During his lengthy pontificate in the late nineteenth century, Pope Leo XIII wrote twelve encyclical letters encouraging the Catholic world to exercise more effective prayer through devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. Since then, every Pope of the twentieth century, from Pope St. Pius X through Pope St. John Paul II, has written an encyclical letter or apostolic exhortation on the Blessed Virgin Mary and on Catholic devotion to Mary through the Rosary. Pope St. John XXIII prayed all fifteen decades of the Rosary every day of his priestly life.
Prayer beads, of course, are not limited to Roman Catholics. Many pious individuals of Islamic and Eastern religious traditions finger the beads as a soothing and lulling practice at a time of prayer. Christian monks, predating what later became known as the Rosary, also might have used beads to guide their prayer routine. St. Dominic Guzman, in the thirteen century, popularly employed prayer beads as an instructional and devotional guide for the crowds to whom he preached. Instructed by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself, St. Dominic utilized a specific method for preaching the Christian truths of salvation according to the mysteries of the Incarnation (later known as the Rosary’s five ‘Joyful Mysteries’), Redemption (the five ‘Sorrowful Mysteries’) and Eternal Life (the five ‘Glorious Mysteries’). After giving the people a short teaching and reflection on each of the fifteen mysteries, Dominic would then lead them in reciting ten “Hail Mary’s,” encouraging the crowds to ponder the deepest meaning of each mystery.
Another Dominican saint, Pope St. Pius V, would in the sixteenth century settle on the actual fifteen Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries that have inspired devout souls ever since. This Pope would also institute the annual feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, in gratitude for the Rosary supported victory won by the Christian forces over the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Laponto on the Adriatic Sea. In 2002, Pope St. John Paul II added to the Rosary five Illuminative Mysteries that ponder events in the public life of Christ from his Baptism to his Last Supper.
Beyond official circles, the recitation of the Rosary has had much celestial encouragement. In 1858, at Lourdes, St. Bernadette Soubirous and the Blessed Virgin Marie shared the recitation of the Rosary together. The saint recalled, “This time, she was holding the large beads in her hand. She crossed herself as though to pray. My hand was trembling. I tried again to make the sign of the Cross, and this time I could. After that I was not afraid. I said my Rosary. The young girl slipped the beads of hers through her fingers, but she was not moving her lips.” The young girl of course was Mary. Again in 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the three children at Fatima in Portugal. She held a rosary in her hand and specifically identified herself as ‘The Lady of the Rosary’. During her second apparition, the Lady instructed them to ‘Say the Rosary every day, to obtain peace for the world’.
The Rosary admirably and devoutly appeals to the believing mind as well as to the pious heart. All of the mysteries of the Rosary have a solid foundation in Scripture and Tradition. The Joyful mysteries turn the pages of St. Luke’s infancy narratives from Mary’s obedient acceptance of motherhood to her finding of her lost child in Jerusalem’s Temple. The expectant Elizabeth, the stunned shepherds, the elderly Simon and the widowed Anna, and the anxious Mary and Joseph all make real the Incarnation of the Son of God into human history. The Sorrowful mysteries trace Christ’s final days of betrayal, ridicule, agony and death as recalled by Ss. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in their profound Passion narratives. The new Illuminative mysteries survey Christ’s public life from his Baptism to the Last Supper. The Glorious mysteries triumphantly recall Christ’s return from the grave, his departure for heaven, the arrival of the Spirit, Mary’s glorious leaving for heaven and her queenship as mother of her Divine Son.
Pondering these salvific events while piously and devoutly reciting the Angelic Salutations should over the course of time deepen the believer’s appreciation of the many lessons and mysteries revealed through the human life experiences of Jesus Christ. The Rosary is an open Bible, read more with the mind than the eye, reviewing all the saving actions of the Son of God as he arrived in history, preached to the masses, suffered greatly and triumphantly opened the gates of heaven for all mankind. Pray the Rosary!
