Critique of HAIL, HOLY QUEEN by Scott Hahn
Appendix – The Venerable Beads (The Rosary)
Given the opportunity to praise our mothers – at birthday parties and wedding anniversaries, or in eulogies – we sons can get long-winded, because we find ourselves inexorably drawn back to our earliest years. We feel we have to recapture those childhood days with Mom and, in remembering them aloud, make up for all the moments when we were less than grateful for her care, less than loving in response to her love.
Note: It is God who cares for Christians.
Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
Note: The Apostle Peter never proclaimed the Blessed Virgin, or the Queen of Heaven, or Mary.
In beginning to write this book, I struggled to set down memories that are somewhat painful for me, including the time when, in ignorance and misguided zeal, I destroyed my late grandmother’s rosary. Perhaps, in composing this appendix, I am trying to make things right. I cannot repair those beads that belonged to Grandma Hahn. They went out with the day’s trash almost thirty years ago. I can, however, make reparation. I can make it up to that matriarch of my family, even as I make it up to heaven’s queen mother, whom my grandmother loved.
Note: Prayer beads are pagan in origin and current practice.
Prayer beads are used by members of various religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and the Bahá'í Faith to mark the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions, such as the rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Catholicism, and dhikr (remembrance of God) in Islam. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
Note: The Roman Catholic Church is not an apostolic church but is in apostasy.
Let Me Count the Ways
Down through the millennia, Christians have expressed their love for the Blessed Virgin in many different ways. The early Christians made pilgrimage to the sites associated with her life. The Eastern churches influenced by Byzantium composed long “akathist” hymns in her honor. The Ethiopians developed a rich tradition of liturgical prayer to Mary. The Egyptians appear first in the documentary record with the prayer Sub Tuum Praesidium. The West, in turn, produced the “Hail, Holy Queen,” the Memorare, and many litanies. Both East and West have amassed a stunning heritage of Marian art – predominantly icons in the East, and both sculpture and paintings in the West.
Note: Marian heresy has infected many churches.
How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? — but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:11-12
Note: The Roman Catholic Church is not an apostolic church but is in apostasy.
Without a doubt, though, the Church’s most popular and beloved expression of Marian devotion is the rosary. It’s my favorite expression, too. The rosary consists of a certain sequence of prayers that we recite aloud while we meditate on scenes (or mysteries) from the life of Jesus and Mary. There are fifteen mysteries in all.
Note: The Apostle Paul never proclaimed the Blessed Virgin, or the Queen of Heaven, or Mary.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16
Note: The Roman Catholic Church is not an apostolic church but is in apostasy.
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
The Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38): The angel Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive the Messiah.
Note: Mary was a sinner since she was troubled and afraid.
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:29-30
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
The Visitation (Lk 1:39-56): Mary visits her kinswoman Elizabeth.
Note: Mary proclaimed she needed a Savior due to her sinfulness.
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Luke 1:46-47
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
The Nativity (Mt 1:18-25; Lk 2:1-20): Jesus is born.
Note: Mary was a sinner since she did not understand the significance of Jesus Christ.
But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
The Presentation (Lk 2:22-38): Mary and Joseph go to the temple to dedicate Jesus to God.
Note: Mary acknowledged her sin by bringing a sin offering.
Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
The Finding of the Child Jesus (Lk 2:41-51): During a pilgrimage to the temple, Jesus is separated from Mary and Joseph.
Note: Mary was a sinner as she lied who was the father of Jesus Christ.
So, when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Luke 2:48-50
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
The Agony in the Garden (Mt 26:36-46): Jesus prays to be spared His suffering.
Note: Jesus Christ as God knew the suffering that He was going endure for the sins of the world.
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” John 18:4-5
The Scourging (Mt 27:26): Jesus is whipped by the Romans.
Note: It is no mystery that Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy by suffering for our sins.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
The Crowning with Thorns (Mt 27:29): The Romans ridicule Jesus’ kingship.
Note: It is no mystery that Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy by suffering for our sins.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. Isaiah 53:7
The Carrying of the Cross (Jn 19:17).
Note: It is no mystery that Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy by suffering for our sins.
He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8
The Crucifixion (Mk 15:22-38): Jesus dies on the cross.
Note: It is no mystery that Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy by dying for our sins.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. Psalm 22:1-18
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
The Resurrection (Mt 28:1-10): Jesus rises from the dead.
