I write this post as a former Roman Catholic, and as one who has forever stopped praying the Roman Catholic Rosary. For those of you who are not familiar with the Rosary, the Rosary is a set of beads, each bead representing a prayer. The majority of those beads represent a prayer well known as the “Hail Mary” and there are 53 “Hail Mary’s” on each bead set of 5 decades. There are also larger beads which would represent the Lord’s prayer (Our Father) but there are only 6 of them on the rosary. There is a crucifix on the end, and the “Apostles Creed” would be said on that, and there are also “Glory Be” prayers that are said on that Rosary.
Rosary Beads are big sellers in Roman Catholic stores, and they are made out of different materials including plastic, wood, glass and various metals. Some Rosary bead sets can even glow in the dark, and I owned a pair of them. People are taught to pray the Hail Mary at a very young age, and though they may not attend a Catholic Church for years, they will still remember the Hail Mary prayer. You will often hear the Hail Mary prayed in its entirety at Roman Catholic wakes inside the funeral parlour. Often the prayer is led by the local Catholic Priest. He will pray the first part which goes like this: “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou, amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.” The Roman Catholics who are in attendance will then respond with the second part of the Hail Mary, which is as follows: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death, Amen.” This would continue until all 5 decades of the Rosary were said, and it would often sound like a chant, as the Priest did his part and we did our part. It kind of made me feel good, to rattle off all my Hail Mary’s along with the rest of the people, but it never gave me any spiritual help at all in my life!
I have prayed the Hail Mary, thousands of times. I can remember praying that prayer at Roman Catholic wakes and funerals, hoping that the person who died would not suffer too long in Purgatory. I would hope that Mary would remember me at the time of my own death. Jesus was not even part of the equation in my prayers to Mary. She was the one who I called upon, and she was the one that the Catholic Priests taught me to call upon at the hour of my death. The Lord Jesus Christ set me free from the darkness of Roman Catholicism, with it’s false Gospel more than 25 years ago, and millions are still being seduced and deceived in our day. Not only that, but multitudes of Christian churches have joined in unity with that false religious system, even though Rome continues to preach her false gospel. Keep in mind that multitudes of true Christians were tortured and burnt to ashes defending the TRUE Gospel against Rome’s false gospel! They have totally ignored the warning from the Jewish apostle Paul who refused to be a man-pleaser unlike many of the modern day ministers.
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:8-10)
Many are afraid of offending other “big name Christians” whose ministries are known around the world. Could it be that they are receiving funding from the compromisers, and do not want to lose that funding, should they speak out? God only knows if that is the case, but if it is I surely pity them. Many “leaders” of large churches (not just the name-it, claim-it people) own multi million dollar homes, which were purchased by the profits that they have made. Do you think that they want to bring any hatred or persecution their way, that might upset their lavish lifestyle? I do not think so! Where are the TRUE men of God in our modern day. Folks this is absolute SPIRITUAL INSANITY! Thousands (millions?) of men, and women of God have sacrificed their very lives, fighting against the false teachings of Rome, while modern day “preachers” join hands with them, and even praise them!
Enter: The Real Jesus Christ
Many years later, I came to know the real Jesus Christ, and I realized and understood that Jesus was all that I ever needed. When I was born again of the Spirit of the living God, I knew that the real Mary never even heard one of my thousands of “Hail Mary” prayers. I can remember sitting at my kitchen table, when the Lord gave me a mental picture of all the ceremonies that I had attended as a Roman Catholic, along with all the pomp and circumstance that goes with it, and the Lord flooded my heart with His joy. He showed me that all of the ceremony and pomp, was not necessary, but that SALVATION was by SIMPLE FAITH in HIM, and it was FREE! The Lord showed me in such a sweet way, that He was all I needed, that He was the one that saved my soul. I was truly amazed at His mercy toward me, and I knew that He truly did forgive me of my sins. Folks, that is the salvation of Jesus Christ, and it is real!
As a new born again believer in Jesus Christ, I had a new found love for the Bible, and I could not put that book down. I read scriptures such as the passage below, and I wondered why they never taught these scriptures to me during the Catholic Mass. I understood clearly that I could be SAVED through JESUS, and I knew that Mary had absolutely NOTHING to do with the SALVATION of my soul! I also knew that there were millions upon millions of precious Roman Catholic people who were as DECEIVED as I was! I also knew that there were multitudes of famous Pastors and Preachers who never spoke out against the FALSE TEACHINGS of Rome, for FEAR of persecution, and FEAR of losing their own “worldly” reputation. May the Lord open their eyes to their own wickedness, before it is too late!
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6-10)
That passage of scripture is still one of my favorites because it says so much. What great comfort there is for us all, in knowing that Jesus Christ died for the UNGODLY (all of us). That includes every person in the entire world (including Mary herself). That is one of the hardest things for people to come to terms with, and that is what will keep them out of Heaven also. They never come to the place where they see themselves as UNGODLY in the sight of God.
As a Roman Catholic, I would rattle off my Hail Mary’s one after another, hoping that Mary would come to the rescue, but there was never a drop of peace or assurance that she would!
I would often see images and statues with a BIG “Mary” holding a little baby “Jesus” in her arms, or perhaps a little “baby Jesus” resting in a manger at Christmas time. I had a distorted image of the real Jesus Christ. I did not realize that Mary was a sinner in need of salvation just like the rest of us. I was taught that Mary was a mediator between man and God, but that is nothing but a man-made counterfeit teaching from the “church” of Rome.
When I was born again of the Spirit, I knew that Jesus Christ was in fact the Son of God, and part of the eternal triune Godhead! I knew that He came down from Heaven because of His love for mankind. I knew that Jesus created ALL things!
I knew that it was HIS BLOOD, and HIS BLOOD alone that JUSTIFIED me in the sight of a Holy and Righteous God. I also knew that I did not need a Roman Catholic priest to transfigure a Eucharist Host into Christ Himself, and to perform the sacrifice of the Mass for me either. I knew that I was redeemed, and SAVED from the WRATH OF GOD, by what Christ did for me on the cross. The Rosary Beads along with Catholic crucifixes went outside in a large green Hefty bag, never to return. The Lord had saved my soul, and I am forever grateful for His mercy toward me to this day.
There are still millions of Roman Catholics who faithfully pray the Rosary every single day, many even claiming to be born again. I came through the Roman Catholic Charismatic movement before leaving the Catholic Church, and my worship of Mary actually intensified. I attended Catholic Healing Masses for over two years and the Rosary was often prayed throughout the service, which often lasted several hours. Songs similar to what you would hear in Christian Evangelical Services would be sung, but the Rosary would be prayed, and the Roman Catholic Priest would still do his thing, and transform the Eucharist host into the “actual body of Jesus Christ” through transubstantiation. That is another one of the Roman Catholic false teachings that has deceived billions over the centuries, and for which many were burnt at the stake for rejecting. (I love them for standing for truth) I encourage all other Roman Catholic people to lay down your Rosary beads and to repent and believe the true Gospel of Jesus Christ! Experience the TRUE SALVATION which is found in Jesus Christ!
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