The Rosary and the Bishops of Rome
The Rosary of Mary and the Bishops of Rome: A Papal TraditionThe work carried out by the Bishops of Rome, both in the past and present, has been to promote and encourage among the faithful the evangelical prayer of the Rosary, a prayer that well accompanies the stages of the faithful’s life. The appeal of Saint John Paul II, who invited all Christians (pastors, theologians, and laypeople) to take up with confidence the Psalter of the Virgin, rediscovering it in the light of revealed Word, in harmony with the liturgy of faith, within the context of daily existence (cf. RVM 43), remains relevant.
Furthermore, the Rosary prayer not only punctuates, in a prayerful and contemplative manner, the daily and normal existence of Catholic faithful, but is also recognized and experienced as a valuable aid and comfort, as taught by Pope Wojtyła, in the experience of pain and illness. The Sacred Scripture, fundamental text of the Judeo-Christian faith, which must be understood in its parts of the Old and New Testaments as “one book, and this book is Christ” (Hugo of Saint Victor, The Ark of Noah, II,8), should be considered by the faithful as the great book of the “history” of God and, in God, of humanity.She is, at the same time, a holy and true narrative of God’s merciful/maternal gaze upon the world: “The eyes of the Lord range over the whole earth” (Zec 4:10). A watchful gaze, capable of penetrating the most secret places (cf. Sir 23:19). These paternal/maternal eyes, attentive to the diverse realities and needs of man and woman, infinitely beloved, are ready to perceive and dry up the tears of suffering, which God himself gathers with tenderness in a vessel (cf. Ps 56:9). They take pleasure in the spiritual poverty of the humble and poor, like Anna Mary of Nazareth. The compassionate gaze and the tender and generous heart of the One and Trinity have always accompanied the history of humanity and each of its members. And this Mother and Servant of the Lord experienced it, was benefited by this gaze, and thus indicates it in her universal motherhood!Moreover, the Mother of the Lord and of the Church, who on earth knew suffering and pain, not only because of the Son and his salvific work, is invoked from ever since as “Salus infirmorum” (Health of the sick), being solicitous and full of tenderness in assisting her children marked by suffering. Therefore, Christian communities, the sick, and those who find themselves in pain invoke her with the recitation of the Rosary, so that, through her intercession, they may recover health of body and peace of heart, consolation and hope of spirit. In shrines, where the recitation of the Rosary is more fervent, there are many testimonies of the immense trust that the suffering deposit in the Mother of Christ, because something new has happened in their lives: conversion or healing.It is therefore no surprise that Popes throughout the centuries, both in times of difficulty and of social and ecclesial serenity, have held the Marian Rosary in high esteem, constantly recommending it to the attention and practice of the Christian people, inviting them to recite it with the simplicity and fervor of the humble, the afflicted, and the confident. It is also no coincidence that the Bishops of Rome in the 20th century, especially Pope John Paul II, have with conviction proposed “to all Christian families the prayer of the Rosary, so that they may savor the beauty of pausing together to meditate with Mary on the mysteries of our Redemption, joyful, sorrowful, and glorious, and thus sanctify the happy and difficult moments of daily life.”On the occasion of his pilgrimage to the 150th anniversary of the apparitions at the famous sanctuary of Lourdes, between September 14th and 15th, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI strongly reminded how the French sanctuary (and the same applies to the numerous other “houses of Mary,” which are sanctuaries dedicated to her) is, by its very nature, a place of intense and true prayer encounter with God, and at the same time, a concrete human fraternity/sisterhood in the company of the Mother of Jesus. Indeed: “The primary vocation of the sanctuary of Lourdes [and of all Marian sanctuaries] is to be a place of encounter with God in prayer and a place of service to brothers, especially in welcoming the sick, the poor, and all those who suffer. In this place, Mary appears to us as the mother always available to the needs of her children. Through the light that emanates from her face, God’s mercy is revealed. Let us be touched by her gaze: it tells us that we are all loved by God, never abandoned by Him! Mary reminds us that prayer, intense and humble, confident and persistent, must occupy a central place in our Christian life. Prayer is indispensable to receive the strength of Christ. ‘He who prays does not waste his time, even if the situation has all the characteristics of an emergency and seems to require only action’ (Deus caritas est 36). Getting caught up in activities risks making prayer lose its specific Christian character and its true effectiveness.”If, on the one hand, prayer is a theophanic experience, on the other hand, it is also an anthropic one, that is, a manifestation of man. In prayer-communion, the human being experiences the splendor, beauty, and goodness of God. And the Holy Trinity, in His incomprehensible and exemplary humility and in His grace that characterizes Him, experiences the human being, filling him with His love and providing him with a transformative experience, imitating the theophanies of the Old Testament, but above all, the christophany of Mount Tabor (cf. Lk 9:28-36), where the apostle Peter, overwhelmed and confused