Note: It is no mystery that Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy by rising from the dead.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:10
The Ascension (Lk 24:50-51): Jesus returns to the Father.
Note: It is no mystery that Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy by ascending into heaven.
You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell there. Psalm 68:18
The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2): The first Christian Pentecost.
Note: It is no mystery that Jesus Christ would send the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. John 16:7-11
The Assumption of Mary (Rev 11:19-12:1): Mary is taken, body and soul, to heaven.
Note: Bad Catholic eschatology has replaced Israel with Mary.
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. Romans 9:1-5
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
The Coronation (Rev 12:1). Mary is crowned queen of heaven and earth.
Note: Bad Catholic eschatology has replaced Israel with Mary.
I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Romans 11:1-2
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
While we meditate on these mysteries, we usually count out our recited prayers on the set of beads, which also bears the name “rosary” – a word root meaning is a “garland of roses.”
Note: Christians will follow the example of Jesus Christ.
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:7-8
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
With each mystery, we recite one Our Father and ten Hail Marys, followed by a Glory Be. Together these prayers make up one decade of the rosary. While a full rosary consists of all fifteen decades, Christians usually pray only one set of five mysteries at a time. In its official documents, the Church defines the recitation of the rosary as the recitation of five decades.
Note: Christians will follow the example of Jesus Christ.
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
Hearts and Hands and Voices
Non-Catholics will sometimes dismiss the rosary as a mindless, mechanical droning of formulas. Some will even condemn the practice, citing Jesus’ rejection of “vain repetition” in prayer (Mt 6:7). But nothing could be further from the mark.
Note: Christians will pray with intention and meaning.
And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’ For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” Acts 4:23-30
First, the rosary is anything but mindless. Indeed, its meditative technique has been refined by centuries of practice in order to engage the mind most completely. The rosary ordinarily engages at least three of our senses – with the sound of voices, the feeling of beads, and the sight of devotional images – so that those senses themselves are made prayerful. Thus committed, body and soul, to prayer, we are less prone to distraction.
Note: Christians are empowered after prayer.
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31
Further, the formulas themselves are rich in scriptural doctrine and devotion. The Our Father we learn from the lips of Jesus Himself. The Hail Mary comes from the words of Gabriel and Elizabeth in Luke’s gospel. And who could argue with the words of the Glory Be, which merely gives praise to the eternal and Blessed Trinity?
Note: Christians will be grounded in prayer and scripture.
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:3-4
There’s usually a very simple mistake at the root of these critiques of Catholic prayer. Somehow, many Christians have gotten hold of the idea that formed prayer is bad and that prayer, in order to be true, must be spontaneous, creative, and emotional. Yet Jesus did not teach this. In fact, He Himself used the formal prayer of ancient Israel (see Mk 12.29; 15:34; Jn 7:10-14).
Note: The Holy Spirit is received through prayer not baptism.
Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:14-15
Jesus did condemn vain repetition, but not all repetition in vain. I remember watching a Christian rock musician field questions from people who just couldn’t understand his conversion to Catholicism. One woman asked, “How do you deal with all the vain repetition?” He looked at her with the most loving smile and said, “I don’t mind repetition. I’m a bass player. It’s my livelihood.”
Note: Sincere Christian prayer produces results according to the will of God.
So, the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Acts 9:11-12
Repetition and routine can be very good for us and for our relationships. My wife never tires of hearing me say, “I love you.” My mother never tires of hearing me thank her for my upbringing. My adversaries never tire of hearing me say I’m sorry for my mistakes. God, too, never tires of hearing us repeat the set phrases that have been hallowed for prayer by scripture and Christian tradition. Non-Catholics know this, too, and so we hear all kinds of Christians echo the words “Amen!” “Alleluia!” and “Praise the Lord!”
Note: Amen is simply the exclamation point to Christian prayer.
Amen defined: uttered at the end of a prayer or hymn, meaning ‘so be it.’.
Tradition sets certain phrases because they sum up a particular thought or feeling. Moreover, they tend to clarify the thought or feeling. Moreover, they tend to clarify the thought or intensify the feeling not only in the hearer but in the speaker as well. The more I tell my wife I love her, the more I fall in love with her. The more I speak my thanks to my mother, the more I must ponder my gratitude to her.
Note: Sincere Christian prayer with thanksgiving to God results in peace.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
The more, in turn, we give our voices, our hands, and our hearts to words of love for our queen, our mother, and her Son, the more we will grow in devotion and holiness.
