Praying to Mary in the Rosary
How can we best access the intercessory power of the Queen Mother? By the meditative recitation of the Rosary. The woman whom we pray to in the Rosary is same woman who bore and took care of the divine son in his incarnated human body and soul. Before invoking on writing this paper I took my Rosary beads and prayed the sorrowful mysteries (along with the 5th Glorious mystery) to help obtain the graces I needed to write this paper. I later picked up and prayed the Joyful mysteries as I had not finished with writing it. If your going to write about a particular person it is best to go to the source to get help with writing about them. I know the one who interceded on behalf of the salvation of mankind and also interceded so that a bride and groom would not be embarrassed as they ran out of wine for their guests, will also intercede for me her son as I write about her.
The foundational origins of the rosary date back to the early church where she contemplated the Marian mysteries in her liturgical cycles. What would become known as the Sorrowful, Joyful and Glorious mysteries were associated with the feasts of the sacred Tritium of Holy week, the Epiphany at Christmas and that of the Ascension. It was through a private revelation to the founder of the Dominicans, St. Dominic, that set the root model of the Rosary. St. Dominic was fighting a group of heretics know as the Albigensian’s. They believed that all matter was evil and were very much against marriage and childbirth. Where ever troubling heresies appear, the blessed mother is sure to be around to counteract it. This was done for St. Cyril as he was fighting the heretic Nestorius. Nestorius claimed that Christ had both a divine and human personhood, thus denying what would later become known as the hypostatic union. The hypostatic union is the teaching that Jesus is one person and not two. A person who is divine and has existed before the foundation of the world. Because Jesus is God, Mary was given the title ‘Mother of God’, ‘Theokos.” The title given to the Mary said more about Jesus then it did about her. Authentic doctrines about Christ are protected with doctrines about Mary.
What the blessed mother revealed to St. Dominic was a new way to preach the mysteries of Christ, which (she) “said would be one of the most powerful weapons against future errors and in future difficulties.” [xviii]As he would go into the villages of the Albigensians he would preach the about the incarnation in the birth of Christ, the redemption in the death of Christ and the eternal life to come in the resurrection of Christ. After preaching he would recite ten Hail Mary’s. The combo of the preaching matched with the prayers provided a powerful way to proclaim the truth of Christ that penetrated into the hearts of Dominic’s listeners. And what the word of the preacher was unable to do, the sweet prayer of the Hail Mary did for hearts. As Mary promised, it proved to be a most fruitful form of preaching.”[xix] There is another legendary story about the origin of the Rosary that is worth mentioning. “The name “Rosary”, meaning a garland or bouquet of roses, was given to the Psalter of Our Lady as a consequence of “an early legend which after traveling all over Europe, penetrating even to Abyssinia, connected this name with a story of Our Lady, who was seen taking rosebuds from the lips of a young monk when he was reciting Hail Marys and to weave them into a garland which she placed upon her head. A German metrical version of this story is still extant dating from the thirteenth century.” (Catholic Encyclopedia (1912) Vol 13, p.187).[xx]
The rosary as it was given to St. Dominic developed into a contemplative meditative prayer while reciting the most popular prayers of Catholic devotion. These recited prayers consisted of five decades of one ‘Our Father’, ten ‘Hail Marys’ and one ‘Glory Be’, preceded by the ‘Apostles Creed’, one ‘Our Father’, three ‘Hail Marys’, and one ‘Glory Be’ and followed by the recitation of the ‘Hail Holy Queen’. While reciting these prayers one mediates contemplatively on one set of four mysteries reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In reflecting on these mysteries “Mary constantly sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.” [xxi]
The mysteries in the Rosary are for the most part scriptural meditations while reciting scripturally based prayers. The greatest of all Catholic prayers, taught by Jesus himself, is the ‘Our Father’ The Lord‘s prayer found in Lk 11:1, Mt. 6:8-10. Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed by thy name. Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from Evil. This prayer is important because, “The Lord’s Prayer “is truly the summary of the whole gospel.” “Since the Lord . . . after handing over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, ‘Ask and you will receive,’ and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer [the Lord’s Prayer] is said first, as the foundation of further desires.” (CCC 2761) St. Thomas Aquanis says, “Among all prayers the Lord’s prayer stands preeminent , for it excels in the five conditions require in prayer: confidence, rectitude, order, devotion, and humility.”[xxii]
