Guido
Reni (1575–1642), Madonna del Rosario con san Domenico, circa 1596,
390 x 220, Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca
Notre-Dame du Rosaire
Cette fête, propre à
l'Église d'Occident, fut instituée par saint
Pie V pour commémorer la victoire de Lépante qui repousse l'invasion
turque (7 octobre 1571). Elle est alors "Notre-Dame de la Victoire".
Vingt-et-un ans plus tard, le pape Grégoire XIII lui donne son nom
actuel. Le pape Clément XI l'étend à l'Église catholique toute entière en
raison de la victoire remportée sur les turcs le 5 août 1716.
Voir aussi:
- Qu'est-ce que la
prière du rosaire (site de l'Église catholique en France)
- de nombreuses paroisses
portant ce nom à trouver sur le moteur
de recherche de l'Eglise catholique en France.
Mémoire de Notre-Dame du
Rosaire. Par la prière du Rosaire le peuple chrétien invoque le secours de la
sainte Mère de Dieu, en méditant, sous sa conduite, les mystères du Christ,
elle qui fut associée, de manière unique, à l'Incarnation, à la Passion et à la
Résurrection du Fils de Dieu.
Martyrologe romain
"Le Rosaire de la
Vierge Marie, qui s'est développé progressivement au cours du deuxième
millénaire sous l'inspiration de l'Esprit de Dieu, est une prière aimée de
nombreux saints et encouragée par le Magistère. Dans sa simplicité et dans sa
profondeur, il reste, même dans le troisième millénaire commençant, une prière
d'une grande signification, destinée à porter des fruits de sainteté."
Jean-Paul
II, lettre apostolique Rosarium Virginis Mariae (site du Vatican)
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1975/Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire.html
Jacques Courtois (1621–1676). La
Vierge Marie et l’Enfant Jésus, 50 x 42, Rijksmuseum
NOTRE DAME DU ROSAIRE
Fêtes
Liturgiques 07 octobre
Le Saint Rosaire trouve
ses origines en 1212 lorsque Saint Dominique de Guzman, lors de son séjour à
Toulouse, vit la Vierge Marie qui lui donna le Rosaire, comme réponse à l'une
de ses prières, pour savoir comment combattre l'hérésie albigeoise. La victoire
qu'il remporta l'amena à voir dans la récitation du rosaire l'instrument grâce
auquel il pourrait trouver refuge et réconfort, force et confiance pour affronter
et surmonter les difficultés de la vie, trouvant dans la couronne le
"bouclier" pour vaincre les hérésies. La "consignation" de
la couronne par la Vierge Marie et sa simplicité ont contribué à la diffusion
de cette pratique de piété parmi le peuple, pratique reconnue par le pape
François comme "mystique du peuple". À la lumière de cette
expérience, on comprend ce qui allait se passer en 1571. Les musulmans se
pressaient aux frontières de l'Europe. Fut alors constituée la Sainte-Ligue pour
entraver leur progression. Pie V, dominicain et très dévot à la Vierge, bénit
la bannière représentant le Crucifix entre les apôtres Pierre et Paul et
surmontée de la devise constantinienne In hoc signo vinces (par ce signe, tu
vaincras). Ce symbole, avec l'image de la Vierge Marie et l'inscription S.
Maria succurre miseris (secours des malheureux), serait le seul à flotter dans
tout le dispositif de la Sainte-Ligue. Dans le même temps, le pape demanda à
tous les chrétiens de se joindre à la bataille en récitant le saint rosaire.
C'était le 7 octobre 1571. Ce fut un triomphe. Il était évident pour tous que
la victoire avait été obtenue par une intervention divine. En 1572, Pie V
institua la fête de Sainte Marie de la Victoire, qui fut transformée par son
successeur, Grégoire XIII, en "Notre-Dame du Rosaire". D'autres
victoires suivirent, comme celle de 1683 à Vienne, grâce à l'intervention du
bienheureux Marco d'Aviano, où - toujours grâce à l'intervention divine et à la
confiance en la Vierge Marie - l'avancée des musulmans fut stoppée, ainsi qu'en
1687, lorsque le peuple de Venise supplia la Vierge Marie de mettre fin à la
peste : une fois l'épidémie vaincue, on construisit la basilique de Notre-Dame
de la Santé, célébrée le 21 novembre. Dans le rosaire, les croyants d'aujourd'hui
voient un instrument donné par la Vierge pour contempler Jésus et, en méditant
sa vie, l'aimer et le suivre. Il est intéressant de noter que dans plusieurs
apparitions, la Vierge Marie nous confie le chapelet : Lourdes, Fatima... en
nous recommandant avec insistance de le réciter quotidiennement pour surmonter
les divisions, les discordes et les maux dans nos cœurs, dans les relations
familiales et entre les peuples. Aujourd'hui, le sanctuaire le plus célèbre au
monde dédié à la Vierge Marie du Rosaire est celui de Pompéi (fête du 8 mai),
fondé par le bienheureux Bartolo Longo (au milieu du XIXe siècle).
En ce temps-là, l’ange
Gabriel fut envoyé par Dieu dans une ville de Galilée, appelée Nazareth, à une
jeune fille vierge, accordée en mariage à un homme de la maison de David,
appelé Joseph ; et le nom de la jeune fille était Marie. L’ange entra chez elle
et dit: «Je te salue, Comblée-de-grâce, le Seigneur est avec toi.» À cette
parole, elle fut toute bouleversée, et elle se demandait ce que pouvait
signifier cette salutation. L’ange lui dit alors: «Sois sans crainte, Marie,
car tu as trouvé grâce auprès de Dieu. Voici que tu vas concevoir et enfanter
un fils; tu lui donneras le nom de Jésus. Il sera grand, il sera appelé Fils du
Très-Haut; le Seigneur Dieu lui donnera le trône de David son père; il régnera
pour toujours sur la maison de Jacob, et son règne n’aura pas de fin.» Marie
dit à l’ange: «Comment cela va-t-il se faire puisque je ne connais pas
d’homme?» L’ange lui répondit: « ’Esprit Saint viendra sur toi, et la puissance
du Très-Haut te prendra sous son ombre; c’est pourquoi celui qui va naître sera
saint, il sera appelé Fils de Dieu. Or voici que, dans sa vieillesse,
Élisabeth, ta parente, a conçu, elle aussi, un fils et en est à son sixième
mois, alors qu’on l’appelait la femme stérile. Car rien n’est impossible à
Dieu.» Marie dit alors: «Voici la servante du Seigneur; que tout m’advienne
selon ta parole.» Alors l’ange la quitta. (Lc 1, 26-38).
Stupeur
La liturgie nous met aujourd’hui à l'école de Marie, disciple privilégiée du Seigneur Jésus. Aujourd'hui, à la lumière de la parole de l'Évangile, apprenons d’elle "la stupeur", la disponibilité à se laisser émerveillé par Dieu. Elle devient mère étant vierge, et Elisabeth, en est déjà au sixième mois, bien qu'elle soit âgée (Lc 1, 36). L'émerveillement de Marie lui permet de laisser agir Dieu, et lui permettra de donner le jour à Celui qu'attendent les nations.
Cette première attitude de Marie nous apprend aujourd'hui, en la fête de
Notre-Dame du Rosaire, à savoir nous confier à l'intercession de la Vierge Mère
en récitant le Saint Rosaire. Ce qui peut sembler humainement impossible à nos
seules forces humaines, aussi par la grâce de Marie, tout combat de la vie,
qu'il soit intérieur ou extérieur, peut être gagné.
Tourner le regard vers le
ciel
Outre l'étonnement, Marie
nous apprend aujourd'hui à regarder vers le ciel. A faire confiance et à nous
confier au Seigneur. Un geste par lequel nous reconnaissons que nous ne pouvons
pas y arriver seuls, que nous ne sommes pas les architectes de notre propre
destin, et que nous avons besoin les uns des autres et, tous ensemble, nous
avons besoin de Dieu. Le Seigneur ne nous laisse jamais seuls, il nous l'a
promis, mais c'est nous qui devons être les premiers à le croire, en commençant
par détacher notre regard des seules choses terrestres, en apprenant à le fixer
vers le ciel, d'où nous vient l'aide (cf. Ps 121).
Se confier à la prière du saint rosaire est le signe par lequel nous
reconnaissons que Dieu est à l'œuvre en nous et autour de nous, et par
l'intercession de Marie nous pouvons cultiver un "haut degré de la
vie". Croire, c'est donner crédit à Celui qui peut tout, accueillir son
aide en reconnaissant que nous ne pouvons pas tout faire tout seuls ; lui faire
confiance même quand ses plans ne correspondent pas aux nôtres, jusqu'à se
donner avec confiance : "Voici la servante du Seigneur. Qu'il me soit fait
selon ta parole".
Le temps de Dieu et le
temps des hommes
Une troisième leçon que
nous tirons de cette page d'Évangile est d'apprendre de Marie et avec Marie à
faire confiance au temps de Dieu. Ce temps est aussi fait de silence,
d'attente, de patience pour nous, qui vivons le temps du "tout et
maintenant". Il y a le "kronos", le temps des hommes, marqué par
les heures, par les activités quotidiennes. C'est le moment où le temps est
consommé de manière vorace, superficielle, précipitée. Une sorte de
"jetable". Il y a ensuite le "kairos", le "moment
juste, opportun", le moment opportun, capable de définir chaque instant.
C'est le moment que l’on savoure avec le temps, qui demande d'aller au fond des
choses pour qu'elles portent du fruit au temps voulu. C'est vivre la qualité de
chaque rencontre, chaque expérience, parce que c'est le temps de l'amour, de
l'écoute, de l'attention à l’autre. C'est le moment où chacun ne se laisse pas
vivre, mais fait ses propres choix, saisit les occasions qui lui sont données
de grandir, sachant les créer et les recréer, afin qu'elles donnent sens à
l'existence. C'est le moment où vivre c'est aimer. Marie nous éduque à ce
temps. Elle nous apprend à nous laisser décanter de ce rythme frénétique de la
vie, pour découvrir et savourer les choses de Dieu.
Prière
SOURCE : https://www.vaticannews.va/fr/vacances-liturgiques/notre-dame-du-rosaire-.html
Saturnino
Gatti, Madonna del Rosario, 1511, da S. Domenico all'Aquila
Le Très Saint Rosaire
En action de grâces de la
décisive victoire remportée à Lépante par la flotte chrétienne sur la flotte
turque, le premier dimanche d'octobre 1571, le saint Pape Pie V institua une
fête annuelle sous le titre de Sainte Marie de la Victoire; mais peu après, le
Pape Grégoire XII changea le nom de cette fête en celui de
Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire.
Le Rosaire avait été
institué par saint Dominique au commencement du XIIIe siècle. Par le zèle des
Papes, et aussi par les fruits abondants qu'il produisait dans l'Église, il
devenait de plus en plus populaire. Au XVe siècle, le bienheureux Alain de La
Roche, Dominicain, fut suscité par Marie pour raviver cette dévotion si
excellente.
Plus tard, dans les
premières années du XVIIIe siècle, parut un homme extraordinaire appelé à bon
droit le Dominique des temps modernes, et qui fut le grand propagateur,
l'apôtre de la dévotion au saint Rosaire; c'est saint Louis-Marie Grignion de
Montfort. Depuis saint Dominique, il n'y a pas eu d'homme plus zélé que ce
grand missionnaire pour l'établissement de la confrérie du Rosaire: il
l'érigeait dans tous les lieux où elle ne l'était pas; c'est le moyen qu'il
jugeait le plus puissant pour établir le règne de Dieu dans les âmes. Il
composa lui-même une méthode de réciter le Rosaire, qui est restée la meilleure
entre toutes, la plus facile à retenir, la plus instructive et la plus pieuse.
L'Apôtre de l'Ouest récitait tous les jours son Rosaire en entier, suivant sa méthode,
et le faisait de même réciter publiquement tous les jours dans ses missions, et
il a fait un point de règle à ses disciples de suivre son exemple.
Par son Rosaire
quotidien, Montfort convertissait les plus grands pécheurs et les faisait
persévérer dans la grâce et la ferveur de leur conversion; il pouvait dire:
"Personne ne m'a résisté une fois que j'ai pu lui mettre la main au collet
avec mon Rosaire!" Il avait mille industries pour propager et faire aimer
le Rosaire: là, c'étaient quinze bannières représentant les quinze mystères du
Rosaire; ailleurs, d'immenses Rosaires qu'on récitait en marchant, dans les
églises ou autour des églises, à la manière du chemin de la Croix. Il exaltait
le Rosaire dans ses cantiques; un tonnerre de voix répondait à la sienne, et
tous les échos répétaient, de colline en colline, les gloires de cette dévotion
bénie.
Son oeuvre a continué
après lui; c'est le Rosaire à la main que la Vendée, en 1793, a défendu ses
foyers et ses autels; c'est aussi le Rosaire ou le chapelet à la main que les
populations chrétiennes paraissent dans toutes les cérémonies religieuses.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/le_tres_saint_rosaire.html
Giorgio
Vasari, Madonna del Rosario, 1569, Firenze, Basilique Santa Maria Novella. Cappella Bardi
La fête du Rosaire
La fête du Rosaire est
célébrée le premier dimanche d'octobre. Elle fut, dans le principe, une simple fête
de confrérie. Mais, en 1571, le septième jour d'octobre, qui était le premier
dimanche de ce mois, une grâce extraordinaire accordée au peuple chrétien tout
entier, vint donner à cette fête un grand éclat. En effet, ce fut le jour où
don Juan d'Autriche remporta sur les Turcs la célèbre victoire de Lépante, et
sauva ainsi la chrétienté du plus imminent danger.
Le même jour et à l'heure
même du combat, les confréries du Rosaire faisaient à Rome des processions
solennelles pour demander la victoire sur les infidèles. Le saint pape Pie V,
divinement averti de la victoire des chrétiens, la regarda comme une grâce
accordée par Marie, à cause des prières ferventes qui lui étaient adressées.
Pour reconnaître ce
bienfait, il prescrivit une fête spéciale en l'honneur de la sainte Vierge. On
inséra donc, par son ordre, cette mention dans le martyrologe, à la date du 7
octobre : " Mémoire de sainte Marie de la Victoire, que le souverain
pontife Pie V ordonna de renouveler chaque année, à cause de l'insigne victoire
navale remportée ce jour-là par les chrétiens sur les Turcs, grâce au secours
de la Mère de Dieu. "
Dans l'origine cette fête
porta donc le nom de Notre-Dame de la Victoire.
Grégoire XIII renouvela
en 1573 l'ordonnance de son saint prédécesseur, et ajouta que désormais la fête
aurait lieu le premier dimanche d'octobre, dans toutes les églises où se
trouvait un autel ou une chapelle sous l'invocation de Notre-Dame du
Saint-Rosaire, et qu'elle porterait ce même nom. La fête était élevée en même
temps au rite double majeur.
Un siècle plus tard, en
1671, Clément X étendit cette fête à toute l'Espagne, sans condition, sur
l'instante prière de la reine Marie-Anne. Cette faveur s'étendit peu à peu à
d'autres contrées et enfin le pape Clément XI, en 1716, ordonna qu'elle fût
célébrée par toute la chrétienté, en mémoire de la victoire obtenue en 1715 par
Charles VI sur les Turcs, en Hongrie. Comme pour la victoire de Lépante, les
confréries du Rosaire faisaient au moment du combat, des processions solennelles,
pour obtenir le secours divin par l'intercession de Marie. Clément XI, en
étendant la fête du Saint-Rosaire à toute l'Église, voulait, dit-il, enflammer
le coeur des fidèles, et les encourager à rendre hommage à la Vierge glorieuse
qui ne laisse jamais l'Église sans secours, au milieu des dangers.
Jusqu'au temps de Benoît
XIII, les leçons du second nocturne étaient un sermon de S. Augustin, sans
rapport direct avec la fête du Saint-Rosaire, Benoît XIII, d'après l'avis de la
Congrégation des rites, le fit remplacer par une notice assez étendue sur la
dévotion du Rosaire, son origine, son histoire et celle de l'institution de la
fête. Il était réservé au grand et saint pontife Léon XIII de revêtir la
dévotion au saint Rosaire et la fête d'un nouvel éclat.
Le 11 septembre 1887
parut un décret de la Congrégation des rites qui, après avoir rappelé que nous
pouvons tout espérer de la protection de Marie, si nous sommes fidèles à lui
adresser pieusement les saintes invocations du Rosaire, se continue ainsi :
"Notre très
Saint-Père. tout heureux de cet empressement unanime, renouvelle ses instances
auprès de tous les Pasteurs de l'Église et de tous les fidèles du monde, et les
exhorte à redoubler de ferveur et de confiance filiale en persévérant dans ces saints
exercices, et à supplier la très auguste Reine de la paix, d'user de son crédit
auprès de Dieu, pour détourner l'horrible tempête des temps présents, par la
ruine de l'empire de Satan et la défaite des ennemis de la religion, et pour
rendre la calme si désiré à la barque mystique de Pierre, ballotée par les
flots. C'est pourquoi tout ce qui a été décrété, accordé et ordonné les années
précédentes, et dernièrement par le décret de la Sacrée Congrégation des rites,
prescrivant de consacrer le mois d'octobre à la céleste Reine du Rosaire, de
nouveau il le décrète, l'accorde et l'ordonne.
La fête de la solennité
du Saint-Rosaire est déjà en honneur chez les peuples chrétiens, et l'objet
d'un culte tout particulier, qui se rapporte à tous les mystères de la vie, de
la passion, de la gloire de N.-S. Jésus-Christ, notre rédempteur, et de son
Immaculée Mère. Afin donc de favoriser cette dévotion qui va toujours
croissant, afin aussi d'ajouter aux honneurs publics rendus à Marie, Sa
Sainteté Léon XIII, par un privilège dont jouissent déjà plusieurs églises
particulières, ordonne de célébrer désormais dans toute l'Église, sous le rite
de seconde classe, ladite solennité et l'office de Notre-Dame du Rosaire fixé
au premier dimanche d'octobre, en sorte que cette fête ne puisse être
transférée à un autre jour, si ce n'est en cas d'occurrence d'un office de rite
supérieur ; sauf les rubriques et nonobstant toute disposition contraire."
Ce n'était pas assez pour le zèle et la dévotion de Léon XIII envers Notre-Dame du Saint-Rosaire. L'année suivante, la Sacrée Congrégation des rites rendit un nouveau décret inspiré par la gravité des circonstances. Ce décret rappelle ce que le Souverain Pontife régnant a déjà fait en l'honneur de Notre-Dame du Saint-Rosaire, exhorte tous les chrétiens à se conformer pieusement aux ordonnances du Saint-Père, et donne un nouvel office et une nouvelle messe revus et approuvés par Léon XIII lui-même pour cette solennité.
SOURCE : http://pages.total.net/~jmarient/erger/pagetest/psaume.htm
Caravaggio (1571–1610),
Madonna of the Rosary, circa 1605, 364.5
x 249.5, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna,
7 octobre
Notre-Dame du Rosaire
(à dire après la récitation du Rosaire pendant le mois d'octobre)
Nous recourons à vous
dans nos tribulations, bienheureux Joseph, et après avoir invoqué le secours de
votre très sainte épouse, nous sollicitons aussi avec confiance votre saint
patronage.
Par l'affection qui vous
a uni à la Vierge immaculée, mère de Dieu ; par l'amour paternel dont vous avez
entouré l'enfant Jésus, nous vous supplions de regarder avec bonté l'héritage
que Jésus-Christ a conquis de son sang, et de nous assister de votre puissance
et de votre secours dans nos besoins.
Protégez, ô très sage gardien
de la divine famille, la race élue de Jésus-Christ : préservez-nous, ô père
très aimant, de toute souillure d'erreur et de corruption ; soyez-nous propice
et assistez-nous du haut du ciel, ô notre très puissant libérateur, dans le
combat que nous livrons à la puissance des ténèbres ; et de même que vous avez
arraché autrefois l'enfant Jésus au péril de la mort, défendez aujourd'hui la
sainte Église de Dieu contre les embûches de l'ennemi et gardez-la de toute
adversité.
Accordez-nous votre
perpétuelle protection afin que, à votre exemple et soutenus par votre secours,
nous puissions vivre saintement, mourir pieusement et obtenir la béatitude
éternelle dans le Ciel. Amen.
La fête de Notre-Dame
du Rosaire se célébrait déjà, en 1547, à Tortosa (Espagne), le troisième
dimanche d'avril, quand fut instituée par Pie V la fête de Notre-Dame de
la Victoire (1572) au premier dimanche d'octobre, en action de grâces pour
la victoire de Lépante où, à l'entrée du golfe de Corinthe, la flotte
chrétienne fournie par le Saint-Siège, l'Espagne, Venise, la Savoie, Mantoue,
Ferrare, Gênes et Lucques, sous le commandement de don Juan d'Autriche, avait écrasé
la flotte turque d'Ali Pacha (7 octobre 1571). C'est à cette occasion qu'on
ajouta aux litanies de la Sainte Vierge l'invocation Secours des
Chrétiens, priez pour nous ! Grégoire XIII qui attribuait la victoire de
Lépante aux processions faites à Rome par les confréries du Saint-Rosaire,
changea la fête de Notre-Dame de la Victoire en celle du Saint
Rosaire et la fixa au premier dimanche d'octobre (1573) ; elle ne fut
alors obligatoire que pour les églises romaines qui possédaient une chapelle ou
une confrérie du Saint-Rosaire.
Clément X concéda cette
fête à l'Espagne (1671) avant que Clément XI l'étendît à l'Eglise universelle
et l'élevât au rit double-majeur (1716), célébrée le jour de l'octave de
l'Assomption, à la suite de la victoire de Peterwaradin que le prince Eugène de
Savoie avait remportée sur les Turcs (5 août 1716). Léon XIII en fit une fête
de seconde classe et adopta l'office et le propre de la messe en usage chez les
Dominicains (1887). Pie X la fixa au 7 octobre (1913).
De la piété filiale envers Marie
Mes très chers Frères,
Encore qu’il n’est pas
rare, ce m’est un appréciable privilège que de présider une paroisse consacrée
tout particulièrement à la Vierge Marie et c’est pourquoi, dès les premiers
jours de mon ministère parmi vous, voilà quinze ans, mon premier souci a été de
développer votre piété filiale envers Marie et de vous montrer, que sa
dévotion, pour parler comme saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, est le
chemin aisé, court, parfait et assuré pour parvenir à l’union avec Jésus.
