The Rosary of Mary: Prayer and Meditation with the Virgin
Rosary of Mary: a Marian prayer of meditation on the mysteries of the life of Christ, with the Virgin Mary.
The Rosary of Mary: introduction
The Rosary of Mary is one of the oldest and best-loved Marian prayers. The Rosary of Mary is not a simple recitation of Hail Marys: it is meditation on the mysteries of the life of Christ, through the eyes of Mary. For this reason, Pope John Paul II, in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, described the Rosary of Mary as a “compendium of the Gospel.”
I. Origin and history of the Rosary of Mary
The history of the Rosary of Mary goes back to the early centuries of monastic spirituality: the monks prayed the 150 psalms daily, and lay people replaced them with 150 Hail Marys. With Saint Dominic and the Dominicans, in the thirteenth century, the Rosary of Mary took on its structure. Blessed Alan de la Roche, in the fifteenth century, gave it its present form.
II. Structure of the Rosary of Mary
The Rosary of Mary is made up of four sets of five mysteries: the Joyful (Monday and Saturday), the Luminous (Thursday), the Sorrowful (Tuesday and Friday), and the Glorious (Wednesday and Sunday). Each mystery of the Rosary of Mary is a contemplative window onto the life of Christ and of Mary. The Luminous Mysteries were added by John Paul II in 2002.
III. The Rosary of Mary as contemplation
The Rosary of Mary is, above all, contemplative prayer. To pray the Rosary of Mary is to gaze with Mary upon the mysteries of Christ. For this reason, the Rosary of Mary is not mechanical repetition: each Hail Mary is a sigh of love that accompanies interior contemplation. The liturgy of the Rosary of Mary forms us in Mary’s way of gazing upon Christ.
IV. The Rosary of Mary in the Magisterium
The Magisterium of the Church has always upheld the Rosary of Mary: Pius V, Leo XIII (with several encyclicals devoted to the Rosary), Paul VI in Marialis Cultus, and John Paul II in Rosarium Virginis Mariae. Today, the Rosary of Mary continues to be proposed by the Church as a privileged means to peace and personal holiness.
V. How to pray the Rosary of Mary
To pray the Rosary of Mary, make the Sign of the Cross and pray the Creed, the Our Father, three Hail Marys, and the Glory Be. Then, for each of the five mysteries, announce the mystery and pray one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be. Conclude with the Hail, Holy Queen. The Rosary of Mary can be prayed alone or as a family, in silence or aloud. Explore this more deeply in Rosarium Virginis Mariae.
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