Praying the Rosary is a largely Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is a series of prayers designed to have the praying soul ponder “the Great Mysteries” of Jesus’ life. Of course, it is much more than that to believers in the power of the Rosary. But for everyday Christians, are there any reasons to pray the rosary daily? Is this in line with your beliefs?

The Rosary, when capitalized, refers to a series of specific prayers recited in their proper order. It starts with a few introductory prayers, then has four repetitions of 12 prayers, followed by a final invocation. The rosary, when not capitalized, refers to a knotted or beaded string to help you keep track of where you are in your Rosary. Each prayer is represented by a knot or bead. You hold a bead when you pray and move to the next as you go on to the next prayer.

It is an excellent method to practice the spiritual practice of discipline. There is some time involved. Many devoted Rosary followers will kneel during the entire Rosary. The Rosary is not interrupted by cell phones or other distractions.

Praying the Rosary alone offers a method of spiritual isolation or solitude. Concentrating on the beads and the repetition of the prayers can cause the outside world to drift away. It offers the feeling of closeness to God… or to Mary.

Which brings us to the biggest conflict protestants and evangelicals have when asked if there are any reasons to pray the Rosary daily. Is this in line with your beliefs as a Christian who bases your faith on the Bible? The Rosary’s most constant prayer is the Hail Mary. When Catholics pray the Rosary, they are praying to Mary.

This venerates Jesus’ mother the same as how Catholics venerate certain saints. It is not in tune with most protestant and evangelical standards of faith which basically says we have a direct line to Jesus, so use it. There is no reason to pray to anyone else or to think anyone else’s prayers have more power than ours.

One of my friends, who happens to be a rabbi at a New York synagogue, takes me to task on that. “The Catholics have it all figured out. If you want a Jewish man to do something for you, have his mother ask him. There was no chance Jesus wasn’t going to make more wine appear at that Cana wedding once his mother brought it up.”

Indeed, that is the main reason Catholics pray the Rosary. They trust Mary will carry the message to Jesus and have Him intercede in whatever matter they are focused on. But that is not all. The Catholics have many titles for Mary, including The Lady of Fatima. According to Catholic tradition, Mary visited three young girls in Fatima, Portugal 100 years ago. She warned them of all the evils coming to the world and told them to have everyone pray the rosary daily to head them off.

Admittedly, if I had an angel or an apparition who let me know she was Jesus’ mother tell me to walk on my hands the rest of my life to be saved, I’d probably be typing this with my toes. But none has yet and the Bible is very clear about how to pray. It is also clear about to Whom to pray.

Can it hurt? Are there reasons to pray the Rosary daily? It offers a template to follow that can enhance discipline and allow you to experience isolation with Christ or Mary. The idea and purpose are worthy of our time. But if praying to Mary is not in line with your faith, maybe substituting a personal prayer in place of the Hail Mary is something that can allow you to enhance your faith life using the rosary technique. Or you can simply take time each day to pray in solitude in the manner which is appropriate to your relationship with Jesus.