THE ROSARY -- A SPIRITUALITY, NOT ONLY A PRAYER

Introduction

Today is October 1 and a First Saturday of the month. The month of the Holy Rosary this year begins with a First Saturday, a day we specially devote to the Blessed Mother. By divine design we are invited to turn our thoughts on the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary on this very first day of October.

By way of personal witnessing, please allow me to begin from the home I was born into and spent my childhood years. I remember growing up in a family that prayed the rosary together; and true enough, it remained a family that stayed together, as the Venerable Servant of God Fr. Patrick Peyton used to day, until we, the children in that family, left home either to raise our own family or, as in my case, to enter the seminary. No matter what we were doing, everything stops at 8:00 in the evening and we would gather around our family altar to pray the rosary. And quite often, interesting shows on television began or were half-way by 8:00 in the evening; thus, giving an element of little sacrifice for us in praying the rosary together. We never questioned that religious practice by my family. We were simply born into it. As we grew up, we felt a day was not complete without a rosary. When the time for my father to pass away came in 1998, it happened while he was praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, after praying the rosary, with my mother at 3:00 in the afternoon on a First Friday. Today, each time we visit my father’s grave, we are once again gathered to pray both the Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy – two of the prayers deeply cherished by my family. The first, the Holy Rosary, is a loving remembrance of our growing up years in home that produced a priest-son while the second, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, is a pious reminder of the prayer that my father’s lips uttered before he breathed his last. Praying together continue to unite our family even beyond the death of my father.

The Holy Rosary is one of the most popular and loved prayers among Catholics. Almost as soon as we know the basic prayers – the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Trinitarian Doxology – even a child can already pray the Holy Rosary. A child who is well versed in these basic prayers and already knows the Salve Regina can even lead the praying of the Holy Rosary. Because it is trained to pray and love the rosary early in life, a child receives its first Mariology not through a lecture but through prayer. Through the rosary, a young boy or girl is catechized on the mysteries of our salvation and on the role of Mary as Christ’s first and perfect disciple. This is undoubtedly good religious education for the young, something that even Catholic schools cannot give them on a day-to-day basis.

Through this reflection, let us answer three questions concerning the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. First is about its origin. Second is about the two documents of the Church on the Holy Rosary: Marialis Cultus and Rosarium Virginis Mariae by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, respectively. And third is about the spirituality of the Holy Rosary.

The Origin of the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary

Our present form of the rosary developed in Carthusian monasteries in the Middle Ages as a substitute for the Divine Office for the lay monks and devout lay persons who were illiterate. Instead of reading from the 150 psalms, they would pray 150 “Our Fathers” as they count them on a ring of beads known as the corona (“crown”). By the 12th century, as Marian devotion grew and became popular, the 150 “Our Fathers” were substituted by 150 “Hail Marys”. It was then called the “Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary”.

Subsequently, a young Dominican Friar, Henry Kalkar, divided the 150 “Hail Marys” into 15 decades, with each decade devoted to an event in the life of Jesus and Mary. Ananus de Rupe, another Dominican, further divided the episodes in the history of salvation into the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries. He likewise attributed the origin of the Rosary, then known as the “Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, to St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers, commonly called the “Dominicans”; thus, making the propagation of the praying of the Holy Rosary a special apostolate of the Dominicans.

But how did October become the month of the Most Holy Rosary?

October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary primarily because the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary is celebrated annually on the 7th of October.

But why is the 7th of October the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary?

The Most Holy Rosary was a form of prayer entrusted by the Blessed Mother to St. Dominic de Guzman as an aid in the conflicts with the Albigensians. Years after St. Dominic’s death, the rosary continued to be a popular prayer for protection and victory of the Church against heretics. On October 7, 1571, the Christian forces were almost losing the battle with the infidels at Lepanto. Pope Pius V, a Dominican himself, then ordered the praying of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Christian forces won the battle. Pope Pius V attributed the miraculous victory to the “arms” of the Holy Rosary rather than to the weapons and bravery of the Christian soldiers who fought at Lepanto. Thus, Pope Pius V instituted the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary in 1571 to be celebrated annually on the 7th of October. In 1569, the same pope officially approved the rosary in its present form with the Papal Bull, Consueverunt Romani Pontifeces, with the inclusion of the second half of the “Hail Mary” and the Trinitarian Doxology at the conclusion of each mystery.

