What, exaclty, is the rosarie, if I may ask. I gear of it, but know nothing of its function.If you will be so kind as to explainit to me, I woudl appriciate it.

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), January 16, 2004

Answers

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-- Bumper (bump@bump.com), January 16, 2004.

Take a look here.

Ask any questions you might have.

In Christ,
Bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@Hotmail.com), January 16, 2004.

Zarove,

One of the criticisms of the rosary you may hear is based on Matthew 6:7 Because the rosary consists of prayers said in repetition they argue that this verse applies. The rosary should not be babbled or spoken as a bunch of words. The prayers need to be said with the voice and the heart. Repetition is not the problem, vain phrases are. If the rosary is said without meaning then it is a waste of time. Just wanted to let you know in case you hear that. The last two Glorious mysteries and the last two lines of the Hail Mary prayer Protestants may have a problem with, but other than that, who can argue with meditating on the Gospels?

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), January 17, 2004.

Here is St. Peter's Successor, the Vicar of Christ, Pope John Paul II's definitive in-depth answer to your question : Rosarium Virginis Mariae.

some excerpts :

The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the Face of Christ and to experience the depths of His Love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant Grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer ...

The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning ... By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's Life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord ...

The Rosary is both meditation and supplication. Insistent prayer to the Mother of God is based on confidence that her Maternal Intercession can obtain all things from the Heart of her Son ...

The Rosary is by its nature a prayer for peace, since it consists in the contemplation of Christ, the Prince of Peace, the one who is "our Peace" (Eph 2:14). Anyone who assimilates the mystery of Christ -- learns the secret of peace and makes it his life project. Moreover, by virtue of its meditative character, with the tranquil succession of Hail Marys, the Rosary has a peaceful effect on those who pray it, disposing them to receive and experience in their innermost depths, and to spread around them, that true peace which is the special gift of the Risen Lord.

-- 20 decades (rosary@is.Christocentric), January 17, 2004.