Why do Catholics pray the Rosary instead of just reading the Bible?

One hundred years ago this month the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, appeared for a sixth and decisive time to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal on Oct. 13 asking our now newly-canonized Saints Jacinta and Francesco and their cousin Lucia to do acts of penance and to pray the Holy Rosary to bring an end to World War I and to prevent further disasters in the world.
 
She asked that at the end of each mystery of the Rosary, the faithful would all pray, “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of thy Mercy.” During this last apparition, Our Blessed Mother produced an incredible miracle that tens of thousands of people, believers and nonbelievers alike, saw with their own eyes, the amazing Miracle of the Sun. But, why would Our Lady use such a momentous occasion to ask the children and all the faithful to pray the Rosary? Some might ask why Our Lady didn’t tell them to read the Bible? Isn’t reading the Bible more important than praying the Rosary?
 
To best respond to this question, one must be aware that the Bible and the Rosary are not opposed to each other, they’re not mutually exclusive. Without the Word of God there would be no Rosary, and praying the Rosary only magnifies the Word of God in the soul.
 
In fact, the prayers of the Rosary find their very source and meaning in the Bible. The 20 mysteries of the Rosary are meditations on events or teachings found in the Bible. All three essential prayers prayed on the beads of the rosary use words that are written or find their roots in sacred Scripture. The “Our Father” prayed at the beginning of each mystery are the words of the prayer Christ Himself taught His disciples (Matt. 6:9-13). The “Hail Mary” is the most common prayer in the Rosary and begins with the words of greeting to the Virgin Mary from the Archangel Gabriel and her cousin St. Elizabeth (Luke 1:28, 42). The Third prayer known as the “Glory Be” has its roots in the book of Revelation 4:8. 
 
The Holy Rosary makes absolutely NO obstacle to the Word of God. In fact, the Rosary makes the Word of God more apparent and allows us to fathom it depths and allows the soul to commune with The Word Himself. The Rosary doesn’t prevent the Word of God any more than plates or silverware prevent one from eating a meal. The Rosary places NO obstacle to the Word of God any more than a telescope obstructs an astronomer’s view of the heavens.
 
On Sept. 30, the Church celebrates the feast day of one of her greatest Scripture scholars St. Jerome. Perhaps the most significant remark he made about the Scriptures was “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ!”
 
Saint Jerome was not mincing words. It is our duty as Christians to know the sacred Scriptures because understanding them is essential to knowing Jesus Christ. But, reading only the Scriptures does not mean I know Christ. Memorizing passages of Scripture and reciting them chapter and verse for all to hear may be a good practice, but it does not necessarily make one holy. Holiness can only come from Christ, and Christ can only be found in prayer. 
 
The Rosary simply and powerfully achieves this by the intercession of Our Mother Mary who knows Christ better than those who wrote the Bible. By pondering the Word of God with His Mother, we begin to know Christ.
 
We need the intercession of the Blessed Mother as much now as we did 100 years ago when she appeared to the young children at Fatima. She will show us her Son, the Word of God. Pray the Rosary every day.
 
Ave Maria!
 
Fr. Gardner is pastor of St. Peter in Fort Yates and the Catholic Indian Mission, as well as the satellite parishes in Cannon Ball, Porcupine, Selfridge and Solen. If you have a question you were afraid to ask, now is the time to ask it! Simply email your question to [email protected] with the “Question Afraid to Ask” in the subject line.