and see how it works for you. You may find you love it and then you may find that it is not the devotional for you - and that is okay.

A good book, a short read, about the Rosary is The Rosary Handbook.

Here is a link that will show you how to pray the Rosary.

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AnswerThe answer above is wonderful, here are basic instructions on how to get started:

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How to pray the rosary: First of all, one of the most important things that we must do as Christians is to pray, and beginning prayer is meditation. Realize that Christian meditation has absolutely nothing in common with Eastern meditation. That are completely different things and that fact that they are called by the same word is an unfortunate happenstance. Christian meditation is recalling and thinking about the truths of the faith. Meditation using Sacred Scripture (The Bible) is called Lectio Divinia.

The rosary is a series of prayers based on the Bible - the Our Father, and the Hail Mary (the Angelic Salutation from the Gospel of Luke). But the vocal prayer is like the background music, if you will, to the meditation of the mysteries of the faith, which is the heart of the rosary.

The rosary meditations are:

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Joyful

(Monday and Saturday)

Annunciation of angel Gabriel to Mary

Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth

Nativity of our Blessed Savior

Presentation in the Temple

Finding in the Temple

.

Luminous

(Thursday)

Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan

Self manifestation of Jesus at the Miracle of Cana

Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

The Transfiguration on the Mount

The Institution of the Blessed Eucharist

.

Sorrowful

(Tuesday and Friday)

The Agony in the Garden

The Scouring at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion

.

Glorious

(Wednesday and Sunday)

The Resurrection

The Ascension

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Assumption of the B.V.M.

The Crowning of the B.V.M. as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

.

So we are praying by meditating on the mysteries of our Redemption. And this form of prayer was very ancient, but the form that we currently use was given by Our Blessed Mother to St. Dominic (who was founder of the Dominicans). As Catholics, we walk in our Savior's footsteps, and one of the ways in which we imitate Him is in His love and devotion to His mother.

.

So the rosary is important to us, as Catholic Christians, as fulfilling our Blessed Lord's command to pray always, as meditation on the events of His life, as a form of prayer that was given to us at the express wish of Our Blessed Mother, and as one of the forms of prayer, above most others that leads many saints to intimate union with God.

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Below is the form that I made up for my students in Sunday school (in the instructions below there is L for leader and R for response, that is if you have two or more people praying the rosary together; obviously, if you are saying it alone, you will be saying all the prayers):

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

CRUCIFIX

L. I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of Heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into Hell. On the third day He rose again.

He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

R. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church,

the Communion of the Saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Our Father (for the Pope). Three Hail Mary's ( for increase of Faith, Hope, Charity) Glory be.

All. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,

save us from the first of Hell.

Lead all souls to Heaven,

especially those who have most need of Thy mercy. Amen

For each decade:

L. Our Father, who art in heaven,

BIG BEAD

Hallowed be Thy Name,

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,

On Earth as it is in Heaven

R. Give us this day, our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

L. Hail Mary, full of grace,

SMALL BEADS - 10 TIMES

The Lord is with thee,

Blessed are thou amongst women,

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

L. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

CHAIN

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

L. O my Jesus...

R. forgive us our sins,

save us from the first of Hell.

Lead all souls to Heaven,

especially those who have most need of Thy mercy. Amen

　

Final prayers:

Hail, Holy Queen

, Mother of Mercy! Our life,

our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we

cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do

we send up our sights, mourning and weeping

in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most

gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward

us; and after this our exile show unto us the

blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement,

O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

L. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R. that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

All:

O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life,

death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us

the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech

Thee, that meditating on these Mysteries of

the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin

Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and

obtain what they promise, through the same

Christ our lord. Amen.

Answer 3

Christians pray the rosary to meditate on Jesus' life and the sacrifice he made for our salvation. It also can be used to ask Mary to intercede (ask God for help) for us. She will intervene on your behalf and help you or protect you in times of need. She is not only Jesus' Mother but also our Mother. She will help us and guide us to her son. By knowing Her and the path she lived as Jesus' parent, we also come to know Jesus. Praying the rosary is very relaxing and can be said in solitary prayer or as a group or family with a leader. Christians also pray the rosary for peace or special graces. Christians don't worship Mary but pray to her out of respect, love and requesting assistance.

