Yes, the Rosary is Vain Repetitions Even When Others Say It Isn't
October is not just the Reformation Month, not just Halloween month, but also the Rosary month. As a child, I used to look forward to Halloween and Rosary Month. Ever since I got saved - both of them become empty. The big question is, "Is the Rosary, biblical?" Roman Catholics can be quick to answer to say, "The Rosary is not in the Bible but the Bible is in the Rosary." Aleteia's Katrina Fernandez even writes an article called "Yes, the Rosary is completely biblical". The writer herself was a rather polite reply but I feel like writing this one for her sake.
It's always said that when the "Hail Mary" is prayed - it's not a prayer to Mary but asking Mary to pray for the Christian like we ask others to pray for us. However, this is not biblical. Nowhere in the Bible are we even asked to pray the "Hail Mary". True, a majority of the portion of the "Hail Mary" is taken from Angel Gabriel's message but it's not a prayer but salutation. However, we don't read the conclusion of the "Hail Mary" in the Bible at all. We don't read anywhere in the Scripture that says, "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners... now at the our of our death. Amen." Mary is not the mother of God but of Jesus in His humanity. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. Jesus was before Abraham and He was before Mary. David is Jesus' ancestor yet David called Him as Lord in Psalm 110. Mary shares that unique distinction she was both Jesus' mother (in the flesh) and her Lord.
I don't see any point as to why I even have to repeat a lot of prayers together. Sure, Psalm 136 has the reminder "for His mercy endures forever" but it's not the same thing. Fr. Dwight Longnecker in his article "Why the Rosary is not "Vain" Repetition" writes the following:
Sure, when we pray the rosary there is a lot of repetition. The problem is not repetition but vain repetition. If repetition were the problem Jesus would be have an “Errrm whadabout..” moment with Psalm 136 in which every verse ends with “for his mercy endures forever.” No there’s not a problem with repetition was such, but with vain repetition.
So what is “vain repetition”? Vain repetition is when the person praying is given a mantra to repeat over and over again in order to get his mind into a trance like state. In transcendental meditation, for instance, the devotee is given a seemingly meaningless word to repeat over and over again. That’s vain repetition.
Vain repetition is also repeated a set prayer without thinking about it, a set prayer in a language you can’t understand or a set prayer that you feel has some sort of magical power like an incantation or spell. Vain repetition can also be the repetition of a prayer formula that you feel has merit simply because it is repeated over and over again. The words could be any old mumbo jumbo, but the devotee thinks it is meritorious simply by being repeated. Vain repetition is repetition without any foundation in meaning or purpose.
That’s what Jesus means in the second half of Matthew 6:7 when he says, “They think they are heard because of their many words.”
The rosary might seem the same as a Hindu chanting his mantra, but it is radically different.
The Eastern repetitious prayer has the intention and purpose of helping the devotee empty their mind and enter a state of self abnegation and forgetting this world. The object of the prayer of meditation is for the devotee to enter into a kind of nothingness in which all material things are forgotten or denied.
The rosary is not an emptying out but a filling up. It is not a forgetting but a remembering. In a similar way to the Mass, through which we bring into the present moment the events of our redemption, so through meditation on the mysteries of the rosary we bring into the present moment the mysteries of the gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to apply them to our lives.
Okay, I appreciate them and I let them say their part. However, let me share my experience with the whole problem. The Roman Catholic Rosary has been no better than the Hindu chanting of his mantra or the Buddhist Rosary. Roman Catholics claim that the Rosary is where they are thinking about it. Doesn't the Hindu and the Buddhist also have the same excuse to say the same prayer all over again? Take the Gayatri Mantra that's repeated 18 times to 108 times for example. Gayatri is a goddess considered as the goddess of infinite mercy in Hinduism. Buddhism may refer to Gayatri as Guan Yin or seldomly as Avalokitesvara. These names can mean "She who hears the cries of the world." Repeating the Gayatri mantra also involves understanding what it means and its significance. Isn't the same also said with the Rosary? They are tasked with meditating upon the repetitious prayers. No surprise really that the Roman Catholic institution is getting closer to pagan religions. No surprise that the late John Paul II has had religious dialogues and embraced the 14th Dalai Lama who is considered a pope for Tibetan Buddhism. I've met some Buddhists who also mentioned that their prayers are not about emptying the mind but filling it up with good thoughts. That doesn't sound much different from the Roman Catholic rosary. I mean, it was even made into a joke that someone prayed the Rosary more than half of 15 minutes - all the person did was to say "the same, the same" when the same prayer had to be repeated.
If they emphasize meditating on the mysteries then why not read the Bible where the mysteries are located and found? Why not pray in your own words asking God to guide you or have a Bible study on the three mysteries? The joyful mysteries talk about Jesus' birth. The sorrowful mysteries talk about Jesus' passion and death. Take note that the Bible doesn't mention any Veronica and Jesus only fell down once and the Bible records not three times. The glorious mysteries talk about Jesus' resurrection. Why not hold a Bible study rather than pray like a tape recorder? What better way to remember the Bible than to have studied from it over and over again with a deeper understanding and getting new revelation from every re-read? That's why I started to find the Rosary pointless. I used to hate Bible studies because the Bible knew all about my sin. Now, I end up embracing the Bible because it showed me my sin and my need for the Savior.
What is needed is direct dialing to God the Father. From who do we get direct dialing? It's only from Jesus. Jesus never invited anyone to His mother but to Himself. Mary only told people in John 2:5 to do what Jesus tells them to do. Yet, Roman Catholics still think Mary interceded there when she pointed them to Jesus who alone deserves the glory. Even Jesus politely rebuked His mother that His time had not yet come. Jesus even called her "woman" out of respect and not "mother". Mary would want us to do what Jesus is telling us to do. Yet, Roman Catholics still think that they should go through Mary before they can go to Jesus. It's not biblical and the Rosary is just another hindrance to the truth.