The Catholic Church traditionally dedicates the entire month of May to Mary, Mother of God. Pope Saint Paul VI states that during this time “Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.” Praying the Rosary is a powerful homage to our Blessed Mother. By stringing together the basic prayers we examined last month, we form a heavenly chain that links us to God through Mary.
Tradition holds that in an effort to defeat heresy in the early thirteenth century, Saint Dominic prays for assistance. Our Blessed Mother responds to him in a mystical vision as follows: “Wonder not that until now you have obtained so little fruit by your labors: you have spent them on a barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of divine grace. When God willed to renew the face of earth, He began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation [‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!’ (Luke 1:28)]. Preach my Psalter, composed of 150 Angelic Salutations and fifteen Our Fathers and you will obtain an abundant harvest.”
To promote the conversion of souls and to combat heresy, she encourages Saint Dominic to include meditation on the events surrounding Christ’s Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection within her Psalter. We refer to these hallowed milestones in the lives of Jesus and Mary as mysteries. Saint Louis de Montfort elaborates: “The works of Our Lord and of His Blessed Mother can be rightly called mysteries because they are so full of wonders and all kinds of perfections and deep and sublime truths which the Holy Spirit reveals to the humble and simple souls who honor these mysteries. The works of Jesus and Mary can also be called wonderful flowers; but their perfume and beauty can only be appreciated by those who study them carefully–and who open them and drink in their scent by diligent and sincere meditation.”
Saint Dominic calls Mary’s Psalter the “Holy Rosary.” The word “rosary,” which means “garland of roses,” comes from the Latin rosarium which translates to “rose garden.” Just as the rose is the queen of flowers, each Hail Mary we pray represents a spiritual rose most fitting for our Queen of Heaven. Repetition of the prayers throughout the Rosary weaves a bouquet of these special roses into a crown for Our Lady. Pope Saint Pius X describes the Rosary as “the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God.”
In 1569, Dominican Pope Saint Pius V officially establishes the devotion of the Rosary in the Catholic Church, featuring the original fifteen mysteries preached by Saint Dominic and the prayer sequence we currently employ. He declares: “By the rosary the darkness of heresy has been dispelled, and the light of the Catholic faith shines out in all its brilliancy.” Pope Leo XIII adds, “Thanks to this new method of prayer–when adopted and properly carried out as instituted by the Holy Father Saint Dominic–piety, faith, and union began to return, and the projects and devices of the heretics to fall to pieces.”
Saint Louis de Montfort observes: “There is not anything in the world more moving than the wonderful story of the life, death, and glory of Our Savior, unfolding before our eyes in the fifteen mysteries.” These three sets of mysteries–each containing five proclaimed dogmas of the faith rooted in scripture–clarify and spread the inspired truths of the Church. In 2002, Pope Saint John Paul II adds a fourth set of mysteries that include the five most significant moments during Christ’s public ministry from the time of his Baptism to his Passion, thus making the Rosary more fully a “compendium of the Gospel.”
Today, each Rosary we pray focuses on just one set of mysteries: the Joyful Mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, or the Glorious Mysteries. As such, our Rosaries are structured with five distinct groups of ten beads to count each “decade” of Hail Marys. Note that the practice of counting prayers with pebbles, strings, knotted ropes, and beads is adopted from the era of the early monks. The English word “bead” actually derives from the Dutch word bede meaning “prayer.”
The crucifix hangs at the centerpiece of our prayer beads to remind us that God is central to everything, that all of creation begins and ends with God, and that our salvation is only possible through His loving sacrifice. Meditating on the mysteries raises our minds and opens our hearts to God. It draws us into our ultimate purpose of knowing, loving, and serving God. Saint Louis de Montfort cautions that “the Rosary said without meditating on the sacred mysteries of our salvation would be almost like a body without a soul: excellent matter but without the form which is meditation–this latter being that which sets it apart from all other devotions.” Pope Saint Paul VI concurs: “Without this [meditation] the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation is in danger of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas.”
Meditation allows us to enter into the life of Christ, ponder the meaning behind the mysteries of our faith, and discover God’s presence in our lives. Saint Ignatius of Loyola recommends we place ourselves within the mysteries to experience a personal encounter with Jesus: “By the imagination, the soul can render an object present and, as it were, see it, hear it, taste it, and so on. So that to apply this faculty of the soul and the five senses to a truth of religion…or to a mystery of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is what is called application of the senses.” This technique helps us to discern God’s plan for our lives. Pope Saint John Paul II reminds us to Listen to God in the silence of our hearts. He notes that “It is not a matter of recalling information but of allowing God to speak.”
More important than how you choose to meditate is the recognition that this meditative component is the key to unlocking the amazing potential of this devotion. Countless Marian apparitions and testimonies of the saints extol the urgency to pray the Rosary. In addition to the numerous promises Our Lady offers for protection and grace, the Rosary promotes spiritual growth and leads us toward sanctification. Pope Venerable Pius XII remarks: “Through frequent meditation on the mysteries, the soul inclines to, and grows in, the virtues they contain. It is filled with hope for the everlasting rewards and feels itself prodded gently yet firmly to follow the way of Christ and His Mother.”
The Venerable Fulton Sheen observes: “The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order.” The mere sight of the Rosary lends comfort and reassurance that God is with us. Touching the cross and passing our fingers over the beads calm our senses. Familiarity with the prayers facilitates our entrance into the presence of the Lord. The predictable cadence of repetitive prayer provides a rhythmic background for meditation. Reflecting on each mystery helps us to grow in holiness by learning more about Jesus Christ and approaching him through the adoring eyes of his Immaculate Mother.
Blessed Bartolo Longo says that “The Rosary is a seat, upon which Mary sits as teacher, to teach us the way by which we can attain life.” Our Lady invites us to accompany her on her blessed journey, sharing her most intimate joys, hopes, sorrows, and wonders with us. She welcomes us into her pure and sacrificial love. Pope Benedict XVI explains: “Through the rosary we allow ourselves to be guided by Mary, the model of faith, in meditating on the mysteries of Christ. Day after day she helps us to assimilate the Gospel, so that it gives a form to our life as a whole.”
Meditative prayer takes practice, and it is natural to lose focus. Even Saint Thérèse of Lisieux experiences frustrations: “I force myself in vain to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary; I don’t succeed in fixing my mind on them. For a long time I was desolate about this lack of devotion which astonished me, for I love the Blessed Virgin so much that it should be easy for me to recite in her honor prayers which are so pleasing to her. Now I am less desolate; I think that the Queen of Heaven, since she is my Mother, must see my good will and she is satisfied with it.” Saint Francis de Sales suggests: “If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master’s presence.” Keep in mind, however, that the active form of meditative prayer may lead to the more passive gift of contemplative prayer. If the Holy Spirit brings you into a place of union with God where you lose track of the prayers in favor of gaining a profound truth, that is not a distraction; that is the goal.
We will spend each week of this month reflecting on a different group of mysteries. Please share your tips for praying the Rosary and the blessings you receive from this devotion.
Pope Leo XIII summarizes: “The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.” The Dominican method of praying the Rosary is streamlined to enable the fruits to flourish without complication. However, the Church permits additional prayers and praises to encourage extended benefits and request specific petitions. For helpful information on how to pray the Rosary, please visit:
