Christ the Cornerstone

The rosary’s mysteries illumine life’s mysteries

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among woman, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The publication date for this column is Friday, Oct. 7, the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. There are Marian feasts celebrated throughout the year, and, in fact, every ordinary Saturday is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but the months of October and May are times when we, the people of God, express with particular intensity our love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is especially fitting in these months to pray the rosary at home within the family.

That’s why, as we begin the month of October with a memorial dedicated by our Church to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and as we pay particular attention to her role as Our Lady of the Rosary, it’s appropriate to meditate prayerfully on the meaning of this most popular Marian devotion.

In its present form, recitation of the rosary dates back to the late Middle Ages when the Hail Mary became one of the most common prayers that Christians offered in recognition of Mary’s singular role as both a witness to the life of Christ her son and as in intercessor on behalf of her children. By the end of the 16th century, the recitation of 150 Hail Mary’s while meditating on scenes from the New Testament (now known as the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries) became increasingly popular among ordinary Christians.

In 2002, Pope St. John Paul II sought to renew and strengthen the Marian piety of the Catholic people by recommending that an additional five mysteries, which he called the Luminous Mysteries, or Mysteries of Light, be added to the traditional 15 mysteries. These new mysteries reflect on the public ministry of Christ from his baptism to the institution of the Eucharist, and they remind us that the rosary, while it is addressed to Mary, is really about Jesus, her divine son.

As we pray the rosary, all of the mysteries—the original 15 and the five added by St. John Paul II—invite us to see the life of our Lord Jesus Christ through the eyes of Our Blessed Lady.

Mary was the first Christian disciple. She followed in her son’s footsteps through all the experiences of his life—joyful, sorrowful, glorious and luminous. She was present when her son rose from the dead, when he ascended into heaven, and when he sent the Holy Spirit to enlighten the minds and hearts of the disciples. She witnessed the birth of the Church at Pentecost, and she accompanied her adopted son, St. John the Evangelist, as he traveled to Ephesus (modern day Turkey) where, by the singular grace of God, Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven.

Recent popes have all agreed that there are many devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary that we, as missionary disciples of Jesus, should actively cultivate.

One excellent way to accomplish a renewal of Marian piety is through a resurgence of prayerful devotion to the rosary. According to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, “the rosary is a meditation on all the important moments of salvation history.” After several decades of neglect, Pope Benedict says, the rosary is experiencing “a new springtime.” He describes the renewal of interest in the rosary as “one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his mother.”

Pope Francis also encourages individuals and families to pray the rosary daily to ask for our Blessed Mother’s special protection and care. This was especially true during the pandemic, when Mary’s intercession was sorely needed to address the serious problems faced by people throughout the world. But certainly it remains true now, considering the urgent economic, social and political challenges we are facing today.

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God and our mother, sets us apart from those who do not understand or appreciate Mary’s unique position in the story of our salvation—past, present and future. That’s one reason why the Church continues to ask all of us to prayerfully consider making this beautiful practice of praying the rosary an integral part of our personal and family spirituality.

May Our Lady of the Rosary help us to open our hearts, as she did, to the grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May her intercession strengthen us and give us hope. May she inspire us to call on the Holy Spirit whose gifts of courage, wisdom, patience and good judgment are greatly needed in these challenging times. †