J’ai souventes fois aimé
vous prêcher les grandeurs de cette Reine bénie, la Mère du Sauveur de tous les
hommes, qui, par l’expresse volonté divine, a été associée à l’œuvre
rédemptrice, et, ce faisant, je vous ai assidûment exhortés à vous blottir avec
confiance sous son manteau d’azur, de sorte qu’elle vous prenne dans son cœur
qui ne fait qu’un avec le celui de Jésus.
Aujourd’hui, comme à
chacun des mois d’octobre que nous avons vécus ensemble, les circonstances me
pressent à vous parler du Rosaire où, tandis que nous rappelons les mystères du
salut, la Sainte Vierge les grave mystérieusement dans nos âmes. Comme mes
ambitions pour vous seraient portées à leur comble si cette humble prière du
chapelet prenait en chacune de vos vies une place capitale !
D’aucuns, je le sais
bien, jouets de cette subtile alchimie où Satan mêle l’orgueil et la paresse
aux grands sentiments, se refusent à ce pieux exercice sous prétexte qu’il
n’est qu’une récitation machinale pendant que glisse entre leurs doigts un
collier de perles ou de boules de bois ; ils préfèrerait sans doute une prière
plus personnelle et plus pensée qui, faute de temps ou d’imagination, est tant
remise à plus tard qu’on ne la fait que rarement, sinon jamais. Or, si la
prière est une élévation de l’âme vers Dieu, il s’agit bien d’une âme unie
substantiellement à un corps situé dans le temps présent ; aussi, ces
récitations répétées que je n’imagine pas faites par des gens qui ne se
voudraient pas s’élever vers Dieu, est, à tout le moins, l’hommage du corps qui
s’unit, par les paroles de la bouche, les gestes des mains, l’application de la
volonté et le travail de la mémoire, et, en écrivant ces lignes, j’entends
saint Thomas d’Aquin enseigner que nous confessons par là que Dieu est
l’auteur de notre âme et de notre corps, lui offrant nos hommages spirituels et
corporels. Par ailleurs, ces répétitions si simples et si faciles des mêmes
prières, lorsque l’on en a pris l’habitude aux temps ordinaires, deviennent un
apaisement dans les moments de sècheresse et de souffrance. Rappelez-vous l’Aveugle de
Lamartine qui disait : Je prie le bon Dieu jusqu’à ce que mes lèvres se
fatiguent sur son saint Nom et mes doigts sur les grains. Qui est-ce qui
s’ennuierait en parlant tout le jour à son roi qui ne se lasse pas
d’écouter ?
Parfois, pour se dispenser
de la récitation du chapelet, certains se plaignent de ne pas savoir le
méditer, mais je crains, en leur accordant toutes sortes de circonstances
atténuantes, qu’ils se fassent une bien haute idée de la méditation. Il s’agit
d’inviter les facultés de l’âme, dans la seule mesure de ses aptitudes, à
considérer la scène de l’Évangile évoquée par le mystère pour y cueillir les
fruits de la sanctification. Chacun peut se représenter les scènes du Rosaire,
mais, à votre avis, par quoi le Seigneur communique-t-il les fruits de la
sanctification ? Par l’intelligence du fidèle ou par le ministère de la Vierge
Marie ? La récitation du chapelet est le bréviaire des humbles, en ce sens que,
appliqué à des exercices simples, l’on s’y laisse instruire mystérieusement par
Marie, et vous remarquerez que les orgueilleux s’en éloignent et s’en
dégoûtent, s’en moquent ou s’en scandalisent parce qu’ils leur semblent qu’il
n’y mettent pas assez d’eux-mêmes, ils veulent briller quand il ne s’agit que
de laisser la Sainte Vierge instruire doucement les cœurs. Tous ceux qui ont
l’habitude du chapelet affirment qu’il alimente leur foi et développe en eux
les vertus chrétiennes.
Abbé Christian-Philippe
Chanut
Giovanni Battista Crespi (1573–1632), il Cerano, Madonna del Rosario con i santi Caterina da Siena e Domenico, 1620, 275 x 218, Pinacoteca di Brera
L'encyclique Christi Mater Rosarii
A nos vénérables frères,
patriarches, primats, archevêques, évêques et autres ordinaires locaux en paix
et communion avec le Siège apostolique. Paul VI, Pape.
Vénérables Frères, salut
et bénédiction apostolique.
Durant le mois d'octobre,
le peuple fidèle a coutume d'offrir la récitation du rosaire comme autant de
couronnes à la Mère de Dieu. A l'exemple de Nos Prédécesseurs, Nous approuvons
vivement cette pratique. Cette année, Nous convions tous les enfants de
l'Église à un hommage plus particulier de piété envers Notre-Dame. Et cela en
raison des menaces de calamités graves et étendues qui pèsent sur la famille
humaine : en Asie orientale se poursuit un conflit sanglant et se déchaîne une
guerre acharnée. De ce fait, Nous Nous trouvons pressé d'intensifier tout
l'effort possible en faveur de la paix.
Ce qui ajoute à nos
préoccupations, c'est ce que Nous apprenons d'autres régions du monde : la
course aux armements nucléaires, l'ambition incontrôlée d'expansion nationale,
l'exaltation démesurée de la race, les tendances subversives, le séparation
imposée entre citoyens d'un même pays, les manœuvres criminelles, le meurtre de
personnes innocentes. Tout cela peut donner lieu aux pires catastrophes.
La Providence nous
impose, semble-t-il, à Nous comme à Nos plus récents Prédécesseurs, la mission
particulière de consacrer Nos efforts patients et constants à la sauvegarde et
à l'affermissement de la paix. Ce devoir découle évidemment du mandat qui Nous
est confié de conduire l'Église entière. Celle-ci, « signe dressé devant
les nations » (cf. Isaïe XI 12), ne sert pas d'intérêts politiques, mais
elle doit apporter au genre humain la vérité et la grâce de Jésus-Christ, son
divin fondateur.
En réalité, depuis les
débuts de Notre ministère apostolique, Nous n'avons rien négligé pour la cause
de la paix, ni prière adressée à Dieu, ni instances, ni exhortations, et même,
vous vous en souvenez, l'an dernier, Nous Nous sommes rendu par la voie des airs
en Amérique du Nord afin de parler au siège de l'Organisation des Nations Unies
devant l'assemblée si distinguée des représentants de presque tous les peuples,
du bien si désiré de la paix, et de recommander qu'on ne laisse pas des peuples
en état d'infériorité par rapport à d'autres, que les uns ne s'attaquent point
aux autres mais que tous conjuguent leur zèle et leur action pour établir la
paix.
Et encore dans la suite,
mû par Notre sollicitude apostolique, Nous n'avons pas cessé d'encourager les
hommes à qui incombe cette lourde responsabilité à écarter de l'humanité
l'épouvantable fléau qui pourrait survenir.
Maintenant encore, Nous
élevons Notre voix « avec un grand cri et des larmes » (Hébreux V 7 )
pour supplier instamment les dirigeants des nations de tout tenter pour
empêcher la propagation de l'incendie et pour éteindre complètement celui-ci.
Nous n'en doutons point : les hommes de toute race, de toute couleur, de toute
religion, de toute classe sociale, s'ils aiment le droit et l'honnêteté, partagent
Notre sentiment.
Que tous ceux dont cela
dépend ménagent les conditions nécessaires à la cessation des hostilités avant
que ne leur échappe, par le poids même des évènements, la possibilité de
déposer les armes.
Que ceux-là au pouvoir
desquels est remis le salut de la famille humaine sachent que leur conscience
est chargée d'une très grave obligation. Qu'ils interrogent cette conscience et
sondent leur propre cœur ; que chacun veuille bien regarder et sa propre
nation, et le monde, et Dieu, et l'histoire ; qu'ils songent que leur nom
restera en bénédiction s'ils répondent avec sagesse à cette pressante
invitation.
Au nom du Seigneur, Nous
crions : « Arrêtez ! » Il faut se rencontrer ; il faut en
venir à conférer et à négocier en toute sincérité. C'est maintenant qu'il faut
régler les conflits, serait-ce avec quelque inconvénient et quelque désavantage
; car il faudra bien qu'ils soient réglés non sans peut-être d'énormes dommages
et des désastres dont, pour le moment, nul ne peut imaginer l'horreur. La paix
à établir doit être cependant basée sur le justice et la liberté, elle doit
donc respecter les droits des hommes et des communautés - autrement, elle
serait précaire et instable.
Tout en exprimant de la
sorte Notre anxiété et Notre émoi, Nous devons, comme le dicte Notre
responsabilité pastorale, implorer le secours d'en haut. A celui qui est
« le Prince de la Paix » (Isaïe IX 16), il faut demander la paix,
« ce bien si grand que parmi les biens de la terre et du temps on n'entend
mentionner rien de plus apprécié, on ne saurait souhaiter rien de plus
désirable, trouver rien de meilleur.[1] »
Et puisque aux époques
d'incertitude et de trouble, l'Église a l'habitude de recourir à l'intercession
attentive de Marie, sa mère, c'est vers celle-ci que Nous Nous tournons, vers
elle que Nous orientons Notre pensée et celle de tous les chrétiens. Car, selon
le mot de saint Irénée « elle est devenue le salut du genre humain tout
entier.[2] »
Rien ne Nous paraît
répondre plus parfaitement aux circonstances que de faire monter la
supplication de toute la famille chrétienne vers la Mère de Dieu invoquée comme
« Reine de la Paix », afin que parmi tant et de si graves misères et
menaces, elle dispense largement les dons de sa bonté maternelle.
Il faut, disons-Nous,
adresser un prière intense et persévérante à celle que, au cours du second
Concile œcuménique du Vatican, aux applaudissements des Pères conciliaires et du
monde catholique Nous avons proclamée Mère de l'église. Par cette
reconnaissance du fait que Marie a spirituellement enfanté l'Église Nous
confirmions un point de la doctrine traditionnelle. Marie est « vraiment
mère des membres du Christ », dit saint Augustin[3] ; à quoi fait écho, sans parler des
autres, saint Anselme : « Quelle dignité plus haute pourra-t-on
jamais reconnaître que celle d'être la mère de ceux-là dont le Christ daigne
être le père et le frère ?[4] » Notre prédécesseur Léon XIII a même
appelé Notre-Dame « en toute vérité Mère de l'Église [5] », c'est donc en toute assurance que
Nous mettons Notre espoir en elle, parmi l'émoi et la crainte qu'inspirent les
troubles actuels.
Puisque quand les maux
deviennent plus graves le pitié de Dieu doit grandir, Notre souhait le plus
vif, vénérables frères, est que suivant votre initiative, vos invitations et
votre impulsion, on invoque plus instamment durant le mois d'octobre Marie notre
Mère, comme Nous l'avons déjà fait entendre par la pratique pieuse du Rosaire.
C'est là une forme de prière très adaptée au sens du peuple de Dieu, très
agréable à la Mère du Seigneur et si efficace pour obtenir les dons du ciel.
Cette prière, le second Concile
œcuménique du Vatican l'a recommandée à tous les enfants de l'Eglise de façon
bien certaine, encore que non explicite, en disant : « Qu'on fasse grand
cas de ces pratiques et exercices de dévotion envers Marie que le Magistère a
recommandés au cours des siècles.[6] »
Cette pratique si féconde
ne sert pas seulement à endiguer le mal et à conjurer les désastres, comme le
montre clairement l'histoire de l'Église. Elle favorise aussi grandement la
vitalité chrétienne : « Avant tout, elle nourrit la foi catholique en
faisant méditer fort à propos les mystères du salut, et elle élève notre pensée
au niveau des vérités de la Révélation.[7] »
Ainsi donc, durant le
prochain mois d'octobre, dédié à Notre-Dame du Rosaire, qu'on redouble de
prières et de supplications ! Que par l'intercession de Marie brille enfin pour
le monde entier l'aurore de la véritable paix, - la paix dans tous les domaines
y compris celui de la pratique religieuse ; actuellement, hélas ! la liberté de
professer la religion n'est point assurée partout.
Plus spécialement Nous
souhaitons que, le 4 octobre, anniversaire de Notre visite à l'Organisation des
Nations Unies, soit célébré, cette année, dans l'univers catholique comme
« jour consacré à prier pour la paix. »
Il vous appartiendra,
vénérables frères, selon la piété qui vous distingue et votre conscience de la
gravité de la situation, de prescrire les actes religieux par lesquels, ce
jour-là, les prêtres, les religieux, le peuple fidèle mais plus
particulièrement l'enfant, signalé par son innocence, ainsi que les malades et
tous ceux qui souffrent, tous enfin d'un élan unanime implorent le Mère de Dieu
et de l'Eglise.
Pour Nous, dans la
basilique Saint-Pierre, près du tombeau du Prince des apôtres, Nous adresserons
une prières toute spéciale à la Vierge protectrice du monde chrétien et garante
de la paix. Ainsi la voix unique de l'Église, montant de toutes les parties de
la terre, ira comme frapper à la porte du ciel. En effet, selon le mot de saint
Augustin « dans la diversité des langues humaines qu'entendent nos
oreilles, unique est le langage de la foi qui anime nos cœurs.[8] »
O Bienheureuse Vierge,
dans votre bonté maternelle, regardez tous vos enfants ! Voyez l'inquiétude des
pasteurs qui redoutent les horreurs d'une tempête pour le troupeau confié à
leur responsabilité ; montrez-vous attentive à l'angoisse de tant d'hommes,
pères et mères de famille, que préoccupe le sort de leurs enfants comme le leur
et qui portent les pires tracas. Apaisez les dispositions des belligérantset
inspirez-leur « des pensées de paix » ; faites que Dieu, vengeur de
la justice lésée, agisse selon sa miséricorde, restitue aux peuples la
tranquillité si désirée et leur assure une ère très longue de véritable
prospérité.
Dans le ferme espoir que
la Sainte Mère de Dieu accueillera Notre humble demande, Nous vous accordons de
tout cœur, à vous-mêmes, Vénérables Frères, ainsi qu'à tout votre clergé et aux
peuples confiés à vos soins, la Bénédiction apostolique.
Rome, près Saint-Pierre,
le 15 septembre 1966, quatrième année de Notre pontificat.
PAULUS P. P. VI.
[1] Saint
Augustin : la Cité de Dieu, livre XIX, chapitre 11.
[2] Saint
Irénée : Contre les hérésies, III 22
[3] Saint
Augustin : de la Sainte Virginité.
[4] Saint
Anselme : Prières, XLVII.
[5] Léon
XIII : Lettre encyclique Adjutricem Populi Christiani, 5 septembre
1895
[6] Constitution
dogmatique sur l'Eglise, n° 67
[7] Lettre
encyclique de Pie XI Ingravescentibus Malis, 29 septembre 1937.
[8] Saint
Augustin : Homélies sur les psaumes, LIV 11.
SOURCE : http://missel.free.fr/Sanctoral/10/07.php
.jpg)
Joos van Cleve (circa 1485 –
1540/1541, La Vierge Marie et l’Enfant Jésus, 1530, 74,3 x 56, Kunsthistorisches Museum
LETTRE APOSTOLIQUE
ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE
DU PAPE
JEAN-PAUL II
À L'ÉPISCOPAT, AU CLERGÉ
ET AUX FIDÈLES
SUR LE ROSAIRE
INTRODUCTION
1. Le Rosaire de la
Vierge Marie, qui s'est développé progressivement au cours du deuxième
millénaire sous l'inspiration de l'Esprit de Dieu, est une prière aimée de
nombreux saints et encouragée par le Magistère. Dans sa simplicité et dans sa
profondeur, il reste, même dans le troisième millénaire commençant, une prière
d'une grande signification, destinée à porter des fruits de sainteté. Elle se
situe bien dans la ligne spirituelle d'un christianisme qui, après deux mille
ans, n'a rien perdu de la fraîcheur des origines et qui se sent poussé par
l'Esprit de Dieu à « avancer au large » (Duc in altum!) pour redire, et même
pour “crier” au monde, que le Christ est Seigneur et Sauveur, qu'il est « le
chemin, la vérité et la vie » (Jn 14, 6), qu'il est « la fin de l'histoire
humaine, le point vers lequel convergent les désirs de l'histoire et de la
civilisation ».1
En effet, tout en ayant
une caractéristique mariale, le Rosaire est une prière dont le centre est
christologique. Dans la sobriété de ses éléments, il concentre en lui la
profondeur de tout le message évangélique, dont il est presque un résumé.2 En
lui résonne à nouveau la prière de Marie, son Magnificat permanent pour l'œuvre
de l'Incarnation rédemptrice qui a commencé dans son sein virginal. Avec lui,
le peuple chrétien se met à l'école de Marie, pour se laisser introduire dans
la contemplation de la beauté du visage du Christ et dans l'expérience de la
profondeur de son amour. Par le Rosaire, le croyant puise d'abondantes grâces,
les recevant presque des mains mêmes de la Mère du Rédempteur.
Les Pontifes romains et
le Rosaire
2. Beaucoup de mes prédécesseurs
ont accordé une grande importance à cette prière. À ce sujet, des mérites
particuliers reviennent à Léon XIII qui, le 1erseptembre 1883, promulgua
l'encyclique Supremi apostolatus officio,3 paroles fortes par lesquelles il
inaugurait une série de nombreuses autres interventions concernant cette
prière, qu'il présente comme un instrument spirituel efficace face aux maux de
la société. Parmi les Papes les plus récents qui, dans la période conciliaire,
se sont illustrés dans la promotion du Rosaire, je désire rappeler le
bienheureux Jean XXIII4 et surtout Paul VI qui, dans l'exhortation apostolique
Marialis cultus, souligna, en harmonie avec l'inspiration du Concile Vatican
II, le caractère évangélique du Rosaire et son orientation christologique.
Puis, moi-même, je n'ai
négligé aucune occasion pour exhorter à la récitation fréquente du Rosaire.
Depuis mes plus jeunes années, cette prière a eu une place importante dans ma
vie spirituelle. Mon récent voyage en Pologne me l'a rappelé avec force, et surtout
la visite au sanctuaire de Kalwaria. Le Rosaire m'a accompagné dans les temps
de joie et dans les temps d'épreuve. Je lui ai confié de nombreuses
préoccupations. En lui, j'ai toujours trouvé le réconfort. Il y a vingt-quatre
ans, le 29 octobre 1978, deux semaines à peine après mon élection au Siège de
Pierre, laissant entrevoir quelque chose de mon âme, je m'exprimais ainsi: « Le
Rosaire est ma prière préférée. C'est une prière merveilleuse. Merveilleuse de
simplicité et de profondeur. [...] On peut dire que le Rosaire est, d'une
certaine manière, une prière-commentaire du dernier chapitre de la Constitution
Lumen gentium du deuxième Concile du Vatican, chapitre qui traite de
l'admirable présence de la Mère de Dieu dans le mystère du Christ et de l'Église.
En effet, sur l'arrière-fond des Ave Maria défilent les principaux épisodes de
la vie de Jésus Christ. Réunis en mystères joyeux, douloureux et glorieux, ils
(1961), pp.641-647: La Documentation catholique 58 (1961), col. 1265-1271.nous
mettent en communion vivante avec Jésus à travers le cœur de sa Mère,
pourrions-nous dire. En même temps, nous pouvons rassembler dans ces dizaines
du Rosaire tous les événements de notre vie individuelle ou familiale, de la
vie de notre pays, de l'Église, de l'humanité, c'est-à-dire nos événements
personnels ou ceux de notre prochain, et en particulier de ceux qui nous sont
les plus proches, qui nous tiennent le plus à cœur. C'est ainsi que la simple
prière du Rosaire s'écoule au rythme de la vie humaine ».5
Par ces paroles, chers
frères et sœurs, je mettais dans le rythme quotidien du Rosaire ma première
année de Pontificat. Aujourd'hui, au début de ma vingt-cinquième année de
service comme Successeur de Pierre, je désire faire de même. Que de grâces
n'ai-je pas reçues de la Vierge Sainte à travers le rosaire au cours de ces
années: Magnificat anima mea Dominum! Je désire faire monter mon action de
grâce vers le Seigneur avec les paroles de sa très sainte Mère, sous la
protection de laquelle j'ai placé mon ministère pétrinien: Totus tuus!
Octobre 2002 - octobre
2003: Année du Rosaire
3. C'est pourquoi,
faisant suite à la réflexion proposée dans la Lettre apostolique Novo millennio
ineunte, dans laquelle, après l'expérience jubilaire, j'ai invité le Peuple de
Dieu à « repartir du Christ »,6 j'ai senti la nécessité de développer une
réflexion sur le Rosaire, presque comme un couronnement marial de cette lettre
apostolique, pour exhorter à la contemplation du visage du Christ en compagnie
de sa très sainte Mère et à son école. En effet, réciter le Rosaire n'est rien
d'autre que contempler avec Marie le visage du Christ. Pour donner un plus
grand relief à cette invitation, profitant de l'occasion du tout proche cent
vingtième anniversaire de l'encyclique de Léon XIII déjà mentionnée, je désire
que, tout au long de l'année, cette prière soit proposée et mise en valeur de
manière particulière dans les différentes communautés chrétiennes. Je proclame
donc l'année qui va d'octobre de cette année à octobre 2003 Année du Rosaire.
Je confie cette directive
pastorale à l'initiative des différentes communautés ecclésiales. Ce faisant,
je n'entends pas alourdir, mais plutôt unir et consolider les projets pastoraux
des Églises particulières. Je suis certain que cette directive sera accueillie
avec générosité et empressement. S'il est redécouvert dans sa pleine
signification, le Rosaire conduit au cœur même de la vie chrétienne, et offre
une occasion spirituelle et pédagogique ordinaire mais féconde pour la
contemplation personnelle, la formation du Peuple de Dieu et la nouvelle
évangélisation. Il me plaît de le redire aussi à l'occasion du souvenir joyeux
d'un autre événement: le quarantième anniversaire de l'ouverture du Concile
œcuménique Vatican II (11 octobre 1962), cette « grande grâce » offerte par
l'Esprit de Dieu à l'Église de notre temps.7
Objections au Rosaire
4. L'opportunité d'une
telle initiative découle de diverses considérations. La première concerne
l'urgence de faire face à une certaine crise de cette prière qui, dans le
contexte historique et théologique actuel, risque d'être à tort amoindrie dans
sa valeur et ainsi rarement proposée aux nouvelles générations. D'aucuns
pensent que le caractère central de la liturgie, à juste titre souligné par le
Concile œcuménique Vatican II, a eu comme conséquence nécessaire une diminution
de l'importance du Rosaire. En réalité, comme le précisait Paul VI, cette prière
non seulement ne s'oppose pas à la liturgie, mais en constitue un support,
puisqu'elle l'introduit bien et s'en fait l'écho, invitant à la vivre avec une
plénitude de participation intérieure, afin d'en recueillir des fruits pour la
vie quotidienne.