by such holy and divine beauty, exclaimed: “It is good to be here!” (Lk 9:33 [cf. Lk 9:28-36]). (Cf. Mk 9:2-13. Mt 17:1-9).The world today suffers from the shocking ugliness and brutality inflicted upon humanity and creation. It is necessary to recover and stabilize the ecology of heart and mind to seek the lost beauty, which can always be pursued: an integral ecology that the Beautiful and Holy Son of God is capable of radiating, indicating, and restoring in human beings and the world, and of which Tota Pulchra (All Beautiful) is a healthy and splendid icon. It is no coincidence that, in the same line of the transformative experience of Mount Tabor, every true and providential appearance/mariofania, because it is made such by God’s design, is at the same time a highly aesthetic experience: there one encounters an uncontaminated reality, a Most Beautiful Person who lovingly calls us to live a beautiful and good life. Therefore, on our theological journey towards the Threefold Holy, through the diacony of Tota Pulchra, whether in prayer, contemplation, or the mystical and theological experience of the Mystery, we are led to make, even with due differences, the experience of the Apostles on Mount Tabor, with Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Acts 1:14)!The transcendent and valuable beauty of the Son of God invites the disciple/disciple to “ascend” and allow themselves to be transformed in the aura of divine sanctity to be completely transformed into a creature with “a new spirit and a new heart.” In this regard, the Japanese theologian Luca M. Ritsuko Oka writes: “The transformation of the heart, that is, of the entire corporeal-spiritual person of Mary was completed in full participation in the glorified body of Christ. Mary ‘lives completely transformed with Jesus’ and ‘in her glorified body, together with the risen Christ, creation reached the fullness of its beauty’ (Francis, Laudato si’, 241).”Regarding the theological fruits that flow from praying/contemplating the Rosary, the popular piety speech at the end of the recitation of the Rosary in St. Peter’s Square on May 31, 2013, illustrates this point. Describing Mary’s attitude as the Evangelist Luke narrated in the visit to Elizabeth’s episode, the Pontiff summarizes it in three words: listen, decide, act. This trio, in fact, constitutes the very goal of the Rosary prayer: to contemplate with Mary the mystery of Jesus in order to learn to listen, to decide, and to act for the Kingdom of God.A year later, on May 31, 2014, the same Pontiff would summarize it in the Marian title of “Our Lady of Readiness.” For Pope Francis, the Rosary is, therefore, a prayer that educates “to be ready”: ready to listen to the Word of life. Ready for the decision or for the fundamental choice for Christ’s God. Ready for action and service in the joy of the Gospel.
Learn to pray the Rosary in our guide: How to Pray the Rosary, step by step.Furthermore, the Rosary prayer not only punctuates, in a prayerful and contemplative manner, the daily and normal existence of Catholic faithful, but is also recognized and experienced as a valuable aid and comfort, as taught by Pope Wojtyła, in the experience of pain and illness. The Sacred Scripture, fundamental text of the Judeo-Christian faith, which must be understood in its parts of the Old and New Testaments as “one book, and this book is Christ” (Hugo of Saint Victor, The Ark of Noah, II,8), should be considered by the faithful as the great book of the “history” of God and, in God, of humanity.She is, at the same time, a holy and true narrative of God’s merciful/maternal gaze upon the world: “The eyes of the Lord range over the whole earth” (Zec 4:10). A watchful gaze, capable of penetrating the most secret places (cf. Sir 23:19). These paternal/maternal eyes, attentive to the diverse realities and needs of man and woman, infinitely beloved, are ready to perceive and dry up the tears of suffering, which God himself gathers with tenderness in a vessel (cf. Ps 56:9). They take pleasure in the spiritual poverty of the humble and poor, like Anna Mary of Nazareth. The compassionate gaze and the tender and generous heart of the One and Trinity have always accompanied the history of humanity and each of its members. And this Mother and Servant of the Lord experienced it, was benefited by this gaze, and thus indicates it in her universal motherhood!Moreover, the Mother of the Lord and of the Church, who on earth knew suffering and pain, not only because of the Son and his salvific work, is invoked from ever since as “Salus infirmorum” (Health of the sick), being solicitous and full of tenderness in assisting her children marked by suffering. Therefore, Christian communities, the sick, and those who find themselves in pain invoke her with the recitation of the Rosary, so that, through her intercession, they may recover health of body and peace of heart, consolation and hope of spirit. In shrines, where the recitation of the Rosary is more fervent, there are many testimonies of the immense trust that the suffering deposit in the Mother of Christ, because something new has happened in their lives: conversion or healing.It is therefore no surprise that Popes throughout the centuries, both in times of difficulty and of social and ecclesial serenity, have held the Marian Rosary in high esteem, constantly recommending it to the attention and practice of the Christian people, inviting them to recite it with the simplicity and fervor of the humble, the afflicted, and the confident. It is also no coincidence that the Bishops of Rome in the 20th century, especially Pope John Paul II, have with conviction proposed “to all Christian families the prayer of the Rosary, so