ROSARY DEVOTIONS AND SPIRITUALITY

Devotion to the rosary is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality. Pope John Paul II placed rosary devotions at the very center of Christian spirituality and called them "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation." In his 2002 encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II wrote: The final goal of Christian life is to be transformed, or "transfigured", into Christ he stated that the rosary helps believers come closer to Christ by contemplating Christ. He stated that the rosary unites us with Mary's own prayer, who, in the presence of God, prays with us and for us . He characterized the contemplative aspects of the rosary as follow: "To recite the rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ." And quoting Pope Paul VI he reiterated the importance of contemplation, and stated that without contemplation, the rosary is "a body without soul".

HISTORY OF THE ROSARY

There are differing views on the origin of the rosary, with some traditions attributing it to Saint Dominic while others suggest a more gradual and organic development। However, it is clear that by the middle of the 15th century the Dominican priest Blessed Alanus de Rupe, had spent significant effort to spread the devotion in France and the Netherlands, founding his first brotherhood for praying his Psalter in Douai in 1470. The practice of meditation during the praying of repeated ‘Hail Mary’ started in the 15th century in Germany by the Carthusian monk Dominic of Prussia who died in 1461. By the 16th century the practice of meditation during the rosary had spread across Europe. For instance, Bartolomeo Scalvo's Meditationi del Rosario della Gloriosa Maria Virgine (i.e. Meditations on the Rosary of the Glorious Virgin Mary) printed in 1569 for the rosary confraternity of Milan provided an individual meditation to accompany each bead or prayer.

In 1569 Pope Pius V, a Dominican himself, officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church with the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices and in 1571 he called for all of Europe to pray the rosary for victory at the Battle of Lepanto। According to Pope Leo XIII (often called the Rosary Pope), re-Christianization is not possible without Mary. Therefore, Leo XIII promulgated Marian devotions via ten encyclicals on the rosary and instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during the month of October. In 1883, he also created the Feast of Queen of the Holy Rosary. Pope Pius XII, often called the "most Marian pope", emphasized the benefits of rosary meditations in his encyclical Ingruentium Malorum . The popes of the 19th and 20th centuries, up to Paul IV had stressed the Mariological aspects of the rosary, however, in 1974 in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, Pope Paul VI emphasized the Christocentric nature of the rosary and stated: "The rosary is therefore a prayer with a clearly Christological orientation."

TEACHINGS OF THE SAINTS

In the sixteenth century, Saint Peter Canisius, a Doctor of the Church, who is credited with adding to the Hail Mary the sentence "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners", was an ardent advocate of the rosary and its confraternities। Saint Louis de Montfort, one of the early proponents of the field of Mariology, was a strong believer in the power of the rosary. He joined the Third Order of the Dominicans in 1710, soon after being ordained a priest, in order to preach the rosary. His books Secret of the Rosary and True Devotion to Mary influenced the Mariological views of several popes. In Secret of the Rosary, he taught how "focus, respect, reverence and purity of intention" are essential in praying the rosary. He stated that it is not the length of a prayer that matters, but the fervor, purity and respect with which it is said. Later in the eighteenth century, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, a Doctor of the Church, also emphasized the need for reverence and devotion when praying the rosary. In The Glories of Mary he wrote that the Virgin Mary would be more pleased with five decades of the rosary said slowly with devotion than with fifteen said in a hurry and with little devotion. He recommended that the rosary should be said kneeling before an image of the Virgin Mary and before each decade to make an act of love to Jesus and Mary and ask them for a particular grace. Saint Padre Pio, who died with a rosary in his hand, reportedly said 35 rosaries a day.

MARIAN APPARITIONS AND ROSARY

References to the rosary have been part of a number of reported Marian Apparitions spanning two centuries। The reported messages from these apparitions have influenced the spread of rosary devotions worldwide.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous stated that in the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858, the Virgin Mary had a rosary with her and that Bernadette prayed the rosary in her presence। In the subsequent apparitions, Bernadette stated that she often continued to pray the rosary in the Virgin Mary's presence. The Rosary Basilica was built at that site in Lourdes in 1899.

The rosary was prominently featured in the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima reported by three Portuguese children in 1917। The reported Fatima messages place a strong emphasis on the Rosary and in them the Virgin Mary is identified as The Lady of the Rosary. According to Lucia Santos (one of the three children), in one of the apparitions the Virgin Mary has a rosary in one hand and a Brown scapular in the other hand. Reports of the Fatima apparitions helped spread rosary devotions and a Fatima prayer is now often added to the end of rosary recitations. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fatima was built at that site in 1953 and has fifteen altars, each dedicated to a mystery of the rosary.

In January 1933, an eleven year old peasant girl called Mariette Beco reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Banneux, Belgium which became known as the Virgin of the Poor. Mariette reported seeing the Virgin Mary with a rosary in hand. Mariette reported that the apparition repeated three days later after she went outside her house and prayed the rosary. The reports of this apparition, also known as Our Lady of Banneux, was approved by the Holy See in 1949.
In the reported messages of Our Lady of Akita, Sister Agnes Sasagawa stated that in 1973 she was told by the Virgin Mary: "Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach." In 1988 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger ( Pope Benedict XVI) gave definitive judgment on Our Lady of Akita messages as reliable and worthy of belief.