D'autres craignent
peut-être qu'elle puisse apparaître peu œcuménique en raison de son caractère
nettement marial. En réalité, elle se situe dans la plus pure perspective d'un
culte à la Mère de Dieu, comme le Concile Vatican II l'a défini: un culte
orienté vers le centre christologique de la foi chrétienne, de sorte que, « à
travers l'honneur rendu à sa Mère, le Fils [...] soit connu, aimé, glorifié ».8
S'il est redécouvert de manière appropriée, le Rosaire constitue une aide, mais
certainement pas un obstacle à l'œcuménisme.
La voie de la
contemplation
5. Cependant, la raison
la plus importante de redécouvrir avec force la pratique du Rosaire est le fait
que ce dernier constitue un moyen très valable pour favoriser chez les fidèles
l'engagement de contemplation du mystère chrétien que j'ai proposé dans la
lettre apostolique Novo millennio ineunte comme une authentique “pédagogie de
la sainteté”: « Il faut un christianisme qui se distingue avant tout dans l'art
de la prière ».9 Alors que dans la culture contemporaine, même au milieu de
nombreuses contradictions, affleure une nouvelle exigence de spiritualité,
suscitée aussi par les influences d'autres religions, il est plus que jamais
urgent que nos communautés chrétiennes deviennent « d'authentiques écoles de
prière ».10
Le Rosaire se situe dans
la meilleure et dans la plus pure tradition de la contemplation chrétienne. Développé
en Occident, il est une prière typiquement méditative et il correspond, en un
sens, à la « prière du cœur » ou à la « prière de Jésus », qui a germé sur
l'humus de l'Orient chrétien.
Prière pour la paix et
pour la famille
6. Certaines
circonstances historiques ont contribué à une meilleure actualisation du
renouveau du Rosaire. La première d'entre elles est l'urgence d'implorer de
Dieu le don de la paix. Le Rosaire a été à plusieurs reprises proposé par mes
Prédécesseurs et par moi-même comme prière pour la paix. Au début d'un
millénaire, qui a commencé avec les scènes horribles de l'attentat du 11
septembre 2001 et qui enregistre chaque jour dans de nombreuses parties du
monde de nouvelles situations de sang et de violence, redécouvrir le Rosaire
signifie s'immerger dans la contemplation du mystère de Celui « qui est notre
paix », ayant fait « de deux peuples un seul, détruisant la barrière qui les
séparait, c'est-à- dire la haine » (Ep 2, 14). On ne peut donc réciter le Rosaire
sans se sentir entraîné dans un engagement précis de service de la paix, avec
une attention particulière envers la terre de Jésus, encore si éprouvée, et
particulièrement chère au cœur des chrétiens.
De manière analogue, il
est urgent de s'engager et de prier pour une autre situation critique de notre
époque, celle de la famille, cellule de la société, toujours plus attaquée par
des forces destructrices, au niveau idéologique et pratique, qui font craindre
pour l'avenir de cette institution fondamentale et irremplaçable, et, avec
elle, pour le devenir de la société entière. Dans le cadre plus large de la
pastorale familiale, le renouveau du Rosaire dans les familles chrétiennes se
propose comme une aide efficace pour endiguer les effets dévastateurs de la
crise actuelle.
« Voici ta mère! » (Jn
19, 27)
7. De nombreux signes
montrent ce que la Vierge Sainte veut encore réaliser aujourd'hui, précisément
à travers cette prière; cette mère attentive à laquelle, dans la personne du
disciple bien-aimé, le Rédempteur confia au moment de sa mort tous les fils de
l'Église: « Femme, voici ton Fils » (Jn 19,26). Au cours du dix-neuvième et du
vingtième siècles, les diverses circonstances au cours desquelles la Mère du
Christ a fait en quelque sorte sentir sa présence et entendre sa voix pour
exhorter le Peuple de Dieu à cette forme d'oraison contemplative sont connues.
En raison de la nette influence qu'elles conservent dans la vie des chrétiens
et à cause de leur reconnaissance importante de la part de l'Église, je désire
rappeler en particulier les apparitions de Lourdes et de Fatima,11 dont les
sanctuaires respectifs constituent le but de nombreux pèlerins à la recherche
de réconfort et d'espérance.
Sur les pas des témoins
8. Il serait impossible
de citer la nuée innombrable de saints qui ont trouvé dans le Rosaire une
authentique voie de sanctification. Il suffira de rappeler saint Louis Marie
Grignion de Montfort, auteur d'une œuvre précieuse sur le Rosaire,12 et plus
près de nous, Padre Pio de Pietrelcina, qui j'ai eu récemment la joie de
canoniser. Le bienheureux Bartolo Longo eut un charisme spécial, celui de
véritable apôtre du Rosaire. Son chemin de sainteté s'appuie sur une
inspiration entendue au plus profond de son cœur: « Qui propage le Rosaire est
sauvé! ».13 À partir de là, il s'est senti appelé à construire à Pompéi un
sanctuaire dédié à la Vierge du Saint Rosaire près des ruines de l'antique cité
tout juste pénétrée par l'annonce évangélique avant d'être ensevelie en 79 par
l'éruption du Vésuve et de renaître de ses cendres des siècles plus tard, comme
témoignage des lumières et des ombres de la civilisation classique.
Par son œuvre entière, en
particulier par les « Quinze Samedis », Bartolo Longo développa l'âme
christologique et contemplative du Rosaire; il trouva pour cela un
encouragement particulier et un soutien chez Léon XIII, le « Pape du Rosaire ».
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), Feast of the Rosary, 1506, oil on poplar wood, 162 x 192, National Gallery Prague
CHAPITRE I
CONTEMPLER LE CHRIST AVEC
MARIE
Un visage resplendissant
comme le soleil
9. « Et il fut
transfiguré devant eux: son visage devint brillant comme le soleil » (Mt 17,
2). L'épisode évangélique de la transfiguration du Christ, dans lequel les
trois Apôtres Pierre, Jacques et Jean apparaissent comme ravis par la beauté du
Rédempteur, peut être considéré comme icône de la contemplation chrétienne.
Fixer les yeux sur le visage du Christ, en reconnaître le mystère dans le
chemin ordinaire et douloureux de son humanité, jusqu'à en percevoir la
splendeur divine définitivement manifestée dans le Ressuscité glorifié à la
droite du Père, tel est le devoir de tout disciple du Christ; c'est donc aussi
notre devoir. En contemplant ce visage, nous nous préparons à accueillir le
mystère de la vie trinitaire, pour faire l'expérience toujours nouvelle de
l'amour du Père et pour jouir de la joie de l'Esprit Saint. Se réalise ainsi
pour nous la parole de saint Paul: « Nous reflétons tous la gloire du Seigneur,
et nous sommes transfigurés en son image, avec une gloire de plus en plus
grande, par l'action du Seigneur qui est Esprit » (2 Co 3, 18).
Marie modèle de
contemplation
10. La contemplation du
Christ trouve en Marie son modèle indépassable. Le visage du Fils lui
appartient à un titre spécial. C'est dans son sein qu'il s'est formé, prenant
aussi d'elle une ressemblance humaine qui évoque une intimité spirituelle
assurément encore plus grande. Personne ne s'est adonné à la contemplation du
visage du Christ avec autant d'assiduité que Marie. Déjà à l'Annonciation,
lorsqu'elle conçoit du Saint-Esprit, les yeux de son cœur se concentrent en quelque
sorte sur Lui; au cours des mois qui suivent, elle commence à ressentir sa
présence et à en pressentir la physionomie. Lorsque enfin elle lui donne
naissance à Bethléem, ses yeux de chair se portent aussi tendrement sur le
visage de son Fils tandis qu'elle l'enveloppe de langes et le couche dans une
crèche (cf. Lc 2, 7).
À partir de ce moment-là,
son regard, toujours riche d'un étonnement d'adoration, ne se détachera plus de
Lui. Ce sera parfois un regard interrogatif, comme dans l'épisode de sa perte au
temple: « Mon enfant, pourquoi nous as-tu fait cela? » (Lc 2, 48); ce sera dans
tous les cas un regard pénétrant, capable de lire dans l'intimité de Jésus,
jusqu'à en percevoir les sentiments cachés et à en deviner les choix, comme à
Cana (cf.Jn 2, 5); en d'autres occasions, ce sera un regard douloureux, surtout
au pied de la croix, où il s'agira encore, d'une certaine manière, du regard
d'une “femme qui accouche”, puisque Marie ne se limitera pas à partager la
passion et la mort du Fils unique, mais qu'elle accueillera dans le disciple
bien-aimé un nouveau fils qui lui sera confié (cf. Jn 19, 26-27); au matin de
Pâques, ce sera un regard radieux en raison de la joie de la résurrection et,
enfin, un regard ardent lié à l'effusion de l'Esprit au jour de la Pentecôte
(cf.Ac 1, 14).
Les souvenirs de Marie
11. Marie vit en gardant
les yeux fixés sur le Christ, et chacune de ses paroles devient pour elle un
trésor: « Elle retenait tous ces événements et les méditait dans son cœur » (Lc
2, 19; cf. 2, 51). Les souvenirs de Jésus, imprimés dans son esprit, l'ont
accompagnée en toute circonstance, l'amenant à parcourir à nouveau, en pensée,
les différents moments de sa vie aux côtés de son Fils. Ce sont ces souvenirs
qui, en un sens, ont constitué le “rosaire” qu'elle a constamment récité au
long des jours de sa vie terrestre.
Et maintenant encore,
parmi les chants de joie de la Jérusalem céleste, les motifs de son action de
grâce et de sa louange demeurent inchangés. Ce sont eux qui inspirent son
attention maternelle envers l'Église en pèlerinage, dans laquelle elle continue
à développer la trame de son “récit” d'évangélisatrice. Marie propose sans
cesse aux croyants les “mystères” de son Fils, avec le désir qu'ils soient
contemplés, afin qu'ils puissent libérer toute leur force salvifique.
Lorsqu'elle récite le Rosaire, la communauté chrétienne se met en syntonie avec
le souvenir et avec le regard de Marie.
Le Rosaire, prière
contemplative
12. C'est précisément à
partir de l'expérience de Marie que le Rosaire est une prière nettement
contemplative. Privé de cette dimension, il en serait dénaturé, comme le
soulignait Paul VI: « Sans la contemplation, le Rosaire est un corps sans âme,
et sa récitation court le danger de devenir une répétition mécanique de
formules et d'agir à l'encontre de l'avertissement de Jésus: “Quand vous priez,
ne rabâchez pas comme les païens; ils s'imaginent qu'en parlant beaucoup, ils
se feront mieux écouter” (Mt 6, 7). Par nature, la récitation du Rosaire exige
que le rythme soit calme et que l'on prenne son temps, afin que la personne qui
s'y livre puisse mieux méditer les mystères de la vie du Seigneur, vus à
travers le cœur de Celle qui fut la plus proche du Seigneur, et qu'ainsi s'en
dégagent les insondables richesses ».14
Il convient de nous
arrêter sur la pensée profonde de Paul VI, pour faire apparaître certaines
dimensions du Rosaire qui en définissent mieux le caractère propre de
contemplation christologique.
Se souvenir du Christ
avec Marie
13. La contemplation de
Marie est avant tout le fait de se souvenir. Il faut cependant entendre ces
paroles dans le sens biblique de la mémoire (zakar), qui rend présentes les
œuvres accomplies par Dieu dans l'histoire du salut. La Bible est le récit
d'événements salvifiques, qui trouvent leur sommet dans le Christ lui-même. Ces
événements ne sont pas seulement un “hier”; ils sont aussi l'aujourd'hui du
salut. Cette actualisation se réalise en particulier dans la liturgie: ce que
Dieu a accompli il y a des siècles ne concerne pas seulement les témoins
directs des événements, mais rejoint par son don de grâce l'homme de tous les
temps. Cela vaut aussi d'une certaine manière pour toute autre approche de
dévotion concernant ces événements: « en faire mémoire » dans une attitude de
foi et d'amour signifie s'ouvrir à la grâce que le Christ nous a obtenue par
ses mystères de vie, de mort et de résurrection.
C'est pourquoi, tandis
qu'il faut rappeler avec le Concile Vatican II que la liturgie, qui constitue
la réalisation de la charge sacerdotale du Christ et le culte public, est « le
sommet vers lequel tend l'action de l'Église et en même temps la source d'où
découle toute sa force »,15 il convient aussi de rappeler que la vie
spirituelle « n'est pas enfermée dans les limites de la participation à la
seule sainte Liturgie. Le chrétien, appelé à prier en commun, doit néanmoins
aussi entrer dans sa chambre pour prier son Père dans le secret (cf. Mt 6, 6) et
doit même, selon l'enseignement de l'Apôtre, prier sans relâche (cf. 1 Th 5,
17) ».16 Avec sa spécificité, le Rosaire se situe dans ce panorama multicolore
de la prière “incessante” et, si la liturgie, action du Christ et de l'Église,
est l'action salvifique par excellence, le Rosaire, en tant que méditation sur
le Christ avec Marie, est une contemplation salutaire. Nous plonger en effet,
de mystère en mystère, dans la vie du Rédempteur, fait en sorte que ce que le
Christ a réalisé et ce que la liturgie actualise soient profondément assimilés
et modèlent notre existence.
Par Marie, apprendre le
Christ
14. Le Christ est le
Maître par excellence, le révélateur et la révélation. Il ne s'agit pas
seulement d'apprendre ce qu'il nous a enseigné, mais “d'apprendre à le
connaître Lui”. Et quel maître, en ce domaine, serait plus expert que Marie?
S'il est vrai que, du point de vue divin, l'Esprit est le Maître intérieur qui
nous conduit à la vérité tout entière sur le Christ (cf Jn 14, 26; 15, 26; 16,
13), parmi les êtres humains, personne mieux qu'elle ne connaît le Christ; nul
autre que sa Mère ne peut nous faire entrer dans une profonde connaissance de son
mystère.
Le premier des “signes”
accomplis par Jésus – la transformation de l'eau en vin aux noces de Cana –
nous montre justement Marie en sa qualité de maître, alors qu'elle invite les
servants à suivre les instructions du Christ (cf. Jn2, 5). Et nous pouvons
penser qu'elle a rempli cette fonction auprès des disciples après l'Ascension
de Jésus, quand elle demeura avec eux dans l'attente de l'Esprit Saint et
qu'elle leur apporta le réconfort dans leur première mission. Cheminer avec
Marie à travers les scènes du Rosaire, c'est comme se mettre à “l'école” de
Marie pour lire le Christ, pour en pénétrer les secrets, pour en comprendre le
message.
L'école de Marie est une
école tout particulièrement efficace si l'on considère que Marie l'accomplit en
nous obtenant l'abondance des dons de l'Esprit Saint, en nous offrant aussi
l'exemple du « pèlerinage dans la foi »17 dont elle est un maître incomparable.
Face à chaque mystère de son Fils, elle nous invite, comme elle le fit à
l'Annonciation, à poser humblement les questions qui ouvrent sur la lumière,
pour finir toujours par l'obéissance de la foi: « Je suis la servante du
Seigneur; que tout se passe pour moi selon ta parole! » (Lc 1, 38).
Se conformer au Christ
avec Marie
15. La spiritualité
chrétienne a pour caractéristique fondamentale l'engagement du disciple à “se
conformer” toujours plus pleinement à son Maître (cf. Rm 8, 29; Ph 3, 10.21).
Par l'effusion de l'Esprit reçu au Baptême, le croyant est greffé, comme un sarment,
sur la vigne qu'est le Christ (cf. Jn 15, 5), il est constitué membre de son
Corps mystique (cf. 1Co 12, 12; Rm 12, 5). Mais à cette unité initiale doit
correspondre un cheminement de ressemblance croissante avec lui qui oriente
toujours plus le comportement du disciple dans le sens de la “logique” du
Christ: « Ayez entre vous les dispositions que l'on doit avoir dans le Christ
Jésus » (Ph 2, 5). Selon les paroles de l'Apôtre, il faut « se revêtir du
Seigneur Jésus Christ » (cf. Rm 13, 14; Ga 3, 27).
Dans le parcours
spirituel du Rosaire, fondé sur la contemplation incessante – en compagnie de
Marie – du visage du Christ, on est appelé à poursuivre un tel idéal exigeant
de se conformer à Lui grâce à une fréquentation que nous pourrions dire
“amicale”. Elle nous fait entrer de manière naturelle dans la vie du Christ et
pour ainsi dire “respirer” ses sentiments. Le bienheureux Bartolo Longo dit à
ce propos: « De même que deux amis qui se retrouvent souvent ensemble finissent
par se ressembler même dans la manière de vivre, de même, nous aussi, en
parlant familièrement avec Jésus et avec la Vierge, par la méditation des
Mystères du Rosaire, et en formant ensemble une même vie par la Communion, nous
pouvons devenir, autant que notre bassesse le permet, semblables à eux et
apprendre par leurs exemples sublimes à vivre de manière humble, pauvre,
cachée, patiente et parfaite ».18
Grâce à ce processus de
configuration au Christ, par le Rosaire, nous nous confions tout
particulièrement à l'action maternelle de la Vierge Sainte. Tout en faisant
partie de l'Église comme membre qui « tient la place la plus élevée et en même
temps la plus proche de nous » ,19 elle, qui est la mère du Christ, est en même
temps la “Mère de l'Église”. Et comme telle, elle “engendre” continuellement
des fils pour le Corps mystique de son Fils. Elle le fait par son intercession,
en implorant pour eux l'effusion inépuisable de l'Esprit. Elle est l'icône
parfaite de la maternité de l'Église.
Mystiquement, le Rosaire
nous transporte auprès de Marie, dans la maison de Nazareth, où elle est
occupée à accompagner la croissance humaine du Christ. Par ce biais, elle peut
nous éduquer et nous modeler avec la même sollicitude, jusqu'à ce que le Christ
soit « formé » pleinement en nous (cf. Ga 4,19). Cette action de Marie,
totalement enracinée dans celle du Christ et dans une radicale subordination à
elle, « n'empêche en aucune manière l'union immédiate des croyants avec le
Christ, au contraire elle la favorise ».20 Tel est le lumineux principe exprimé
parle Concile Vatican II, dont j'ai si fortement fait l'expérience dans ma vie,
au point d'en faire le noyau de ma devise épiscopale “Totus tuus”.21 Comme on
le sait, il s'agit d'une devise inspirée par la doctrine de saint Louis Marie
Grignion de Montfort, qui expliquait ainsi le rôle de Marie pour chacun de nous
dans le processus de configuration au Christ: « Toute notre perfection
consistant à être conformes, unis et consacrés à Jésus Christ, la plus parfaite
de toutes les dévotions est sans difficulté celle qui nous conforme, unit et
consacre le plus parfaitement à Jésus Christ. Or, Marie étant de toutes les
créatures la plus conforme à Jésus Christ, il s'ensuit que, de toutes les
dévotions, celle qui consacre et conforme le plus une âme à Notre-Seigneur est
la dévotion à la Très Sainte Vierge, sa sainte Mère, et que plus une âme sera
consacrée à Marie, plus elle le sera à Jésus Christ ».22 Jamais comme dans le
Rosaire, le chemin du Christ et celui de Marie n'apparaissent aussi étroitement
unis. Marie ne vit que dans le Christ et en fonction du Christ!
Supplier le Christ avec
Marie
16. Le Christ nous a
invités à nous tourner vers Dieu avec confiance et persévérance pour être
exaucés: « Demandez et l'on vous donnera; cherchez et vous trouverez; frappez
et l'on vous ouvrira » (Mt 7,7). Le fondement de cette efficacité de la prière,
c'est la bonté du Père, mais aussi la médiation du Christ lui-même auprès de
Lui (cf. 1Jn 2,1) et l'action de l'Esprit Saint, qui « intercède pour nous »
selon le dessein de Dieu (cf. Rm 8, 26-27). Car nous-mêmes, « nous ne savons
pas prier comme il faut » (Rm 8, 26) et parfois nous ne sommes pas exaucés
parce que « nous prions mal » (cf. Jc 4, 2-3).
Par son intercession
maternelle, Marie intervient pour soutenir la prière que le Christ et l'Esprit
font jaillir de notre cœur. « La prière de l'Église est comme portée par la
prière de Marie ».23 En effet, si Jésus, l'unique Médiateur, est la Voie de
notre prière, Marie, qui est pure transparence du Christ, nous montre la voie,
et « c'est à partir de cette coopération singulière de Marie à l'action de
l'Esprit Saint que les Églises ont développé la prière à la sainte Mère de
Dieu, en la centrant sur la Personne du Christ manifestée dans ses mystères
».24Aux noces de Cana, l'Évangile montre précisément l'efficacité de
l'intercession de Marie qui se fait auprès de Jésus le porte-parole des besoins
de l'humanité: « Ils n'ont plus de vin » (Jn 2,3).
Le Rosaire est à la fois
méditation et supplication. L'imploration insistante de la Mère deDieu s'appuie
sur la certitude confiante que son intercession maternelle est toute puissante
sur le cœur de son Fils. Elle est « toute puissante par grâce », comme disait,
dans une formule dont il faut bien comprendre l'audace, le bienheureux Bartolo
Longo dans la Supplique à la Vierge.25 C'est une certitude qui, partant de
l'Évangile, n'a cessé de se renforcer à travers l'expérience du peuple
chrétien. Le grand poète Dante s'en fait magnifiquement l'interprète quand il
chante, en suivant saint Bernard: « Dame, tu es si grande et de valeur si haute
/ que qui veut une grâce et à toi ne vient pas / il veut que son désir vole
sans ailes ».26 Dans le Rosaire, tandis que nous la supplions, Marie,
Sanctuaire de l'Esprit Saint (cf.Lc 1, 35), se tient pour nous devant le Père,
qui l'a comblée de grâce, et devant le Fils, qu'elle a mis au monde, priant
avec nous et pour nous.
