What does the Bible say about praying the Rosary?

Bible Question:

I was raised a Roman Catholic, but now I attend a Baptist church. I do not consider myself to be a true Roman Catholic any longer, but I have always been comforted by praying the Rosary. What is your view about the Rosary?

Bible Answer:

The question we want to answer is, “What does the Bible say about praying the Rosary?” But first, for the benefit of those who are not Roman Catholic, we want to first ask, “What is the Rosary?” The second question is, “What does Scripture say about the Rosary?”

What does the Bible say about the rosary?

What Is The Rosary?

Different forms of the Rosary are prayed in Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, the Bahá’í Faith, and Islam. It may surprise some that Hinduism also practices celibacy of the clergy, separation from the world, worship of saints, fasting, processions, litanies, and use of holy water. In each of these religions, the Rosary is made of beads on a string or knotted cord. Islam uses 99 beads and the Hindus and Buddhists use ones with 100 as well as 66 beads. Prayers are repeated as the beads are counted.

The Rosary was not used by Jesus, by His apostles, or by the early church fathers. The Roman Catholic Church started using the Rosary around A.D. 1350. Protestants do not use a Rosary. Within the Roman Catholic Church, the Rosary has five sets of ten beads. Each set of ten beads is called a decade. Each decade is separated by one large bead. Different prayers are recited for different beads. The “Our Father” or “Lord’s Prayer” is recited on the large bead while the “Hail Mary” is prayed on each of the small beads.

Prayer of the Rosary

The “prayer of the Rosary” has ten steps and each step has different prayers and recitations. The worshipper is to do or say the following:

1. Make the Sign of the Cross and say the Apostles’ Creed.
2. Our Father — which is called the Lord’s Prayer
3. Three “Hail Mary” prayers
4. “Glory Be”
5. Meditate on the first mystery and say the “Our Father” prayer.
6. Ten “Hail Mary” prayers
7. “Glory Be”
8. Meditate on all remaining mysteries and say the “Our Father” prayer.
9. Say “Hail Holy Queen” prayer and the “Final Prayer.”
10. Make the Sign of the Cross.

The “Hail Mary” prayer is,

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.[1]

The “Hail, Holy Queen” prayer is,

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our Life, our Sweetness, and our hope. To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale 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. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

There are twenty mysteries included in the Rosary. They are spread out over the various days of the week. Five “Joyful Mysteries” are recited on Monday through Saturday. Five Luminous Mysteries are recited on Thursday. The five Sorrowful Mysteries are recited on Tuesday and Friday. The five Glorious Mysteries are recited on Wednesday and Sunday. There are Sorrowful Mysteries recited on the Sundays of Lent.

Roman Catholic View of Mary

The Roman Catholic Church claims that praying the Rosary properly venerates Mary since they claim,

Mary has by grace been exalted above all angels and men to a place second only to her Son, as the most holy mother of God who was involved in the mysteries of Christ: she is rightly honored by a special cult in the Church. From the earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in all their perils and needs.[2]

Mary is also considered by Catholics to be a co-mediator and a co-redeemer. The Roman Catholic Church states that the Rosary encompasses the gospel. Praying the Rosary is also said to provide special graces and protection against various evils, including false teaching. Praying the Rosary is said to provide partial removal of the punishment that we deserve for our sins while we are here on earth. Roman Catholic doctrine also teaches that a person can earn a complete “relief” from all stored up punishment at the time of praying the Rosary, receiving the sacraments of confession, receiving the Eucharist, and offering prayers for the Pope. That is a brief overview of the Roman Catholic Rosary. However, it is important to know that other religions use the rosary also.