October the 7th was dedicated by Pope St Pius V for Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1571 he prescribed the Rosary as intercessory prayer for the successful outcome of the Battle of Lepanto. That naval battle was supported by the faithful in their Rosaries offered in response to the Papal appeal. The navy of the Ottoman Empire turned back from its impending advance upon the Italian Peninsula. The Rosary was credited as saving Europe for Christ.
In the 20th Century the Rosary again became the focus of prayer to ward off powers who would spread errors throughout the world, even to affecting the very church itself. Pope St John Paul II visited Fatima in Portugal to recognise what happened there in 1917. Blessed Mary herself brought to three young children urgent messages and called for the Rosary to be offered for peace in the world. That was the very year in which the communist revolution took control of life in Russia.
Our Lady’s Rosary is highlighted especially in the months of May and October. May is Mary’s month, October the month of the final apparition at Fatima, and the 7th of that month the Feast of the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is a large part of Catholic life. The Rosary is often used as family prayer and by families at vigils of Catholic funerals. Daily Rosaries are offered in communities of faith, and in personal private prayer.
Better than writing and speaking about the Rosary and its fruitfulness, is to learn about it and make it an integral part of spiritual life. The Rosary begins with the Apostles Creed familiar to all Christians, then with a time of prayer for the divine gifts of faith, hope, and charity. There is an Our Father and ten Hail Marys for each of what are called the decades. So, try it, find a set of Rosary Beads to count the ten Hail Marys, and begin to pray the Rosary. Take it slowly, beginning with just one decade.
At the start of your Rosary prayer life you might simply ponder a verse from the Our Father, or something from the first part of the Hail Mary, these are verses taken straight from the Gospel. The decade is concluded by a prayer of praise Glory Be to each of the three Divine Persons in the Holy Trinity. Just do this much at first. Until you find yourself being drawn into the very heart of the Gospel secrets. Already you are made aware of much that empowers you and your life. You may soon find delight and profit from taking more than one decade a day.
There are fifteen or twenty decades. To accompany the vocal recitation of the Our Father and each decade of the Hail Mary, St Dominic gave us fifteen mysteries to explore: Five Joyful Mysteries relate to the coming of Christ as the Child of Blessed Mary. Five Sorrowful Mysteries take us up into the suffering and death of Christ. Five Glorious Mysteries celebrate his Rising from the dead, the Coming of the Holy Spirit, and the full significance of Blessed Mary. In recent years Pope St John Paul II added events from the public ministry of Jesus. These are known as the Mysteries of Light, or simply the Luminous Mysteries.
We can pause before each decade to think prayerfully, picturing each ensuing mystery. We might ask for whatever special gift or fruit which there might be in that mystery. As for using the Rosary as our peaceful prayer weapon, we can dedicate each part of the Rosary to asking graces for our families, our church, and our world. Not only the vocal prayers but also the meditations take us deep into the Gospels and their power to change both people and events.
If you find Rosary difficult in private, you are not alone. Do not let distraction put you off. Instead let distractions provide opportunity to return a thankful loving glance in awe of what God does for us – by giving us insight into the Sacrifice of our Saviour and the special protection of his most Blessed Mother.
From Amazon Kindle you may purchase THE CONTEMPLATIVE ROSARY with St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Avila, authors DAN BURKE and CONNIE ROSSINI. The first chapter is entitled The Universal Call to Contemplation.
Sometimes I find and install rosary apps on my electronic devices. They join me to various communities and groups praying on the world wide web. They help me follow the prayers and meditations all the more readily. My preferred Rosary Apps are ROSARY AUDIO and SCRIPTURAL ROSARY.