Annoncer le Christ avec
Marie
17. Le Rosaire est aussi
un parcours d'annonce et d'approfondissement, au long duquel le mystère du
Christ est constamment représenté aux divers niveaux de l'expérience
chrétienne. Il s'agit d'une présentation orante et contemplative, qui vise à
façonner le disciple selon le cœur du Christ. Si, dans la récitation du
Rosaire, tous les éléments permettant une bonne méditation sont en effet mis en
valeur de manière appropriée, il y a la possibilité, spécialement dans la
célébration communautaire en paroisse ou dans les sanctuaires, d'une catéchèse
significative que les Pasteurs doivent savoir exploiter. De cette manière
aussi, la Vierge du Rosaire continue son œuvre d'annonce du Christ. L'histoire
du Rosaire montre comment cette prière a été utilisée, spécialement par les
Dominicains, dans un moment difficile pour l'Église à cause de la diffusion de
l'hérésie. Aujourd'hui, nous nous trouvons face à de nouveaux défis. Pourquoi
ne pas reprendre en main le chapelet avec la même foi que nos prédécesseurs? Le
Rosaire conserve toute sa force et reste un moyen indispensable dans le bagage
pastoral de tout bon évangélisateur.
Lorenzo Lotto. Madonna del Rosario,1539, 384 x 264, Pinacoteca comunale "D. Stefanucci"
CHAPITRE II
MYSTÈRES DU CHRIST –
MYSTÈRES DE SA MÈRE
Le Rosaire, « résumé de
l'Évangile »
18. Pour être introduit
dans la contemplation du visage du Christ, il faut écouter, dans l'Esprit, la
voix du Père, car « nul ne connaît le Fils si ce n'est le Père » (Mt 11, 27).
Près de Césarée de Philippe, à l'occasion de la profession de foi de Pierre,
Jésus précisera l'origine de cette intuition si lumineuse concernant son
identité: « Ce n'est pas la chair et le sang qui t'ont révélé cela, mais mon
Père qui est aux cieux » (Mt 16, 17). La révélation d'en haut est donc
nécessaire. Mais pour l'accueillir, il est indispensable de se mettre à
l'écoute: « Seule l'expérience du silence et de la prière offre le cadre
approprié dans lequel la connaissance la plus vraie, la plus fidèle et la plus
cohérente de ce mystère peut mûrir et se développer ».27
Le Rosaire est l'un des
parcours traditionnels de la prière chrétienne qui s'attache à la contemplation
du visage du Christ. Le Pape Paul VI le décrivait ainsi: « Prière évangélique
centrée sur le mystère de l'Incarnation rédemptrice, le Rosaire a donc une orientation
nettement christologique. En effet, son élément le plus caractéristique – la
répétition litanique de l'Ave Maria – devient lui aussi une louange incessante
du Christ, objet ultime de l'annonce de l'Ange et de la salutation de la mère
du Baptiste: “Le fruit de tes entrailles est béni” (Lc1, 42). Nous dirons même
plus: la répétition de l'Ave Maria constitue la trame sur laquelle se développe
la contemplation des mystères: le Jésus de chaque Ave Maria est celui même que
la succession des mystères nous propose tour à tour Fils de Dieu et de la
Vierge ».28
Une intégration
appropriée
19. Parmi tous les
mystères de la vie du Christ, le Rosaire, tel qu'il s'est forgé dans la
pratique la plus courante approuvée par l'autorité ecclésiale, n'en retient que
quelques-uns. Ce choix s'est imposé à cause de la trame originaire de cette
prière, qui s'organisa à partir du nombre 150, correspondant à celui des
Psaumes.
Afin de donner une
consistance nettement plus christologique au Rosaire, il me semble toutefois qu'un
ajout serait opportun; tout en le laissant à la libre appréciation des
personnes et des communautés, cela pourrait permettre de prendre en compte
également les mystères de la vie publique du Christ entre le Baptême et la
Passion. Car c'est dans l'espace de ces mystères que nous contemplons des
aspects importants de la personne du Christ en tant que révélateur définitif de
Dieu. Proclamé Fils bien-aimé du Père lors du Baptême dans le Jourdain, il est
Celui qui annonce la venue du Royaume, en témoigne par ses œuvres, en proclame
les exigences. C'est tout au long des années de sa vie publique que le mystère
du Christ se révèle à un titre spécial comme mystère de lumière: « Tant que je
suis dans le monde, je suis la lumière du monde » (Jn9,5).
Pour que l'on puisse dire
de manière complète que le Rosaire est un “résumé de l'Évangile”, il convient
donc que, après avoir rappelé l'incarnation et la vie cachée du Christ
(mystères joyeux), et avant de s'arrêter sur les souffrances de la passion
(mystères douloureux), puis sur le triomphe de la résurrection (mystères
glorieux), la méditation se tourne aussi vers quelques moments particulièrement
significatifs de la vie publique (mystères lumineux). Cet ajout de nouveaux
mystères, sans léser aucun aspect essentiel de l'assise traditionnelle de cette
prière, a pour but de la placer dans la spiritualité chrétienne, avec une
attention renouvelée, comme une authentique introduction aux profondeurs du
Cœur du Christ, abîme de joie et de lumière, de douleur et de gloire.
Mystères joyeux
20. Le premier cycle,
celui des “mystères joyeux”, est effectivement caractérisé par la joie qui
rayonne de l'événement de l'Incarnation Cela est évident dès l'Annonciation où
le salut de l'Ange Gabriel à la Vierge de Nazareth rappelle l'invitation à la
joie messianique: « Réjouis-toi, Marie ». Toute l'histoire du salut, bien plus
en un sens, l'histoire même du monde, aboutit à cette annonce. En effet, si le
dessein du Père est de récapituler toutes choses dans le Christ (cf. Ep 1,10), c'est
l'univers entier qui, d'une certaine manière, est touché par la faveur divine
avec laquelle le Père se penche sur Marie pour qu'elle devienne la Mère de son
Fils. À son tour, toute l'humanité se trouve comme contenue dans le fiat par
lequel elle correspond avec promptitude à la volonté de Dieu.
C'est une note
d'exultation qui marque la scène de la rencontre avec Élisabeth, où la voix de
Marie et la présence du Christ en son sein font que Jean « tressaille
d'allégresse » (cf. Lc1,44). Une atmosphère de liesse baigne la scène de
Bethléem, où la naissance de l'Enfant divin, le Sauveur du monde, est chantée
par les anges et annoncée aux bergers justement comme « une grande joie » (Lc
2, 10).
Mais, les deux derniers
mystères, qui conservent toutefois cette note de joie, anticipent les signes du
drame. En effet, la présentation au temple, tout en exprimant la joie de la
consécration et en plongeant le vieillard Syméon dans l'extase, souligne aussi
la prophétie du « signe en butte à la contradiction » que sera l'Enfant pour
Israël et de l'épée qui transpercera l'âme de sa Mère (cf. Lc2, 34-35).
L'épisode de Jésus au temple, lorsqu'il eut douze ans, est lui aussi tout à la
fois joyeux et dramatique. Il se dévoile là dans sa divine sagesse tandis qu'il
écoute et interroge; et il se présente essentiellement comme celui qui
“enseigne”. La révélation de son mystère de Fils tout entier consacré aux
choses du Père est une annonce de la radicalité évangélique qui remet en cause
les liens même les plus chers à l'homme face aux exigences absolues du Royaume.
Joseph et Marie eux-mêmes, émus et angoissés, « ne comprirent pas » ses paroles
(Lc2,50).
Méditer les mystères
“joyeux” veut donc dire entrer dans les motivations ultimes et dans la
signification profonde de la joie chrétienne. Cela revient à fixer les yeux sur
la dimension concrète du mystère de l'Incarnation et sur une annonce encore
obscure et voilée du mystère de la souffrance salvifique. Marie nous conduit à
la connaissance du secret de la joie chrétienne, en nous rappelant que le
christianisme est avant tout euangelion, “bonne nouvelle”, dont le centre, plus
encore le contenu lui-même, réside dans la personne du Christ, le Verbe fait
chair, l'unique Sauveur du monde.
Mystères lumineux
21. Passant de l'enfance
de Jésus et de la vie à Nazareth à sa vie publique, nous sommes amenés à
contempler ces mystères que l'on peut appeler, à un titre spécial, “mystères de
lumière”. En réalité, c'est tout le mystère du Christ qui est lumière. Il est
la « lumière du monde » (Jn 8,12). Mais cette dimension est particulièrement
visible durant les années de sa vie publique, lorsqu'il annonce l'Évangile du
Royaume. Si l'on veut indiquer à la communauté chrétienne cinq moments
significatifs – mystères “lumineux” – de cette période de la vie du Christ, il
me semble que l'on peut les mettre ainsi en évidence: 1. au moment de son
Baptême au Jourdain, 2. dans son auto-révélation aux noces de Cana, 3. dans
l'annonce du Royaume de Dieu avec l'invitation à la conversion, 4. dans sa Transfiguration
et enfin 5. dans l'institution de l'Eucharistie, expression sacramentelle du
mystère pascal.
Chacun de ces mystères
est une révélation du Royaume désormais présent dans la personne de Jésus.
Le Baptême au Jourdain
est avant tout un mystère de lumière. En ce lieu, alors que le Christ descend
dans les eaux du fleuve comme l'innocent qui se fait “péché” pour nous (cf. 2
Co 5, 21), les cieux s'ouvrent, la voix du Père le proclame son Fils bien-aimé
(cf. Mt 3, 17 par), tandis que l'Esprit descend sur Lui pour l'investir de la
mission qui l'attend. Le début des signes à Cana est un mystère de lumière (cf.
Jn2, 1-12), au moment où le Christ, changeant l'eau en vin, ouvre le cœur des
disciples à la foi grâce à l'intervention de Marie, la première des croyantes.
C'est aussi un mystère de lumière que la prédication par laquelle Jésus annonce
l'avènement du Royaume de Dieu et invite à la conversion (cf. Mc 1,15),
remettant les péchés de ceux qui s'approchent de Lui avec une foi humble (cf.
Mc 2, 3- 13; Lc 7, 47-48); ce ministère de miséricorde qu'il a commencé, il le
poursuivra jusqu'à la fin des temps, principalement à travers le sacrement de
la Réconciliation, confié à son Église (cf. Jn 20, 22-23). La Transfiguration
est le mystère de lumière par excellence. Selon la tradition, elle survint sur
le Mont Thabor. La gloire de la divinité resplendit sur le visage du Christ,
tandis que, aux Apôtres en extase, le Père le donne à reconnaître pour qu'ils
“l'écoutent” (cf. Lc 9,35 par) et qu'ils se préparent à vivre avec Lui le
moment douloureux de la Passion, afin de parvenir avec Lui à la joie de la
Résurrection et à une vie transfigurée par l'Esprit Saint. Enfin, c'est un
mystère de lumière que l'institution de l'Eucharistie dans laquelle le Christ
se fait nourriture par son Corps et par son Sang sous les signes du pain et du
vin, donnant “jusqu'au bout” le témoignage de son amour pour l'humanité (Jn
13,1), pour le salut de laquelle il s'offrira en sacrifice.
Dans ces mystères, à
l'exception de Cana, Marie n'est présente qu'en arrière-fond. Les Évangiles ne
font que quelques brèves allusions à sa présence occasionnelle à un moment ou à
un autre de la prédication de Jésus (cf. Mc3,31-35; Jn2,12), et ils ne disent
rien à propos de son éventuelle présence au Cénacle au moment de l'institution
de l'Eucharistie. Mais la fonction qu'elle remplit à Cana accompagne, d'une
certaine manière, tout le parcours du Christ. La révélation qui, au moment du
Baptême au Jourdain, est donnée directement par le Père et dont le Baptiste se
fait l'écho, est sur ses lèvres à Cana et devient la grande recommandation que
la Mère adresse à l'Église de tous les temps: « Faites tout ce qu'il vous dira
» (Jn 2, 5). C'est une recommandation qui nous fait entrer dans les paroles et
dans les signes du Christ durant sa vie publique, constituant le fond marial de
tous les “mystères de lumière”.
Mystères douloureux
22. Les Évangiles donnent
une grande importance aux mystères douloureux du Christ. Depuis toujours la
piété chrétienne, spécialement pendant le Carême à travers la pratique du
chemin de Croix, s'est arrêtée sur chaque moment de la Passion, comprenant que
là se trouve le point culminant de la révélation de l'amour et que là aussi se
trouve la source de notre salut. Le Rosaire choisit certains moments de la
Passion, incitant la personne qui prie à les fixer avec le regard du cœur et à
les revivre. Le parcours de la méditation s'ouvre sur Gethsémani, où le Christ
vit un moment particulièrement angoissant, confronté à la volonté du Père face
à laquelle la faiblesse de la chair serait tentée de se rebeller. À ce
moment-là, le Christ se tient dans le lieu de toutes les tentations de
l'humanité et face à tous les péchés de l'humanité pour dire au Père: « Que ce
ne soit pas ma volonté qui se fasse, mais la tienne! » (Lc 22, 42 par). Son
“oui” efface le “non” de nos premiers parents au jardin d'Eden. Et ce qu'il
doit lui en coûter d'adhérer à la volonté du Père apparaît dans les mystères
suivants, la flagellation, le couronnement d'épines, la montée au Calvaire, la
mort en croix, par lesquels il est plongé dans la plus grande abjection: Ecce
homo!
Dans cette abjection se
révèle non seulement l'amour de Dieu mais le sens même de l'homme. Ecce homo:
qui veut connaître l'homme doit savoir en reconnaître le sens, l'origine et
l'accomplissement dans le Christ, Dieu qui s'abaisse par amour « jusqu'à la
mort, et à la mort sur une croix » (Ph2,8). Les mystères douloureux conduisent
le croyant à revivre la mort de Jésus en se mettant au pied de la croix, près
de Marie, pour pénétrer avec elle dans les profondeurs de l'amour de Dieu pour
l'homme et pour en sentir toute la force régénératrice.
Mystères glorieux
23. « La contemplation du
visage du Christ ne peut s'arrêter à son image de crucifié. Il est le
Ressuscité! ».29 Depuis toujours le Rosaire exprime cette conscience de la foi,
invitant le croyant à aller au-delà de l'obscurité de la Passion, pour fixer
son regard sur la gloire du Christ dans la Résurrection et dans l'Ascension. En
contemplant le Ressuscité, le chrétien redécouvre les raisons de sa propre foi
(cf. 1Co 15,14), et il revit la joie non seulement de ceux à qui le Christ
s'est manifesté – les Apôtres, Marie-Madeleine, les disciples d'Emmaüs –, mais
aussi la joie de Marie, qui a dû faire une expérience non moins intense de la
vie nouvelle de son Fils glorifié. À cette gloire qui, par l'Ascension, place
le Christ à la droite du Père, elle sera elle-même associée par l'Assomption,
anticipant, par un privilège très spécial, la destinée réservée à tous les
justes par la résurrection de la chair. Enfin, couronnée de gloire – comme on
le voit dans le dernier mystèreglorieux –, elle brille comme Reine desAnges et
des Saints, anticipation et sommet de la condition eschatologique de l'Église.
Dans le troisième mystère
glorieux, le Rosaire place au centre de ce parcours glorieux du Fils et de sa
Mère la Pentecôte, qui montre le visage de l'Église comme famille unie à Marie,
ravivée par l'effusion puissante de l'Esprit et prête pour la mission
évangélisatrice. La contemplation de ce mystère, comme des autres mystères
glorieux, doit inciter les croyants à prendre une conscience toujours plus vive
de leur existence nouvelle dans le Christ, dans la réalité de l'Église,
existence dont la scène de la Pentecôte constitue la grande “icône”. Les
mystères glorieux nourrissent ainsi chez les croyants l'espérance de la fin
eschatologique vers laquelle ils sont en marche comme membres du peuple de Dieu
qui chemine à travers l'histoire. Ceci ne peut pas ne pas les pousser à
témoigner avec courage de cette « joyeuse annonce » qui donne sens à toute leur
existence.
Des mystères au Mystère:
le chemin de Marie
24. Ces cycles de
méditation proposés par le Saint Rosaire ne sont certes pas exhaustifs, mais
ils rappellent l'essentiel, donnant à l'esprit le goût d'une connaissance du
Christ qui puise continuellement à la source pure du texte évangélique. Chaque
trait singulier de la vie du Christ, tel qu'il est raconté par les
Évangélistes, brille de ce Mystère qui surpasse toute connaissance (cf. Ep 3,
19). C'est le mystère du Verbe fait chair, en qui, « dans son propre corps,
habite la plénitude de la divinité » (cf. Col 2, 9). C'est pourquoi le
Catéchisme de l'Église catholique insiste tant sur les mystères du Christ,
rappelant que « toute la vie de Jésus est signe de son mystère ».30 Le « duc in
altum » de l'Église dans le troisième millénaire se mesure à la capacité des
chrétiens de « pénétrer le mystère de Dieu, dans lequel se trouvent, cachés,
tous les trésors de la sagesse et de la connaissance » (Col 2, 2-3). C'est à
chaque baptisé que s'adresse le souhait ardent de la lettre aux Éphésiens: «
Que le Christ habite en vos cœurs par la foi; restez enracinés dans l'amour, établis
dans l'amour. Ainsi [...] vous connaîtrez l'amour du Christ qui surpasse toute
connaissance. Alors vous serez comblés jusqu'à entrer dans la plénitude de Dieu
» (3, 17-19).
Le Rosaire se met au
service de cet idéal, livrant le “secret” qui permet de s'ouvrir plus
facilement à une connaissance du Christ qui est profonde et qui engage. Nous
pourrions l'appeler le chemin de Marie. C'est le chemin de l'exemple de la
Vierge de Nazareth, femme de foi, de silence et d'écoute. C'est en même temps
le chemin d'une dévotion mariale, animée de la conscience du rapport
indissoluble qui lie le Christ à sa très sainte Mère: les mystères du Christ
sont aussi, dans un sens, les mystères de sa Mère, même quand elle n'y est pas
directement impliquée, par le fait même qu'elle vit de Lui et par Lui. Faisant
nôtres dans l'Ave Maria les paroles de l'Ange Gabriel et de sainte Élisabeth,
nous nous sentons toujours poussés à chercher d'une manière nouvelle en Marie,
entre ses bras et dans son cœur, le « fruit béni de ses entrailles » (cf.Lc 1,
42).
Mystère du Christ,
“mystère” de l'homme
25. Dans mon témoignage
de 1978, évoqué ci-dessus, sur le Rosaire, ma prière préférée, j'exprimais une
idée sur laquelle je voudrais revenir. Je disais alors que « la prière toute
simple du Rosaire s'écoule au rythme de la vie humaine ».31
À la lumière des
réflexions faites jusqu'ici sur les mystères du Christ, il n'est pas difficile
d'approfondir l'implication anthropologique du Rosaire, une implication plus
radicale qu'il n'y paraît à première vue. Celui qui se met à contempler le
Christ en faisant mémoire des étapes de sa vie ne peut pas ne pas découvrir
aussi en Lui la vérité sur l'homme. C'est la grande affirmation du Concile
Vatican II, dont j'ai si souvent fait l'objet de mon magistère, depuis
l'encyclique Redemptor hominis: « En réalité, le mystère de l'homme ne
s'éclaire vraiment que dans le mystère du Verbe incarné ».32 Le Rosaire aide à
s'ouvrir à cette lumière. En suivant le chemin du Christ, en qui le chemin de
l'homme est « récapitulé »,33 dévoilé et racheté, le croyant se place face à
l'image de l'homme véritable. En contemplant sa naissance, il découvre le
caractère sacré de la vie; en regardant la maison de Nazareth, il apprend la
vérité fondatrice de la famille selon le dessein de Dieu; en écoutant le Maître
dans les mystères de sa vie publique, il atteint la lumière qui permet d'entrer
dans le Royaume de Dieu et, en le suivant sur le chemin du Calvaire, il apprend
le sens de la souffrance salvifique. Enfin, en contemplant le Christ et sa Mère
dans la gloire, il voit le but auquel chacun de nous est appelé, à condition de
se laisser guérir et transfigurer par l'Esprit Saint.
On peut dire ainsi que
chaque mystère du Rosaire, bien médité, éclaire le mystère de l'homme.
En même temps, il devient
naturel d'apporter à cette rencontre avec la sainte humanité du Rédempteur les
nombreux problèmes, préoccupations, labeurs et projets qui marquent notre vie.
« Décharge ton fardeau sur le Seigneur: il prendra soin de toi » (Ps 55 [54],
23). Méditer le Rosaire consiste à confier nos fardeaux aux cœurs
miséricordieux du Christ et de sa Mère. À vingt-cinq ans de distance, repensant
aux épreuves qui ne m'ont pas manqué même dans l'exercice de mon ministère
pétrinien, j'éprouve le besoin de redire, à la manière d'une chaleureuse
invitation adressée à tous pour qu'ils en fassent l'expérience personnelle:
oui, vraiment le Rosaire « donne le rythme de la vie humaine », pour
l'harmoniser avec le rythme de la vie divine, dans la joyeuse communion de la
Sainte Trinité, destinée et aspiration ultime de notre existence.
Niccolò
Betti, Madonna del Rosario e Santi, 1596, da S. Andrea a Cerliano. Chiesa di
San Zanobi e dei Santi Fiorentini
CHAPITRE III
« POUR MOI, VIVRE C'EST
LE CHRIST »
Le Rosaire, chemin
d'assimilation du mystère
26. La méditation des
mystères du Christ est proposée dans le Rosaire avec une méthode
caractéristique, capable par nature de favoriser leur assimilation. C'est une
méthode fondée sur la répétition. Cela vaut avant tout pour l'Ave Maria, répété
dix fois à chaque mystère. Si l'on s'en tient à cette répétition d'une manière
superficielle, on pourrait être tenté de ne voir dans le Rosaire qu'une
pratique aride et ennuyeuse. Au contraire, on peut considérer le chapelet tout
autrement, si on le regarde comme l'expression de cet amour qui ne se lasse pas
de se tourner vers la personne aimée par des effusions qui, même si elles sont
toujours semblables dans leur manifestation, sont toujours neuves par le
sentiment qui les anime.