Note: The more we are devoted to God results in holiness with the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23
How the Rosary Arose
No area of Christian life is so susceptible to fads and fashion as the techniques of prayer. This is true not only for Catholics. I saw it throughout my years as a Presbyterian minister, too. Pop methods come and go at a rate of several per decade. Yet the rosary has persevered through many centuries, enduring a full frontal assault in the years of the Reformation. From generation to generation, it has won the approval of all the popes and the most revered of the faithful: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Louis Pasteur, Fulton Sheen, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, to name a few.
Note: The Apostles never revered pagan prayer beads.
I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 1 Timothy 2:8
Where did it all begin? It’s almost impossible to say. Legend has it that Mary herself appeared to Saint Dominic Guzman, the founder of the Dominicans, handed him the beads, and taught him to pray. Indeed, Dominic and his order do deserve most of the credit for the spread of the devotion in the High Middle Ages.
Note: Christians are urged to use discernment by the Apostles.
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
History, however, indicates that Christians were reciting the rosary even before Dominic was born. The prayer probably developed gradually over centuries. Believers in the East had the habit of counting their prayers on strings of beads or knotted strings. Monks used these strings to keep count as they recited all of the Bible’s 150 psalms.
Note: The rosary is pagan in its origin and use today.
A Japamala or mala is a string of prayer beads commonly used in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Shinto for the spiritual practice known in Sanskrit as japa. The rosary is usually made from 108 beads, though other numbers are also used. Malas are used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a Deity. Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Simple Christians, many of whom couldn’t read, adapted the practice by substituting 150 recitations of other prayers. Thus, this practice was sometimes called the poor man’s psalter. The prayer most often chosen was the Hail Mary, recited over fifteen rounds of ten.
Note: The disciples though uneducated, studied scripture and prayed without beads.
Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:2-4
The Protestant historian Anne Winston-Allen has shown that the rosary was a profoundly Christ-centered devotion and the most potent force “for the spiritual renewal and reform on the eve of the Reformation.”
Note: The Reformation brought education to the masses.
The Reformation was a triumph of literacy and the new printing press. Luther's translation of the Bible into German was a decisive moment in the spread of literacy, and stimulated as well the printing and distribution of religious books and pamphlets. Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Why do we know so little of the origins of the rosary? Because it arose out of love.
Note: The rosary arose out of ignorance.
The phrase "Dark Age" itself derives from the Latin saeculum obscurum, originally applied by Caesar Baronius in 1602 to a tumultuous period in the 10th and 11th centuries. The concept thus came to characterize the entire Middle Ages as a time of intellectual darkness between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance; this became especially popular during the 18th-century Age of Enlightenment. Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Notice how, when movies flash back to scenes of tender love, the camera turns to soft focus. History works the same way. Humankind records its horrors in the minutest detail, but love is most often left to perpetuate itself through love. Christian history works with precision, for example, in recounting the deaths and torments of the martyrs; but history leaves us few and sparse accounts of the love of Christian mothers. Yet can we doubt that, in every generation, mothers have produced as many Christians as martyrs did?
Note: Christians will love Jesus Christ not paganism.
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. John 8:42-43
Though the roots of the rosary are obscured deep in the ground of history, its fruits are evident throughout the Christian centuries, including our own. And its varieties are endless. In my country, most people begin with the Sign of the Cross, then proceed to pray the Apostles’ Creed while holding the crucifix at the end of their beads. Next, they pray an Our Father, three Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, for an increase in faith, hope, and charity. Then they pray the mysteries. Some people have the custom of reciting the Fatima Prayer – so called because it was revealed by Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 – after each Glory Be. After the last mystery, many people will recite the “Hail, Holy Queen,” the Litany of Loreto, or some other Marian prayer.
Note: The Apostle Paul prayed that Christians may abound in knowledge and discernment to the glory and praise of God.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11
Upping the Meds
The how of the rosary is not too difficult to pick up – the fingering of the beads, the repetition of the words. Its simplicity has made it popular among the most immense variety of people. Where most people get hung up is in the meditation. The mysteries are what make the rosary. When we repeat the formal prayers, we try to focus our mind and heart upon the given event from the life of Jesus. We try to place ourselves within the scene, imagining what it was like to be there.
Note: Jesus Christ never used pagan beads and warned believers about pagan prayer methods.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Note: Christians will be prayerfully rejoicing, giving thanks, and abstaining from pagan beads.
