Christ the Cornerstone

The rosary, a powerful, popular devotion

Loving Father, increase our devotion to the most holy ­rosary, and draw us ever closer to you through the intercession of the Mother of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Morning Prayer)

Saturday, Oct. 7, is the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Originally, this day commemorated the 1571 naval victory at Lepanto (located on the Adriatic Sea between Greece and Italy), the battle that historians say saved the Christian West from defeat at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. On the eve of the battle, the sailors prepared their souls by falling to their knees on the decks of their galleys and praying the rosary. The Blessed Virgin Mary was said to intervene at a decisive moment in the conflict and, as a result, the Ottoman invaders were repelled.

Today we remember Mary under the title Our Lady of the Rosary primarily because of the powerful, popular devotion of the rosary. Pope Francis calls the rosary a “simple contemplative prayer, accessible to all, great and small, the educated and those with little education. In the rosary, we turn to the Virgin Mary so that she may guide us to an ever-closer relationship with Jesus her Son.”

The repetitive, meditative prayers of the rosary allow us to walk with our Lord and his Blessed Mother through the “mysteries” (joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious) that reflect on the sacred events of the New Testament and bring us closer to Jesus and Mary. These are some of the most significant moments in the history of our salvation, and they are worthy of our continued reflection and prayer.

When we read the lives of the saints, we discover common patterns of prayer and devotion. By far, the most common practice of holy women and men is their devotion to the holy Eucharist and their frequent (often daily) reception of our Lord’s sacred body and blood at holy Mass. But it’s also true that many saints—those who are officially recognized by the Church as well as those “saints next door” who are hidden among us—express their deep love and respect for the rosary.

Why? Because, as Pope Francis reminds us, “in the rosary while we repeat the Hail Mary we meditate on the mysteries, on the events of Christ’s life, so as to know and love him ever better. The rosary is an effective means for opening ourselves to God.” Each time we pray the rosary, the Holy Father says, “we are taking a step forward, toward the great destination of life” and approaching our heavenly homeland.

The rosary is frequently prayed by pilgrims who travel to holy places in all regions of the world. The prayers that make up the rosary—the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be—are familiar to us. They are simple and contemplative, especially when combined with reflection on the mysteries.

When we pray the rosary, we don’t have to worry about what to say. The structure of the five decades, the repetition of prayers that most of us learned as children, and even the tactical sensation of “fingering the beads” all provide us with a powerful opportunity to place ourselves in the presence of God through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary.

The word “rosary” comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize Mary, Mother of the Church and our mother. Most recitations of the rosary conclude with a traditional prayer known as the Hail Holy Queen (Salve Regina) which was composed at the end of the 11th century. The Salve Regina is the most commonly used prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary after the Hail Mary.

As we remember our loving Mother Mary under the title Our Lady of the Rosary, let’s sing her praises with these words that conclude the “simple, contemplative” recitation of the most holy rosary:

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ, your Son. And that, through your intercession, we may grow closer to him. †