Dans le Christ, Dieu a
vraiment assumé un « cœur de chair ». Il n'a pas seulement un cœur divin, riche
en miséricorde et en pardon, mais il a aussi un cœur humain, capable de toutes
les vibrations de l'affection. Si nous avions besoin d'un témoignage
évangélique à ce propos, il ne serait pas difficile de le trouver dans le
dialogue émouvant du Christ avec Pierre, après la Résurrection: « Simon, fils
de Jean, m'aimes-tu? » Par trois fois la question est posée, par trois fois la
réponse est donnée: « Seigneur, tu sais bien que je t'aime » (cf. Jn 21,
15-17). Au-delà de la signification spécifique de ce passage si important pour
la mission de Pierre, la beauté de cette triple répétition n'échappe à
personne: par elle, la demande insistante et la réponse correspondante
s'expriment en des termes bien connus de l'expérience universelle de l'amour
humain. Pour comprendre le Rosaire, il faut entrer dans la dynamique
psychologique propre à l'amour.
Une chose est claire: si
la répétition de l'Ave Maria s'adresse directement à Marie, en définitive, avec
elle et par elle, c'est à Jésus que s'adresse l'acte d'amour. La répétition se
nourrit du désir d'être toujours plus pleinement conformé au Christ, c'est là
le vrai “programme” de la vie chrétienne. Saint Paul a énoncé ce programme avec
des paroles pleines de feu: « Pour moi, vivre c'est le Christ, et mourir est un
avantage » (Ph 1, 21). Et encore: « Ce n'est plus moi qui vis, mais le Christ
qui vit en moi » (Ga 2, 20). Le Rosaire nous aide à grandir dans cette
conformation jusqu'à parvenir à la sainteté.
Une méthode valable...
27. Que la relation au
Christ puisse profiter également du soutien d'une méthode ne doit pas étonner.
Dieu se communique à l'homme en respectant la façon d'être de notre nature et
ses rythmes vitaux. C'est pourquoi la spiritualité chrétienne, tout en
connaissant les formes les plus sublimes du silence mystique dans lequel toutes
les images, toutes les paroles et tous les gestes sont comme dépassés par
l'intensité d'une union ineffable de l'homme avec Dieu, est normalement marquée
par l'engagement total de la personne, dans sa complexe réalité psychologique,
physique et relationnelle.
Ceci apparaît de façon
évidente dans la liturgie. Les sacrements et les sacramentaux sont structurés
par une série de rites qui font appel aux diverses dimensions de la personne.
La prière non liturgique exprime également la même exigence. Cela est corroboré
par le fait qu'en Orient la prière la plus caractéristique de la méditation
christologique, celle qui est centrée sur les paroles: « Jésus, Christ, Fils de
Dieu, Seigneur, aie pitié de moi pécheur »,34 est traditionnellement liée au
rythme de la respiration qui, tout en favorisant la persévérance dans
l'invocation, assure presque une densité physique au désir que le Christ
devienne la respiration, l'âme et le “tout” de la vie.
... qui peut toutefois
être améliorée
28. Dans la Lettre
apostolique Novo millennio ineunte, j'ai rappelé qu'il y a également
aujourd'hui en Occident une exigence renouvelée de méditation qui trouve
parfois dans les autres religions des modalités plus attractives.35 Il existe
des chrétiens qui, parce qu'ils connaissent peu la tradition contemplative
chrétienne, se laissent séduire par ces propositions. Néanmoins, même si elles
ont des éléments positifs et parfois compatibles avec l'expérience chrétienne,
elles cachent souvent un soubassement idéologique inacceptable. Même dans ces
expériences, on note une méthodologie très en vogue qui, pour parvenir à une
haute concentration spirituelle, se prévaut de techniques répétitives et
symboliques, à caractère psychologique et physique. Le Rosaire se situe dans le
cadre universel de la phénoménologie religieuse, mais il se définit par des
caractéristiques propres qui répondent aux exigences typiques de la spécificité
chrétienne.
En effet, ce n'est pas
seulement une méthode de contemplation. En tant que méthode, le chapelet doit
être utilisé en relation avec sa finalité propre et il ne peut pas devenir une
fin en soi. Cependant, parce qu'elle est le fruit d'une expérience séculaire,
la méthode elle-même ne doit pas être sous-estimée. L'expérience d'innombrables
saints milite en sa faveur, ce qui n'empêche pas cependant qu'elle puisse être
améliorée. C'est précisément à cette fin que vise l'intégration, dans le cycle
des mystères, de la nouvelle série de mysteria lucis, ainsi que de certaines
suggestions relatives à la récitation du Rosaire que propose la présente
Lettre. Par ces mystères, tout en respectant lastructure largement établie de
cette prière, je voudrais aider les fidèles à la comprendre dans ses aspects
symboliques, en harmonie avec les exigences de la vie quotidienne. Sans cela,
on court le risque que non seulement le Rosaire ne produise pas les effets
spirituels escomptés, mais que même le chapelet, avec lequel on a coutume de le
réciter, finisse par être perçu comme une amulette ou un objet magique, en
faisant un contresens radical sur son sens et sur sa fonction.
L'énonciation du mystère
29. Énoncer le mystère,
et peut-être même pouvoir regarder en même temps une image qui le représente,
c'est comme camper un décor sur lequel se concentre l'attention. Les paroles
guident l'imagination et l'esprit vers cet épisode déterminé ou ce moment de la
vie du Christ. Dans la spiritualité qui s'est développée dans l'Église, que ce
soit la vénération des icônes, les nombreuses dévotions riches d'éléments
sensibles ou encore la méthode elle-même proposée par saint Ignace de Loyola
dans les Exercices spirituels, toutes ont eu recours à l'élément visuel et à
l'imagination (la compositio loci), le considérant d'une grande aide pour
favoriser la concentration de l'esprit sur le mystère. Il s'agit d'ailleurs
d'une méthodologie qui correspond à la logique même de l'Incarnation: en Jésus,
Dieu a voulu prendre des traits humains. C'est à travers sa réalité corporelle
que nous sommes conduits à entrer en contact avec son mystère divin.
À cette exigence concrète
répond aussi l'énonciation des différents mystères du Rosaire. Ils ne
remplacent certainement pas l'Évangile et ils n'en rappellent même pas toutes
les pages. Le Rosaire ne remplace pas non plus la lectio divina, mais il la
présuppose et il la promeut. Et si les mystères contemplés dans le Rosaire, y
compris le complément des mysteria lucis, se limitent aux lignes maîtresses de
la vie du Christ, grâce à eux l'esprit peut facilement embrasser le reste de
l'Évangile, surtout quand le Rosaire est récité dans des moments particuliers
de recueillement prolongé.
L'écoute de la Parole de
Dieu
30. Pour donner un
fondement biblique et une profondeur plus grande à la méditation, il est utile
que l'énoncé du mystère soit suivi de la proclamation d'un passage biblique
correspondant qui, en fonction des circonstances, peut être plus ou moins
important. Les autres paroles en effet n'atteignent jamais l'efficacité
particulière de la parole inspirée. Cette dernière doit être écoutée avec la
certitude qu'elle est Parole de Dieu, prononcée pour aujourd'hui et « pour moi
».
Ainsi écoutée, elle entre
dans la méthodologie de répétition du Rosaire, sans susciter l'ennui qui serait
produit par le simple rappel d'une information déjà bien connue. Non, il ne
s'agit pas de faire revenir à sa mémoire une information, mais de laisser
“parler” Dieu. Dans certaines occasions solennelles et communautaires, cette
parole peut être illustrée de manière heureuse par un bref commentaire.
Le silence
31. L'écoute et la
méditation se nourrissent du silence. Après l'énonciation du mystère et la
proclamation de la Parole, il est opportun de s'arrêter pendant un temps
significatif pour fixer le regard sur le mystère médité, avant de commencer la
prière vocale. La redécouverte de la valeur du silence est un des secrets de la
pratique de la contemplation et de la méditation. Dans une société hautement
marquée par la technologie et les médias, il reste aussi que le silence devient
toujours plus difficile. De même que dans la liturgie sont recommandés des
moments de silence, de même, après l'écoute de la Parole de Dieu, une brève
pause est opportune dans la récitation du Rosaire, tandis que l'esprit se fixe
sur le contenu d'un mystère déterminé.
Le « Notre Père »
32. Après l'écoute de la
Parole et la focalisation sur le mystère, il est naturel que l'esprit s'élève
vers le Père. En chacun de ses mystères, Jésus nous conduit toujours au Père,
auquel il s'adresse continuellement, parce qu'il repose en son “sein” (cf.
Jn1,18). Il veut nous introduire dans l'intimité du Père, pour que nous disions
comme Lui: « Abba, Père » (Rm 8,15; Ga 4,6). C'est en rapport avec le Père
qu'il fait de nous ses frères et qu'il nous fait frères les uns des autres, en
nous communiquant l'Esprit qui est tout à la fois son Esprit et l'Esprit du
Père.
Le « Notre Père », placé
pratiquement comme au fondement de la méditation christologique et mariale qui
se développe à travers la répétition de l'Ave Maria, fait de la méditation du
mystère, même accomplie dans la solitude, une expérience ecclésiale.
Les dix « Ave Maria »
33. C'est tout à la fois
l'élément le plus consistant du Rosaire et celui qui en fait une prière mariale
par excellence. Mais précisément à la lumière d'une bonne compréhension de
l'Ave Maria, on perçoit avec clarté que le caractère marial, non seulement ne
s'oppose pas au caractère christologique, mais au contraire le souligne et le
met en relief. En effet, la première partie de l'Ave Maria, tirée des paroles
adressées à Marie par l'Ange Gabriel et par sainte Élisabeth, est une
contemplation d'adoration du mystère qui s'accomplit dans la Vierge de
Nazareth. Ces paroles expriment, pour ainsi dire, l'admiration du ciel et de la
terre, et font, en un sens, affleurer l'émerveillement de Dieu contemplant son
chef d'œuvre – l'incarnation du Fils dans le sein virginal de Marie –, dans la
ligne du regard joyeux de la Genèse (cf. Gn1,31), de l'originel « pathos avec
lequel Dieu, à l'aube de la création, a regardé l'œuvre de ses mains ».36 Dans
le Rosaire, le caractère répétitif de l'Ave Marie nous fait participer à l'enchantement
de Dieu: c'est la jubilation, l'étonnement, la reconnaissance du plus grand
miracle de l'histoire. Il s'agit de l'accomplissement de la prophétie de Marie:
« Désormais tous les âges me diront bienheureuse » (Lc1,48).
Le centre de gravité de l'Ave
Maria, qui est presque comme une charnière entre la première et la seconde
partie, est le nom de Jésus. Parfois, lors d'une récitation faite trop à la
hâte, ce centre de gravité disparaît, et avec lui le lien au mystère du Christ
qu'on est en train de contempler. Mais c'est justement par l'accent qu'on donne
au nom de Jésus et à son mystère que l'on distingue une récitation du Rosaire
significative et fructueuse. Dans l'exhortation apostolique Marialis cultus,
Paul VI rappelait déjà l'usage pratiqué dans certaines régions de donner du
relief au nom du Christ, en ajoutant une clausule évocatrice du mystère que
l'on est en train de méditer.37 C'est une pratique louable, spécialement dans
la récitation publique. Elle exprime avec force la foi christologique appliquée
à divers moments de la vie du Rédempteur. Il s'agit d'une profession de foi et,
en même temps, d'une aide pour demeurer vigilant dans la méditation, qui permet
de vivre la fonction d'assimilation, inhérente à la répétition de l'Ave Maria,
en regard du mystère du Christ. Répéter le nom de Jésus – l'unique nom par
lequel il nous est donné d'espérer le salut (cf. Ac 4,12) –, étroitement lié à
celui de sa Très Sainte Mère, et en la laissant presque elle-même nous le
suggérer, constitue un chemin d'assimilation, qui vise à nous faire entrer
toujours plus profondément dans la vie du Christ.
C'est de la relation très
spécifique avec le Christ, qui fait de Marie la Mère de Dieu, la Theotòkos, que
découle ensuite la force de la supplication avec laquelle nous nous adressons à
elle dans la seconde partie de la prière, confiant notre vie et l'heure de
notre mort à sa maternelle intercession.
Le « Gloria »
34. La doxologie
trinitaire est le point d'arrivée de la contemplation chrétienne. Le Christ est
en effet le chemin qui conduit au Père dans l'Esprit. Si nous parcourons en
profondeur ce chemin, nous nous retrouvons sans cesse devant le mystère des
trois Personnes divines à louer, à adorer et à remercier. Il est important que
le Gloria, sommet de la contemplation, soit bien mis en relief dans le Rosaire.
Lors de la récitation publique, il pourrait être chanté, pour mettre en
évidence de manière opportune cette perspective qui structure et qualifie toute
prière chrétienne.
Dans la mesure où la
méditation du mystère a été attentive, profonde, ravivée – d'Ave en Ave – par
l'amour pour le Christ et pour Marie, la glorification trinitaire après chaque
dizaine, loin de se réduire à une rapide conclusion, acquiert une juste
tonalité contemplative, comme pour élever l'esprit jusqu'au Paradis et nous
faire revivre, d'une certaine manière, l'expérience du Thabor, anticipation de
la contemplation future: « Il est heureux que nous soyons ici ! » (Lc9,33).
L'oraison jaculatoire
finale
35. Dans la pratique
courante du Rosaire, la doxologie trinitaire est suivie d'une oraison
jaculatoire, qui varie suivant les circonstances. Sans rien enlever à la valeur
de telles invocations, il semble opportun de noter que la contemplation des
mystères sera plus féconde si on prend soin de faire en sorte que chaque
mystère s'achève par une prière destinée à obtenir les fruits spécifiques de la
méditation de ce mystère. Le Rosaire pourra ainsi manifester avec une plus
grande efficacité son lien avec la vie chrétienne. Cela est suggéré par une
belle oraison liturgique, qui nous invite à demander de pouvoir parvenir, par
la méditation des mystères du Rosaire, à « imiter ce qu'ils contiennent et à
obtenir ce qu'ils promettent ».38
Une telle prière finale
pourra s'inspirer d'une légitime variété, comme cela se fait déjà. En outre, le
Rosaire acquiert alors une expression plus adaptée aux différentes traditions
spirituelles et aux diverses communautés chrétiennes. Dans cette perspective,
il est souhaitable que se répandent, avec le discernement pastoral requis, les
propositions les plus significatives, par exemple celles qui sont utilisées
dans les centres et sanctuaires mariaux particulièrement attentifs à la
pratique du Rosaire, si bien que le peuple de Dieu puisse bénéficier de toutes
ses richesses spirituelles authentiques, en y puisant une nourriture pour sa
contemplation.
Le chapelet
36. Le chapelet est
l'instrument traditionnel pour la récitation du Rosaire. Une pratique par trop
superficielle conduit à le considérer souvent comme un simple instrument
servant à compter la succession des Je vous salue Marie. Mais il veut aussi
exprimer un symbolisme qui peut donner un sens nouveau à la contemplation.
À ce sujet, il faut avant
tout noter que le chapelet converge vers le Crucifié, qui ouvre ainsi et
conclut le chemin même de la prière. La vie et la prière des croyants sont
centrées sur le Christ. Tout part de Lui; tout tend vers Lui; et par Lui, tout,
dans l'Esprit Saint, parvient au Père.
En tant qu'instrument
servant à compter, qui scande la progression de la prière, le chapelet évoque
le chemin incessant de la contemplation et de la perfection chrétiennes. Le
bienheureux Bartolo Longo voyait aussi le chapelet comme une « chaîne » qui
nous relie à Dieu. Une chaîne, certes, mais une douce chaîne; car tel est
toujours la relation avec Dieu qui est Père. Une chaîne “filiale”, qui nous
accorde à Marie, la « servante du Seigneur » (Lc 1, 38) et, en définitive, au
Christ lui-même qui, tout en étant Dieu, s'est fait « serviteur » par amour
pour nous (Ph2,7).
Il est beau également
d'étendre la signification symbolique du chapelet à nos relations réciproques;
par lui nous est rappelé le lien de communion et de fraternité qui nous unit
tous dans le Christ.
Début et fin
37. Dans la pratique
courante, les manières d'introduire le Rosaire sont variées, selon les
différents contextes ecclésiaux. Dans certaines régions, on commence
habituellement par l'invocation du Psaume 69[70]: « Dieu, viens à mon aide;
Seigneur, à notre secours », comme pour nourrir chez la personne qui prie
l'humble conscience de sa propre indigence; dans d'autres lieux, au contraire,
le Rosaire débute par la récitation du Credo, comme pour mettre la profession
de foi au point de départ du chemin de contemplation que l'on entreprend. Dans
la mesure où elles disposent bien l'esprit à la contemplation, ces formes et
d'autres semblables sont des usages également légitimes. La récitation se
conclut par la prière aux intentions du Pape, afin d'élargir le regard de celui
qui prie aux vastes horizons des nécessités ecclésiales. C'est justement pour
encourager cette ouverture ecclésiale du Rosaire que l'Église a voulu
l'enrichir d'indulgences à l'intention de ceux qui le récitent avec les
dispositions requises.
En effet, s'il est ainsi
vécu, le Rosaire devient vraiment un parcours spirituel, dans lequel Marie se
fait mère, guide, maître, et elle soutient le fidèle par sa puissante intercession.
Comment s'étonner du besoin ressenti par l'âme, à la fin de cette prière dans
laquelle elle a fait l'expérience intime de la maternité de Marie, d'entonner
une louange à la Vierge Marie, que ce soit la splendide prière du Salve Regina
ou celle des Litanies de Lorette ? C'est le couronnement d'un chemin intérieur,
qui a conduit le fidèle à un contact vivant avec le mystère du Christ et de sa
Mère très sainte.
La répartition dans le
temps
38. Le Rosaire peut être
récité intégralement chaque jour, et nombreux sont ceux qui le font de manière
louable. Il parvient ainsi à remplir de prière les journées de nombreux
contemplatifs, ou à tenir compagnie aux malades et aux personnes âgées, qui disposent
de beaucoup de temps. Mais il est évident – et ceci vaut d'autant plus si on
ajoute le nouveau cycle des mysteria lucis – que beaucoup ne pourront en
réciter qu'une partie, selon un certain ordre hebdomadaire. Cette répartition
hebdomadaire finit par donner aux différentes journées de la semaine une
certaine « couleur » spirituelle, comme le fait de manière analogue la liturgie
avec les diverses étapes de l'année liturgique.
Selon l'usage courant, le
lundi et le jeudi sont consacrés aux « mystères joyeux », le mardi et le
vendredi aux « mystères douloureux », le mercredi, le samedi et le dimanche aux
« mystères glorieux ». Où insérer les « mystères lumineux »? Considérant que
les mystères glorieux sont proposés deux jours de suite, le samedi et le dimanche,
et que le samedi est traditionnellement un jour à fort caractère marial, on
peut conseiller de déplacer au samedi la deuxième méditation hebdomadaire des
mystères joyeux, dans lesquels la présence de Marie est davantage accentuée.
Ainsi, le jeudi reste opportunément libre pour la méditation des mystères
lumineux.
Cette indication n'entend
pas toutefois limiter une certaine liberté dans la méditation personnelle et
communautaire, en fonction des exigences spirituelles et pastorales, et surtout
des fêtes liturgiques qui peuvent susciter d'heureuses adaptations. L'important
est de considérer et d'expérimenter toujours davantage le Rosaire comme un
itinéraire de contemplation. Par lui, en complément de ce qui se réalise dans
la liturgie, la semaine du chrétien, enracinée dans le dimanche, jour de la
résurrection, devient un chemin à travers les mystères de la vie du Christ, qui
se manifeste dans la vie de ses disciples comme le Seigneur du temps et de
l'histoire.
Teramo
Piaggio, Madonna del Rosario tra le Sante Lucia e Caterina da Siena, 1536, San
Giovanni Battista in San Domenico (Savona)
CONCLUSION
« Rosaire béni de Marie,
douce chaîne qui nous relie à Dieu »
39.Ce qui a été dit
jusqu'ici exprime amplement la richesse de cette prière traditionnelle, qui a
la simplicité d'une prière populaire, mais aussi la profondeur théologique
d'une prière adaptée à ceux qui perçoivent l'exigence d'une contemplation plus
mûre.
L'Église a toujours
reconnu à cette prière une efficacité particulière, lui confiant les causes les
plus difficiles dans sa récitation communautaire et dans sa pratique constante.
En des moments où la chrétienté elle-même était menacée, ce fut à la force de
cette prière qu'on attribua l'éloignement du danger, et la Vierge du Rosaire
fut saluée comme propitiatrice du salut.
Aujourd'hui, comme j'y ai
fait allusion au début, je recommande volontiers à l'efficacité de cette prière
la cause de la paix dans le monde et celle de la famille.
La paix
40. Les difficultés que
la perspective mondiale fait apparaître en ce début de nouveau millénaire nous
conduisent à penser que seule une intervention d'en haut, capable d'orienter
les cœurs de ceux qui vivent des situations conflictuelles et de ceux qui
régissent le sort des Nations, peut faire espérer un avenir moins sombre.
Le Rosaire est une prière
orientée par nature vers la paix, du fait même qu'elle est contemplation du
Christ, Prince de la paix et « notre paix » (Ep 2,14). Celui qui assimile le
mystère du Christ – et le Rosaire vise précisément à cela – apprend le secret
de la paix et en fait un projet de vie. En outre, en vertu de son caractère
méditatif, dans la tranquille succession des Ave Maria, le Rosaire exerce sur
celui qui prie une action pacificatrice qui le dispose à recevoir cette paix
véritable, qui est un don spécial du Ressuscité (cf.Jn 14,27; 20,21), et à en
faire l'expérience au fond de son être, en vue de la répandre autour de lui.
Le Rosaire est aussi une
prière de paix en raison des fruits de charité qu'il produit. S'il est bien
récité comme une vraie prière méditative, le Rosaire, en favorisant la
rencontre avec le Christ dans ses mystères, ne peut pas ne pas indiquer aussi
le visage du Christ dans les frères, en particulier dans les plus souffrants.
