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To: nickcarraway
You may want to consider Jesus's words concerning counting or repeating prayers:

Matt. 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

7 posted on 10/02/2002 9:15:16 AM PDT by Onelifetogive
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To: Onelifetogive
Matt. 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

<> Jesus repeated the SAME prayer in the garden at Gethsemane. U calling Our Lord and Saviour a heathen?

8 posted on 10/02/2002 9:34:46 AM PDT by Catholicguy
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To: Onelifetogive
You may want to consider Jesus's words concerning counting or repeating prayers...

Matt. 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

A valid consideration indeed for everybody and all prayers! However, I don't see how this applies to the Holy Rosary when prayed correctly, particularly when this passage is read in context. Chapter 6 of St. Matthew's (whose feast day was recently celebrated) Gospel begins with Our Lord stating as a "thesis" statement:

Matt. 6:1 (RSV)

1. "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

He then proceeds to explicate that thought to the three major practices of Jewish piety lived out in the Covenant: Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Note that each statement begins with "When you...", and not "If you choose to...". After covering almsgiving, Our Lord turns to prayer, covered in verses 5-15, ending with Him giving His disciples the "Our Father"

Matt. 6:5-15 (RSV)

5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Our Lord seems interested in pointing us to the importance of prayer from the heart, the core of our being, rather than merely performing the external aspects of vocal prayer divorced from the heart. He is here revealing God as His and our Father and pointing out that 1: God already knows all our needs, and 2: Prayer involves a personal dialogue with God whereby we cannot "force" God's hand by "paying" Him a set amount of external prayer not from the heart ("vain repetitions", "empty phrases") thereby "exacting" a result from Him. Also, that the purpose of prayer is our relationship with God, and therefore not to be done for vainglory.

The Lord's Prayer is then given to teach us what to ask for and the order in which we are to ask for it. It is no mistake that this vocal prayer plays a significant part of the Holy Rosary.

The Holy Rosary is a meditative prayer centered on the Gospel consisting of meditation on the Incarnation of Our Lord and all that He has accomplished for us in the Father's Will and Power of the Spirit. These meditations help us to situate our lives to the Life of Christ and thereby allow the Power of Grace to conform us to Him. The meditations include the Conception, Birth, Life, Passion, Death, Ressurrection and Ascension, Gift of the Holy Spirit, and anticipation of Creation's future Glory in Heaven - preeminently that of Christ's (and our) Mother, Mary. These are meditated on through the 15 decades (corresponding with the 150 Psalms) which are the external vocal prayers.

Because the Holy Rosary is a meditative prayer, it is always a personal prayer, even when prayed in public, as opposed to a communal prayer. The "Apostle's Creed", "Our Father", "Hail Mary", and Glory Be" are the vocal prayers said as meditation is (or should be) occurring. I would point out that each of these prayers, as well as the more important meditations, are all Biblical coming from Holy Scripture.

11 posted on 10/02/2002 6:44:02 PM PDT by TotusTuus
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