At the apparition of the Blessed Mother to the three children, Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia at Fatima in 1917, the following ejaculation was added, upon the instruction of the Blessed Mother herself: “O, my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of Your mercy.” And on October 16, 2002, through the Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II gave us the Luminious Mysteries; namely, “The Baptism of the Lord at the Jordan River”, “The Wedding at Cana”, “The Proclamation of the Kingdom”, “The Transfiguration”, and “The Institution of the Holy Eucharist”. The year 2002-2003 was also declared by the same Holy Father as the “Year of the Most Holy Rosary”. It was in September of that Year of the Holy Rosary that our own Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish was canonically elevated into an Archdiocesan Shrine.

The Most Holy Rosary in Marialis Cultus and Rosarium Virginis Mariae

Marialis Cultus

The Church’s teachings on the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary can be read in many and various ecclesial documents. Marialis Cultus by Pope Paul VI and Rosarium Virginis Mariae by Pope John Paul II are two of the most important.

Marialis Cultus was issued by Pope Paul VI in 1974 but it has a long history. As early as 1969, Pope Paul VI wrote a letter on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the approval of the Holy Rosary. In that letter he expressed his desire that the rosary be a public and universal prayer.

But there was then a crisis in the Marian devotion. Msgr. Vergilio Noe, now a Cardinal, pointed out, in a book he wrote on the renewal of Marian devotion, that during its long history, the rosary had acquired a number of additions which made it easily given to distractions and weariness. He said that as a principle of prayer, quality is preferable to quantity as far as the rosary is concerned; meaning, better one or a few decades devoutly prayed than a hurried recitation of the full rosary. Concurrent to this statement was the elimination of a few popular Marian feasts and the demotion of others to optional commemorations. This development gave rise to the suspicion of some that both the Second Vatican Council and the postconciliar reforms it was trying to introduce in the liturgy were deeply anti-Marian.

In the midst of this crisis, Fr. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., director and main propagator of the Family Rosary Crusade, wrote an impassioned letter to Pope Paul VI, expressing thus, “My heart cries out for a papal document which could take the form of an encyclical. May I beseech Your Holiness to enhance, enrich, and raise to a higher level of efficacy the Family Rosary by proclaiming it a liturgical prayer.” Moved by Fr. Peyton’s letter, Pope Paul VI address the Church on the subject of the Holy Rosary and a papal document was drafted that would encourage the recitation of the rosary by families. Thus, on February 2, 1974, Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic letter Marialis Cultus, speaking about the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the liturgy and outlining the essential features of the rosary.

Marialis Cultus says three very important things about the Holy Rosary:

First, “By its nature, 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 closes to the Lord”. The rosary is a contemplative prayer. Without contemplation, the rosary becomes a “mechanical repetition of formulas”, like a body without a soul.

Second, “The rosary is a ‘compendium of the entire Gospel centered on the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation”. The rosary is Christ-centered and Marian. It focuses on the events in the life of Christ as seen by Mary.

Third, the rosary is in harmony with the liturgy because the rosary is centered on the same mysteries celebrated in the liturgy. It is “excellent preparation” for and a “continuing echo” of the liturgy.

Marialis Cultus also approves other forms of praying the rosary, for example, the reading of meditative verses from the Bible to introduce every mystery. It likewise highlights the importance of and strongly recommends the praying of the rosary together by families.

Rosarium Virginis Mariae

On the Silver Anniversary of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II, a great Marian devotee whose motto Totus Tuus (“All Yours”) was addressed to the Blessed Mother, wrote the apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. In gratitude to the Blessed Mother, Pope John Paul II wrote at the beginning of the apostolic letter: “many graces received in these years from the Blessed Virgin through the rosary: Magnificat anima mea Dominum!” and “…thanks to the Lord in the words of His Most Holy Mother under whose protection I have placed my Petrine ministry: Totus Tuus!” Then the same Holy Father proclaimed October 2002 through October 2003: The Year of the Rosary.

Rosarium Virginis Mariae gives us the following:

1.) Her eyes fixed on Christ and treasuring His every word, with His memories impressed upon her heart, Mary is the model of contemplation. This is the essence of the Holy Rosary. When we pray the rosary, we contemplate Christ with Mary. We look at Jesus through the eyes of His Most Holy Mother, who is at the same time His first and perfect disciple. With the praying of the Holy Rosary, we remember Christ with Mary, we learn Christ from Mary, we are being conformed to Christ with Mary, we pray to Christ with Mary, and we proclaim Christ with Mary.