Comment pourrait-on fixer, dans les mystères joyeux, le mystère de l'Enfant né
à Bethléem sans éprouver le désir d'accueillir, de défendre et de promouvoir la
vie, en se chargeant de la souffrance des enfants de toutes les parties du
monde? Comment, dans les mystères lumineux, pourrait-on suivre les pas du
Christ qui révèle le Père sans s'engager à témoigner de ses « béatitudes » dans
la vie de chaque jour? Et comment contempler le Christ chargé de la Croix et
crucifié sans ressentir le besoin de se faire le « Cyrénéen » de tout frère
brisé par la souffrance ou écrasé par le désespoir? Enfin, comment pourrait-on
fixer les yeux sur la gloire du Christ ressuscité et sur Marie couronnée Reine
sans éprouver le désir de rendre ce monde plus beau, plus juste et plus proche
du dessein de Dieu?
En réalité, tandis qu'il
nous conduit à fixer les yeux sur le Christ, le Rosaire nous rend aussi
bâtisseurs de la paix dans le monde. Par sa caractéristique de supplication
communautaire et insistante, pour répondre à l'invitation du Christ « à
toujours prier sans se décourager » (Lc 18, 1), il nous permet d'espérer que,
même aujourd'hui, une “bataille” aussi difficile que celle de la paix pourra
être gagnée. Loin d'être une fuite des problèmes du monde, le Rosaire nous
pousse à les regarder avec un œil responsable et généreux, et il nous obtient
la force de les affronter avec la certitude de l'aide de Dieu et avec la ferme
intention de témoigner en toutes circonstances de « l'amour, lui qui fait
l'unité dans la perfection » (Col 3,14).
La famille: les
parents...
41. Prière pour la paix,
le Rosaire est aussi, depuis toujours, la prière de la famille et pour la
famille. Il fut un temps où cette prière était particulièrement chère aux
familles chrétiennes et en favorisait certainement la communion. Il ne faut pas
perdre ce précieux héritage. Il faut se remettre à prier en famille et à prier
pour les familles, en utilisant encore cette forme de prière.
Si, dans la Lettre
apostolique Novo millennio ineunte, j'ai encouragé même les laïcs à célébrer la
Liturgie des Heures dans la vie ordinaire des communautés paroissiales et des
divers groupes chrétiens,39je désire faire la même chose pour le Rosaire. Il
s'agit de deux voies de la contemplation chrétienne qui ne s'opposent pas, mais
se complètent. Je demande donc à ceux qui se consacrent à la pastorale des
familles de suggérer avec conviction la récitation du Rosaire.
La famille qui est unie
dans la prière demeure unie. Par tradition ancienne, le saint Rosaire se prête
tout spécialement à être une prière dans laquelle la famille se retrouve. Les
membres de celle-ci, en jetant véritablement un regard sur Jésus, acquièrent
aussi une nouvelle capacité de se regarder en face, pour communiquer, pour
vivre la solidarité, pour se pardonner mutuellement, pour repartir avec un pacte
d'amour renouvelé par l'Esprit de Dieu.
De nombreux problèmes des
familles contemporaines, particulièrement dans les sociétés économiquement
évoluées, dépendent du fait qu'il devient toujours plus difficile de
communiquer. On ne parvient pas à rester ensemble, et les rares moments passés
en commun sont absorbés par les images de la télévision. Recommencer à réciter
le Rosaire en famille signifie introduire dans la vie quotidienne des images
bien différentes, celles du mystère qui sauve: l'image du Rédempteur, l'image
de sa Mère très sainte. La famille qui récite le Rosaire reproduit un peu le
climat de la maison de Nazareth: on place Jésus au centre, on partage avec lui
les joies et les souffrances, on remet entre ses mains les besoins et les
projets, on reçoit de lui espérance et force pour le chemin.
... et les enfants
42. Il est beau et fécond
également de confier à cette prière le chemin de croissance des enfants. Le
Rosaire n'est-il pas l'itinéraire de la vie du Christ, de sa conception à sa mort,
jusqu'à sa résurrection et à sa glorification? Il devient aujourd'hui toujours
plus ardu pour les parents de suivre leurs enfants dans les diverses étapes de
leur vie. Dans notre société de technologie avancée, des médias et de la
mondialisation, tout est devenu si rapide, et la distance culturelle entre les
générations se fait toujours plus grande. Les messages les plus divers et les
expériences les plus imprévisibles envahissent la vie des enfants et des
adolescents, et pour les parents il devient parfois angoissant de faire face
aux risques qu'ils courent. Il n'est pas rare qu'ils soient conduits à faire
l'expérience de déceptions cuisantes, en constatant les échecs de leurs enfants
face à la séduction de la drogue, aux attraits d'un hédonisme effréné, aux
tentations de la violence, aux expressions les plus variées du non-sens et du
désespoir.
Prier le Rosaire pour ses
enfants, et mieux encore avec ses enfants, en les éduquant depuis leur plus
jeune âge à ce moment quotidien de « pause priante » de la famille, n'est
certes pas la solution de tous les problèmes, mais elle constitue une aide
spirituelle à ne pas sous-estimer. On peut objecter que le Rosaire apparaît
comme une prière peu adaptée au goût des adolescents et des jeunes
d'aujourd'hui. Mais l'objection vient peut-être d'une façon de le réciter
souvent peu appliquée. Du reste, étant sauve sa structure fondamentale, rien
n'empêche, pour les enfants et les adolescents, que la récitation du Rosaire
–que ce soit en famille ou en groupes – s'enrichisse de possibles aménagements
symboliques et concrets, qui en favorisent la compréhension et la mise en
valeur. Pourquoi ne pas l'essayer? Une pastorale des jeunes qui n'est pas
défaitiste, mais passionnée et créative – les Journées mondiales de la Jeunesse
m'en ont donné la mesure! – est capable de faire, avec l'aide de Dieu, des
choses vraiment significatives. Si le Rosaire est bien présenté, je suis sûr
que les jeunes eux- mêmes seront capables de surprendre encore une fois les
adultes, en faisant leur cette prière et en la récitant avec l'enthousiasme
caractéristique de leur âge.
Le Rosaire, un trésor à
redécouvrir
43. Chers frères et
sœurs! Une prière aussi facile, et en même temps aussi riche, mérite vraiment
d'être redécouverte par la communauté chrétienne. Faisons-le surtout cette
année, en accueillant cette proposition comme un affermissement de la ligne
tracée dans la Lettre apostolique Novo millennio ineunte, dont de nombreuses
Églises particulières se sont inspirées dans leurs projets pastoraux pour
planifier leurs engagements dans un proche avenir.
Je m'adresse à vous en
particulier, chers Frères dans l'épiscopat, prêtres et diacres, et aussi à
vous, agents pastoraux engagés dans divers ministères, pour que, en faisant
l'expérience personnelle de la beauté du Rosaire, vous en deveniez des
promoteurs actifs.
Je m'en remets aussi à
vous, théologiens, afin qu'en menant une réflexion à la fois rigoureuse et
sage, enracinée dans la Parole de Dieu et attentive au vécu du peuple chrétien,
vous fassiez découvrir les fondements bibliques, les richesses spirituelles et
la valeur pastorale de cette prière traditionnelle.
Je compte sur vous, les
consacrés, hommes et femmes, appelés à un titre particulier à contempler le
visage du Christ à l'école de Marie.
Je me tourne vers vous,
frères et sœurs de toute condition, vers vous, familles chrétiennes, vers vous,
malades et personnes âgées, vers vous les jeunes: reprenez avec confiance le
chapelet entre vos mains, le redécouvrant à la lumière de l'Écriture, en
harmonie avec la liturgie, dans le cadre de votre vie quotidienne.
Que mon appel ne reste
pas lettre morte! Au début de la vingt-cinquième année de mon Pontificat, je
remets cette Lettre apostolique entre les mains sages de la Vierge Marie,
m'inclinant spirituellement devant son image dans le splendide sanctuaire qui
lui a été édifié par le bienheureux Bartolo Longo, apôtre du Rosaire. Je fais
volontiers miennes les paroles touchantes par lesquelles il termine la célèbre
Supplique à la Reine du Saint Rosaire: « Ô Rosaire béni par Marie, douce chaîne
qui nous relie à Dieu, lien d'amour qui nous unit aux Anges, tour de sagesse
face aux assauts de l'enfer, havre de sécurité dans le naufrage commun, nous ne
te lâcherons plus. Tu seras notre réconfort à l'heure de l'agonie. À toi, le
dernier baiser de la vie qui s'éteint. Et le dernier accent sur nos lèvres sera
ton nom suave, ô Reine du Rosaire de Pompéi, ô notre Mère très chère, ô refuge
des pécheurs, ô souveraine Consolatrice des affligés. Sois bénie en tout lieu,
aujourd'hui et toujours, sur la terre et dans le ciel ».
Du Vatican, le 16 octobre
2002, début de la vingt-cinquième année de mon Pontificat.
JOHN PAUL II
1 Conc. œcum. Vat. II,
Const. past. sur l'Église dans le monde de ce temps Gaudium et spes, n.45.
2 Paul VI, Exhort. apost.
Marialis cultus (2 février 1974), n.42: AAS 66 (1974), p.153: La Documentation
catholique 71 (1974), p.314.
3 Cf. Acta Leonis XIII, 3
(1884), pp.280-289.
4 En particulier, il est
bon de noter sa Lettre apostolique sur le Rosaire: Il religioso convegno (29
septembre 1961): AAS 53
5 Angelus:
Insegnamenti(1978), pp.75-76: La Documentation catholique 75 (1978), p.958.
6 AAS93 (2001), p.285: La
Documentation catholique 98 (2001), p.78.
7 Au cours des années de
préparation du Concile, JeanXXIII n'avait pas manqué d'inviter la communauté
chrétienne à la récitation du Rosaire pour la réussite de cet événement
ecclésial: cf. Lettre au Cardinal Vicaire de Rome, 28 septembre 1960: AAS 52
(1960), pp.814-817: La Documentation catholique 57 (1960), col. 1249-1252.
8 Const. dogm. sur
l'Église Lumen gentium, n.66.
9 Lettre apost. Novo
millennio ineunte, n.32: AAS 93 (2001), p.288: La Documentation catholique 98
(2001), p.79.
10 Ibid., n.33: l.c.,
p.289: La Documentation catholique 98 (2001), p.80.
11 Comme on le sait, il
faut rappeler que les révélations privées ne sont pas de la même nature que la
révélation publique, qui constitue une norme pour toute l'Église. Il est du
devoir du Magistère de discerner et de reconnaître, pour la piété des fidèles,
l'authenticité et la valeur des révélations privées.
12 Le secret admirable du
très saint Rosaire pour se convertir et se sauver: S. Louis Marie Grignion de
Montfort, Œuvres complètes, Paris (1966), pp.263-389.
13 Histoire du Sanctuaire
de Pompéi, Pompéi (1990), p.59.
14 Exhort. apost.
Marialis cultus (2 février 1974), n.47: AAS 66 (1974), p.156: La Documentation
catholique 71 (1974), p.315.
15 Constitution sur la
Liturgie Sacrosanctum Concilium, n.10.
16 Ibid., n.12.
17 Conc. œcum. Vat. II,
Const. dogm. sur l'Église Lumen gentium, n.58.
18 Les quinze samedis du
Saint Rosaire, 27.
19 Conc. œcum. Vat. II,
Const. dogmatique sur l'Église Lumen gentium,n.53.
20 Ibid., n.60.
21 Cf. Premier
radiomessage Urbi et Orbi (17 octobre 1978): AAS 70 (1978), p.927: La
Documentation catholique 75 (1978), p.905.
22 Traité de la vraie
dévotion à Marie, n.120, Paris (1966), pp.562-563.
23 Catéchisme de l'Église
catholique, n.2679.
24 Ibid., n.2675.
25 La Supplique à la
Reine du Rosaire, qui se récite de manière solennelle deux fois l'an, en mai et
en octobre, fut composée par le bienheureux Bartolo Longo en 1883, comme une
adhésion à l'invitation lancée par le Pape Léon XIII aux catholiques dans sa
première encyclique sur le Rosaire, en vue d'un engagement spirituel qui puisse
affronter les maux de la société.
26 La Divine Comédie, Le
Paradis, C. XXXIII, 13-15, Paris (1996), p.457.
27 Jean-Paul II, Lettre
apost. Novo millennio ineunte (6 janvier 2001) n.20: AAS 93 (2001), p.279: La
Documentation catholique 98 (2001), p.75.
28 Exhort. apost.
Marialis cultus (2 février 1974), n.46: AAS 66 (1974), p.155: La Documentation
catholique 71 (1974), p.315.
29 Jean-Paul II, Lettre
apostolique Novo millennio ineunte (6 janvier 2001), n.28: AAS 93 (2001),
p.284: La Documentation catholique 98 (2001), p.77.
30 N. 515.
31 Angelus du 29 octobre
1978: Insegnamenti I (1978), p.76: La Documentation catholique 75 (1978),
p.958.
32 Conc. œcum. Vat. II,
Const. past. sur l'Église dans le monde de ce temps Gaudium et spes, n.22.
33 S. Irénée de Lyon,
Adversus hæreses, III, 18, 1: PG VII, 932: Paris (1974), pp.343-345.
34 Catéchisme de l'Église
catholique, n.2616.
35 Cf. n.33: AAS 93
(2001), p.289: La Documentation catholique 98 (2001), pp.77-78.
36 Jean-Paul II, Lettre
aux artistes (4 avril 1999), n.1: AAS 91 (1999), p.1155: La Documentation
catholique 96 (1999), p.451.
37 Cf. n.46: AAS 66
(1974), p.155: La Documentation catholique 71 (1974), p.315. Cet usage a été
récemment recommandé par la Congrégation pour le Culte divin et la Discipline
des Sacrements dans le Directoire sur la piété populaire et la liturgie.
Principes et orientations (17 décembre 2001), n.201, Cité du Vatican (2002),
p.165.
38 « Concede, quæsumus,
ut hæc mysteria sacratissimo beatæ Mariæ Virginis Rosario recolentes, et
imitemur quod continent, et quod promittunt assequamur »: Missale Romanum
(1960), In festo B.M. Virginis a Rosario.
39 Cf. n.34: AAS 93
(2001), p.290: La Documentation catholique 98 (2001), p.80.
Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Angelino Medoro (1567–1631), Coronation of
the Virgin of the Rosary, circa 1585
Angelino Medoro ; 16th-century paintings of Our Lady of the Rosary
Also
known as
Feast of the Most Holy
Rosary
Our Lady of the Holy
Rosary
Our Lady of the Most Holy
Rosary
Our Lady of Victory
About
On Sunday 7 October 1571 the
combined Christian fleets
under Don John of Austria achieved
a significant naval victory over the Turks in the Straits of Lepanto. Thousands
of Christians were
liberated, the Turkish fleet was destroyed, and they suffered their first great
defeat at sea. In gratitude to God and Our Lady, Pope Saint Pius
V ordered an annual commemoration to be made of Our Lady of
Victory. In 1573 Pope Gregory
XIII transferred the feast to
the first Sunday of October with the title Feast of the Most Holy
Rosary since the victory was won through invocation of Our Lady of
the Rosary. In 1716 Pope Clement
XII extended the feast to
the whole Latin Rite calendar, assigning it to the first Sunday in
October. Pope Saint Pius
X changed the date to 7 October in 1913.
In 1969 Pope Paul
VI changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary.
Armidale, Australia, diocese of
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Vancouver,
British Columbia, archdiocese of
Military Ordinariate of Arzobispado Castrense de España
in Argentina
in Brazil
in Italy
in Malta
Tagbilaran,
Bohol, Philippines
in Portugal
in Spain
Additional
Information
Lepanto,
by G K Chesterton
Our
Lady’s Feasts, by Sister Mary Jean Dorcy, O.P.
books
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
other
sites in english
Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation
Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints
Nobility
and Analogous Traditional Elites
images
video
sitios
en español
Nuestra Senora de las Victorias
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites
en français
Abbé
Christian-Philippe Chanut
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Our Lady of the
Rosary“. CatholicSaints.Info. 2 March 2024. Web. 7 October 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/our-lady-of-the-rosary/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/our-lady-of-the-rosary/
Ercole Ramazzani (1535–1598), Madonna
del Rosario, 1577. Originariamente in Arcevia,
chiesa parrocchiale di Costa, ora conservata a Senigallia, Pinacoteca Diocesana.
Inscription : HERCVLES RAMAZ / ZANVS ROCCH. / M.D.LXXVII
Our Lady of the Rosary
Apart from the signal
defeat of the Albigensian heretics at the battle of Muret in 1213 which legend
has attributed to the recitation of the Rosary by St. Dominic, it is believed
that Heaven has on many occasions rewarded the faith of those who had recourse
to this devotion in times of special danger.
More particularly, the
naval victory of Lepanto gained by Don John of Austria over the Turkish fleet
on the first Sunday of October in 1571 responded wonderfully to the processions
made at Rome on that same day by the members of the Rosary confraternity.
St. Pius V thereupon ordered that a commemoration of the Rosary should be made upon that day, and at the request of the Dominican Order, Gregory XIII in 1573 allowed this feast to be kept in all churches which possessed an altar dedicated to the Holy Rosary. In 1671 the observance of this festival was extended by Clement X to the whole of Spain, and somewhat later Clement XI after the important victory over the Turks gained by Prince Eugene on 6 August, 1716 (the feast of our Lady of the Snows), at Peterwardein in Hungary, commanded the feast of the Rosary to be celebrated by the universal Church. A set of “proper” lessons in the second nocturn were conceded by Benedict XIII. Leo XIII has since raised the feast to the rank of a double of the second class and has added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation “Queen of the Most Holy Rosary”. On this feast, in every church in which the Rosary confraternity has been duly erected, a plenary indulgence toties quoties is granted upon certain conditions to all who visit therein the Rosary chapel or statue of Our Lady.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/lady-of-the-rosary/
Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), Madonna
del Rosario, circa 1623, 397 x 278, Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico,
Palermo, Italy. Saint
Rosalia ; Catherine of Siena ; Saint
Dominic ; Vincent Ferrer ; Dionysius the Areopagite ; Agatha of Sicily ; Olivia de Palermo
APOSTOLIC LETTER
ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE
INTRODUCTION
1. The Rosary of the
Virgin Mary, which gradually took form in the second millennium under the guidance
of the Spirit of God, is a prayer loved by countless Saints and encouraged by
the Magisterium. Simple yet profound, it still remains, at the dawn of this
third millennium, a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a
harvest of holiness. It blends easily into the spiritual journey of the
Christian life, which, after two thousand years, has lost none of the freshness
of its beginnings and feels drawn by the Spirit of God to “set out into the
deep” (duc in altum!) in order once more to proclaim, and even cry out, before
the world that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour, “the way, and the truth and
the life” (Jn 14:6), “the goal of human history and the point on which the
desires of history and civilization turn”.(1)
The Rosary, though
clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the
sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its
entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium.(2)
It is an echo of the prayerof Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of
the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary,
the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the
beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through
the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands
of the Mother of the Redeemer.
The Popes and the Rosary
2. Numerous predecessors
of mine attributed great importance to this prayer. Worthy of special note in
this regard is Pope Leo XIII who on 1 September 1883 promulgated the
Encyclical Supremi
Apostolatus Officio,(3)
a document of great worth, the first of his many statements about this prayer,
in which he proposed the Rosary as an effective spiritual weapon against the
evils afflicting society. Among the more recent Popes who, from the time of the
Second Vatican Council, have distinguished themselves in promoting the Rosary I
would mention Blessed John XXIII(4)
and above all Pope Paul VI, who in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus
emphasized, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, the Rosary's
evangelical character and its Christocentric inspiration. I myself have often
encouraged the frequent recitation of the Rosary. From my youthful years this
prayer has held an important place in my spiritual life. I was powerfully
reminded of this during my recent visit to Poland, and in particular at the
Shrine of Kalwaria. The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in
moments of difficulty. To it I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it I
have always found comfort. Twenty-four years ago, on 29 October 1978, scarcely
two weeks after my election to the See of Peter, I frankly admitted: “The
Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its
simplicity and its depth. [...]. It can be said that the Rosary is, in some
sense, a prayer-commentary on the final chapter of the Vatican II
Constitution Lumen
Gentium, a chapter which discusses the wondrous presence of the Mother of
God in the mystery of Christ and the Church. Against the background of the
words Ave Maria the principal events of the life of Jesus Christ pass before
the eyes of the soul. They take shape in the complete series of the joyful,
sorrowful and glorious mysteries, and they put us in living communion with
Jesus through – we might say – the heart of his Mother. At the same time our
heart can embrace in the decades of the Rosary all the events that make up the
lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind. Our
personal concerns and those of our neighbour, especially those who are closest
to us, who are dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the
rhythm of human life”.(5)
With these words, dear
brothers and sisters, I set the first year of my Pontificate within the daily
rhythm of the Rosary. Today, as I begin the twenty-fifth year of my service as
the Successor of Peter, I wish to do the same. How many graces have I received
in these years from the Blessed Virgin through the Rosary: Magnificat anima mea
Dominum! I wish to lift up my thanks to the Lord in the words of his Most Holy
Mother, under whose protection I have placed my Petrine ministry: Totus Tuus!
October 2002 – October
2003: The Year of the Rosary
3. Therefore, in
continuity with my reflection in the Apostolic Letter Novo
Millennio Ineunte, in which, after the experience of the Jubilee, I invited
the people of God to “start afresh from Christ”,(6)
I have felt drawn to offer a reflection on the Rosary, as a kind of Marian
complement to that Letter and an exhortation to contemplate the face of Christ
in union with, and at the school of, his Most Holy Mother. To recite the Rosary
is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ. As a way of
highlighting this invitation, prompted by the forthcoming 120th anniversary of
the aforementioned Encyclical of Leo XIII, I desire that during the course of
this year the Rosary should be especially emphasized and promoted in the various
Christian communities. I therefore proclaim the year from October 2002 to
October 2003 the Year of the Rosary.
