We live in a society that loathes the very thought of the dreaded four-letter word–work. Naturally, it brings to mind painful images of labor and toil and can even send a proverbial shudder up the spine. We are constantly searching for quick fixes, looking to take the easy road to accomplish our tasks–whatever they may be. Oftentimes, our spiritual lives are no different. We do not want to make the effort to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12), nor do we want to take the time to be diligent in spiritual matters, giving ourselves wholly to them (1 Tim 4:15). We would rather take the easy road instead of constantly fighting the good fight. Nevertheless, there just might be hope for those who are struggling with sin and are looking for a fast remedy–at least that is what one leading Roman Catholic apologist is claiming. James Swan at Alpha and Omega Ministries has posted a blog in which he points out one possible solution from Patrick Madrid, in which Madrid recently announced that to pray the Rosary is the "strongest weapon outside the sacraments that we have to combat mortal sin."
So, for those of you who are not familiar with how to pray the Rosary the steps are conveniently listed below:
1. Make the sign of the cross and say the Apostles Creed.
2. Say the Our Father.
3. Say three Hail Marys.
4. Say the Glory be to the Father.
5. Announce the First Mystery; then say the Our Father.
6. Say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery.
7. Say the Glory be to the Father.
8. Announce the Second Mystery; then say the Our Father. Repeat steps 6 and 7 and continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.
9. After the Rosary:
HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
- V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Now, if praying the Rosary has helped you overcome your sin, there is no need to read any further. However, if you have prayed the Rosary and still find yourself in the same predicament there might be a better–more biblical answer to the problem of sin than simply praying to "the Holy Queen". I would submit to you that there are no easy-steps to take to eradicate sin. It is going to take hard work and personal determination to be victorious, but that victory will only come when we first accomplish what we are commanded to do–that is, to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 9:28). The real issue is our pursuit of holiness. If we are faithful in that endeavor, our victory over sin will inevitably follow as a by-product. So, in order to be conformed to the image of Christ there are several things we should remember:
1. We must recognize that our when we sin, we do so against God. David lamented, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned" (Ps 51:4). He had a God-centered attitude towards sin, and he realized that he was not being obedient towards God. David was not concerned with a personal victory against iniquity. Rather, he was more interested in doing what was pleasing to God.
2. We must recognize that true faith produces fruit. Too many Christians get ensnared in easy-believism. They think they can recite the sinner’s prayer or profess the name of Jesus and live however they want. The reality is that believers are commanded to make their calling and election sure (2 Pet 1:10).
3. We must view sin for what it is. It is easy to place sin into two categories: those that are reprehensible and should be avoided and those that are permissible. It is easy to get caught-up in thinking that something is "no big deal", but the reality is that God takes sin seriously.
I wish victory over sin were as easy as reciting the Rosary. However, that idea is more an abiblical–it is unbiblical. Matthew 1:21 tell us that God will save his people from their sins. This is more than the mere promise of God saving us from the penalty of death. It is also a promise that he will deliver us from the power of sin and eventually from the presence of sin by taking us from this world. We do not look to other fallen creatures for spiritual help. The Lord has told us what to do to overcome sin–to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. When we accomplish that, we will see the victory against our fallen nature take place and it will be because of the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit. We will overcome sin because we are becoming more Christ-like and not because of anything we did for ourselves.