The second greatest prayer that is said the most frequently during the Rosary is the ‘Hail Mary’ or in Latin, the ‘Ave Maria’. The first part of the ’Ave Maria’, is found in Gabriel’s announcement to Mary as He comes to tell her that she has been chosen by God to bear his son into the world. “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk 1:28) The next part in the prayer, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Lk 1:42) is when Mary is greeted by her cousin Elizabeth, as she goes to visit her after the angel announced her vocation as the Virgin Mother of God. Mary is “blessed among women” because she believed in the fulfillment of the Lord’s word. Abraham. because of his faith, became a blessing for all the nations of the earth. Mary, because of her faith, became the mother of believers, through whom all nations of the earth receive him who is God’s own blessing: Jesus, the “fruit of thy womb.” (CCC 2676) The last part of the prayer was not originally part of the ‘Ave Maria’, it was added around the 16th century. In this part of the prayer we acknowledge Mary as the holy Theotokos , and ask her to pray for us at the two most important moments in our lives. Right now in the present moment that we are asking her to pray for us. And then at the hour of our death when we pass from this life to the next one.
At the end of each set of Hail Marys the ‘Glory Be,’ is prayed. It is a prayer giving praise, honor and glory to the most Holy Trinity. ‘The Apostles Creed’, that is said at the beginning of the Rosary, is a creed of the early church encompassing a summary of the Apostles teachings. While one recites the scriptural prayers one ponders and meditates on the lives of Jesus and Mary contained in scripture. The Joyful mysteries focus on the birth and early life of Jesus. The new Luminous mysteries, introduced by Pope John Paul II, focus on the earthly ministry of Jesus. The sorrowful mysteries focus on the passion of Jesus. And the Glorious mysteries focus on Jesus Resurrection and the birth of the early church. It also focus in on the church’s dogmas concerning Mary, found implicitly in scripture and in the in church’s apostolic tradition. It is important to realize that one must contemplate these mysteries while reciting the prayers. “Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: ‘In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do: for they think they will be heard for their many words’.”[xxiii] The prayers are supposed to provide a rhythm for contemplation, and that contemplation brings one into the memories of Mary. “By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to mediate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as seen through the eyes of her who was closet to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed.” [xxiv]
Holy Pontiffs who have endorsed the Rosary
The rosary is contemplative prayer where you meditate on scriptural events while praying scripturally based prayers to the Queen mother of heaven. Outside of the Mass, the Rosary is the most endorsed prayer that is highly evoked by Popes and Saints alike.
‘For the rosary is a very commendable form of prayer and meditation. In saying it we weave a mystic garland of Ave Maria’s, Pater Noster’s, and Gloria Patri’s. And as we recite these vocal prayers, we meditate upon the principal mysteries of our religion; the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and the Redemption of the human race are proposed, one event after another, for our consideration.[xxv]
It is specially deserving of notice, and it gives Us the greatest pleasure to recall, that of all the forms of devotion to the Blessed Virgin, that most excellent method of prayer, Mary’s Rosary, is establishing itself most widely in popular esteem and practice. This, We repeat, is a source of great joy to Us. If We have spent so large a share of our activities, in promoting the Rosary devotion, We can easily see with what benevolence the Queen of Heaven has come to Our aid when We prayed to her; and We express the confident conviction that she will continue to stand at Our side to lighten the burdens and the afflictions which the days to come will bring. [xxvi]
Among the various supplications with which we successfully appeal to the Virgin Mother of God, the Holy Rosary without doubt occupies a special and distinct place.”[xxvii]
We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times. Not with force, not with arms, not with human power, but with Divine help obtained through the means of this prayer, strong like David with his sling, the Church undaunted shall be able to confront the infernal enemy, repeating to him the words of the young shepherd: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and a spear, and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of armies . . . and all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for this is his battle, and he will deliver you into our hands” (I Kings 17, 45-47) [xxviii]
“The Rosary is my favorite prayer, a marvelous prayer. Marvelous in its simplicity and depth. Our hearts can enclose in these decades of the Rosary all the facets that make up the life of the individual, the family, the nation, the Church and all mankind, particularly of those who are dear to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary beats the rhythm of human life.” [xxix]
Not only is the Rosary endorsed by the highest teaching level of the church, it is endorsed in the lives of the church’s most recognized disciples such as St. Louis Marie De Montfort, Bl. Bartolo, Blessed Mother Theresa, St. Therese, St. Maximilliam Kolbe, and St. Padre Pio, just to name a few. “Padre Pio, was considered by many to be a “living rosary.” His zeal and love for the rosary, which he called a “weapon,” was simply incredible. He prayed it constantly and encouraged others to pray it as well. In fact, before he died he was quoted as saying that people should “always recite the rosary.”
