October is a special month for devotion to the Blessed Mother. As such, I will be praying a daily rosary. That in and of itself is all fine and good, but being the daughter of a man that went through three years of seminary training, the niece of a woman with a PhD in Catholic Theology, and the great-niece of a nun, it isn't nearly enough. I started out just wanting to ask Tropers for prayer requests, because intercessory prayer is an awesome thing, and helping others makes me feel better.

I then decided that looking up applicable saints would be fun, and we've got one for just about everything! Even Ladies of the Night! And sharing that information would be fun as well, because frankly, these people have WAY COOL STORIES.

Then I started wanting to examine each mystery. I've got a month, and there are only 20 of them. So I added that to my list of things.

And then I read the Chick Tracts on Catholicism. THEY BURN! Now, I know that the man is not the average everyday bright crayon, let alone the brightest one in the box, but I figured while I'm at it, why not get questions out of the way? Even if I don't know the answer, chances are good one of the three adults mentioned above or for that matter my grandmother do.

So, prayer requests, go ahead and shoot me a PM and I'll find the applicable saints and go to town. As I mentioned before in Odd Confessions, if you don't feel like telling me what your intention is, just say "I have a special intention" and that'll be perfectly fine as well. You can also just leave it in the thread if you're so inclined. I'm just trying to keep you guys comfy.

Luminous mysteries are first, because they're the coolest they're what you pray on Thursdays.

This post will have Running Updates, and Skip To Links, so keep an eye out.

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The Mysteries of the Rosary

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The Prayers of the Rosary

edited 6th Oct '09 2:25:17 PM by Buttercupistiny

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

You had it right the first time, they are the coolest sounding.

*sits and listens quietly*

月を見るたび思い出せ

I've sent you a PM.

Yay! This is gonna be a fun month, I think.

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

Gotta commend you on your courage. You're the first Christian of any leaning (or follower of any faith for that matter) I've seen who puts their faith into practice on the TV Tropes forum. Makes me feel mildly ashamed.

Shame is overrated. To each their own.

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

I most of the time regret my ever-wavering faith...

Another Catholic...

edited 30th Sep '09 4:50:47 PM by vandro

Hey, I've been there too. Doubts and falling away come with the package. If you ever need to talk, I'm around.

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

Did you get my PM? I got it done very early.

Some writing.

Being, for want of a better term, non-denominational Christian (General Protestant is the closest I can relate to) I never had much exposure to how Roman Catholic plays out.

So my big question is how does this prayer ceremony work? I mean, I know the general concept of a prayer, but it seems this particular ceremony/observance/whatever-term-best-fits-as-it-doesn't-sound-like-a-holiday is quite a bit more official. I'm vaugely familiar with different saints and how they can cover different areas, but asking for prayers is... well, enlighten me. What kind of 'prayers' are you asking for? Is it general pray for less violence? Prosperity and Happiness? Less idiots driving slow in the fast lane?

I am curious.

Don't take life too seriously. It's only a temporary situation.

What exactly do you mean by Prayer Ceremony? I want to answer you as best I can.

The Rosary is just a pattern of prayers. The Apostles' Creed, Hail Marys, Our Fathers, Glory Bes, Our Lady of Fatimas, and a Hail Holy Queen. Used as a tool for reflection.

The saints are like friends, they're there to help you out. Just like you would ask your parents or a friend to pray for you, you're asking them to pray for you, and your intentions. Intercessory prayer is the proper terminology.

I was asking Tropers if they had anything they wanted prayed for, pretty much. When my grandmother and I pray, I'll keep their intentions in mind, along with my own.

What they choose to ask me to pray for is their choice, if they choose to tell me at all.

That doesn't seem very clear to me... Did it help any?

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

Partially that your praying certainly sounds a lot more official and organized then how I do them. Also your reference to October being particularly devout towards the Holy Mother. (Virgin Mary, I'm assuming) It sort of sounds like October is an official month of religious significance, akin to many religious holidays. (Stuff like Feast of Tabernacles, Day of Atonement, and so on.) Is October of special significance?

I know of Rosaries (Is that an accepted plural form?) and I've heard of Hail Marys. The physical Rosary is something like a string of beads, isn't it? And each bead represents the aforementioned prayers? Is each prayer scripted, so to say? And how long does each prayer go for? (A sentance? A few lines? Almost a full poem/song/few verses?)

One of the biggest differences between Catholic and Protestant, isn't it? I always pray directly to the Man Upstairs himself. I get what you mean by asking people to pray for me, though I've never done so myself.

I suppose I'm still a touch confused here as to what one would pray for. Then again, I suppose part of it is my divine caretaker view of God. I pray to confess sins, for mental comfort, and to help us deal with the tribulations of life, but praying to God to directly intervene in life (Money troubles, physical illness, etc.) is not something I believe in. But that's just me.

So yeah, what are examples of some things people would ask you to pray for? Stuff like a grandmother sick in hospital? A friend who'se devastated over a bitter breakup? Or if you prefer, aside from obvious sins, what are some thing people shouldn't ask prayers for? (Like the classic eight year old who prays for a new video game. God isn't Santa.)

Don't take life too seriously. It's only a temporary situation.

Okay, so thing about Catholicism is we also do ad-libbed impromptu prayer, but we've also got these official prayers as well. They're great for stopgaps when you want to pray but don't quite know what to say.

Blessed Mother, Holy Queen, Holy Mother, Our Lady, Virgin Mary, Many names, all the same woman.

