New-Age-Center

Devotion to the rosary is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality. Pope John Paul II placed rosary devotions at the very center of Christian spirituality and called them "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."

From a historical perspective, the growth of rosary devotions built on the

desire to focus on a central theme with the help of a universal prayer formula,

building on the biblical exhortations for constant prayer, e.g. as in Luke and Luke .

Following the establishment of the first rosary confraternities in the fifteenth century, the devotion to the rosary spread rapidly throughout Europe. From the sixteenth century onwards, rosary recitations often involved "picture texts" that assisted meditation. Such imagery continues to be used to assist in rosary meditations.

Saints and popes have emphasized the meditative and contemplative elements of the rosary and provided specific teachings for how the rosary should be prayed, for instance the need for "''focus'', ''respect'', ''reverence'' and ''purity of intention''" during rosary recitations and contemplations.


Adapted from the Wikipedia article Rosary devotions and spirituality, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki