Why do they hate the Holy Rosary so much?

I stopped counting the number of times, since I was in college, when protestants have simply walked up to me and attacked the Holy Rosary. One moment, I’m minding my own business, next thing you know it, they will just be absolutely insulting. They show their ignorance, when they say the Rosary is unbiblical. They will not stay to defend their position or tell you what is wrong with the Rosary, they will simply pronounce their judgment on you, and walk away. Take for instance this graduate from YouTube university. She obviously doesn’t know how to talk, forget about learning about the Rosary or the Catholic Church.

It all started, when I simply commented on someone else’s post about the need for Rosary rallies. This person just had to comment about the Rosary and show how she, herself doesn’t know the Bible.

An anti-Christian hate

The hate for the Rosary is so revealing of their ignorance of Sacred Scripture. They have more faith in Tyndale and Luther, than they accuse us of being papists. Protestants don’t even study their own history, before attacking Catholics, that itself shows how anti-Christian they are. For St. John says,

If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?
[1 John 4:20]

Where is Charity, when Protestants talk to Catholics or even when they talk to each other? Don’t they just judge everyone, even when no one is crossing paths with them? How are they going to convince me against my prayer, when they don’t know what it is about? They will call out the Church for judging sinners, on sin, but what about them? They are judging people, for praying, so where is the virtue of charity,( the only thing that will remain in eternity)? “Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed….”[ [1 Corinthians 13: 8]]

What is Charity?

Q. 124. What is charity?
A. Charity is the virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

 * Charity is called the queen of the virtues because it unites man to God most perfectly and most permanently in the bonds of love. Charity is the divine friendship uniting man to God and man to fellow-man in the bonds of mutual affection. [Baltimore Catechism 3: Lesson 10]

Protestants read the Sacred Scripture the way Adam and Eve were deceived to read it - Taking from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but rejecting the Tree of Life. Protestants think they can freely choose or reject verses from the Bible, thus trivializing the Word of God and judging themselves. They will reject the verses on the office of St. Peter, on Confession, on the Holy Eucharist, on not interpreting Scripture by oneself, and many others, but make up some of their own beliefs - like Sola Scriptura.

The first Pope, St. Peter warns us of such:

“Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, brethren, knowing these things before, take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the unwise, you fall from your own steadfastness. [2 Peter 3:15b-17]

So, why do I bring this up, when this article proposes to show why Protestants hate the Rosary? That’s because, we need to understand where Protestants start their arguments from. They begin by placing themselves, individually, above Scripture. That is why, they have to individually make a judgement before believing anything. They are each one of them, a pope for themselves.

What is the Rosary?

Coming to the Rosary, every Catholic knows that the Rosary is basically the New Testament in a meditative form. So, why write this article? Well, it is for non-Catholics who seriously want to know why we love this prayer so much, and why it is so effective. It is also to remind Catholics to pray the Rosary more often, so that our Church can get out of this crisis and continue teaching the Truth as she always has.

The Rosary has its origin in Heaven, while there are many who do not now believe in the supernatural origins of the Rosary, I hold to the story of St. Dominic, that he received this prayer from the Blessed Mother. There are still a few blogs that will tell you the original story, so I will not repeat it here, for the sake of brevity. But, to answer the question: what is the Rosary - it is a form of mediative-mental prayer in union with vocal prayer, where the Catholic meditates on the life of Jesus Christ. We use all our senses in this prayer, to get into the Gospel, following the many commands in the Holy Bible to keep the Word of the Lord always in our hearts and minds:

"Teach your children that they meditate on them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest on the way, and when thou liest down and risest up.
[Deuteronomy 11:19]

How to Pray the Rosary

Using the above diagram, one will pray the following prayers on the Rosary beads, while meditating one mystery at a time, on the life of Our Lord. The Rosary is like praying the 150 Psalms; but instead of the psalms we pray 150 Hail Marys while meditating on the life of Christ. The book of psalms resembles the Rosary in its themes - there are joyful psalms - talking about the righteous man, there are sorrowful psalms - which speak of the suffering of the righteous man; and finally there are the glorious psalms - which speak of all creation giving glory to God and the triumph of the righteous man. Who is this righteous man? Saints will repeat the words of Our Savior that the Psalms are about Him. “Search the scriptures, for you think in them to have life everlasting; and the same are they that give testimony of me.” [John 5:39]

If you don’t see the Rosary prefigured in the Psalms, then you don’t see it!