October as a special time for devotion, I only just found out about. It's rather like Liturgical Time that way, the information is out there and available, but it doesn't mean everyone knows it. It's not listed as a period during Liturgical Time like Lent or Advent, or as a Holy Day, it just sorta is. Not quite official as "Everyone knows it" and not as obscure as say, a holy day for a random saint. Unlike parallels that can be drawn for say, Lent and Ramadan.

Rosaries is indeed the accepted plural, and yes, they are (at least typically) a string of beads. Each prayer represents a prayer (or prayers in the case of the "Our Father" beads) Each prayer is defined, and length varies, The shortest being the Glory Be, the longest... I'm not rightly sure of the word count. Probably the Hail Holy Queen or the Apostles' Creed. I'll hottip the Prayers in the First Post, so that they're there for reference.

We also pray directly to him, see the Our Father, The Apostles' Creed, The Prayer of the Virgin at Fatima, and the Glory Be. And, you know, most impromptu prayers.

Most things you listed in your penultimate and ultimate paragraph are usual requests. Direct intervention is often asked for, but it is never said that your prayer will be answered in the way you want. The answer may be no. In that sense, I think the golden rule applies. I mean, asking specifically for someone to fail or die? Not exactly the best course of action. As always, everyone is going to have their own beliefs about what does and does not qualify for an acceptable prayer request, and those differences are what make each of us unique. I respect your views, although mine are different.

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

Please tell me you're gonna do a section on All Hollows Eve and it's religious association.

EDIT: Curses! Having trouble finding the page on the holiday.

edited 30th Sep '09 7:13:19 PM by Sand Josieph

♥♥II'GSJQGDvhhMKOmXunSrogZliLHGKVMhGVmNhBzGUPiXLYki'GRQhBITqQrrOIJKNWiXKO♥♥

'Don't quite know what to say?' I can relate, actually. I've had prayers like that. 'I've confessed my sins, but otherwise life is just peachy. Sooo.... Amen?'

Just making sure. Thanks for clarifying.

Understood.

My apologies for misinterpreting, then. Actually, from what you said earlier, you don't 'pray' to saints as much as you ask them to pray on your behalf, right? This is probably my biggest mis(?)conception about Catholicism.

Oh, true enough on praying for ill will on others. I felt that was self-explanitory enough not to mention. I suppose the way you were requesting prayers kind of threw me off. Not what I'm used to. But like I've said, I haven't had a lot of experience with Catholicism, aside from knowing about the Pope and that Priests are celibate.

I respect yours as well, milady. I fully believe in respecting all beliefs. I was about to comment on not liking those that promote hate, or cram their religion down my throat, but my issues are with the individual in those cases, not their faith.

Indeed, I thank you for answering my questions. Always nice to learn about other faiths, even ones fairly close to my own particular denomination.

Don't take life too seriously. It's only a temporary situation.

Do we have a page for just Halloween? And if we do, is it about the holiday or the films?

Anyway, if asked, I usually say that I'm an agnostic. But when I think about it myself, I'm more of a "religious swinger." I do have a distict belief in the supernatural, but it's very nonspecific. I'll usually accept supernatural aid/prayer/ritual from just about anywhere, though. If nothing else, the good wishes generally help me.

So here's my random question: Who are the Saints of Students? (I'm guessing there's more than one, randomly.) Is there one specifically for college/university students?

"Proto-Indo-European makes the damnedest words related. It's great. It's the Kevin Bacon of etymology." ~Madrugada

It's about the films, which makes me sad.

♥♥II'GSJQGDvhhMKOmXunSrogZliLHGKVMhGVmNhBzGUPiXLYki'GRQhBITqQrrOIJKNWiXKO♥♥

PRECISELY!

Yes, Sand, I will be covering All Souls Day. That's November 1st, though.

Freezair, I actually looked them up for applicable saints and they are as follows: St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Catherine of Alexandria for students; St. Ambrose and St. Acca for learning, and St. Brigid for scholars.

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

Again, I say, I am enlightened. As I said, that was probably my biggest misconception about Roman Catholicism. As well as one of my larger issues with it. (Relatively speaking.)

Another question, you ask for Private Messages for prayer requests. Is this something official, as in prayers are supposed to be kept in confidence? Or just an option for those that'd prefer to keep their prayers personal, but otherwise it isn't a requirement?

Don't take life too seriously. It's only a temporary situation.

Nah, nothing official. Just trying to keep people comfy.

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

If it helps, think of praying to God and "praying to the saints" as asking your mom if you can go on a sleepover at your friend's (praying to God) and asking your friend and his mom to ask your mom as well ("praying" to the saints.)

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

That's the best explanation I've heard for those that don't understand prayer meetings Maddy Thank you!

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

Here's one for you. I want you to pray (in reverse order):

6. For me and my big problems 5. That my sister gets help with getting to college 4. That my mom's job goes well. 3. That my dad's job becomes easier for him. 2. That the pains and troubles of other tropes who are not willing to say them become eased. 1. That your pains and troubles are eased twofold, Buttercup.

How's that for some prayer requests?

Behold, a life ruined by Tropes retroactively.

Consider all but the first done. Boy, you made me cry once already today. I will poke you to bits on Saturday. Just you wait.

For future reference, Alchemy Prime has known me IRL since lesse, 2004, if not 2003.  ^{don't bring it into the thread}

edited 1st Oct '09 1:40:11 AM by Buttercupistiny

‎"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."

I already PM'd you my stuff. And I think it's cool you're doing this. The Catholic religion seems a lot different than Lutheran, but it's all Christianity, right? Can you pray for me to have strength for those who depend on me and to strengthen my faith in God too while you're at it?

Yeah, some of the least poetic sentences I've ever written and they're about religion. How does that work?

You're looking for this person.