Our Lady of the Rosary: Engaging God's Word
Recently, Pope Francis reminded us that Mary faced life’s journey with “great
realism, humanity, and practicality.” While the Memorial of Our Lady of the
Rosary most often invites reflection on Mary’s contemplative spirit (which
Blessed John Paul II highlighted in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in which he introduced the new “LuminousMysteries”), this title of Mary reminds us that she was a woman of active
faith, a faith which took her infinitely beyond the boundaries of the small
town of Nazareth into the central
event of human history—the life, death, and resurrection of the One who was her
Son.
Often called “the poor man’s Bible,” the rosary has a rich history that
has been explored in any number of books. What we don’t often consider is that
this devotion developed over the course of several generations, and the prayer took
the form we now recognize only at the end of the sixteenth century. Although we
cannot precisely trace the evolution of the rosary itself, the liturgical
celebration that is now observed on October 7, formerly called the Feast of the
Most Holy Rosary, was introduced in the city of Rome by the Dominican pope
Saint Pius V in 1571 as the “Feast of Our Lady of Victory,” to commemorate
the Battle of Lepanto. On October 7, 1571, the combined naval forces of a coalition
Catholic countries in southern Europe (the “Catholic League”) defeated the main
fleet of the Ottoman Empire off the coast of Greece. This battle ended a 33-year
long monopoly of the Mediterranean by the aggressive and strongly
anti-Christian Turks. A lay organization known as the Confraternity of the
Rosary had made it their special task to pray for the victory of the Christian
forces. To honor their devotion and the gift of Mary’s intercession, Pope Saint
Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of Victory.
In 1573, to give a more clear
focus to the commemoration, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name to the Feast of
the Most Holy Rosary. Finally, in 1960, the name of the feast was changed to “Our
Lady of the Rosary,” and the celebration as we have it today calls for us to “meditate
on the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary
who was in a special manner associated with the incarnation, passion and
glorious resurrection of the Son of God” (from the “historical note” for October
7 in The Divine Office). The history
of this memorial, which is among the most colorful of any liturgical
celebration in the Church’s cycle of seasons and feasts, demonstrates how the
Church both engages the world and how doctrine and devotion can develop over
time. In this case, the focus of this celebration has shifted from being a
triumphalistic celebration to a very intentional reflection on Mary’s dynamic
faith and the mysteries of redemption embodied in the rosary.
Mary’s faith enabled her to take an active role in the working of
Providence. Saint Augustine has reminded us that this is Mary’s glory: “Yes, of
course, holy Mary did the will of the Father. And therefore it means more for
Mary to have been a disciple of Christ than to have been the mother of Christ.
It means more for her, an altogether greater blessing, to have been Christ’s
disciple than to have been Christ’s mother… She kept truth safe in her mind
even better than she kept flesh safe in her womb. Christ is truth, Christ is
flesh; Christ as truth was in Mary’s mind, Christ as flesh in Mary’s womb”
(from Sermon 72).
Mary stands before us as an icon of discipleship and a model of the
Church at prayer. Even as she reflected on all that happened to her, keeping “all
these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19), she did not stand
idly by as a passive observer of all that was going on around her. No, she
manifested a faith that constantly took her outside of herself and her own
comfort or preference. From the fiat
of the Annunciation, to her hasty visit to Elizabeth, to her intercession at
the Wedding of Cana, and to being strong enough to stand beneath the cross of
her dying Son, she listened to God, reflected, and acted.
How often in our own lives, or in the life of our Church, do we take the
role of a mere observer? Do we risk putting into action what we know to be
true, taking the risk of listening attentively to what is being asked of us, no
matter how unwelcome or inconvenient the call may be? Do we reach out in haste
to one who needs us, without counting the cost? And do we engage the world in
the spirit of the Gospel, speaking for those who have no voice and who are
deprived of what is rightfully theirs?
The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is so much more than just an “idea
feast” or remnant of a “safer,” more pious past. This celebration and title of
Our Lady remind us that faith must be dynamic, taking us out of ourselves and
the comfort and safety of the lives we have created onto a path of grateful,
loyal, and self-giving discipleship.
A Prayer of Pope Francis +
Mary, woman of listening, open our ears; grant us to know
how to listen to the word of your Son Jesus among the thousands of words of
this world; grant that we may listen to the reality in which we live, to every
person we encounter, especially those who are poor, in need, in hardship.
Mary, woman of decision, illuminate our mind and our heart,
so that we may obey, unhesitating, the word of your Son Jesus; give us the
courage to decide, not to let ourselves be dragged along, letting others direct
our life.
Mary, woman of action, obtain that our hands and feet move “with haste” toward others, to bring them the charity and love of your Son Jesus, to bring the light of the Gospel to the world, as you did. Amen.
(offered during a rosary service celebrated on May 31, 2013)
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