I leave this pastoral
proposal to the initiative of each ecclesial community. It is not my intention
to encumber but rather to complete and consolidate pastoral programmes of the
Particular Churches. I am confident that the proposal will find a ready and
generous reception. The Rosary, reclaimed in its full meaning, goes to the very
heart of Christian life; it offers a familiar yet fruitful spiritual and
educational opportunity for personal contemplation, the formation of the People
of God, and the new evangelization. I am pleased to reaffirm this also in the
joyful remembrance of another anniversary: the fortieth anniversary of the
opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council on October 11, 1962, the
“great grace” disposed by the Spirit of God for the Church in our time.(7)
Objections to the Rosary
4. The timeliness of this
proposal is evident from a number of considerations. First, the urgent need to
counter a certain crisis of the Rosary, which in the present historical and
theological context can risk being wrongly devalued, and therefore no longer
taught to the younger generation. There are some who think that the centrality
of the Liturgy, rightly stressed by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, necessarily
entails giving lesser importance to the Rosary. Yet, as Pope Paul VI made
clear, not only does this prayer not conflict with the Liturgy, it sustains it,
since it serves as an excellent introduction and a faithful echo of the
Liturgy, enabling people to participate fully and interiorly in it and to reap
its fruits in their daily lives.
Perhaps too, there are
some who fear that the Rosary is somehow unecumenical because of its distinctly
Marian character. Yet the Rosary clearly belongs to the kind of veneration of
the Mother of God described by the Council: a devotion directed to the
Christological centre of the Christian faith, in such a way that “when the
Mother is honoured, the Son ... is duly known, loved and glorified”.(8)
If properly revitalized, the Rosary is an aid and certainly not a hindrance to
ecumenism!
A path of contemplation
5. But the most important
reason for strongly encouraging the practice of the Rosary is that it
represents a most effective means of fostering among the faithful that
commitment to the contemplation of the Christian mystery which I have proposed
in the Apostolic Letter Novo
Millennio Ineunte as a genuine “training in holiness”: “What is needed
is a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer”.(9)
Inasmuch as contemporary culture, even amid so many indications to the
contrary, has witnessed the flowering of a new call for spirituality, due also
to the influence of other religions, it is more urgent than ever that our
Christian communities should become “genuine schools of prayer”.(10)
The Rosary belongs among
the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation. Developed
in the West, it is a typically meditative prayer, corresponding in some way to
the “prayer of the heart” or “Jesus prayer” which took root in the soil of the
Christian East.
Prayer for peace and for
the family
6. A number of historical
circumstances also make a revival of the Rosary quite timely. First of all, the
need to implore from God the gift of peace. The Rosary has many times been
proposed by my predecessors and myself as a prayer for peace. At the start of a
millennium which began with the terrifying attacks of 11 September 2001, a
millennium which witnesses every day innumerous parts of the world fresh scenes
of bloodshed and violence, to rediscover the Rosary means to immerse oneself in
contemplation of the mystery of Christ who “is our peace”, since he made “the
two of us one, and broke down the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14).
Consequently, one cannot recite the Rosary without feeling caught up in a clear
commitment to advancing peace, especially in the land of Jesus, still so sorely
afflicted and so close to the heart of every Christian.
A similar need for
commitment and prayer arises in relation to another critical contemporary
issue: the family, the primary cell of society, increasingly menaced by forces
of disintegration on both the ideological and practical planes, so as to make
us fear for the future of this fundamental and indispensable institution and,
with it, for the future of society as a whole. The revival of the Rosary in
Christian families, within the context of a broader pastoral ministry to the
family, will be an effective aid to countering the devastating effects of this
crisis typical of our age.
“Behold, your Mother!”
(Jn 19:27)
7. Many signs indicate
that still today the Blessed Virgin desires to exercise through this same
prayer that maternal concern to which the dying Redeemer entrusted, in the
person of the beloved disciple, all the sons and daughters of the Church:
“Woman, behold your son!” (Jn19:26). Well-known are the occasions in the
nineteenth and the twentieth centuries on which the Mother of Christ made her
presence felt and her voice heard, in order to exhort the People of God to this
form of contemplative prayer. I would mention in particular, on account of
their great influence on the lives of Christians and the authoritative
recognition they have received from the Church, the apparitions of Lourdes and
of Fatima;(11)
these shrines continue to be visited by great numbers of pilgrims seeking
comfort and hope.
Following the witnesses
8. It would be impossible
to name all the many Saints who discovered in the Rosary a genuine path to
growth in holiness. We need but mention Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort,
the author of an excellent work on the Rosary,(12)
and, closer to ourselves, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, whom I recently had the joy
of canonizing. As a true apostle of the Rosary, Blessed Bartolo Longo had a
special charism. His path to holiness rested on an inspiration heard in the
depths of his heart: “Whoever spreads the Rosary is saved!”.(13)
As a result, he felt called to build a Church dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy
Rosary in Pompei, against the background of the ruins of the ancient city,
which scarcely heard the proclamation of Christ before being buried in 79 A.D.
during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, only to emerge centuries later from its
ashes as a witness to the lights and shadows of classical civilization. By his
whole life's work and especially by the practice of the “Fifteen Saturdays”,
Bartolo Longo promoted the Christocentric and contemplative heart of the
Rosary, and received great encouragement and support from Leo XIII, the “Pope
of the Rosary”.
Ercole Ramazzani (1535–1598), Madonna
del Rosario, 1589, 180 x 100, Castiglioni d'Arcevia, chiesa parrocchiale di sant'Agata,
Inscription : HERCVLES RAMAZZANVS / ROCC. P. M.D.LXXXIX
CHAPTER I
CONTEMPLATING CHRIST WITH
MARY
A face radiant as the sun
9. “And he was
transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun” (Mt 17:2). The
Gospel scene of Christ's transfiguration, in which the three Apostles Peter,
James and John appear entranced by the beauty of the Redeemer, can be seen as
an icon of Christian contemplation. To look upon the face of Christ, to
recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of his human
life, and then to grasp the divine splendour definitively revealed in the Risen
Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father: this is the task of
every follower of Christ and therefore the task of each one of us. In
contemplating Christ's face we become open to receiving the mystery of
Trinitarian life, experiencing ever anew the love of the Father and delighting
in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul's words can then be applied to us:
“Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed into his likeness, from
one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit”
(2Cor 3:18).
Mary, model of
contemplation
10. The contemplation of
Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique way the face of the Son
belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her
a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one
has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as
faithfully as Mary. The eyes of her heart already turned to him at the
Annunciation, when she conceived him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the
months that followed she began to sense his presence and to picture his
features. When at last she gave birth to him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able
to gaze tenderly on the face of her Son, as she “wrapped him in swaddling
cloths, and laid him in a manger” (Lk2:7).
Thereafter Mary's gaze,
ever filled with adoration and wonder, would never leave him. At times it would
be a questioning look, as in the episode of the finding in the Temple: “Son,
why have you treated us so?” (Lk 2:48); it would always be a penetrating gaze,
one capable of deeply understanding Jesus, even to the point of perceiving his
hidden feelings and anticipating his decisions, as at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5). At
other times it would be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the Cross, where
her vision would still be that of a mother giving birth, for Mary not only
shared the passion and death of her Son, she also received the new son given to
her in the beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26-27). On the morning of Easter hers
would be a gaze radiant with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on the
day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the outpouring of the Spirit (cf. Acts
1:14).
Mary's memories
11. 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 a way those memories were to
be the “rosary” which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life.
Even now, amid the joyful
songs of the heavenly Jerusalem, the reasons for her thanksgiving and praise
remain unchanged. They inspire her maternal concern for the pilgrim Church, in
which she continues to relate her personal account of the Gospel. Mary
constantly sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with the desire
that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power.
In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact
with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.
The Rosary, a
contemplative prayer
12. The Rosary, precisely
because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative
prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning, as
Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: “Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body
without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical
repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: 'In praying
do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think 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 disclosed”.(14)
It is worth pausing to
consider this profound insight of Paul VI, in order to bring out certain
aspects of the Rosary which show that it is really a form of Christocentric
contemplation.
Remembering Christ with
Mary
13. Mary's contemplation
is above all a remembering. We need to understand this word in the biblical
sense of remembrance (zakar) as a making present of the works brought about by
God in the history of salvation. The Bible is an account of saving events culminating
in Christ himself. These events not only belong to “yesterday”; they are also
part of the “today” of salvation. This making present comes about above all in
the Liturgy: what God accomplished centuries ago did not only affect the direct
witnesses of those events; it continues to affect people in every age with its
gift of grace. To some extent this is also true of every other devout approach
to those events: to “remember” them in a spirit of faith and love is to be open
to the grace which Christ won for us by the mysteries of his life, death and
resurrection.
Consequently, while it
must be reaffirmed with the Second Vatican Council that the Liturgy, as the
exercise of the priestly office of Christ and an act of public worship, is “the
summit to which the activity of the Church is directed and the font from which
all its power flows”,(15)
it is also necessary to recall that the spiritual life “is not limited solely
to participation in the liturgy. Christians, while they are called to prayer in
common, must also go to their own rooms to pray to their Father in secret (cf.
Mt 6:6); indeed, according to the teaching of the Apostle, they must pray
without ceasing (cf.1Thes 5:17)”.(16)
The Rosary, in its own particular way, is part of this varied panorama of
“ceaseless” prayer. If the Liturgy, as the activity of Christ and the Church,
is a saving action par excellence, the Rosary too, as a “meditation” with Mary
on Christ, is a salutary contemplation. By immersing us in the mysteries of the
Redeemer's life, it ensures that what he has done and what the liturgy makes
present is profoundly assimilated and shapes our existence.
Learning Christ from Mary
14. Christ is the supreme
Teacher, the revealer and the one revealed. It is not just a question of
learning what he taught but of “learning him”. In this regard could we have any
better teacher than Mary? From the divine standpoint, the Spirit is the
interior teacher who leads us to the full truth of Christ (cf. Jn 14:26; 15:26;
16:13). But among creatures no one knows Christ better than Mary; no one can
introduce us to a profound knowledge of his mystery better than his Mother.
The first of the “signs”
worked by Jesus – the changing of water into wine at the marriage in Cana –
clearly presents Mary in the guise of a teacher, as she urges the servants to
do what Jesus commands (cf. Jn 2:5). We can imagine that she would have done
likewise for the disciples after Jesus' Ascension, when she joined them in
awaiting the Holy Spirit and supported them in their first mission.
Contemplating the scenes of the Rosary in union with Mary is a means of
learning from her to “read” Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand
his message.
This school of Mary is
all the more effective if we consider that she teaches by obtaining for us in
abundance the gifts of the Holy Spirit, even as she offers us the incomparable
example of her own “pilgrimage of faith”.(17)
As we contemplate each mystery of her Son's life, she invites us to do as she
did at the Annunciation: to ask humbly the questions which open us to the
light, in order to end with the obedience of faith: “Behold I am the handmaid
of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).
Being conformed to Christ
with Mary
15. 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). The outpouring of
the Holy Spirit in Baptism grafts the believer like a branch onto the vine
which is Christ (cf. Jn 15:5) and makes him a member of Christ's mystical Body
(cf.1Cor 12:12; Rom 12:5). This initial unity, however, calls for a growing
assimilation which will increasingly shape the conduct of the disciple in
accordance with the “mind” of Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which
was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). In the words of the Apostle, we are called “to
put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27).
In the spiritual journey
of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary's company – of the
face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued
through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are
thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ's life and as it were to share
his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just
as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar
habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin,
by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in
Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them
and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty,
hiddenness, patience and perfection”.(18)
In this process of being
conformed to Christ in the Rosary, we entrust ourselves in a special way to the
maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. She who is both the Mother of Christ and a
member of the Church, indeed her “pre-eminent and altogether singular member”,(19)
is at the same time the “Mother of the Church”. As such, she continually brings
to birth children for the mystical Body of her Son. She does so through her
intercession, imploring upon them the inexhaustible outpouring of the Spirit.
Mary is the perfect icon of the motherhood of the Church.
The Rosary mystically
transports us to Mary's side as she is busy watching over the human growth of
Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us
with the same care, until Christ is “fully formed” in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This
role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to
it, “in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but
rather shows its power”.(20)
This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I
have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my
episcopal motto: Totus Tuus.(21)
The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion
de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary's role in the process of
our configuration to Christ: “Our entire perfection consists in being
conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of
all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us
most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one
most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which
most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy
Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be
consecrated to Jesus Christ”.(22)
Never as in the Rosary do the life of Jesus and that of Mary appear so deeply
joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!
Praying to Christ with
Mary
16. Jesus invited us to
turn to God with insistence and the confidence that we will be heard: “Ask, and
it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened
to you” (Mt 7:7). The basis for this power of prayer is the goodness of the
Father, but also the mediation of Christ himself (cf. 1Jn 2:1) and the working
of the Holy Spirit who “intercedes for us” according to the will of God (cf.
Rom 8:26-27). For “we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Rom 8:26), and at
times we are not heard “because we ask wrongly” (cf. Jas 4:2-3).
In support of the prayer
which Christ and the Spirit cause to rise in our hearts, Mary intervenes with
her maternal intercession. “The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer
of Mary”.(23)
If Jesus, the one Mediator, is the Way of our prayer, then Mary, his purest and
most transparent reflection, shows us the Way. “Beginning with Mary's unique
cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit, the Churches developed their
prayer to the Holy Mother of God, centering it on the person of Christ
manifested in his mysteries”.(24)
At the wedding of Cana the Gospel clearly shows the power of Mary's
intercession as she makes known to Jesus the needs of others: “They have no
wine” (Jn 2:3).
The Rosary is both
meditation and supplication. Insistent prayer to the Mother of God is based on
confidence that her maternal intercession can obtain all things from the heart
of her Son. She is “all-powerful by grace”, to use the bold expression, which
needs to be properly understood, of Blessed Bartolo Longo in his Supplication
to Our Lady.(25)
This is a conviction which, beginning with the Gospel, has grown ever more firm
in the experience of the Christian people. The supreme poet Dante expresses it
marvellously in the lines sung by Saint Bernard: “Lady, thou art so great and
so powerful, that whoever desires grace yet does not turn to thee, would have
his desire fly without wings”.(26)
When in the Rosary we plead with Mary, the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk
1:35), she intercedes for us before the Father who filled her with grace and
before the Son born of her womb, praying with us and for us.
Proclaiming Christ with
Mary
17. The Rosary is also a
path of proclamation and increasing knowledge, in which the mystery of Christ
is presented again and again at different levels of the Christian experience.
Its form is that of a prayerful and contemplative presentation, capable of
forming Christians according to the heart of Christ. When the recitation of the
Rosary combines all the elements needed for an effective meditation, especially
in its communal celebration in parishes and shrines, it can present a
significant catechetical opportunity which pastors should use to advantage. In
this way too Our Lady of the Rosary continues her work of proclaiming Christ.
The history of the Rosary shows how this prayer was used in particular by the
Dominicans at a difficult time for the Church due to the spread of heresy.
Today we are facing new challenges. Why should we not once more have recourse
to the Rosary, with the same faith as those who have gone before us? The Rosary
retains all its power and continues to be a valuable pastoral resource for
every good evangelizer.
Ercole Ramazzani (1535–1598), Madonna del Rosario, 1589, 240 x 145, Montebello (Orciano di Pesaro), chiesa parrocchiale di san Giovanni Battista dedicata a Sant'Anna. Inscription : nel retro: DIE M.D.L. XXXIX Hercules Ramazzanus Rocc. P. - Daniela Matteucci (a cura di), Ercole Ramazzani de la Rocha: aspetti del manierismo nelle Marche della Controriforma, Venezia, Marsilio, 2002
CHAPTER II
MYSTERIES OF CHRIST –
MYSTERIES OF HIS MOTHER
The Rosary, “a compendium
of the Gospel”
18. The only way to
approach the contemplation of Christ's face is by listening in the Spirit to
the Father's voice, since “no one knows the Son except the Father” (Mt 11:27).
In the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus responded to Peter's confession of
faith by indicating the source of that clear intuition of his identity: “Flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 16:17).
What is needed, then, is a revelation from above. In order to receive that
revelation, attentive listening is indispensable: “Only the experience of
silence and prayer offers the proper setting for the growth and development of
a true, faithful and consistent knowledge of that mystery”.(27)
The Rosary is one of the
traditional paths of Christian prayer directed to the contemplation of Christ's
face. Pope Paul VI described it in these words: “As a Gospel prayer, centred on
the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation, the Rosary is a prayer with a
clearly Christological orientation. Its most characteristic element, in fact,
the litany- like succession of Hail Marys, becomes in itself an unceasing
praise of Christ, who is the ultimate object both of the Angel's announcement
and of the greeting of the Mother of John the Baptist: 'Blessed is the fruit of
your womb' (Lk 1:42). We would go further and say that the succession of Hail
Marys constitutes the warp on which is woven the contemplation of the
mysteries. The Jesus that each Hail Mary recalls is the same Jesus whom the
succession of mysteries proposes to us now as the Son of God, now as the Son of
the Virgin”.(28)
A proposed addition to
the traditional pattern
19. Of the many mysteries
of Christ's life, only a few are indicated by the Rosary in the form that has
become generally established with the seal of the Church's approval. The
selection was determined by the origin of the prayer, which was based on the
number 150, the number of the Psalms in the Psalter.
I believe, however, that
to bring out fully the Christological depth of the Rosary it would be suitable
to make an addition to the traditional pattern which, while left to the freedom
of individuals and communities, could broaden it to include the mysteries of
Christ's public ministry between his Baptism and his Passion. In the course of
those mysteries we contemplate important aspects of the person of Christ as the
definitive revelation of God. Declared the beloved Son of the Father at the
Baptism in the Jordan, Christ is the one who announces the coming of the
Kingdom, bears witness to it in his works and proclaims its demands. It is
during the years of his public ministry that the mystery of Christ is most
evidently a mystery of light: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the
world” (Jn 9:5).
Consequently, for the
Rosary to become more fully a “compendium of the Gospel”, it is fitting to add,
following reflection on the Incarnation and the hidden life of Christ (the
joyful mysteries) and before focusing on the sufferings of his Passion (the
sorrowful mysteries) and the triumph of his Resurrection (the glorious
mysteries), a meditation on certain particularly significant moments in his
public ministry (the mysteries of light). This addition of these new mysteries,
without prejudice to any essential aspect of the prayer's traditional format,
is meant to give it fresh life and to enkindle renewed interest in the Rosary's
place within Christian spirituality as a true doorway to the depths of the
Heart of Christ, ocean of joy and of light, of suffering and of glory.
The Joyful Mysteries
20. The first five
decades, the “joyful mysteries”, are marked by the joy radiating from the event
of the Incarnation. This is clear from the very first mystery, the
Annunciation, where Gabriel's greeting to the Virgin of Nazareth is linked to
an invitation to messianic joy: “Rejoice, Mary”. The whole of salvation
history, in some sense the entire history of the world, has led up to this
greeting. If it is the Father's plan to unite all things in Christ (cf. Eph
1:10), then the whole of the universe is in some way touched by the divine
favour with which the Father looks upon Mary and makes her the Mother of his
Son. The whole of humanity, in turn, is embraced by the fiat with which she
readily agrees to the will of God.
Exultation is the keynote
of the encounter with Elizabeth, where the sound of Mary's voice and the
presence of Christ in her womb cause John to “leap for joy” (cf. Lk 1:44).
Gladness also fills the scene in Bethlehem, when the birth of the divine Child,
the Saviour of the world, is announced by the song of the angels and proclaimed
to the shepherds as “news of great joy” (Lk 2:10).
The final two mysteries,
while preserving this climate of joy, already point to the drama yet to come.
The Presentation in the Temple not only expresses the joy of the Child's
consecration and the ecstasy of the aged Simeon; it also records the prophecy
that Christ will be a “sign of contradiction” for Israel and that a sword will
pierce his mother's heart (cf Lk 2:34-35). Joy mixed with drama marks the fifth
mystery, the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple. Here he
appears in his divine wisdom as he listens and raises questions, already in
effect one who “teaches”. The revelation of his mystery as the Son wholly
dedicated to his Father's affairs proclaims the radical nature of the Gospel,
in which even the closest of human relationships are challenged by the absolute
demands of the Kingdom. Mary and Joseph, fearful and anxious, “did not
understand” his words (Lk 2:50).
To meditate upon the
“joyful” mysteries, then, is to enter into the ultimate causes and the deepest
meaning of Christian joy. It is to focus on the realism of the mystery of the
Incarnation and on the obscure foreshadowing of the mystery of the saving
Passion. Mary leads us to discover the secret of Christian joy, reminding us
that Christianity is, first and foremost, euangelion, “good news”, which has as
its heart and its whole content the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made
flesh, the one Saviour of the world.
The Mysteries of Light
21. Moving on from the
infancy and the hidden life in Nazareth to the public life of Jesus, our
contemplation brings us to those mysteries which may be called in a special way
“mysteries of light”. Certainly the whole mystery of Christ is a mystery of
light. He is the “light of the world” (Jn 8:12). Yet this truth emerges in a
special way during the years of his public life, when he proclaims the Gospel
of the Kingdom. In proposing to the Christian community five significant
moments – “luminous” mysteries – during this phase of Christ's life, I think
that the following can be fittingly singled out: (1) his Baptism in the Jordan,
(2) his self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, (3) his proclamation of the
Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion, (4) his Transfiguration, and
finally, (5) his institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of
the Paschal Mystery.
Each of these mysteries
is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus. The
Baptism in the Jordan is first of all a mystery of light. Here, as Christ
descends into the waters, the innocent one who became “sin” for our sake (cf.
2Cor 5:21), the heavens open wide and the voice of the Father declares him the
beloved Son (cf. Mt 3:17 and parallels), while the Spirit descends on him to
invest him with the mission which he is to carry out. Another mystery of light
is the first of the signs, given at Cana (cf. Jn 2:1- 12), when Christ changes
water into wine and opens the hearts of the disciples to faith, thanks to the
intervention of Mary, the first among believers. Another mystery of light is
the preaching by which Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God, calls
to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him
in humble trust (cf. Mk 2:3-13; Lk 7:47- 48): the inauguration of that ministry
of mercy which he continues to exercise until the end of the world,
particularly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation which he has entrusted to
his Church (cf. Jn 20:22-23). The mystery of light par excellence is the
Transfiguration, traditionally believed to have taken place on Mount Tabor. The
glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father
commands the astonished Apostles to “listen to him” (cf. Lk 9:35 and parallels)
and to prepare to experience with him the agony of the Passion, so as to come
with him to the joy of the Resurrection and a life transfigured by the Holy
Spirit. A final mystery of light is the institution of the Eucharist, in which
Christ offers his body and blood as food under the signs of bread and wine, and
testifies “to the end” his love for humanity (Jn 13:1), for whose salvation he
will offer himself in sacrifice.
