The Rosary: "A Compendium of the Gospel" (Part 2)
Spiritual growth, the motherhood of Mary, the right disposition, and indulgences attached to the Rosary
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Today, I’m sharing my second post on the Rosary. The first post spoke about the prayers within the Rosary and highlighted the verses that can be meditated on when praying through each mystery. If you would like to read that post, check it out here.
“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”
When I was praying the Rosary every single day, I remember finding myself in a situation where I consistently chose sin, but this time was very different. The temptation never came. Instead, I saw the situation and, with ease, told myself “no”. This moment where I was not tempted when faced with an opportunity to fall into habitual sin has never left my mind. Prayer is powerful.
If you find yourself battling habitual sin and desire the strength to overcome it, I recommend two things: go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently and pray the Rosary daily. You need grace, and both of these are avenues for God to channel His grace.
Having a powerful experience regarding the Rosary is not unique to me. To read the testimonies of others relating to the Rosary, check out this thread. (Please consider adding yours!)
Peace
“Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!” - St. John Paul II
St. John Paul II states that “the Rosary has a peaceful effect on those who pray it.”1 When I pray the Rosary in moments of intense worry/anxiety, the result is peace. This prayer has refreshed me on many occasions, preparing me for the rest of what the day has in store.
The Rosary is also a prayer for peace because of the fruits of charity which it produces. When prayed well in a truly meditative way, the Rosary leads to an encounter with Christ in his mysteries and so cannot fail to draw attention to the face of Christ in others, especially in the most afflicted. How could one possibly contemplate the mystery of the Child of Bethlehem, in the joyful mysteries, without experiencing the desire to welcome, defend and promote life, and to shoulder the burdens of suffering children all over the world? How could one possibly follow in the footsteps of Christ the Revealer, in the mysteries of light, without resolving to bear witness to his “Beatitudes” in daily life? And how could one contemplate Christ carrying the Cross and Christ Crucified, without feeling the need to act as a “Simon of Cyrene” for our brothers and sisters weighed down by grief or crushed by despair? Finally, how could one possibly gaze upon the glory of the Risen Christ or of Mary Queen of Heaven, without yearning to make this world more beautiful, more just, more closely conformed to God's plan?
In a word, by focusing our eyes on Christ, the Rosary also makes us peacemakers in the world. By its nature as an insistent choral petition in harmony with Christ's invitation to “pray ceaselessly” (Lk 18:1), the Rosary allows us to hope that, even today, the difficult “battle” for peace can be won. Far from offering an escape from the problems of the world, the Rosary obliges us to see them with responsible and generous eyes, and obtains for us the strength to face them with the certainty of God's help and the firm intention of bearing witness in every situation to “love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col 3:14).2
Next time you find yourself feeling anxious, pick up the Rosary!
Mother of Christ → Mother of Us
As we know, “Christian spirituality is distinguished by the disciple's commitment to become conformed ever more fully to his Master (cf. Rom 8:29; Phil 3:10,12)”.3 As Edward Sri puts it in his book Into His Likeness, we should follow so close to the Master that the dust kicked up by his sandals hits us. Mary experienced a unique closeness to Christ. “No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary.”4 She carried him in her womb, gave birth to him, watched him turn water into wine, and saw him be crucified.
Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side….In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.5
Mary mothers us as she mothered Christ, helping us to become little Christs. She desires that Christ becomes fully formed in us.6 This is possible because of her constant intercession. Just as St. Monica prayed unceasingly for her son, St. Augustine, when he had strayed far from the truth, Mary prays unceasingly for us.
A Great, but Optional, Devotion
Even though I have experienced the power of the Rosary, I feel the need to remind all who are reading this that it is not a requirement to pray the Rosary. Many Saints have spoken highly of this prayer and recommend we all develop a routine of regularly praying the Rosary, but the Church allows us to pick the devotions that are most beneficial to our spiritual journey. I say all of this for one reason: I do not want you to feel overwhelmed! There are many approved Catholic prayers/devotions, and it can be tempting to participate in them all (at least it is for me), but I often remind myself that quality matters more than quantity. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer life!