At the time of St. Dominic, when the Rosary was given to him to defeat the Albigensian heresy, Catholics would pray all 15 Mysteries daily. However, for the sake of those who cannot pray all the 15 mysteries daily, the Church has set in order the 5 Joyful Mysteries to be prayed on Mondays and Thursdays; the 5 Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays; and the 5 Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays, and Saturdays. On Sundays we generally pray the Glorious Mysteries recounting the Resurrection of the Lord, however, during Lent we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries and during Christmastide, we pray the Joyful Mysteries, on Sunday. [Some Catholics also like to recite the chaplet of Pope John Paul 2, called the Mysteries of Light - these are prayed on Thursdays, but are a separate chaplet, using the Rosary to meditate on the Life and Teachings of Christ.] Slowly, through daily meditation and prayer, the Rosary transforms us to be more Christ-like, to become the name by which we are called - Christian. The Rosary is Mary’s way of training us to become like her Son. He was obedient to her, remember that before you allow any thoughts against her to creep into your mind. “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.” [Luke 2:51] And just so you remember, Jesus Christ is God, and God does not change. He still honors His mother, because she always does the Will of God.

I am the Lord, and I change not:
[Malachias (Malachi) 3:6]

Prayers of the Holy Rosary

The Rosary prayers consist of the Apostles Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and, if desired, the Fatima Prayer. Next come meditation on the five mysteries. Rosary prayers conclude with the Hail Holy Queen.

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again; He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there, He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

The Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Glory be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima prayer #1

“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy”.
(Our Lady at Fatima, 13th July 1917)

The Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley, of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus; O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Additional Rosary prayers

“O God whose only begotten Son by His Life has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, Grant that we beseech Thee while meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord Amen.”

Fatima prayer #2
“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I beg pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.”
(The Angel to three children of Fatima, spring 1916)

Mysteries of the Rosary

Joyful Mysteries

1. Annunciation: The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary, announcing she is to be the Mother of God.

2. Visitation: Elizabeth greets Mary: “Blessed art Thou amoung women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”

3. Nativity: The Virgin Mary gives birth to the Redeemer of the World. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

4. Presentation at the Temple: The Blessed Mother presents the Child Jesus in the Temple

5. Finding in the Temple: The Blessed Mother finds Jesus in the Temple.

Sorrowful Mysteries

1. Agony of Jesus in the Garden: At Gethsemane, Jesus prays as He contemplates the sins of the world.

2. Scourging of Jesus at Pillar: Jesus is cruelly scourged until His mortified body could bear no more

3. Crowning with Thorns: A crown of thorns is placed on the head of Jesus.

4. Carrying the Cross: Jesus carries the heavy cross upon His shoulders to Calvary.

5. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies after hours of agony

Glorious Mysteries

1. Resurrection of Jesus: Jesus rises glorious and immortal, three days after His death.

2. Ascension of Jesus: Jesus ascends into Heaven forty days after His Resurrection

3. Descent of Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit descends upon Mary and the Apostles.

4. Assumption of the Virgin Mary: Mary is united with her Divine Son in Heaven glorious

5. Coronation of Blessed Virgin Mary: Mary is gloriously crowned Queen of Heaven and earth.

Do Protestants hate the Rosary or the idea of what they think it is?

If anyone has a reason to be offended by the praying of the Lord’s Prayer and the Angelic Salutation, the Glory of the Holy Trinity, then he probably has some soul searching to do. Who but the devil would be offended by the Lord’s Prayer, the recitation of our beliefs (Apostles’ Creed), and the glorification of the Holy Trinity? Who would hate that we meditate on the life of Christ? Surely not a Christian soul. Protestants need to ask themselves why and when they began to hate the Rosary, because the Rosary predates them. If they come from Protestant families, their ancestors would ultimately be Catholics. In condemning Catholics, they are also condemning and insulting their own ancestors. For the sake of justice and charity (love of God and love of neighbor for the sake of God) shouldn’t you first know what you are insulting?

Saints have prayed the Rosary to defeat heresies and battles have been won against the enemies of the Catholic religion, by praying the Rosary. The power of the Rosary comes from Christ. It is Marian in approach, in that she, His mother teaches us how to have Faith, Hope, and Charity, by imitating her constant prayer: “And his mother kept all these words in her heart.” [Luke 2:51] To pray the Rosary, is to pray like Mary and to pray with Mary. It is also our way of ensuring that we are not left to our own devices at that final moment, when we are on the brink of death. We pray all our lives, “Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” so that this Gracious Queen, will be with us, leading us by the hand when we die. Oh what a beautiful hope we have, if we pray our rosaries well - to have the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary on our lips as we die.