THE FIRST MIRACLE

The first major Rosary miracle, and one of the most impressive, is the one that occurred at the Battle of Lepanto। In 1571 the Christian army, after intense devotion with the Rosary, succeeded in one of the greatest naval victories in the Battle of Lepanto against the powerful Turks. The sixty-five thousand men prayed the Rosary for three hours. Finally, after these devotions, the men were given absolution. The Turks had nearly three times more troops. The winds were against the Christians and the conditions were poor, but after the devotions ended, the winds, at the very start of battle, aided the Christians to a colossal victory against the Turks. This was one of the greatest naval upsets in history, from this, the Turks never fully recovered and their threat in the Mediterranean Sea ended. Following this victory, Pope Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of Victories on October 7th. The name was later changed to its present form - the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

PRAY ROSARY

Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC believed in the slogan “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together। ” Families that come together to pray the Rosary encourage each other to live in truth, to trust each other and to communicate. Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter on the Most Holy Rosary (Rosarium Virginis Mariae) stated, “The Holy Rosary, by age-old tradition, has shown itself particularly effective as a prayer which brings the family together. The family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the center, they share his joys and sorrows, they place their needs and their plans in his hands, they draw from him the hope and the strength to go on.” From these words of Pope John Paul II families can be encouraged to gather to pray the Rosary as it will be a source of enormous strength for individuals as well as families to live in truth, trust and honesty।

Families can gather together in their living rooms or around their dining room tables to pray the Rosary. Each member of the family can take a turn to lead the Rosary. They can share their concerns before beginning to pray the Mysteries of the Rosary and they can discuss how their lived experiences relate to the Mysteries of the Rosary. There are various and creative ways families can gather to pray the Rosary। Families may want to begin by praying one decade a day or week and increase to praying the entire set of the Mysteries of the Rosary.

IT IS IMPORTANT

 Be persistent: Do not get discouraged; keep trying. Find a time or place that works for your family and stick to it.
 Be prudent: Be reasonable about your family's capacity. Do not overload them.
 Be flexible: Be creative about where and when to pray the Rosary। Try to pray in the car, or a single decade as part of evening prayers, or a five-decade Rosary first thing in the morning.

THE MYSTERIES

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
(Said on Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent)

First Joyful Mystery - The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary
I Desire the Love Of Humility
Think of... The humility of the Blessed Virgin when the Angel Gabriel greeted her with these words: "Hail full of grace".

Second Joyful Mystery - The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
I Desire Charity Toward My नेइघ्बोर।
Think of... Mary's charity in visiting her cousin Elizabeth and remaining with her for three months before the birth of John the Baptist.

Third Joyful Mystery - The Birth of Jesus
I Desire the Love of God
Think of...The poverty, so lovingly accepted by Mary when she placed the Infant Jesus, our God and Redeemer, in a manger in the stable of Bethlehem.

Fourth Joyful Mystery - The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
I Desire a Spirit of Sacrifice
Think of... Mary's obedience to the law of God in presenting the Child Jesus in the Temple।

Fifth Joyful Mystery - Finding Jesus in the Temple
I desire Zeal For The Glory Of God
Think of... The deep sorrow with which Mary sought the Child Jesus for three days, and the joy with which she found Him in the midst of the Teachers of the Temple.

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
(Said on Tuesdays, Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday)

First Sorrowful Mystery - Agony of Jesus in the Garden
I Desire True Repentance for My Sins
Think of॥Our Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemani, suffering a bitter agony for our sins।

Second Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus is Scourged at the Pillar
I Desire a Spirit of Mortification .Think of... The cruel scourging at the pillar that our Lord suffered; the heavy blows that tore His flesh.

Third Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus is Crowned With Thorns
I Desire Moral Courage.
Think of... The crown of sharp thorns that was forced upon our Lord's Head and the patience with which He endured the pain for our sins।

Fourth Sorrowful Mystery - Jesus Carries His Cross
I Desire the Virtue of Patience
Think of... The heavy Cross, so willingly carried by our Lord, and ask Him to help you to carry your crosses without complaint। Matthew 27:32

Fifth Sorrowful Mystery - The Crucifixion of Jesus
I Desire the Grace of Final Perseverance
Think of... The love, which filled Christ,’s Sacred Heart during His three hours' agony on the Cross-, and ask Him to be with you at the hour of death।

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
(Said on Wednesdays, and Sundays throughout the year)

First Glorious Mystery - The Resurrection of Jesus
I Desire a Strong Faith
Think of... Christ's glorious triumph when, on the third day after His death, He arose from the tomb and for forty days appeared to His Blessed Mother and to His disciples।

Second Glorious Mystery - The Ascension of Jesus
I Desire the Virtue of Hope
Think of... The Ascension of Jesus Christ, forty days after His glorious Resurrection, in the presence of Mary and His disciples।

Third Glorious Mystery - The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
I Desire Zeal for the Glory of God
Think of... The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles, under the form of tongues of fire, in fulfillment of Christ's promise.

Fourth Glorious Mystery - The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
I Desire the Grace of a Holy Death
Think of...
The glorious Assumption of Mary into Heaven, when she was united with her Divine Son.

Fifth Glorious Mystery - The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
I Desire a Greater Love for the Blessed Virgin Mary
Think of... The glorious crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven by her Divine Son, to the great joy of all the Saints.

THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES
(Said on Thursdays throughout the year)

First Luminous Mystery - The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

The Second Luminous Mystery - The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

The Third Luminous Mystery - the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The Fourth Luminous Mystery - The Transfiguration of Jesus
And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

The Fifth Luminous Mystery - The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26
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