that they may savor the beauty of pausing together to meditate with Mary on the mysteries of our Redemption, joyful, sorrowful, and glorious, and thus sanctify the happy and difficult moments of daily life.”On the occasion of his pilgrimage to the 150th anniversary of the apparitions at the famous sanctuary of Lourdes, between September 14th and 15th, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI strongly reminded how the French sanctuary (and the same applies to the numerous other “houses of Mary,” which are sanctuaries dedicated to her) is, by its very nature, a place of intense and true prayer encounter with God, and at the same time, a concrete human fraternity/sisterhood in the company of the Mother of Jesus. Indeed: “The primary vocation of the sanctuary of Lourdes [and of all Marian sanctuaries] is to be a place of encounter with God in prayer and a place of service to brothers, especially in welcoming the sick, the poor, and all those who suffer. In this place, Mary appears to us as the mother always available to the needs of her children. Through the light that emanates from her face, God’s mercy is revealed. Let us be touched by her gaze: it tells us that we are all loved by God, never abandoned by Him! Mary reminds us that prayer, intense and humble, confident and persistent, must occupy a central place in our Christian life. Prayer is indispensable to receive the strength of Christ. ‘He who prays does not waste his time, even if the situation has all the characteristics of an emergency and seems to require only action’ (Deus caritas est 36). Getting caught up in activities risks making prayer lose its specific Christian character and its true effectiveness.”If, on the one hand, prayer is a theophanic experience, on the other hand, it is also an anthropic one, that is, a manifestation of man. In prayer-communion, the human being experiences the splendor, beauty, and goodness of God. And the Holy Trinity, in His incomprehensible and exemplary humility and in His grace that characterizes Him, experiences the human being, filling him with His love and providing him with a transformative experience, imitating the theophanies of the Old Testament, but above all, the christophany of Mount Tabor (cf. Lk 9:28-36), where the apostle Peter, overwhelmed and confused by such holy and divine beauty, exclaimed: “It is good to be here!” (Lk 9:33 [cf. Lk 9:28-36]). (Cf. Mk 9:2-13. Mt 17:1-9).The world today suffers from the shocking ugliness and brutality inflicted upon humanity and creation. It is necessary to recover and stabilize the ecology of heart and mind to seek the lost beauty, which can always be pursued: an integral ecology that the Beautiful and Holy Son of God is capable of radiating, indicating, and restoring in human beings and the world, and of which Tota Pulchra (All Beautiful) is a healthy and splendid icon. It is no coincidence that, in the same line of the transformative experience of Mount Tabor, every true and providential appearance/mariofania, because it is made such by God’s design, is at the same time a highly aesthetic experience: there one encounters an uncontaminated reality, a Most Beautiful Person who lovingly calls us to live a beautiful and good life. Therefore, on our theological journey towards the Threefold Holy, through the diacony of Tota Pulchra, whether in prayer, contemplation, or the mystical and theological experience of the Mystery, we are led to make, even with due differences, the experience of the Apostles on Mount Tabor, with Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Acts 1:14)!The transcendent and valuable beauty of the Son of God invites the disciple/disciple to “ascend” and allow themselves to be transformed in the aura of divine sanctity to be completely transformed into a creature with “a new spirit and a new heart.” In this regard, the Japanese theologian Luca M. Ritsuko Oka writes: “The transformation of the heart, that is, of the entire corporeal-spiritual person of Mary was completed in full participation in the glorified body of Christ. Mary ‘lives completely transformed with Jesus’ and ‘in her glorified body, together with the risen Christ, creation reached the fullness of its beauty’ (Francis, Laudato si’, 241).”Regarding the theological fruits that flow from praying/contemplating the Rosary, the popular piety speech at the end of the recitation of the Rosary in St. Peter’s Square on May 31, 2013, illustrates this point. Describing Mary’s attitude as the Evangelist Luke narrated in the visit to Elizabeth’s episode, the Pontiff summarizes it in three words: listen, decide, act. This trio, in fact, constitutes the very goal of the Rosary prayer: to contemplate with Mary the mystery of Jesus in order to learn to listen, to decide, and to act for the Kingdom of God.A year later, on May 31, 2014, the same Pontiff would summarize it in the Marian title of “Our Lady of Readiness.” For Pope Francis, the Rosary is, therefore, a prayer that educates “to be ready”: ready to listen to the Word of life. Ready for the decision or for the fundamental choice for Christ’s God. Ready for action and service in the joy of the Gospel.For instance, the Virgin of Nazareth, a model of faith, a woman beloved by God, who learned mercy from God as listening, as decision, as her action in the present of the Church and the world. Finally, something not secondary states Pope Francis: “There is a reality: Mary always leads us to Jesus. She is a woman of faith, a true believer.”
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To deepen Marian devotion through the Rosary, consult the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus by Pope Paul VI.
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