Those who hate Mary, should remember who she is, for God says to the devil:

I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
[Genesis 3:15]

Who would hate this Woman, who is given charge to defeat the devil, himself? It’s not to St. Michael, it’s not to one of the many angels, that the charge is given. The one, who will defeat satan is this Woman - most humble, most pure, who defeats the proud serpent. Through the power of her Son, she bears this office. No one can take it away from her, because it was given to her by God. And God says, that He will put enmity between her Seed and the seed of the devil. Catholics call her Mother, so we have chosen a side in this battle. What side are you on? Whose seed are you, who hate the Rosary?

Mary, our mother, is chosen by God to be powerful against the devil. Women today want power, here is our Queen, a real Woman - all powerful, with a singular favor given to her by God. No pastor, no saint has their name prophesied in the Bible, except for Jesus and Mary and this is no prophet, but God Himself saying that He has made her the greatest enemy of satan. If you hate her, then you know which side you belong to, because “the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.,”  [Luke 1:28] this is Scripture and “Scripture cannot be broken.” [John 10:35]

A Repetitive Prayer?

Repetitive prayer is offensive to protestants, only when Catholics pray the Rosary. Otherwise, in their meetings and conventions they repeat themselves all the time. But, did Christ say all repetitive prayer is meaningless? No, the passage reads:

Who devour the houses of widows, feigning long prayer. These shall receive greater damnation. [Luke 20:47]

If the Rosary is prayed badly, then we too have to fear the words of Christ. However, the Rosary as a prayer cannot be condemned by this passage, because it is a prayer focused on Christ.

What about the angels? The Bible itself shows that the saints and the angles repeat the glory of God. Even prayers of petition like that of St. Elizabeth and Zachary for a child, were prayers repeated, they did not pray once, but all their lives. It is not a lack of faith to pray repeatedly for something. It is a sign of faith to pray, believing that God will provide for our needs; when people have no faith, they don’t pray, they give up, they stop praying.

And the four living creatures had each of them six wings; and round about and within they are full of eyes. And they rested not day and night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.
[Apocalypse (Revelation) 4:8]

But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John:
[Luke 1:13]

One among many treasure of the Church

The Rosary is a most wholesome prayer. It occupies the child and the mature Christian. Through it we learn, as children, how to pray in the family. We learn the New Testament through it; although as Catholics we have more than the Rosary to learn our Faith. We have the many Catechisms, lives of saints, Roman Martyrology, writings of the saints and councils to teach us about our Faith. We pray the Holy Bible in the Divine Office and Little Office of Our Lady, we pray the Bible in the Holy Mass, and we pray the Bible in the Rosary. That is why we cannot have a Bible alone approach to the Faith, because God has given us all these things, through the Church. The Rosary is also given by God, through the Church, for us to grow in holiness.

Christ gave us a Church, to teach and guide us, not a book. The Church wrote down the words of Christ and She decided which books would be in the Bible. It was the work of Catholic monks, who copied by hand the Sacred Scriptures which Protestants so rudely treat like a notebook or a book to be scribbled in. [If this is the book that you treasure, how do you scribble in it. Have you scribbled on your graduation certificate, yet? If not, why not?]

"And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [Matthew 16:18] 

"And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican. [Matthew 18:17]

The Catholic Church has been authorized by Christ to teach the truths of divine revelation, found in the Bible and in divine Tradition. The Bible contains 72 books-45 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Most of the books of the Old Testament were originally written in Hebrew and most of the books of the New Testament in Greek. The Church can teach and explain authoritatively and infallibly not only the doctrines that are contained in the Bible and in divine Tradition, but also doctrines which have not been revealed but are connected with divine revelation; and Catholics are bound in conscience to accept these teachings of the Church.

[Baltimore Catechism 3: THE LESSONS 39:21]

So, why do Protestants have a problem with the Rosary, it’s because they have a bigger problem with everything Catholic. They have been taught to think that the things Catholics have been doing for over 2000 years, is all wrong. The proof of the Catholic Church is that she stands despite bad leaders, despite scandal, and brings forth saints and holy souls. Only the Church has the power to heal and forgive sins. People hate the Catholic Church in a strange distant way. They will find out everything about the latest phone that they want to purchase, but for the sake of their eternal soul, they will not even come near the only Church that has stood the test of time. As Bishop Sheen said:

“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”

―Fulton J. Sheen

In [Apocalypse (Revelation) 4:8] the hosts of Heaven are seen repeating night and day the same prayer. In the Rosary we are repeating the Lord’s Words, meditating on the Life of Christ, and giving glory to God. If this is wrong to you, then you have to provide reasons for why all of these are wrong. If you still hate the Rosary, please feel free to tell me why it’s wrong to pray the Rosary.