The Rosary Is Paganism!

An extended hiatus was inevitable as probably the most turbulent phase of my life emerged these past few weeks. But, long story short it only reeled me into faith. And as usual the cynic in me raised its head looking for explanations as my mind tapping into the pain delved deeper into the Lord .  This time the profound awakening lay in the prayer that I had never ever taken seriously.  I found it giving me new hope and strength as I focussed less on Mother Mary and more on the God of Mosses that I talked about in my previous post. 

Here I was broken and barely holding on in the hurt and betrayal that came from the least expected of places. In utter darkness and unable to breath I did the only thing I could. I gave myself upto the Lord - in deep contemplations and numb existence before His presence. 

As my mind wandered from how Yahweh was alive in me, in every breath I saw strength in the various ways he offers himself to us.  I needed Rapha -the healer- to see my son and deliver as the Israelites said he did. And he did.

 I also needed him to heal my pain and brokenness.  I looked up to the teacher and saviour, adonai for being the guide out of darkness in my numbness. 

In one such deep moment my eyes fell upon the statue of Our lady of Lourdes, a common one in chapels in Kerala used for veneration during the rosary. I wondered how a repetitive prayer was supposed to be miraculous. Was it because there are many anecdotes on how the Mother herself earnestly edges man on to use them? Was it because she mentioned salvation? Or was it simply the incredulous nature of the said apparitions that evoked mysticism and fear?

If it were the latter, I could perhaps relate. 

The image of the Mother Mary of Guadeloupe apparition I had recently seen came to my mind. But, yet again, even so how would reciting something five times ten work miracles? I knew that none, atleast around me, could finish it without getting distracted. It's just a habit ingrained by filial piety.  There was nothing to it  I decided.  Atleast nothing that I could bring myself to accept. 

Maybe it was for want of something to block the anxious thoughts that swept over me the moment I stopped meditating that I started the rosary. As usual, just a practice and no inconveniencing beads. Before I had even finished the Hail Mary prayer the first or second time it came to me like a light had turned on in my dark brain compartment. I realised that I wasn't just saying a few lines from the bible, I was actually effectuating a ceremonial ritual! Perhaps pagan in origins.   

I realised I was invoking the profound nature of the Trinity with every word I uttered!  And with this awakening reciting it five times ten also made sense. 

Let me explain. 

I went back to look into what my mind had uncovered.  

The first lines, " Hail Mary, full of grace.." sets up the altar for this ritual, and not just in a metaphoric sense. As you say this, you acknowledge her as the point of contact between God, the GRACE and mankind! As says Luke 1: 28-38 when archangel Gabriel hailed her thus, he wasn't delivering a message respectfully, he was delivering THE WORD, the command of the Yahweh that birthed Christ! In the beginning was the word- I am!

 When the virgin accepted the message, she was actually accepting THE WORD, and being impregnated with the Spirit. When she agreed (even God respects a woman's consent!), 

she became the vessel for the creator god, Elohim to do his job. Whether he needed the feminine energy or not, he might have needed a tangible human apparatus- a woman in the case of our species.  

An accepting virgin became the purified vessel where Yahweh gave the word, Elohim set to work on the vessel, man got involved and became the vessel, and the spirit of the Lord- The Holy Spirit came down into it and manifested the son, adonai. It brought the Trinity together -in that one spot, that one moment. 

 In that humble room, it wasn't just an angel and a virgin. It was 'them', the God that the ancestors of Mosses talked about. And they were performing a ritual!  A ritual where YhWh was also the priest. 

The first and only? I don't know. Debatably. 

Based on who interprets the entire Bible.

 Back to the prayer we use. As one chants on, ".... The Lord is with you." we ritualistically reenact this moment. 

"Blessed are thou among women.."

As we acknowledge her being blessed we are doing what the archangel did. Deliver the command, prepare the vessel that has for ever  already given her acceptance, purify and set apart the vessel for the next phase- invoking the  

TRINITY.

"...and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." not just sends forth the word, calls upon the Spirit , acknowledges the son specifically by his name and actuates the ritual, and thereby the Trinity.

In the second half, now that the Trinity has been invoked, what lies next? Nothing but seeking deliverance as promised and delivered on the cross. Who to better intercede if the ceremonial leader or priest, which is each person who recites it, is also sinful? The next best option remains the human that is purified and acting as the vessel- the mother. 

 " Holy Mary, mother of God..." Invokes upon Mary, the human, the mother of the Lord actualised through the ritual to "pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.".

Amen seals the ritual chant. 

Why ten times five? Not sure, probably because the human brain can only focus for around 20 minutes at a time? So I looked it up. 

 The rosary began around the 11th century and was updated to its latest version in around 15th century. This was a time when ritual paganism was rife in Europe. It often blended with Christian practices focussing on veneration of natural elements, spirits and using cultic shrines and votic deposits. 

What are they ? Early pagan rituals used pottery and other objects as offerings to deities to fulfill vows. Using them was a way to express devotion, acknowledge the intervention of a deity and seek blessings. Now whether a certain 12th century Dominican priest  who used meditation was involved in its making and/or veneration or not, pagan practices must have influenced its format or essence.

And we so dedicatedly have upheld, as with other pagan blends, the rosary. Pagan or not this interpretation has invoked a dedicated spirit in me that finally finds meaning in the chanting of the rosary. And every time I do, invoking the Trinity is no child's play. I find myself strengthened through a  process as the one He initiated in Christ and feel held closer to YHWH.