[xxx] The rosary is even endorsed from heaven by the Blessed mother herself in the numerous places through the world that she has appeared. The most notable endorsement of the Rosary comes from her appearance at Fatima in 1917, where she told the children whom she appeared to, to pray the Rosary everyday for the salvation of souls. She asked that this particular prayer be added at the end of each decade. “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.”
Concluding Thoughts
The most effective means of obtaining the intersession of the Mother of God is through the holy rosary. This powerful patron is the New Eve who has been crowned queen of heaven and earth, ruling together with her Son, Jesus the king. She cooperated along with Christ in the work of redemption by saying yes to the will of God. By doing so she become the co-redemptrix in salvation, thus becoming an advocate for her children to the king. She longs not just to intercede for her children but to spend time with them. Mary’s greatest pleasure is to bring her thoughts and love for her son into the hearts and minds of His disciples. Jesus created his mother free from sin, so that she could effectively love Him and Jesus gave us His mother so she could effectively love us. We love Mary by obeying her son Jesus. “Do what ever He tells you.” (Jn 2:5) And we can obey Jesus by honoring his mother. And one of the chief ways we can honor Mary is by mediating on her life with Jesus through the Rosary.
“Joining ourselves then a living garland around the Queen of heaven; serving her during life; assimilating the virtues of Jesus and Mary which we daily mediate on in this choicest of prayers; we may expect that God will gather us at death and give us a chosen place in the festivals of eternity, where we shall before ever the crown of Mary”. [xxxi]
[xix] Mark Miravalle, Introduction to Mary, Queenship Publishing Company, Goleta Ca, third edition 2006, pg. 132
[xx] John S. Stokes Jr., The Garden Way of the Rosary, http://www.ewtn.com
[xxi] John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae: On the Most Holy Rosary, 11
[xxii] Saint Thomas Aquinas, Three Greatest Prayers, Sophia Institute Press, Manchester New Hampshire, 1990 pg. 101
[xxiii] John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae: On the Most Holy Rosary, 12
[xxiv] Ibid
[xxv] Pope John XXIII (On Pope Leo) Encyclical of Pope John XXIII promulgated on 26 September 1959 2
http://www.ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/I23GRATA.HTM GRATA RECORDATIO
[xxvi] Pope Leo XIII ADIUTRICEM (On the Rosary) Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Rosary promulgated on 5 September 1895. 3
[xxvii]Pope Pius XI INGRAVESCENTIBUS MALIS Encyclical promulgated on 29 September 1937 (On the Rosary) 9
[xxviii]Pope Pius XII INGRUENTIUM MALORUM (On Reciting the Rosary) Encyclical Promulgated on 15 September 1951 15
[xxix] Mark Miravalle, Introduction to Mary pg. 127
[xxx] Brian, The Rosary: A Tool of the Saints, http://www.revolutionoflove.com/soapbox/prayer/rosary_saints.htm
[xxxi] Rev. A.M. Skelly, O.P. Jesus and Mary, B. Herder Book Co., St. Louis, Mo, 1930, Pg 282
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