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catholicindulgence

Asking EWTN about “Recitation”

EWTN provides, on their radio station, a program called : Open Line Wednesday

In this show the question was asked about the term "recitation" regarding indulgences. This is the transcript:


Min 16:40


  • Hello!

-Hi, what can we do for you?

  • So I have been studying indulgences, studying up on them, and of course there’s always little questions that pop up. So I thought Id ask one of those little questions today. While praying, especially when praying the rosary, it says you have to recite these prayers or recite the rosary. Now for all the definitions I look up, “recitation” seems to imply verbal. So do we have to say the rosary out loud in order for it to apply for a plenary indulgence, or what’s the case on that?

-Well it depends. There’s one plenary indulgence where you pray the rosary in a group and that would be out loud. I mean...

  • Yah, of course!

-Yah. *laughs* When would you start the next part of the Hail Mary unless you hear it from other people? So that would be out loud. But other times... a lot of times I’m whispering it in different places because I’m not the only person in the room. When I’m sometimes at church praying my rosary, and there other people doing their own prayers. It’s not my roll to say ‘Aye, I’m gotta do this out loud so ya’ll just deal with it!” No, no, no, you have to be polite and respectful of everybody doing their own prayers

  • I’ve been there for that, by the way...

-Yes

  • ...When folks have done that. *laughs*

-Yes! *laughs* No, no, no... so we just use prudence about, you know, how loud you are saying it. And if you’re praying the rosary in your car you can shout it from… well don’t get on the roof.

  • *laughs* Not while your driving.

-I was going to say on the roof tops, but you can shout it if you’re staying in the car by yourself. And I recommend praying the rosary when you drive, as I’ve said many times: It’s a much better thing to do with your fingers then what some of the other drivers are doing with theirs. So, you know, praying while you drive is a good idea, and praying for some of those other drivers who are using sign language... this *laughs* and red faces and anger. This would be the kind of thing you would do. The Church does want us to be prudent and never, never superstitions. That’s like, you know, you’ve got to stand on your one leg and hop, no no no! This is about prayer and communicating with the Lord and with the saints

  • Does that help?

  • I think so because, I mean, I used to pray the rosary in my car, but I would just pray it in my head…

-Yah!

  • ...so I guess my question would just be can you pray it in your head? Is that still considered reciting or?

-Sure! I do that a lot. Typically I’m moving… I don’t even notice it, but other people have notice it. I’m usually moving my lips as I pray. Even if I’m not speaking loudly, but I’m moving my lips. I do that… as a matter of fact there’s a great line in St. Augustine, one of his letters I think it is, where it said, ‘Yah, that guy was reading and he wasn’t even moving his lips!’ *laughs* as he read. That’s totally optional. Use your sense, and keep the focus on prayer as communicating with God rather then, you know, some mechanics of prayer that you want to use for some other reason.


Provided Here is the link to a youtube video of this conversation. The whole hour show is good to listen to, but this transcript is taken from the conversation, starting at Minute 16:40


Topics discussed:


0:00 EWTN News Nightly Headlines & Introduction

3:10 St. Theresa Benedicta

13:50 Book: Light to all Nations by Fr. Brian Mullady

16:40 Reciting the rosary regarding Indulgences – praying out loud

20:30 Proofs of Christ’s establishment of the Catholic Church – tracing historical linage

29:10 Greek terminology - John 14:27 as a command

35:20 Vatican 1 reason and summery – book recommendations

40:10 Release from Spells – Divine mercy

46:00 “All the words of this life” (Acts 5:17-20) – Faith as a way of Life

51:50 Explaining “Lead us not into temptation”


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