2.) In the desire to have the rosary become more truly a compendium of the Gospel, Pope John Paul II instituted the Luminous Mysteries, inserting them between the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries. As they contemplate Jesus in the revelation of His public life, these new mysteries are called “Mysteries of Light”. They enlighten us on the real person and mission of Jesus Christ. As we pray the rosary, we are lead by Mary from the “mysteries” to the Mystery who is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Mystery of Christ sheds light upon the mystery of man.

3.) The present practice in praying the Holy Rosary is valid but can nevertheless be improved.

4.) The Holy Rosary is a sweet chain linking us to God. It is a prayer that bestows peace. It is therefore our treasure and yet it is a treasure to be rediscovered. The family is where this treasure can be found and appreciated.

The Spirituality of the Holy Rosary

More than a form of prayer, the Holy Rosary is a spirituality. Every Christian spirituality is a way of life that is patterned after the life of Jesus Christ. The Holy Rosary is a Christocentric spirituality because it is rooted in the Gospel which is the person, the message, the mission, and the life of Jesus Christ. Praying the rosary should nurture in us an ever greater affinity with, and development of, a personal Christocentric profile. However, while the rosary spirituality is Christocentric in purpose and structure, it has a definite Marian bent. As a spirituality, the Holy Rosary is following Christ in the company of Mary.

The rosary spirituality is composed of five elements: (1.) Memory, (2.) Assimilation, (3.) Conformity, (4.) Prayer, and (5.) Proclamation.

Memory

Praying the rosary is remembering Christ with Mary. Remembering Christ in the biblical sense is making present the works done by God for our salvation in Christ. These salvific events do not only belong to yesterday, they are also part of the today of salvation history.

Assimilation

Praying the rosary is learning Christ with Mary. This is not a matter of knowing what Christ taught or did, but “learning Jesus” Himself. The biblical understanding of knowing applies here. To know someone is to be intimate with that person. Learning Christ means achieving close union with Christ.

Conformity

Assimilation should lead to conformity. Assimilation is external while conformity is internal. Achieving intimacy with Christ, we eventually become like Christ Himself. By praying the Holy Rosary daily we gain familiarity with Jesus and Mary to the extent that we develop the priorities, lifestyles, and virtues they have.

Prayer

Praying the rosary is praying to Christ with Mary. The rosary is first of all a prayer to Christ before it is a prayer to Mary. It is the events in the life of Christ that we meditate on in the rosary. In the rosary, Mary is seen in the light of the mysteries in the life of Christ. Indeed, the rosary is a prayer to Christ, the One Mediator, with Mary, and not a prayer to Mary, the co-mediatrix, with Christ.

Proclamation

The litmus test of our conformity to Christ is in our practical lives. As we become more and more like Christ through the praying of the Holy Rosary, so should our lives give witness to the Christ we have become. The rosary spirituality is not merely reciting the rosary everyday. It is continuing the mysteries of the Holy Rosary in our lives as we live like Christ with Mary each day.

Conclusion

Next to the Holy Mass, we are attached to the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Thus, in many places today, the beginning of the month of the Holy Rosary is marked with special activities. Many people also make their resolutions to pray the rosary daily beginning today. That is praiseworthy. But more praiseworthy is a life that reflects the mysteries of the Holy Rosary day-in and day-out. The rosary is a spirituality, not only a prayer.

Consider this:

There is a woman who owns a place in the market, selling food commodities. She is also an active church worker and goes to church everyday. She is in the church earlier than anyone, including the priest. She carries a bag full of novenas to almost all the saints you can name. She prays the rosary three times a day: one upon waking up in the morning, another at noontime before siesta, and the third with her maid before going to bed.

One evening, she calls out to her maid, “Inday, have you put formalin in the fish we’re going to sell tomorrow in the market?”

“Yes, ma’am,” answers Inday.

“How about the bottles of vinegar, have you added water to them?” she calls out again to Inday.

Inday replies, “Yes, ma’am!”

“The weighing scale, have you placed extra weight on it?” the woman asks.

“Done, ma’am,” Inday says.

Then the woman tells Inday, “Very good, Inday! Okay, come upstairs now and let us pray the rosary.”