Why do some traditional Catholics reject the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary?

**Holly3278** · #1 Apr 7, '12, 10:22 pm

Hey everyone. Why do some traditional Catholics reject the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary? This is something I never understood.

**GEddie** · #2 Apr 7, '12, 11:39 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

Hey everyone. Why do some traditional Catholics reject the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary? This is something I never understood.

A). The 150 prayers in the "traditional" Rosary are supposed to match the 150 Psalms; it does not seem the same with 200.

B). Changing the Rosary seems over the top to some traditionalists, despite the high regard in which JP2 was held.

ICXC NIKA

**Holly3278** · #3 Apr 8, '12, 1:46 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by GEddie

A). The 150 prayers in the "traditional" Rosary are supposed to match the 150 Psalms; it does not seem the same with 200.

B). Changing the Rosary seems over the top to some traditionalists, despite the high regard in which JP2 was held.

ICXC NIKA

Oh okay. I see now. Thanks!

newyorkcatholic · #4 Apr 10, '12, 9:31 am

I don't "reject" them, but for many reasons I don't use them.

If I do ever say them, it would be additionally on top of the usual Joyful mysteries on Thursday.

John Paul II was himself very clear that these are offered for consideration ... there is no problem from his own encyclical in not using them.

Laudate Dominum · #5 Apr 10, '12, 9:46 am

They're not a part of the rosary. They were put forth by Bl. Pope John Paul II to the faithful who wished to include them. I don't pray them for a few reasons. They wreak havoc on the daily and seasonal schedule. They detract from the imagery of the rosary being Our Lady's Psalter. And the traditional 15 mysteries have been good enough for the likes of Saint Louis and Saint Alphonsus.

Pray them if you want. I won't condemn you for it. I just don't want to pray them.

Julia Mae · #6 Apr 10, '12, 9:55 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by newyorkcatholic

John Paul II was himself very clear that these are offered for consideration ... there is no problem from his own encyclical in not using them.

The whole Rosary is offered for our consideration, and it's no problem to never pray one. Also, that "prayers matching the psalms" thing is not historical, more coincidental.

I don't know if anyone has read Rosarium Virginis Mariae -

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/jo...mariae_en.html

These are now my favorite mysteries.

HonoraDominum · #7 Apr 10, '12, 10:26 am

A friend and I were in the priest's office at my EF FSSP parish. I was trying to explain to her some of the unique things about the EF missal. I said, "The Baronius Press missal has a couple of "modern" additions that were required to make it acceptable for print with an imprimitur, like the Divine Mercy chaplet I think, but there are other parts that have changed in modern liturgy but were not added to the missal. For example, the Luminous Mysteries are not in the missal, and we do not say them when we do the public rosary here in the EF." She looked horrified and said, "Never?" I said, "Nope, never."

I've never heard them downplayed or anything, it's just not part of the public liturgy at our parish. I don't pray them privately either, mostly because I'm such a new Catholic that they never really became a huge part of my prayer live anyway and I don't really miss them. And like others have said, if it's good enough for the saints for hundreds of years, it's good enough for me.

Or, to put it another way, I do not feel my soul will be lost if I do not incorporate those mysteries into my prayer life, so I keep it simple and pray the same prayers as my parish does.

newyorkcatholic · #8 Apr 10, '12, 10:31 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julia Mae

The whole Rosary is offered for our consideration, and it's no problem to never pray one. Also, that "prayers matching the psalms" thing is not historical, more coincidental.

Apples and oranges. Read what the Popes, including Bl. John Paul II, said about the rosary in general. Words like "should pray," "powerful," "daily," come to mind. It's not required but highly highly encouraged.

The Luminous Mysteries? Read what Bl. John Paul II wrote about it. It's not even "recommended" just "offered."

They are not on the same level at all.

Nothing against those that use them.

Oneofthewomen · #9 Apr 10, '12, 11:12 am

The rosary is not,and never has been a "required" prayer or part of public prayer of the Church. It is a private devotion, that one can choose to pray or not.

I, myself, found myself praying the rosary a lot more when JPII added the Luminous mysteries- meditating on the public acts of Jesus helps me to guide my own "public life".

