I actually remember when Pope John Paul II became the Pope. I was in 4th grade, and Pope John Paul I had died right around my birthday at the end of September. Before going to school, I remember watching the color of the smoke coming from the room at the Vatican change – symbolizing a new Pope had been selected. 24 years ago today – 5th longest time a pope has served in history.
I have a lot of admiration for Pope John Paul II. There are things that he hasn’t changed over the years that I feel as a Catholic he should have, but meanwhile he has implemented many, many changes – results of Vatican II which he participated in years ago. But … changing the rosary? That just doesn’t seem right. Come on – it’s been the way it is for 900 years – leave well enough alone. Uh, not that I am an expert, as I’ve said the Rosary maybe 5 times in my lifetime of being Catholic. But it just seems wrong. (You can read more about it here too; free subscription required. [via Kymberlie])
By the way – if you’re not Catholic, please realize that how Hollywood portrays the Catholic Church is far from reality. Just thought I would let you know… And the Rosary? It’s a “prayer tradition, as opposed to a piece of fundamental church doctrine.”
6 replies on “Is Changing it Considered a Miracle?”
When I went back to Rome last year, we had a quick impromptu tour of St.Peter’s and I can remember seeing the monument the John Paul had created to Mary in the Floor of the Basilica. What was awesome about the memorial was just as our guide was explaining the story; a ray or light illuminated the whole monument. I almost thought it was a bit of “Disney Magic” but then I just chalked it up to being at the right place at the right time.
I’m kind of indifferent on that issue. I think that it’s nice to have a Pope who is so dedicated to the Virgin.
Maybe that’s it – I’m not “dedicated to the Virgin” because it’s God and Jesus that matter most. (I should note that all the changes made to the Rosary are related to Jesus and *not* Mary.)
While I believe that Mary was an important person, and that she does have definite “inside connections” (she was Jesus’s mother, after all), I do not worship her in any way, shape or form. Matter of fact, I think that’s one of the misconceptions that a lot of people have about the Catholic church – they think we put Mary on the same level as God. I’ve seen some people that do – but I don’t. She isn’t. The Holy Trinity is one made of three … and Mary isn’t one of them.
For those non-Catholics out there – it should be noted that saying the Rosary is *not* a mandatory part of Catholicism; it’s not part of the “core” of the religion. That’s why I’ve only done it 5 times in my life.
According to the N.Y. Times article, the changes to the Rosary are “in keeping with the pope’s desire to bind Catholics ever more closely to the life and consideration of Jesus.”
We can’t aspire to be God (and as you’ve pointed out Jesus, though man, is equally divine) but we can aspire to be Mary. She is the most perfect example of a Christian that we have.
Then there’s the fact that she’s a mother and it just seems natural to want to go to the ultimate mother in times when you need ultimate comfort. And that’s what the “Hail Mary” bits that you are referring to are all about. They are requests for comfort, for succor.
The crux of the rosary has nothing to do with Mary. The mysteries, the concepts that one meditates on during the rosary are wholly about Christ. They are like bullet points from his life split into similar groups and presented in a way that helps us see the connection between Christ’s life and our own. The changes, which I hadn’t heard about but can’t see being a bad thing at all since they won’t replace anything or change the format. The way the rosary “works” is you either choose a single set of mysteries to contemplate or you do a combination (up to all 5) mysteries, just continually circling around the rosary loop until you have found what you went to prayer searching for.
ergh, the no preview button bites me again. sorry that sounds more preachy than I meant it. I was never a big Saint follower Catholic either, though I understand it and don’t look down on it at all. But it surprises me to hear the rosary put into the same context as that. I’m sure part of that is because even when I let all other parts of my faith fall away (because I’m a lazy, sin loving heathen) I still keep my rosary and go to it when the world makes no sense. (It got a lot of work September 2001.)
My goof in there if I sounded like I felt the crux of the rosary was Mary – that isn’t the case, but it *is* the misperception that a LOT of people have. They also think that the Hail Mary is a prayer that puts Mary on the same level as God – and that’s also not the case. It’s a request for her to pray for us – not exalting her to be God’s equal.
I am a saint follower in that I feel they play an important role – just like I can ask you to pray for me and God will hear those petitions too. I believe in the power of prayer. I get very frustrated when I met up with people that think all Catholics zealously worship Mary *OR* when I meet up with Catholics that do just that.
I attended a Catechism training class a few years ago (so that you could work with teaching Catechism to the High School kids) and there was a man in the room that was just stunned that praying the Rosary isn’t a fundamental thing we are supposed to do, and he thought we should worship Mary as much as God. No, no, no, no. The priest told him as much too. You can still be a “good” Catholic and never say the Rosary once.
The Rosary is great for meditation purposes. Simple prayers, repeated over and over, as you reflect on various things is wonderful. I’m all for that.
Pope Changes Rosary
From Christine: I was a little shocked when I first read this but after reading the articles I feel better about it. The Yahoo article presented the information strangely, highlighting a string of statistics and records, and I got the impression it sou…