5 Reasons Every Christian Should Be Praying the Rosary!

Yesterday, we looked at four reasons every Christian (not just Catholics!) should ask the saints for their prayers. With that established, I'd like to look at a specific prayer every Christian (not just Catholics!) ought to be praying - the Rosary. The Rosary is sadly often neglected or even ridiculed by non-Catholic Christians, but it shouldn't be - praying it is nothing more than reciting and meditating upon something both Catholics and non-Catholic Christians both love - the Holy Bible. Let's look at a few reasons the Rosary should be the ultimate ecumenical prayer.


Reason 1 - The Our Father was Taught to us by Jesus Himself

One of the major prayers of the Rosary is the highest "pre-fab" single prayer in Christendom - the Our Father (aka the Lord's Prayer). When the Apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He didn't say come up with a bunch of your own words, making sure to start with "I just...," and end with "In Jesus' name." Instead, He taught them a prayer to be memorized - the Our Father. Thus, every Christian ought to say the Our Father at least once a day - it is our communal family prayer to God (hence "Our" Father, not "My" Father). Not only does it connect us to each other as the family of God, it also connects us with all the Christians who went before us who also made this prayer a part of their lives. This great prayer is said six times during the rosary, really giving the person praying it a chance to soak in its meaning.

Reason 2 - The Hail Mary is a Recitation of and Reflection on 

Sacred Scripture.

The Hail Mary, sometimes maligned by "Bible Christians" is one of the most Biblical prayers we have. It is the other major prayer of the Rosary. Let's review it, line by line.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Luke 1:28 "And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." 

Blessed art thou among women
Luke 1:41-42a "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women..."

Luke 1:48 "For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed."

Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus
Luke 1:42b "and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

Holy Mary, Mother of God
Luke 1:43 "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Rev 21:27 - "Nothing impure will ever enter it (heaven)”
James 5:16 - "The prayer of a righteous man has great power”
Rev 8:4 "the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel”
(Mary is in heaven, everyone in heaven is righteous, the prayer of the righteous is powerful, those in heaven pray for us. Thus, we should ask Mary to pray for us, now and at the hour of our death.)

I don’t know how any Christian could be against reflecting on and reciting God’s Word, especially when we know that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). Far from being "vain repetition" (cf. Matt 6:7), reciting Scripture is a way to grow closer to God through His Word - the Bible! I honestly don't know how any "Bible Christian" could call reciting and reflecting on the Bible "vain!"

Reason 3 - The Mysteries of the Rosary are Deep Reflections on Scripture

Praying the Rosary, of course, involves more than just reciting the prayers, it also includes meditating on the Bible (something all Christians should support!) Their are four sets of "approved" mysteries, but Christians are free to reflect upon any aspect of the life of Christ they feel drawn to while saying the Rosary. There are four "approved" sets are, each with five mysteries for our contemplation, for a total of twenty mysteries. Of these the first eighteen are drawn straight from Scripture. The last two are drawn out from Scripture, but are not explicitly mentioned. All of them primarily deal with reflecting on the person of Jesus Christ. They are,

The Luminous Mysteries
1. Jesus is Baptized in the River Jordan (cf. Matt 3:13)
2. Jesus Works His First Miracle at Cana (cf. Jn 2:1-12)
3. Jesus Preaches the Kingdom of God (cf. Mk 1:15)
4. The Transfiguration of Jesus (cf. Matt 17:1-9)
5. Jesus and the Apostles Eat the Last Supper (cf. Matt 26:17-30)

The Joyful Mysteries
1. The Angel Gabriel Announces the Conception of Jesus (cf. Lk 1:28)
2. Mary Visits her cousin Elizabeth, John Jumps in utero for Jesus (cf. Lk 1:41-42)
3. The Birth of Jesus (cf. Lk 2:1-20)
4. Jesus is Presented in the Temple (cf. Lk 2:22-40)
5. Jesus is Found Discoursing with the Jewish Doctors in the Temple (cf. Lk 2:46)

The Sorrowful Mysteries
1. Jesus Prays in the Garden (cf. Lk 22:39-46)
2. Jesus is Beaten at the Pillar (cf. Jn 19:1)
3. Jesus is Crowned with Thorns (cf. Matt 27:29)
4. Jesus Carrys His Cross (cf. Jn 19:17)
5. Jesus Dies on the Cross (cf. Mk 15:33-34)

The Glorious Mysteries
1. Jesus Rises on the Third Day (cf. Matt 28)
2. Jesus Ascends into Heaven (cf. Mk 16:19)
3. Jesus Sends Forth the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2:1-13)
4. Jesus brings Mary into Heaven (see more HERE)
5. Jesus Crowns Mary in Heaven (cf. Rev 12:1, Song of Solomon 6:9, Psalm 44:14-16 and Judith 15:10 - More HERE)


Reason 4 - The Rosary Honors Mary, Something the Makes us 
More like Jesus

A popular acronym in the non-Catholic world is WWJD, What Would Jesus Do, and it serves as a great reminder to always focus on what Jesus did to help us act rightly in our lives. Applying the principal to the Rosary gives us yet another reason to pick up those beads. As we saw above, the Bible tells us that "all ages will call (Mary) blessed." Praying the Rosary is one way we Christians fulfill this prophecy. Jesus, as the Word Incarnate, fulfilled many prophecies of the Old Testament, so fulfilling this New Testament prophecy is a way to do what He does. 

Further, Jesus was like us in all things except sin (cf. He 4:15), we all sin, He never did. But breaking the Ten Commandments is a sin (in fact a very serious sin). The Fourth (or Fifth depending on how you count) Commandment demands that we honor our parents (cf. Exodus 20:12). Thus, it would have been a sin for Jesus not to have honored his parents. Jesus, being without sin, then definitely honored his father and his mother (Mary). If Jesus honored Mary and we want to do what He does, then we too will honor Mary and there is no better way to do so than by praying the Rosary.

Reason 5 - Following Mary Means Following Jesus

Anti-Catholic Meme that Perfectly Demonstrates Catholic Marian Theology

Mary always points to Jesus. She is the moon to His sun, only able to reflect His light. The above meme is perfect because Mary always tells us the same thing as she said at Cana "do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5). Following Mary's example (who followed Jesus right to the foot of the Cross) is a way to grow closer to Jesus, just like listening to your pastor is, except she knows Jesus a whole lot better than the pastor! She knows him as only a mother can know her son.

With all that in mind I implore all of you to start praying the Rosary, whether you are Catholic or Protestant, it can change your life.

Still Skeptical?

Why not give it a try? With atheists I'll sometimes recommend they try living a holy life - praying, going to church, reading the Bible - and see what happens. The same is true of the Rosary. Try this powerful prayer and see what happens.