This is the stuff of the rosary. Yet this is where we will be most prone to distraction. Once we open the corral of our imagination, there’s no telling which horses will run loose – or how far afield they’ll go. That’s why I always recommend scripture as the foundation of all rosary meditation. There are many fine collections of scriptural meditations on the mysteries of the rosary. Such books are wonderful, and the Holy Spirit can use them to open our minds to deeper wisdom and to turn our hearts to repentance. Some small books give a single, well-chosen line for us to digest with each Hail Mary. Others give fully developed chapters for us to read as we begin a mystery or as we go along.
Note: Christians will prayerfully be giving thanks and seeking to preach Jesus Christ in wisdom.
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:2-6
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
Still, when I speak of a scriptural rosary, I mean much more than a booklet, more than a book, and even more than a library full of books. I mean that Catholics should immerse themselves in scripture so that each mystery of the rosary evokes countless biblical associations, from both the Old and the New Testaments. For the mysteries – the events of Jesus’ life – did not arise out of nothing. God has been preparing each of them from all eternity. I have tried to make that point clear throughout this book, showing, for example, that the last of the mysteries, the coronation, was implicit in the garden of Eden at the beginning of time, and that the mystery of the annunciation was foreshadowed there, too. In Chapter 3, we saw Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth was the fulfillment of the Old Testament odyssey of the ark of the covenant.
Note: Foolish Catholics should focus on Jesus Christ not Mary.
Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:25-27
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
If we steep ourselves in scripture, we will draw from rich reservoirs, again, when we mediate upon the third glorious mystery, the first Pentecost. We will think first, of course, of the action-packed scene in the Acts of the Apostles. But we will also think of the Pentecost of ancient Israel, marking the giving of the Law. We will recall the time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the elders in the desert (see Num 11:24-29). When we imagine from heaven to consume his sacrifice (1 Kgs 18:24-38). What, then, is the new covenant sacrifice consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit? Could it be you and me? Then, when the apostles speak in tongues, we will naturally remember the story of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11) and the passage in Isaiah (28:11) when God again confused the speech of the people. What does it mean that, on Pentecost, He reversed the process?
Note: At Pentecost, believers received the Holy Spirit and were empowered to proclaim Jesus Christ.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
“Seek in reading,” says the Catechism, “and you find in meditating” (no. 2654, quoting Guigo the Carthusian). This entire book is only the smallest hint of where we can go in our meditation when we’re well prepared by sustained, disciplined, and prayerful study of the Bible. Put simply: we have to read the scriptures every day; we have to receive the scriptures often in the context of the liturgy; we have to read the meditations and commentaries of the Fathers and the saints; and we have to pray the scriptures in the Spirit.
Note: Foolish Catholics should focus on Jesus Christ not Mary.
But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:38-40
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
In the midst of such a life, our every rosary will be a scriptural rosary, flowing from our heart to Mary’s to Christ’s – and back again. Read the Bible, then; pray the rosary; and find your place in the living history of the people of God, stretching from Adam to Israel, through Christ to the Church to you.
Note: The people of God will give glory to the Father by the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit forever.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
Love engendering love – that’s the history of the rosary, and that’s the secret of the rosary. Pray the rosary! This is what I urge Catholics and all Christians of goodwill. Pray the rosary, and realize that every recitation is plugging you into the permanent things, taking you out of the transitory and ephemeral, the things that matter most to people who really don’t know what matters.
Note: Christians will set their minds on Jesus Christ who is not a wafer.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
Put time aside to pray the rosary in a concentrated, dedicated way. But pray the rosary again when you find time that would otherwise be badly spent – when you’re stuck in a doctor’s waiting room or delayed in rush-hour traffic. The rush hour is unreal in comparison to the reality you’re praying, the mysteries of ultimate reality. Your beads and your prayers are more real than the cars in front of you and the horns that are honking.
Note: Christian faith is built up by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit unto eternal life.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:20-21
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.
Once I looked down with disgust upon a string of rosary beads. I saw it as a noose that choked off true devotion in countless Roman Catholics. When I held Grandma Hahn’s rosary, I couldn’t break that loop quickly or forcefully enough. Now, when I look down at my own beads, I see the same circle, but it is different. It suggests a queen’s crown, a mother’s encircling arms.
Note: All glory, majesty, dominion, and power belong to God both now and forever.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25
Note: It is a mystery why Catholics would proclaim Mary.