Some of the things that our Protestant brothers and sisters accuse us of defying, according to what Jesus teaches, include praying the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary for her intercession. They say this practice is never mentioned in Scripture, and even worse, that it's paganism; that the dead remain dead until the last day, and that there is only one mediator between man and God, which is Jesus-- and I couldn’t agree more on that!
While it is true that Scripture doesn’t explicitly mention this devotion, it does not mean that praying the Rosary lacks credibility. In the tradition of the early Christians, somewhere around the 3rd to 11th century, they already practiced repetitive prayer, particularly the 150 Psalms. Along with this, they used beads to keep track of their progress. Today, we continue the same Christian tradition in the form of the Rosary. How can it be paganism if it consists of passages found in and inspired by Scripture? In fact, it holds so much inspiration that even if you pray it daily, it will never cease to offer new opportunities to get to know Jesus more deeply. Yes, the Rosary is Christ-centered. Although it includes more prayers to Mama Mary, it always points us to Jesus because, as Mama Mary said in Luke 1:46, "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord."
In this exploratory, I have divided the discussion into three sections: the first is about their accusation of vain repetition, the second concerns intercession, and the third addresses prayers for the dead.
VAIN REPETITION
Anyone can agree with me that praying without sincerity is no less than taking God's grace for granted. What more if that prayer is repeated several times, thinking that the more you say it, the greater its efficacy? It’s like rapidly repeating the word "no" on something that is about to fall without taking significant action to save it or to keep out of danger. This is what they [Prostestants] think about when we pray the Rosary, they believe it is a vain repetition that directly contradicts what Jesus said in Matthew 6:7, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
However, repetitive prayer doesn't always equate to vain repetition as long as it is meaningful, sincere, and comes from the heart. Throughout the Scriptures, there are many passages that tell us about prayers being repeated as part of worship. For example, Psalm 136 expresses thanksgiving and recounts God's faithfulness and mighty acts, with the phrase "His love endures forever" repeated 26 times. Then, we have Jesus, while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His condemnation to death, praying the same prayer three times, as seen in Matthew 26:44, "And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words." Lastly, we have the four living creatures around God's throne proclaiming His holiness by saying "Holy, Holy, Holy" eternally, as seen in Revelation 4:8, "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
The passages mentioned above show that repetitive prayers are not absolutely in vain if they are done with reverence, acknowledging the all-encompassing Holiness of God, just as when we pray the Holy Rosary. It always direct us to Jesus by meditating on His earthly life through our Blessed Mother Mary. It’s a reminder that we are called to follow Jesus Christ by reflecting on His earthly journey, showing us that if He was able to do it while in human flesh, so can we.
They [Prostestants] also remind us that prayers should only be directed to God and no one else, which can be read in 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." They believe that this passage cannot reconcile with the intercession of Mama Mary and the rest of the Saints. I agree that prayers should be directed to God, there’s no doubt about it, but since we are sinners, we need someone to represent us before God because our sin creates a barrier between us and Him, as stated in Isaiah 59:2, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." This is why, as sinners, we pray to Mama Mary and the Saints that they may represent our pleas to God, because no one is without a sin as stated in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
The first recorded intercession in the Scripture can be found in the Old Testament when Abraham interceded to spare the destruction of the city of Sodom by God, as found in Genesis 18:32-33, "And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place." Then we have Moses, who interceded to prevent the death of the Israelites after they committed a grave sin of idolatry, as can be read in Exodus 32:13-14, "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."
Moving to the New Testament, when Mama Mary, the Mother of Jesus, interceded for the host at the wedding in Cana because they ran out of wine, it was also the time when Jesus performed His first (public) miracle, believed to be the beginning of His ministry. This can be read in John 2:3-8, "And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it." Also, in the Epistle of James, he encourages us to intercede for each other, which can be read in James 5:16, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." This encouragement can also be found in the Epistle of Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men."
Think of it like we're sinners in a courtroom with Mama Mary and the Saints as our attorney. But Jesus is both our mediator and judge who will reconcile us with God. Saints help us get closer to Him, but they don't replace Jesus as the only mediator between man and God.
Finally, in this last section, we address what they [Protestants] claim that the dead will never hear us, and therefore praying to the Saints is meaningless. The passage they commonly use is Ecclesiastes 9:5, "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." However, if we read until verse 6, it concludes with the phrase "under the sun," which refers only to earthly life. The Book of Ecclesiastes primarily offers an earthly perspective on life, which is true in the case of the dead who are no longer conscious of what’s happening around them.
However, Paul wrote letters about us being part of the body of Christ, as can be read in 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." He also wrote in Romans 12:4-5, "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." In that case, then, I and the rest of Christianity, together with the Saints, will continue to live after earthly death. For Jesus said in Luke 20:38, "For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto Him." Therefore, we are alive in Christ even if we die in our human flesh. Which means that only our human flesh dies but not our entire consciousness.
Another passage that proves the dead are conscious after earthly death can be found in Hebrews 12:1, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." This "cloud of witnesses" mentioned refers to the faithful individuals listed in Hebrews 11, who are again mentioned in Hebrews 12:23, "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." Who are these spirits of just men made perfect? They are the men who have died and are now in the heavenly realm, having been made perfect-- the Saints. These are the same Saints who intercede for us that can be read in Revelation 5:8, "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints," which continues in Revelation 8:3, "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."
The prayers in the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary are based and inspired in the Scripture itself.
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee", from Luke 1:28. "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus", Luke 1:42 "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." Inspired by John 19:26-27.
Just as how we come up with different forms of worship to God such as in songs, hymns, prayers, and more. Let us remember that not everything is written in the Scriptures which John wrote in John 21:25, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." And that we should hold on the traditions according to Paul in his letter to 2 Thessalonians 2:15, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the tradition."
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