With that in mind, praying the Rosary should not replace reading the scriptures. The mysteries of the Rosary “neither replace the Gospel nor exhaust its content. The Rosary, therefore…is no substitute for lectio divina”7, which is a method of slowly praying with scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak. Consider praying with one of the daily readings!
“…whenever the Rosary clashes with a duty of one’s state in life, holy as the Rosary is, one must give preference to the duty to be performed.” - St. Louis de Montfort
The Right Disposition
Having a rosary to hold in our hands as we pray helps to involve more of our senses. We feel the beads, hear the prayers, and as recommended by St. John Paul II8, we can gaze at an image that reflects the mystery we are praying with. With this in mind, we must be sure “that the beads, with which [the Rosary] is usually said” do not turn into “some kind of amulet or magic object, thereby radically distorting their meaning and function.”9
In addition to recognizing that the beads are not magical, it is important to keep our intentions pure. We must be sure we “do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.”10 In the words of Pope Paul VI:
Without [contemplation] the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation is in danger of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas and of going counter to the warning of Christ: "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words" (Mt. 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are unfolded.11
Our disposition when praying the Rosary matters greatly. If we are saying the prayers, willfully distracted, we have become like the pagans. On the other hand, if we are saying the prayers, reflecting on the mysteries, redirecting our attention when distractions come, our general disposition is in the right place.
“To say the Holy Rosary to advantage one must be in a state of grace or at the very least be fully determined to give up mortal sin. This we know because all our theology teaches us that good works and prayers are only dead works if they are done in a state of mortal sin.” - St. Louis de Montfort
Indulgences Attached to Praying the Rosary
An indulgence can be obtained by praying the Rosary. (I recommend reading my post on indulgences if you haven't already.) The following is from The Handbook of Indulgences:12
A plenary indulgence is granted when the rosary is recited in a church or oratory or when it is recited in a family, a religious community, or a pious association. A partial indulgence is granted for its recitation in all other circumstances.
It has become customary to call [one set of mysteries] the “rosary” also. Concerning this customary usage then, the following norms are given regards a plenary indulgence.
The recitation of [one set of mysteries] is sufficient for obtaining the plenary indulgence, but these five decades must be recited without interruption.
Devout meditation on the mysteries is to be added to the vocal prayer.
In its public recitation the mysteries must be announced in accord with approved local custom, but in its private recitation it is sufficient for the Christian faithful simply to join meditation on the mysteries to the vocal prayer.
In the Eastern Churches where recitation of the Marian rosary as a devotional practice is not found, the patriarchs can establish other prayers in honor of the blessed Virgin Mary which will have the same indulgences as those attached to the rosary, (e.g., in the Byzantine churches, the Akathist hymn, or the office Paraclisis). (79-80)
The Rosary is Not Just for Your Grandma
As I was growing up, I remember seeing my grandma praying her Rosary many times when we would stop by for a visit. She was the only person I had witnessed praying the Rosary, so I assumed that only old people prayed it…probably because they have more time, right? I was very, very wrong. By God’s grace, I had a friend in college who constantly had a Rosary with him. He influenced me to start praying it, too. It quickly became my favorite prayer, despite its length. We all have 20 minutes to spare in our day to pray one set of mysteries. Shut off the radio in the car and pray the Rosary on your way to work or as you drive your toddler to sleep for his afternoon nap (only me?). Break it up if you have to, praying one decade at a time when you have a few minutes available during your day. Take a Rosary walk.
Prioritize prayer every single day. Prayer is a process of aligning our will with God’s will. We cannot expect to know God’s will for our lives if we don’t spend time getting to know Him.
Thank you for reading The Gentle Nudge. Consider sharing with a friend who feels overwhelmed by all-the-things regarding Catholicism. I’d love to be a place for people to take a step towards learning about the faith, one topic at a time.
Mary, be a mother to me now.
Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 40
Ibid.
Ibid., 15
Ibid., 10
Ibid., 11
Ibid., 15
Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 29
Ibid., 20
Ibid., 28
Matthew 6:7
Marialis Cultus, 47
Taken from this article on Catholic Answers