Rosary Ministry

[Brother Lawrence]

A while back I started making and praying Anglican rosaries. I did it because you don't always have your prayer book with you, and I find that having a device like a rosary helps you to concentrate. I have been thinking about offering them for free on my church website, and eventually charging for them to support my ministry.

I am also going to offer a 10 decade Catholic rosary and maybe even a Jesus Prayer rope.

The thing I am afraid of is that offering them on the website may take on a life of it's own and I may get in over my head. My wife suggested sending the free ones to Anglican churches in Africa, donating them to Catholic churches here in town, or perhaps giving them to the National Guard armory here in town.

Have any of you had any experience with this?

 

[Mike]

Brother, this is not a backhanded swipe of any kind, and I hope it doesn't start this thread down the wrong path. It's an honest question. I grew up Catholic and was very nominal when I was in that church, so I don't know a lot of things that someone steep in the Catholic Church would know. When I truly turned my life over to Christ, we made the move to the Lutheran church.

So the question. In the Rosary, why are their 10 prayers to Mary for every 1 to the Lord? I understand that meditation on things of the Lord, being different than Eastern religious meditation, is wonderful. But I believe this adds to the concern that Catholics pray to Mary and even worship her. For the record, I understand Catholics don't "worship" Mary but ask for her intervention. However, this 10/1 ratio of prayers to her, when we have a direct line of communication with our Creator and a modeled prayer by Christ which doesn't suggest an intercessor in Heaven will be of benefit, seems to me a clear disproportion.

I don't believe you are Catholic (maybe I'm wrong), but my question is about the Rosary; not Catholicism.

 

[Brother Lawrence]

Brother, this is not a backhanded swipe of any kind, and I hope it doesn't start this thread down the wrong path. It's an honest question. I grew up Catholic and was very nominal when I was in that church, so I don't know a lot of things that someone steep in the Catholic Church would know. When I truly turned my life over to Christ, we made the move to the Lutheran church.

So the question. In the Rosary, why are their 10 prayers to Mary for every 1 to the Lord? I understand that meditation on things of the Lord, being different than Eastern religious meditation, is wonderful. But I believe this adds to the concern that Catholics pray to Mary and even worship her. For the record, I understand Catholics don't "worship" Mary but ask for her intervention. However, this 10/1 ratio of prayers to her, when we have a direct line of communication with our Creator and a modeled prayer by Christ which doesn't suggest an intercessor in Heaven will be of benefit, seems to me a clear disproportion.

I don't believe you are Catholic (maybe I'm wrong), but my question is about the Rosary; not Catholicism.

The rosary prayer I am currently using is the Trisagion/Jesus Prayer:

<BIG>

<B><BIG>The Cross</B>
In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.</BIG>
<B><BIG></BIG></B>
<B><BIG>The Invitatory</BIG><BIG></B>
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.</BIG>
<B><BIG></BIG></B>
<B><BIG>The Cruciforms</B>
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon me (us).</BIG>
<B><BIG></BIG></B>
<B><BIG>The Weeks</B>
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Have mercy on me, a sinner.</BIG>

</BIG><BIG></BIG>
<BIG>I don't have an answer for you on the Roman Catholic rosary, except to say that the Roman Catholics believe that Mary contributed half of Christ's genetic material and that makes her the "mother of God". </BIG>
<BIG></BIG>
<BIG>I personally think that's stretching the blanket but even if they are correct we are told in scripture that "...if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:1 ESV, so in my view there is no need to appeal to Mary, unless there is something I am missing, although even as Anglicans we often join with "angels and archangels and all the saints" in our praises and appeals to God.</BIG>
<BIG></BIG>
<BIG><BIG>That said, I think that getting people to pray at all is a good thing so that "all who call themselves Christian may be led into the way of truth" (1928 BCP). </BIG>
<BIG></BIG>
</BIG>