Is Praying the Holy Rosary a Pagan Practice?

Catholics don’t regard Mama Mary as a goddess who has a power of her own. In Luke 1:43, she acknowledges God as the Savior. Nevertheless, Catholics do believe when she said, “"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Luke 1:46) which strengthens our belief that Mary’s soul is still very much alive, and still magnifies the Lord, which is a very significant and holy thing. She was chosen by God the Father to be the living tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, to contain the “Word Made Flesh”. The Son of God Himself was obedient to Mary (Luke 2:51). If IT’s good enough for Jesus to be obedient to Mary, then it’s likewise for His servants. No servant is greater than his Master. (John 13:16). Jesus said, that we shall know a tree by its fruit (Luke 6:44) and Jesus is the fruit of Mary’s womb (Luke 1:42) which means that she, while not divine, was absolutely created and remained pure and holy, because a rotten tree cannot bear good fruit.

Saying the Hail Mary prayer is not worshiping Mary. “To pray” means “to ask” not “to worship”. Catholics who say the Hail Mary do not worship Mary, any more than Gabriel did when he says "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28) and Elizabeth did when she said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:42).

Praying the Holy Rosary which is repetitious is not considered to be sinful but is Biblical in nature identical to that in Revelation 4:8 which says, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come" which is repetitive. Vain prayer to false pagan gods and not praying from the heart is the one that is illicit in Matthew 6:7. Telling Mary that we love her and asking for her help and intercession is what is commanded by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1 as acceptable and good in the sight of God, which is similar to professing love for one’s spouse over and over again.

Conjuring up dead people is prohibited in Deuteronomy 18:10 which is an occultic practice; but saying the Hail Mary is not trying to conjure her up to obtain secret information like what Saul did (12 Samuel 28:7) . Jesus Himself talked to the very “dead” Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17:2-3), so it’s not immoral to talk to them who have departed, because Jesus never committed a sin and talked to dead people. Matthew 22:32 says, “He is not the God of the dead but of the living" which means that people in heaven like Mary are not dead, but alive in Christ. People who pray to Mary are only asking for her to pray to Jesus ‘with them”. Mary is not “between” us and God, but rather “alongside” of us in her prayers. Mary was not only the first Christian but likewise the first Evangelist.

All souls ever created are alive somewhere. Only Atheists believe that dead people are no longer alive. Dead in the body is not dead in the soul. Matthew 22:32 tells us that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Luke 20:36 discloses that Saints in heaven are equal to the Angels, and we all know Angels can hear and intercede for us and are God’s messengers as well. Revelation 12 says that John sees Mama Mary in Heaven. Revelation 12:17 says that we are Mary’s children (spiritually like he was, in John 19:27), if we heed the Commandments and bear testimony to Jesus. 2 Peter 1:4 says that People in heaven become partakers in the divine nature, and that would include hearing prayers. 1 Corinthian 6:17 says, “But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him,” and “no one” was more united to Christ than Mary who was His living Holy Tabernacle for 9 months here on earth and who Gabriel said is “full of grace” and “The Lord id with you.” This is why Mary was chosen by Jesus to be His entry point onto the earth. Mary was not full of grace because she bore Jesus for 9 months; she bore Jesus for 9 months because she was already full of grace therefore there is no room for sin in her body or soul.

We should go straight to Jesus in Prayer. But James also says that “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (James 5:16). No one on earth can be as righteous as anyone in heaven, and Mary is certainly in heaven. We should also be reminded that our prayers are presented to God by the Saints and Angels in the form of incense (Revelation 5:8 and 8:3. They can pray for us day and night, even when we are asleep and can’t pray for ourselves. The devil never sleeps and neither do the Saints in heaven.

Jesus not Mary is our Mediator between God the Father and this was accomplished in the Cross, and is on-going today. Hebrew 9:14-15 says that Jesus is the one Mediator of the New Covenant, not prayer. Mary leads us to Jesus, who will then lead us to God our Father. Mary’s intercession is similar when we intercede for our loved ones. Simply put it, Saints in heaven share in Christ’s mediation, just like parents sharing life with their children.

Praying the Rosary is more than just repeating the words of Gabriel (Hail Mary full of Grace) and Elizabeth's "Blessed are thou among women" from Scripture. In here, we also meditate the "20 Mysteries which center to the Messianic Life of Jesus on earth. Saying the Rosary is pondering the life of Christ with Mary.