“All generations will call me blessed”
The previous lessons on Our Lady of Fatima are important and her message was clear: turn our hearts away from sin and towards the goodness of God. One powerful way of doing this is through the rosary. Our Lady of Fatima, also known as Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, said, “Continue to pray the rosary everyday to obtain peace for the world.” “‘The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.’[i] The Church rightly honors ‘the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs… This very special devotion…differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.’[ii]”[iii] One of the greatest devotions and weapons is that of the rosary.
What is the Rosary? It is “A devotional prayer, mental and vocal, honoring the Blessed Mother of God. It is said on a string of beads made up of five sets each of one large and ten smaller beads, called decades. On the large beads the Pater Noster (Our Father) is said; on the small ones, the Hail Mary. The usual devotion is the fifteen decades, on the joyous, sorrowful, or glorious aspects of Our Lord and Our Lady’s life. It is the most popular of all nonliturgical Catholic devotions and has been highly recommended by many popes.”[iv] Later, in 2002, Bl. Pope John Paul II introduced a new set of mysteries known as the Luminous mysteries or “mysteries of light”. The mysteries focused on Jesus’ ministry like in bringing and building the kingdom of God.
As stated above, the rosary is about the life of Christ. It is sometimes known as “the Bible of the hand” because it follows salvation history and the life of Jesus Christ. Many people who did not have a Bible could pray the mysteries of the rosary and better understand the life of Jesus. It was also a great devotion to our lady asking for her intercession. The rosary has been called the compendium or summary of the Gospel. We can also think of the twenty mysteries of the Rosary as a DVD highlight film of the Life of Christ, for to meditate on these mysteries of Our Lord and Our Lady is to know Christ and to know the Gospel.
For Bl. Pope John Paul II, the rosary was his favorite prayer: “The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth…Against the background of the words Ave Maria the principal events of the life of Jesus Christ pass before the eyes of the soul…At the same time our heart can embrace in the decades of the Rosary all the events that make up the lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind: our personal concerns and those of our neighbor, especially those who are closet to us, who are dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life.”[v]
What are the mysteries of the rosary? There are a total of twenty mysteries: four main mysteries with five mysteries within each of them. Below is the list of the mysteries of the rosary:
Joyful Mysteries - Annunciation, Incarnation, Nativity, Presentation, Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Luminous Mysteries - Baptism of the Jordan, Wedding Feast at Cana, Proclamation of the Kingdom, Transfiguration, Institute of the Eucharist
Sorrowful Mysteries - Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning of Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, Crucifixion
Glorious Mysteries - Resurrection, Ascension, Decent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption of Mary, Coronation of Mary
What does “mystery” mean? The mystery is the mystery of our faith, the mystery of salvation, and the beauty and mystery of God especially in the second person of the Holy Trinity. They are mysteries because we will never fully comprehend the various mysteries of the rosary.
What does the word “rosary” mean? The word rosary comes from the Latin word “Rosarium” which means, “Rose garden”[vi]. We can see how each prayer that is prayed on the beads is like a rose being offered to Our Lady, and our rosary, when finished praying, is our spiritual bouquet of roses for her.
Who created it and when was it created? The exact origin of when and who created it is uncertain. We do know there were laity who wanted to follow monks prayer lifestyle could not pray the Liturgy of the Hours, which are the Psalms, but instead would pray on beads to our Lady. “Medieval piety in the West developed the prayer of the rosary as a popular substitute for the Liturgy of the Hours.”[vii]However, our tradition holds that the way we pray and believe the rosary as it is today was given to St. Dominic in 1214 by Our Lady. This appearance of Mary to St. Dominic is known as Our Lady of the Rosary. We celebrate this feast on October 7th, and the whole month of October is dedicated to Our Lady.
Why are there 150 beads? There are 150 beads because it associates with the 150 Psalms in the Bible. As mentioned in the question above, the religious would pray the Liturgy of the Hours, which mainly consist of the Psalms. Everyone now can think of the Psalms by praying on the rosary beads to Our Lady.
What prayers do we pray on it? Start by doing the Sign of the Cross, then a series of prayer: the Apostles Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, “Oh My Jesus…”, and Hail Holy Queen.
Why is the rosary called our weapon? St. Padre Pio once said, “The rosary is my weapon”. It is our weapon too because it contains within it special graces to keep Satan away and sin at bay. St. Josemaria Escriva said, "The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you'll be amazed at the results." If we want more grace and peace in our life then we can turn to the rosary as way of obtaining it. "No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: either they'll give up sin or they'll give up the Rosary."[viii]
VIDEO – The Rosary
Following the theme of the rosary is our weapon, Blessed Pius IX said, "Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world."
Why do we pray the same prayers over and over on it? The prayers are prayed to help us to enter into the mystery of the rosary we are praying, and to be able to meditate and deepen our faith on the mystery of Jesus. “Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ…This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.”[ix]
“Saying the Rosary in this way requires recollection. St. Teresa of Jesus says that ‘before beginning to recite the Rosary, let the soul think of whom it is going to address and who it is that is speaking, that it may speak to Him with due respect’[x]. The Saint, with her keen wit, laughs at those people “who are so fond of repeating a large number of vocal prayers in a great hurry, as though they were anxious to finish their task of repeating them daily’[xi]. Rosaries recited in this way cannot really nourish our interior life; they will bring little fruit to the soul and little glory to Mary. On the other hand, if recited with a real spirit of devotion, the Rosary becomes an effective means of cultivating devotion to Mary and of bringing us into intimacy with Our Lady and her divine Son.”[xii]
What special graces do we receive from it? Through both St. Dominic and Bl. Alan de Rupe, Our Lady made certain promises to the faithful who pray the rosary devoutly. Below are the fifteen promises she made.
15 Promises of the Rosary
1) Whoever shall faithfully serve Me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2) I promise My special protection and the greatest graces to all who shall recite the Rosary.
3) The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4) It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5) The soul, which recommends itself to Me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
6) Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7) Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
8) Those who are faithful in reciting the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9) I shall deliver from purgatory, those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10) The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
11) You shall obtain all you ask of Me by the recitation of the Rosary.
12) All those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by Me in their necessities.
13) I have obtained from My Divine Son, that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors, the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
14) All who recite the Rosary are My sons, and brothers of My only son Jesus Christ.
15) Devotion to My Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Do I have to pray the rosary? No. No lay person is forced to pray the rosary. The rosary is known as a type of devotional. There are many other types of devotionals like novenas, chaplets, etc. All devotionals, while not necessary for our salvation, only enhance our faith and bring us closer to God. They never take us away from Him. If we pray the rosary more frequently the closer we will be Jesus Christ.
[i] Paul VI, Marialis Cultus 56
[ii] LG 66
[iii] CCC 971
[iv] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 473
[v] Pope John Paul II, October 29, 1978
[vi] “rosary”, Online Etymology Dictionary
[vii] CCC 2678
[viii] Bishop Patrick Hugh Doyle
[ix] CCC 2708
[x] cf. Way, 22
[xi] ibid., 31
[xii] Divine Intimacy pgs. 1156-1157