Answer 4

Catholic AnswerAs a form of meditation. First of all, one of the most important things that we must do as Christians is to pray, and beginning prayer is meditation. Realize that Christian meditation has absolutely nothing in common with Eastern meditation. That are completely different things and that fact that they are called by the same word is an unfortunate happenstance. Christian meditation is recalling and thinking about the truths of the faith. Meditation using Sacred Scripture (the Bible) is called Lectio Divinia.

.

The rosary is a series of prayers based on the Bible - the Our Father, and the Hail Mary (the Angelic Salutation from the Gospel of Luke). But the vocal prayer is like the background music, if you will, to the meditation of the mysteries of the faith, which is the heart of the rosary.

.

The rosary meditations are:

.

Joyful:

Annunciation of angel Gabriel to Mary

Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth

Nativity of our Blessed Savior

Presentation in the Temple

Finding in the Temple

.

Luminous

Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan

Self manifestation of Jesus at the Miracle of Cana

Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

The Transfiguration on the Mount

The Institution of the Blessed Eucharist

.

Sorrowful

The Agony in the Garden

The Scouring at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion

Glorious

The Resurrection

The Ascension

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

.

So we are praying by meditating on the mysteries of our Redemption. And this form of prayer was very ancient, but the form that we currently use was given by Our Blessed Mother to St. Dominic (who was founder of the Dominicans). As Catholics, we walk in our Savior's footsteps, and one of the ways in which we imitate Him is in His love and devotion to His mother.

So the rosary is important to us, as Catholic Christians, as fulfilling our Blessed Lord's command to pray always, as meditation on the events of His life, as a form of prayer that was given to us at the express wish of Our Blessed Mother, and as one of the forms of prayer, above most others that leads many saints to intimate union with God.

Below is the form that I made up for my students in Sunday school:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

CRUCIFIX

L. I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of Heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into Hell. On the third day He rose again.

He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

R. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church,

the Communion of the Saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Our Father (for the Pope). Three Hail Mary's (Faith, Hope, Charity) Glory be.

All. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,

save us from the first of Hell.

Lead all souls to Heaven,

especially those who have most need of Thy mercy. Amen

For each decade:

L. Our Father, who art in heaven,

BIG BEAD

Hallowed be Thy Name,

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,

On Earth as it is in Heaven

R. Give us this day, our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

L. Hail Mary, full of grace,

SMALL BEADS - 10 TIMES

The Lord is with thee,

Blessed are thou amongst women,

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

R. Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

L. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

CHAIN

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

L. O my Jesus...

R. forgive us our sins,

save us from the first of Hell.

Lead all souls to Heaven,

especially those who have most need of Thy mercy. Amen

　

Final prayers:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life,

our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we

cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do

we send up our sights, mourning and weeping

in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most

gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward

us; and after this our exile show unto us the

blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement,

O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

L. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R. that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

All:

O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life,

death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us

the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech

Thee, that meditating on these Mysteries of

the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin

Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and

obtain what they promise, through the same

Christ our lord. Amen.

Answer

The Rosary is only one prayer devotion among many for Catholics, although it is certainly one of the most popular and most powerful. It is favored since the Rosary is highly encouraged by both the Church and her saints, but has been endorsed many times by Mary herself in authenticated Marian apparitions. The Rosary also has a long reputation for gaining favors, miracles, conversions, and is a powerful penitential tool for those seeking to repent of sins. The Rosary as a prayer combines the recitation of basic Catholic prayers - the "Our Father" "Hail Mary" and "Glory Be" - in combination with meditations upon the life of Christ. All this is done in a spirit of union with Christ's mother, who was there for all these events. There are 15 meditations in total, divided into 3 separate mysteries. Before each meditation it is customary to ask for a specific spiritual grace that the meditation best illustrates, for instance, when meditating upon Jesus carrying His cross, one asks for an increase in the virtue of patience, or when meditating upon Annunciation, one asks for an increase in the virtue of humility. Catholics also enjoy the Rosary for the practical reason that the Rosary allows for a discipline - it occupies a known length of time and helps one fight distractions because of its established structure.