The Rosary

[Red Rose]

The Rosary is based on the Book of Psalms - 150 psalms or "Psalter". In the early Church, these psalms were the Breviary or Office of the priests. When Our Lady gave St. Dominic the first ever Rosary, She said to him to preach Her "Psalter". In which he did - 5 mysteries of the Rosary (150 psalms divided into 15 decades of 10). If St Dominic was wrong in his teaching, I am sure Our Blessed Mother would have corrected him! When John Paul II decided to add 5 mysteries he stated that it is optional. It seems that the Church has decided to eliminate the word "optional". In the phamplets that are distributed, it is not stated as optional but as a mystery to be said on Thursday. If the Church is now promoting these additional mysteries, does that now abolish the "Psalter of Mary"? When Our Lady of Fatima said to Sister Lucy to establish the Five First Saturday devotion, She said to recite 5 decades of the Rosary and meditate on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary etc... In effect She was saying to say a third of the Rosary. Now if we take a third of the "20 mysteries" of the Rosary, as the Church is now promoting, that would come to 6.66... decades. An interesting number. In following the example of the Church, are we, in our obedience to the teaching of the Church and our ignorance of the Words spoken to us in the past by Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother, committing a sin? Are we not praying to Mary but to an evil that will condemn us to eternal hell?

[Cam42]

[quote name='Red Rose' timestamp='1294338557' post='2197401']
The Rosary is based on the Book of Psalms - 150 psalms or "Psalter". In the early Church, these psalms were the Breviary or Office of the priests. When Our Lady gave St. Dominic the first ever Rosary, She said to him to preach Her "Psalter". In which he did - 5 mysteries of the Rosary (150 psalms divided into 15 decades of 10). If St Dominic was wrong in his teaching, I am sure Our Blessed Mother would have corrected him! When John Paul II decided to add 5 mysteries he stated that it is optional. It seems that the Church has decided to eliminate the word "optional". In the phamplets that are distributed, it is not stated as optional but as a mystery to be said on Thursday. If the Church is now promoting these additional mysteries, does that now abolish the "Psalter of Mary"? When Our Lady of Fatima said to Sister Lucy to establish the Five First Saturday devotion, She said to recite 5 decades of the Rosary and meditate on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary etc... In effect She was saying to say a third of the Rosary. Now if we take a third of the "20 mysteries" of the Rosary, as the Church is now promoting, that would come to 6.66... decades. An interesting number. In following the example of the Church, are we, in our obedience to the teaching of the Church and our ignorance of the Words spoken to us in the past by Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother, committing a sin? Are we not praying to Mary but to an evil that will condemn us to eternal hell?
[/quote]

Rest at ease!!! You don't have to pray the Luminous Mysteries, if you do not wish to. There is no sin if you choose to not pray them. The rosary is not a part of the public prayer of the Church, ie. the Liturgical Life. It is a devotional and it is a powerful prayer, but there is no mandate that you have to pray it or that you have to use all the mysteries.

Remember there are many chaplets that are prayed on a rosary. There is the Franciscan Crown which has an extra decade. There are many variations. If you feel an attraction to the "traditional" rosary, by all means pray that. If you feel a devotion to the Luminous Mysteries, by all means pray them. If you don't, don't.

As for the numerology, it is interesting, but it holds no water....there is nothing inherently evil going on.

AMDG+


P.S. I don't pray the Luminous Mysteries.....I have no desire or devotion to it. You're not alone.