An Argument for Repetitive Prayers

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. – Matthew 6:7

One of the unique aspects of Christian history is the long tradition of repeating certain prayers over and over again.  Eastern Christianity has always emphasized the importance of The Jesus Prayer and repeating it using a prayer rope.  Western Christianity has the tradition of the rosary and more recently the divine mercy chaplet.  The aftermath of the Protestant Reformation largely included dismissing these types of prayer.  Given what Jesus says above in Matthew 6:7, how can Christians defend these types of repetitive prayers? 

I have had two unique experiences recently that cemented in my mind the unique and powerful experience of repetitive phrases and prayers.  The first happened during the birth of my first son.  My wife chose to do a natural birth without the use of an epidural, and as you can imagine, that is no small decision.  It was her first birth, meaning the labor process is usually longer than normal, and there is no pain medication to ease the labor contractions.  During the entire labor process, I was right by her side supporting her and caring for her.  I had several phrases that I would have her repeat after me in between contractions to support and strengthen her, and give her hope. Some of these included “I can do this”, “I am strong”, “I can do anything for 60 seconds (the average time of a contraction)”.  There were times when she wanted to quit and give up and didn’t think she could do it, but these simple phrases said over and over again during labor gave her the strength and confidence she needed to give birth without using an epidural. Labor was incredibly intense, so all of her focus was dedicated to it and she didn’t have the brain power to keep coming up with inspirational thoughts.  It was these simple, repetitive phrases that were crucial during the process.

The other experience has involved rocking our son to sleep at night.  Early in the newborn phase it can be very difficult to pray.  It can be hard to find the time to set aside to pray, and being constantly tired, it can be hard to even enter into prayer.  What I started to do was that while rocking Joseph to sleep at night I would say the rosary or divine mercy chaplet.  During this time, whenever I would try to rock him to sleep and have a simple, prayerful conversation with God, it was so difficult because I was really tired and couldn’t concentrate at all.  However, when I started to pray the rosary and say these standard prayers that I have said so many times before, it was so much easier for me to concentrate, and thus allowed me to reflect on the mysteries of the rosary and meditate on these events in the life of Jesus and enter into deeper prayer.  These repetitive prayers helped me concentrate and focus, which seemed almost impossible at the time, thus allowing me to enter more deeply into meditative prayer. 

In fact, we see this concept in many areas of society.  Therapists will have people say simple phrases over and over again when they are overly anxious in order to help them relax.  Athletes have their own phrases and sayings that they will repeat in order to calm their nerves and help them concentrate.

I would argue that we need both personal and standard prayers. Obviously personal prayer is so important for having a relationship with God.  What kind of friendship would it be if the only time you communicated you said the same things over and over again?  What if you never said what was on your heart and mind and never took the time to listen so they could speak back?  But repetition of the standard prayers is also important for us as human beings.  This could be one the reasons that Jesus taught us the Our Father (a standard prayer).  Our fallen human nature is such that sometimes it can be difficult to concentrate and meditate and we may need help to initiate the process.  This is where prayers like the rosary, divine mercy chaplet, and the Jesus prayer come into play.  Take the rosary for example.  It is a repetition of certain prayers (all biblical) for the purpose of meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, which involve events in the life of Jesus and Mary. 

So how does the rosary not violate what Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:7 as quoted above?  I think there are two main reasons for this.  Firstly, we need to understand what exactly it is that Jesus is condemning.  Catholic Answers highlights this well noting, 

“The Greek word translated “vain repetition” is battalogeo, which can mean to speak in a stammering way, saying the same words over and over again without thinking. But it can also mean “to use many words, to speak for a long time.” So it can connote either mindless repetition or quantity.  Which meaning does Jesus have in mind?  The context reveals that Jesus has the quantity of prayers in mind. For example, Jesus says in verse 7, “For they [the Gentiles] think that they will be heard for their many words,” as if their many words could wear down the gods in order to get what they wanted. This is the mentality of prayer that Jesus is telling his disciples to avoid—the mentality that sheer volume of words ensures that God hears us.  This explains why Jesus says in verse 8, “Don’t be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” The implication is that it’s futile to think a bunch of words is needed for God to hear a prayer, because he already knows it.  So, Jesus is not concerned with repetition simply. He’s concerned with the idea that simply multiplying words makes prayers efficacious.”

The second reason gets to the heart of these prayers.  The entire point of praying the rosary is not to repeat certain prayers but to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ.  Pope Paul VI in discussing devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary states, 

“Namely the element of contemplation. Without this the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation is in danger of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas and of going counter to the warning of Christ: “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Mt. 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord.”

I think this is an area where Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians can all come together and find greater common ground.  Deep and intimate relationships are always multi-faceted and so it should be in our relationship with God.