The devotion to the Rosary and the purpose of repetition

The purpose of the different beads on the rosary is to count the various prayers as they are said. Unlike Muslim prayer pearls and Buddhist mantras, the prayers of the rosary are meant to occupy our whole being, body and soul, meditating on the truths of the Faith.

Simply repeating the prayers is not the vain repetition condemned by Christ (Mt 6: 7), since He himself repeats his prayer in the Garden three times (Mt 26:39, 42, 44) and the Psalms (inspired by the Holy Spirit) are often very repetitive (Ps 119 has 176 verses and Ps. 136 repeats the same phrase 26 times).

Matthew 6: 7 When praying, do not chat like pagans, who think they will be heard because of their many words.

Psalm 136: 1-26
Praise the Lord, who is so good;
God's love lasts forever;
[2] Praise the god of gods;
God's love lasts forever;
. . .
[26] Praise the God of heaven,
God's love lasts forever.

Matthew 26:39 He advanced a little and prostrated himself in prayer, saying: “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass by me; yet, not as I want, but as you want. "

Matthew 26:42 Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again: "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to pass without me drinking it, your will will be done!"

Matthew 26:44 He left them, retired again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing again.

The Church believes it is necessary for a Christian to meditate (in prayer) on the will of God, the life and teachings of Jesus, the price he paid for our salvation and so on. If we do not, we will begin to take these great gifts for granted and eventually we will turn away from the Lord.

Every Christian must meditate in some way to preserve the gift of salvation (James 1: 22-25). Many Catholic and non-Catholic Christians read and apply the scriptures to their lives in prayer - this too is meditation.

The rosary is an aid for meditation. When one prays the rosary, the hands, the lips and, to a certain extent, the mind, are occupied by the Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory. At the same time, one should meditate on one of the 15 mysteries, from the Annunciation through the Passion, to Glorification. Through the rosary we learn what makes true holiness ("let it be done to me according to your word"), about the great gift of salvation ("It's finished!") And about the great rewards that God has in store for us ( "It has risen"). Even Mary's rewards (Assumption and Glorification) anticipate and teach us about our participation in the kingdom of Christ.

The faithful recitation of the rosary according to this model was found by Catholics as the door to greater gifts of prayer and holiness, as demonstrated by the many canonized saints who practiced and recommended the rosary, as well as the Church.