The Rosary and Scripture

During October, the Month of the Holy Rosary, Pope Benedict XVI has been dedicating many of his homilies and other public remarks to various aspects of the rosary. And so it is not surprising that, on Sunday, October 19, the Holy Father to Pompeii, Italy, to celebrate Mass in the square in front of the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary and to lead thousands of people in the praying of the rosary.

After the prayer had ended, Pope Benedict addressed two common misconceptions about the rosary, which is shared by many Catholics as well as Protestants--namely, that the rosary is simply repetitious prayer, and that it has no basis in Scripture.

On the first point, the Holy Father noted that, when we approach the rosary properly, "silence rises up through the words and phrases, not as a vacuum but as a presence of ultimate meaning which transcends the words themselves and, together with them, speaks to the heart. . . . Even when prayed in large groups . . . the Rosary must be seen as a contemplative prayer, and this cannot come about if an atmosphere of inner silence is lacking." If we simply repeat the words and let our minds wander, then we're not truly praying. Rote prayer, however, can focus our minds in ways that spontaneous prayer sometimes cannot.

As for those who regard the rosary as unscriptural, the Holy Father pointed out that it "is interwoven with elements from Holy Scripture," especially "the enunciation of the mystery [before each decade] using . . . words taken from the Bible." Moreover, "The first part of the Ave Maria [the Hail Mary] comes from the Gospel; . . . the second part . . . rings out like the response of children who, addressing themselves imploringly to their mother, express their own adherence to the plan of salvation" revealed in Scripture. Thus, concluded Pope Benedict, "the minds of those who pray remain anchored in Scripture and in the mysteries it contains."

Are you making a special effort to pray the rosary during the month of October? Does this prayer deepen your understanding of Scripture, and if so, how? Let us know in the comments!