If you're like me that leads to a sort of choice paralysis. How do I pray? What do I pray? And how is the best way to study this thing called "the Bible"? Furthermore, as a young FEC, you find out that the one major guideline is "As long as it isn't Catholic it's good. If it even hints at something Catholic it needs to be burned and purged from all existence within the life of the believer. You're safe as long as you just pray and read your Bible. Now, run along and quit asking so many questions."
For an inquiring mind, such as mine, none of this is sufficient. Yes, I believe Luther was correct in all 95 thesis that he posted on the door. Yes, I believe that the Catholic church got things wrong. However, this "purge and reject in totality" mental state of FEC has done far more damage than good. I was talking about our church's use of an advent wreath and the reflections of advent with someone recently and they gave me this weird side glance and leaned away from me. They asked, "Why is your church doing that? That's a Catholic thing. Advent wreaths aren't in the Bible." Well, neither are Christmas trees, exchanging presents or Santa Claus but they swallow that wholesale. As I write this I notice that they seem quite content to embrace some catholic things embraced by the world and not others...but that's another rant for another time.
The Catholicism-phobia has been to the universal church's detriment in many ways but particularly in the spiritual disciplines. There are many practices that get derided as mysticism...but I'm fairly comfortable with a few of them. "Here's how you do this," is a much more manageable and adaptable system than "Pray whenever you want and read the Bible...if you get around to it. Your name is down in the Book of Life so I wouldn't worry about it too much" and it produces far more reliable results. Now is where I get to the uncomfortable bit on which I'm certain I will be challenged or at least looked at sideways and leaned back away from.
A long time ago I went to the oldest church in the New World, a small Catholic outpost in Puerto Rico that holds the remains of Ponce De Leon. I literally almost bumped into De Leon's remains because I was amazed by this place. One of my interesting attributes is a get a literal high from encountering history in the flesh, as it were, and this was no exception. I knew that I had to get something to commemorate the occasion, so I purchased a wooden rosary that was supposedly fashioned from wood culled from the Holy Land itself. I don't necessarily believe that nor do I believe such wood confers any special powers upon it.
It's been over a decade since that day and this year I was researching different Catholic spiritual practices and naturally praying the rosary came up. I rolled my eyes a bit at first. Praying to Mary has never been a practice that I could get my mind around. I mean, why pray to her when Jesus is our high priest and we have a direct line? And using it to reduce my sins? Sola Fide! But then I was thinking about Luther and how he was Catholic. My mind connected that to the idea that he likely used a rosary and then to wondering if he used the ritual but re-purposed it.
As it turns out, whether he re-purposed it himself or not, there is a Lutheran way to pray the rosary and it has been quite a benefit to me. Now, I understand that this may offend my Catholic friends out there. I love you. I am sorry to offend. But if it glorifies God and brings me closer to Him then isn't that a good thing? Also, I understand this may seriously offend my FEC friends out there. I love you. I am sorry to offend. But if it glorifies God and brings me closer to Him then isn't that a good thing? It's not like I'm re-purposing Yoga here.
Essentially the Lutheran rosary is prayed like this: First, you clutch the cross and speak the Apostle's Creed. The first big bead you come to you pray the "Our Father". For each little bead you pray, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." The next big bead you pray the "Gloria Patri". "Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen." So, on the big beads you alternate the "Our Father" and the "Gloria Patri" with the "Jesus Prayer" in between. You all the way around, come back to the cross and pray "The Magnificat". I know that "Magnificat" is a big scary Catholic sounding word, but it is simply the prayer Mary prayed upon hearing from the angel that she would bear the Christ child. Deep breath; it's going to be OK. In fact I fall more and more in love with that prayer. It declares so much of who God is, His nature and intent, that it blows me away. But, I digress...surprise...
All of this can be found in this handy online guide HERE.
So, what has been the effect of this "Catholic thingy"? A much deeper sense of my place in things and God's place in all of history and creation.
Naturally my Protestant brain recoiled at the repetition of prayers which many of my folk consider "vain" and prohibited. The point for me is not that I think these prayers earn me any sort of favors with God. I don't believe that the effort of doing what I should already be doing, praying, is working off my sins (Sola Fide after all). What I discovered is that as I pray the same prayer again and again it starts to resonate; I start to think and feel the words rather than rattling them off my lips the same way I tell someone my address or cell number. It's easy to be flippant with prayers and forget what we said like so much verbal mist.
Repeating a prayer takes you to another level of understanding and meaning. I can't pray, "...have mercy on me, a sinner" without reflecting on the fact that I desperately need mercy and that I am, in fact, a sinner. (Some FEC would want to say here that Jesus took on all our sin so we don't need to think, talk about, or reflect on our sinful state and I say, "Woah, there, Scooter. Might want to dig into that Bible a little more before you minimize a thing that big.") I can't pray the "Our Father" over and over again without reflecting on how my entire existence and well-being hangs on who He is and what He has done. How can I pray "and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" repeatedly and not have it impressed on me that there is a connection between how much I forgive and how much is forgiven me? That my daily bread comes not from my effort but from His generosity? That I must surrender MY will, that it is HIS will that should be done? And I cannot get over every time I pray the "Gloria Patri" that I am exalting the LORD in unison with the angels in heaven. Me, this little lowly, sin riddled, thing of mud and dust is singing to Him the same praise no matter what circumstances I'm going through. In trial and in comfort it is the same words coming out of my mouth straight to Him, "Glory be..."
How could anyone not benefit from this repetition? When I look at it in it's basic parts, the rosary is a tool for praying scripture; for praying prayers that are actually in the Bible. If we get over our Protestant snobbery (and I'm convicting myself in that more than anyone else) I don't think we can say that in and of itself it's a useless or terrible thing. We learn scripture, memorize by repeating, so that we may "hide it in my heart so that I might not sin against You". And, if we're being honest, most of us train our children to do that, but we leave off ourselves because we are "too busy". But, another digression...surprise...
In the end I think it's important to remember that Luther did not want to split off from the Catholic church. He saw much good there. He simply wanted to reform certain parts like the selling and buying of plenary indulgences. Successive generations of Protestants have treated all things Catholic like the plague...liturgy is even shunned by many which boggles my mind. Speaking out, in unison, the words of scripture? I even met a man who got offended that the congregation was called upon to speak the words of the Apostle's Creed in unison because "that's a Catholic thing to do". There are things I disagree with in Catholic practices as well, but throwing the baby out with the bath water is ridiculous. We can take the time to judge rightly with scripture as our guide. Many of us are sensible people.
So, to sum up (Which I have tried to do for a few paragraphs now but...squirrel!), I would encourage people to try praying the Lutheran rosary. It has been of significant benefit to myself...even if it may send Calvin spinning in his grave. ;)
Pax,
W