As my spiritual director says-
"Pray as you can, not as you can't. What matters is that you pray!!

newyorkcatholic · #10 Apr 10, '12, 11:29 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oneofthewomen

The rosary is not,and never has been a "required" prayer or part of public prayer of the Church. It is a private devotion, that one can choose to pray or not.

Yes but there are many types of "not required."

Perhaps of those things not required, after Daily Mass and the Office, there is nothing more promoted than the Rosary. Taking the words of Our Lady in approved apparitions, the Rosary is even more emphasized than the Office, for the laity! (For clerics, obligations to the Office obviously are more important).

The Scapular promise requires the Rosary or the Little Office.
Most religious orders include a form of the rosary in their rule.

So the rosary is, yes, not required, but it's one of the most highly encouraged not-required devotions there is.

The luminous mysteries are not of the same character. We are free to use them, but if someone wants to pray and with the mind of the Church, after Mass, I'd definitely say the Rosary (with or without Luminous mysteries) and the Office (or Little Office) come next, along with contemplative prayer.

Novenas, other chaplets, Stations, are all wonderful things, but are not in the category of the Rosary.

Mintaka · #11 Apr 10, '12, 11:41 am

"Also, that "prayers matching the psalms" thing is not historical, more coincidental."

Nope, you're wrong there. Although there are many chaplet/Rosary systems to pray, the one most people know (the 150 one) was indeed designed to match up with the number of the Psalms. Monks and those who say the Office used to say all 150 in the course of the week, and many laypeople who could read or memorize the Psalms would do the same. Others would remember just the first line and pray that. But laypeople who couldn't would say 150 Our Fathers, or eventually, 150 Hail Marys or Glory Bes. The three decade, 150 bead Rosary is a combination of these practices. The development of meditating on various sets of Mysteries instead of the Christological meanings of the Psalms was also fairly late in the game, albeit still pretty early in the Middle Ages.

However, you can always take the extra 50 beads as representing various other things related to Christ, like Messianic prophecies outside the Psalms or canticles, and so forth.

OraLabora · #12 Apr 10, '12, 12:04 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mintaka

"Also, that "prayers matching the psalms" thing is not historical, more coincidental."

Nope, you're wrong there. Although there are many chaplet/Rosary systems to pray, the one most people know (the 150 one) was indeed designed to match up with the number of the Psalms. Monks and those who say the Office used to say all 150 in the course of the week, and many laypeople who could read or memorize the Psalms would do the same. Others would remember just the first line and pray that. But laypeople who couldn't would say 150 Our Fathers, or eventually, 150 Hail Marys or Glory Bes. The three decade, 150 bead Rosary is a combination of these practices. The development of meditating on various sets of Mysteries instead of the Christological meanings of the Psalms was also fairly late in the game, albeit still pretty early in the Middle Ages.

However, you can always take the extra 50 beads as representing various other things related to Christ, like Messianic prophecies outside the Psalms or canticles, and so forth.

A note about monks. It's not correct to say that they pray 150 psalms in a week. Those using the Benedictine Divine Office (schema A in the current usage) actually pray 225 psalms in a week (some minor variations are possible). Obviously there are many repetitions. However the Rule of St. Benedict gives individual monasteries the right to use a different schema provided at least 150 are said in a week.

OraLabora · #13 Apr 10, '12, 12:06 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by OraLabora

A note about monks. It's not correct to say that they pray 150 psalms in a week. Those using the Benedictine Divine Office (schema A in the current usage) actually pray 225 psalms in a week (some minor variations are possible). Obviously there are many repetitions. However the Rule of St. Benedict gives individual monasteries the right to use a different schema provided at least 150 are said in a week.

The Carthusians have a similar arrangement except that not all hours are said in choir.

corsair · #14 Apr 10, '12, 12:07 pm

I'm with GEddie on this issue.

thistle · #15 Apr 10, '12, 6:30 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

Hey everyone. Why do some traditional Catholics reject the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary? This is something I never understood.

I don't understand either. For me the Rosary was made complete by including the Luminous Mysteries which are about the public ministry of Christ. I like them.