In these mysteries, apart
from the miracle at Cana, the presence of Mary remains in the background. The
Gospels make only the briefest reference to her occasional presence at one
moment or other during the preaching of Jesus (cf. Mk 3:31-5; Jn 2:12), and
they give no indication that she was present at the Last Supper and the
institution of the Eucharist. Yet the role she assumed at Cana in some way
accompanies Christ throughout his ministry. The revelation made directly by the
Father at the Baptism in the Jordan and echoed by John the Baptist is placed
upon Mary's lips at Cana, and it becomes the great maternal counsel which Mary
addresses to the Church of every age: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). This
counsel is a fitting introduction to the words and signs of Christ's public
ministry and it forms the Marian foundation of all the “mysteries of light”.
The Sorrowful Mysteries
22. The Gospels give
great prominence to the sorrowful mysteries of Christ. From the beginning
Christian piety, especially during the Lenten devotion of the Way of the Cross,
has focused on the individual moments of the Passion, realizing that here is
found the culmination of the revelation of God's love and the source of our
salvation. The Rosary selects certain moments from the Passion, inviting the
faithful to contemplate them in their hearts and to relive them. The sequence
of meditations begins with Gethsemane, where Christ experiences a moment of
great anguish before the will of the Father, against which the weakness of the
flesh would be tempted to rebel. There Jesus encounters all the temptations and
confronts all the sins of humanity, in order to say to the Father: “Not my will
but yours be done” (Lk 22:42 and parallels). This “Yes” of Christ reverses the
“No” of our first parents in the Garden of Eden. And the cost of this
faithfulness to the Father's will is made clear in the following mysteries; by
his scourging, his crowning with thorns, his carrying the Cross and his death
on the Cross, the Lord is cast into the most abject suffering: Ecce homo!
This abject suffering
reveals not only the love of God but also the meaning of man himself.
Ecce homo: the meaning,
origin and fulfilment of man is to be found in Christ, the God who humbles
himself out of love “even unto death, death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). The
sorrowful mysteries help the believer to relive the death of Jesus, to stand at
the foot of the Cross beside Mary, to enter with her into the depths of God's
love for man and to experience all its life-giving power.
The Glorious Mysteries
23. “The contemplation of
Christ's face cannot stop at the image of the Crucified One. He is the Risen
One!”(29)
The Rosary has always expressed this knowledge born of faith and invited the
believer to pass beyond the darkness of the Passion in order to gaze upon
Christ's glory in the Resurrection and Ascension. Contemplating the Risen One,
Christians rediscover the reasons for their own faith (cf. 1Cor 15:14) and relive
the joy not only of those to whom Christ appeared – the Apostles, Mary
Magdalene and the disciples on the road to Emmaus – but also the joy of Mary,
who must have had an equally intense experience of the new life of her
glorified Son. In the Ascension, Christ was raised in glory to the right hand
of the Father, while Mary herself would be raised to that same glory in the
Assumption, enjoying beforehand, by a unique privilege, the destiny reserved
for all the just at the resurrection of the dead. Crowned in glory – as she
appears in the last glorious mystery – Mary shines forth as Queen of the Angels
and Saints, the anticipation and the supreme realization of the eschatological
state of the Church.
At the centre of this
unfolding sequence of the glory of the Son and the Mother, the Rosary sets
before us the third glorious mystery, Pentecost, which reveals the face of the
Church as a family gathered together with Mary, enlivened by the powerful
outpouring of the Spirit and ready for the mission of evangelization. The
contemplation of this scene, like that of the other glorious mysteries, ought
to lead the faithful to an ever greater appreciation of their new life in
Christ, lived in the heart of the Church, a life of which the scene of
Pentecost itself is the great “icon”. The glorious mysteries thus lead the
faithful to greater hope for the eschatological goal towards which they journey
as members of the pilgrim People of God in history. This can only impel them to
bear courageous witness to that “good news” which gives meaning to their entire
existence.
From “mysteries” to the
“Mystery”: Mary's way
24. The cycles of
meditation proposed by the Holy Rosary are by no means exhaustive, but they do
bring to mind what is essential and they awaken in the soul a thirst for a
knowledge of Christ continually nourished by the pure source of the Gospel.
Every individual event in the life of Christ, as narrated by the Evangelists,
is resplendent with the Mystery that surpasses all understanding (cf. Eph
3:19): the Mystery of the Word made flesh, in whom “all the fullness of God
dwells bodily” (Col 2:9). For this reason the Catechism
of the Catholic Church places great emphasis on the mysteries of
Christ, pointing out that “everything in the life of Jesus is a sign of his
Mystery”.(30)
The “duc in altum” of the Church of the third millennium will be determined by
the ability of Christians to enter into the “perfect knowledge of God's
mystery, of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge” (Col 2:2-3). The Letter to the Ephesians makes this heartfelt prayer
for all the baptized: “May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, so that
you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power... to know the love of
Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness
of God” (3:17-19).
The Rosary is at the
service of this ideal; it offers the “secret” which leads easily to a profound
and inward knowledge of Christ. We might call it Mary's way. It is the way of
the example of the Virgin of Nazareth, a woman of faith, of silence, of
attentive listening. It is also the way of a Marian devotion inspired by
knowledge of the inseparable bond between Christ and his Blessed Mother: the
mysteries of Christ are also in some sense the mysteries of his Mother, even
when they do not involve her directly, for she lives from him and through him.
By making our own the words of the Angel Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth contained
in the Hail Mary, we find ourselves constantly drawn to seek out afresh in
Mary, in her arms and in her heart, the “blessed fruit of her womb” (cf Lk
1:42).
Mystery of Christ,
mystery of man
25. In my testimony of
1978 mentioned above, where I described the Rosary as my favourite prayer, I used
an idea to which I would like to return. I said then that “the simple prayer of
the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life”.(31)
In the light of what has
been said so far on the mysteries of Christ, it is not difficult to go deeper
into this anthropological significance of the Rosary, which is far deeper than
may appear at first sight. Anyone who contemplates Christ through the various
stages of his life cannot fail to perceive in him the truth about man. This is
the great affirmation of the Second Vatican Council which I have so often
discussed in my own teaching since the Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis:
“it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man is
seen in its true light”.(32)
The Rosary helps to open up the way to this light. Following in the path of
Christ, in whom man's path is “recapitulated”,(33)
revealed and redeemed, believers come face to face with the image of the true
man. Contemplating Christ's birth, they learn of the sanctity of life; seeing the
household of Nazareth, they learn the original truth of the family according to
God's plan; listening to the Master in the mysteries of his public ministry,
they find the light which leads them to enter the Kingdom of God; and following
him on the way to Calvary, they learn the meaning of salvific suffering.
Finally, contemplating Christ and his Blessed Mother in glory, they see the
goal towards which each of us is called, if we allow ourselves to be healed and
transformed by the Holy Spirit. It could be said that each mystery of the
Rosary, carefully meditated, sheds light on the mystery of man.
At the same time, it
becomes natural to bring to this encounter with the sacred humanity of the
Redeemer all the problems, anxieties, labours and endeavours which go to make
up our lives. “Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you” (Ps
55:23). To pray the Rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts
of Christ and his Mother. Twenty-five years later, thinking back over the
difficulties which have also been part of my exercise of the Petrine ministry,
I feel the need to say once more, as a warm invitation to everyone to
experience it personally: the Rosary does indeed “mark the rhythm of human
life”, bringing it into harmony with the “rhythm” of God's own life, in the
joyful communion of the Holy Trinity, our life's destiny and deepest
longing.
_-_painting_Our_Lady_of_the_Rosary_with_musician_angels.jpg)
Chiesa
San Giovanni Evangelista (Galbiate) - dipinto nel coro, parete di fondo
dell'absideː Madonna del Rosario ed Angeli musicanti. Non vi sono notizie circa
l'attribuzione di questa tela, che tuttavia per lo stile analogo a quello
riscontrabile in un dipinto conservato nel Santuario della Madonna delle
Lacrime di Dongo (La Nascita di Gesù) e per la somiglianza di Angeli musicanti
può essere assegnata al pittore curegliese GianDomenico Caresana, oppure a
Girolamo Ciocca.
San Giovanni Evangelista (Galbiate) - Interior ; 16th-century paintings of Our Lady of the Rosary
CHAPTER III
“FOR ME, TO LIVE IS
CHRIST”
The Rosary, a way of
assimilating the mystery
26. Meditation on the
mysteries of Christ is proposed in the Rosary by means of a method designed to
assist in their assimilation. It is a method based on repetition. This applies
above all to the Hail Mary, repeated ten times in each mystery. If this
repetition is considered superficially, there could be a temptation to see the
Rosary as a dry and boring exercise. It is quite another thing, however, when
the Rosary is thought of as an outpouring of that love which tirelessly returns
to the person loved with expressions similar in their content but ever fresh in
terms of the feeling pervading them.
In Christ, God has truly assumed a “heart of flesh”. Not only does God have a divine heart, rich in mercy and in forgiveness, but also a human heart, capable of all the stirrings of affection. If we needed evidence for this from the Gospel, we could easily find it in the touching dialogue between Christ and Peter after the Resurrection: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Three times this question is put to Peter, and three times he gives the reply: “Lord, you know that I love you” (cf. Jn 21:15-17). Over and above the specific meaning of this passage, so important for Peter's mission, none can fail to recognize the beauty of this triple repetition, in which the insistent request and the corresponding reply are expressed in terms familiar from the universal experience of human love. To understand the Rosary, one has to enter into the psychological dynamic proper to love.
One thing is clear:
although the repeated Hail Mary is addressed directly to Mary, it is to Jesus
that the act of love is ultimately directed, with her and through her. The
repetition is nourished by the desire to be conformed ever more completely to
Christ, the true programme of the Christian life. Saint Paul expressed this
project with words of fire: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil
1:21). And again: “It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal
2:20). The Rosary helps us to be conformed ever more closely to Christ until we
attain true holiness.
A valid method...
27. We should not be
surprised that our relationship with Christ makes use of a method. God
communicates himself to us respecting our human nature and its vital rhythms.
Hence, while Christian spirituality is familiar with the most sublime forms of
mystical silence in which images, words and gestures are all, so to speak,
superseded by an intense and ineffable union with God, it normally engages the
whole person in all his complex psychological, physical and relational reality.
This becomes apparent in
the Liturgy. Sacraments and sacramentals are structured as a series of rites
which bring into play all the dimensions of the person. The same applies to
non-liturgical prayer. This is confirmed by the fact that, in the East, the
most characteristic prayer of Christological meditation, centred on the words
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”(34)
is traditionally linked to the rhythm of breathing; while this practice favours
perseverance in the prayer, it also in some way embodies the desire for Christ
to become the breath, the soul and the “all” of one's life.
... which can
nevertheless be improved
28. I mentioned in my
Apostolic Letter Novo
Millennio Ineunte that the West is now experiencing a renewed demand
for meditation, which at times leads to a keen interest in aspects of other
religions.(35)
Some Christians, limited in their knowledge of the Christian contemplative
tradition, are attracted by those forms of prayer. While the latter contain
many elements which are positive and at times compatible with Christian
experience, they are often based on ultimately unacceptable premises. Much in
vogue among these approaches are methods aimed at attaining a high level of
spiritual concentration by using techniques of a psychophysical, repetitive and
symbolic nature. The Rosary is situated within this broad gamut of religious
phenomena, but it is distinguished by characteristics of its own which
correspond to specifically Christian requirements.
In effect, the Rosary is
simply a method of contemplation. As a method, it serves as a means to an end
and cannot become an end in itself. All the same, as the fruit of centuries of
experience, this method should not be undervalued. In its favour one could cite
the experience of countless Saints. This is not to say, however, that the
method cannot be improved. Such is the intent of the addition of the new series
of mysteria lucis to the overall cycle of mysteries and of the few suggestions
which I am proposing in this Letter regarding its manner of recitation. These
suggestions, while respecting the well-established structure of this prayer,
are intended to help the faithful to understand it in the richness of its
symbolism and in harmony with the demands of daily life. Otherwise there is a
risk that the Rosary would not only fail to produce the intended spiritual
effects, but even that the beads, with which it is usually said, could come to
be regarded as some kind of amulet or magic object, thereby radically
distorting their meaning and function.
Announcing each mystery
29. Announcing each
mystery, and perhaps even using a suitable icon to portray it, is as it were to
open up a scenario on which to focus our attention. The words direct the
imagination and the mind towards a particular episode or moment in the life of
Christ. In the Church's traditional spirituality, the veneration of icons and
the many devotions appealing to the senses, as well as the method of prayer
proposed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises, make use of
visual and imaginative elements (the compositio loci), judged to be of great
help in concentrating the mind on the particular mystery. This is a
methodology, moreover, which corresponds to the inner logic of the Incarnation:
in Jesus, God wanted to take on human features. It is through his bodily
reality that we are led into contact with the mystery of his divinity.
This need for concreteness
finds further expression in the announcement of the various mysteries of the
Rosary. Obviously these mysteries neither replace the Gospel nor exhaust its
content. The Rosary, therefore, is no substitute for lectio divina; on the
contrary, it presupposes and promotes it. Yet, even though the mysteries
contemplated in the Rosary, even with the addition of the mysteria lucis, do no
more than outline the fundamental elements of the life of Christ, they easily
draw the mind to a more expansive reflection on the rest of the Gospel,
especially when the Rosary is prayed in a setting of prolonged recollection.
Listening to the word of
God
30. In order to supply a
Biblical foundation and greater depth to our meditation, it is helpful to
follow the announcement of the mystery with the proclamation of a related
Biblical passage, long or short, depending on the circumstances. No other words
can ever match the efficacy of the inspired word. As we listen, we are certain
that this is the word of God, spoken for today and spoken “for me”.
If received in this way,
the word of God can become part of the Rosary's methodology of repetition
without giving rise to the ennui derived from the simple recollection of
something already well known. It is not a matter of recalling information but
of allowing God to speak. In certain solemn communal celebrations, this word
can be appropriately illustrated by a brief commentary.
Silence
31. Listening and
meditation are nourished by silence. After the announcement of the mystery and
the proclamation of the word, it is fitting to pause and focus one's attention
for a suitable period of time on the mystery concerned, before moving into
vocal prayer. A discovery of the importance of silence is one of the secrets of
practicing contemplation and meditation. One drawback of a society dominated by
technology and the mass media is the fact that silence becomes increasingly
difficult to achieve. Just as moments of silence are recommended in the
Liturgy, so too in the recitation of the Rosary it is fitting to pause briefly
after listening to the word of God, while the mind focuses on the content of a
particular mystery.
The “Our Father”
32. After listening to
the word and focusing on the mystery, it is natural for the mind to be lifted
up towards the Father. In each of his mysteries, Jesus always leads us to the
Father, for as he rests in the Father's bosom (cf. Jn 1:18) he is continually
turned towards him. He wants us to share in his intimacy with the Father, so
that we can say with him: “Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). By virtue of his
relationship to the Father he makes us brothers and sisters of himself and of
one another, communicating to us the Spirit which is both his and the Father's.
Acting as a kind of foundation for the Christological and Marian meditation
which unfolds in the repetition of the Hail Mary, the Our Father makes
meditation upon the mystery, even when carried out in solitude, an ecclesial
experience.
The ten “Hail Marys”
33. This is the most
substantial element in the Rosary and also the one which makes it a Marian
prayer par excellence. Yet when the Hail Mary is properly understood, we come
to see clearly that its Marian character is not opposed to its Christological
character, but that it actually emphasizes and increases it. The first part of
the Hail Mary, drawn from the words spoken to Mary by the Angel Gabriel and by
Saint Elizabeth, is a contemplation in adoration of the mystery accomplished in
the Virgin of Nazareth. These words express, so to speak, the wonder of heaven
and earth; they could be said to give us a glimpse of God's own wonderment as
he contemplates his “masterpiece” – the Incarnation of the Son in the womb of
the Virgin Mary. If we recall how, in the Book of Genesis, God “saw all that he
had made” (Gen 1:31), we can find here an echo of that “pathos with which God,
at the dawn of creation, looked upon the work of his hands”.(36)
The repetition of the Hail Mary in the Rosary gives us a share in God's own
wonder and pleasure: in jubilant amazement we acknowledge the greatest miracle
of history. Mary's prophecy here finds its fulfilment: “Henceforth all
generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48).
The centre of gravity in
the Hail Mary, the hinge as it were which joins its two parts, is the name of
Jesus. Sometimes, in hurried recitation, this centre of gravity can be overlooked,
and with it the connection to the mystery of Christ being contemplated. Yet it
is precisely the emphasis given to the name of Jesus and to his mystery that is
the sign of a meaningful and fruitful recitation of the Rosary. Pope Paul VI
drew attention, in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, to the custom in
certain regions of highlighting the name of Christ by the addition of a clause
referring to the mystery being contemplated.(37)
This is a praiseworthy custom, especially during public recitation. It gives
forceful expression to our faith in Christ, directed to the different moments
of the Redeemer's life. It is at once a profession of faith and an aid in
concentrating our meditation, since it facilitates the process of assimilation
to the mystery of Christ inherent in the repetition of the Hail Mary. When we
repeat the name of Jesus – the only name given to us by which we may hope for
salvation (cf. Acts 4:12) – in close association with the name of his Blessed
Mother, almost as if it were done at her suggestion, we set out on a path of
assimilation meant to help us enter more deeply into the life of Christ.
From Mary's uniquely
privileged relationship with Christ, which makes her the Mother of God,
Theotókos, derives the forcefulness of the appeal we make to her in the second
half of the prayer, as we entrust to her maternal intercession our lives and
the hour of our death.
The “Gloria”
34. Trinitarian doxology
is the goal of all Christian contemplation. For Christ is the way that leads us
to the Father in the Spirit. If we travel this way to the end, we repeatedly
encounter the mystery of the three divine Persons, to whom all praise, worship
and thanksgiving are due. It is important that the Gloria, the high-point of
contemplation, be given due prominence in the Rosary. In public recitation it
could be sung, as a way of giving proper emphasis to the essentially
Trinitarian structure of all Christian prayer.
To the extent that
meditation on the mystery is attentive and profound, and to the extent that it
is enlivened – from one Hail Mary to another – by love for Christ and for Mary,
the glorification of the Trinity at the end of each decade, far from being a
perfunctory conclusion, takes on its proper contemplative tone, raising the
mind as it were to the heights of heaven and enabling us in some way to relive
the experience of Tabor, a foretaste of the contemplation yet to come: “It is
good for us to be here!” (Lk 9:33).
The concluding short
prayer
35. In current practice,
the Trinitarian doxology is followed by a brief concluding prayer which varies
according to local custom. Without in any way diminishing the value of such
invocations, it is worthwhile to note that the contemplation of the mysteries
could better express their full spiritual fruitfulness if an effort were made
to conclude each mystery with a prayer for the fruits specific to that
particular mystery. In this way the Rosary would better express its connection
with the Christian life. One fine liturgical prayer suggests as much, inviting
us to pray that, by meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary, we may come to
“imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise”.(38)
Such a final prayer could
take on a legitimate variety of forms, as indeed it already does. In this way
the Rosary can be better adapted to different spiritual traditions and
different Christian communities. It is to be hoped, then, that appropriate
formulas will be widely circulated, after due pastoral discernment and possibly
after experimental use in centres and shrines particularly devoted to the
Rosary, so that the People of God may benefit from an abundance of authentic
spiritual riches and find nourishment for their personal contemplation.
The Rosary beads
36. The traditional aid
used for the recitation of the Rosary is the set of beads. At the most
superficial level, the beads often become a simple counting mechanism to mark
the succession of Hail Marys. Yet they can also take on a symbolism which can
give added depth to contemplation.
Here the first thing to
note is the way the beads converge upon the Crucifix, which both opens and
closes the unfolding sequence of prayer. The life and prayer of believers is
centred upon Christ. Everything begins from him, everything leads towards him,
everything, through him, in the Holy Spirit, attains to the Father.
As a counting mechanism,
marking the progress of the prayer, the beads evoke the unending path of
contemplation and of Christian perfection. Blessed Bartolo Longo saw them also
as a “chain” which links us to God. A chain, yes, but a sweet chain; for sweet
indeed is the bond to God who is also our Father. A “filial” chain which puts us
in tune with Mary, the “handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38) and, most of all, with
Christ himself, who, though he was in the form of God, made himself a “servant”
out of love for us (Phil 2:7).
A fine way to expand the
symbolism of the beads is to let them remind us of our many relationships, of
the bond of communion and fraternity which unites us all in Christ.
The opening and closing
37.At present, in
different parts of the Church, there are many ways to introduce the Rosary. In
some places, it is customary to begin with the opening words of Psalm 70: “O
God, come to my aid; O Lord, make haste to help me”, as if to nourish in those
who are praying a humble awareness of their own insufficiency. In other places,
the Rosary begins with the recitation of the Creed, as if to make the
profession of faith the basis of the contemplative journey about to be
undertaken. These and similar customs, to the extent that they prepare the mind
for contemplation, are all equally legitimate. The Rosary is then ended with a
prayer for the intentions of the Pope, as if to expand the vision of the one
praying to embrace all the needs of the Church. It is precisely in order to
encourage this ecclesial dimension of the Rosary that the Church has seen fit
to grant indulgences to those who recite it with the required dispositions.
If prayed in this way,
the Rosary truly becomes a spiritual itinerary in which Mary acts as Mother,
Teacher and Guide, sustaining the faithful by her powerful intercession. Is it
any wonder, then, that the soul feels the need, after saying this prayer and
experiencing so profoundly the motherhood of Mary, to burst forth in praise of
the Blessed Virgin, either in that splendid prayer the Salve Regina or in the
Litany of Loreto? This is the crowning moment of an inner journey which has
brought the faithful into living contact with the mystery of Christ and his
Blessed Mother.
Distribution over
time
38. The Rosary can be
recited in full every day, and there are those who most laudably do so. In this
way it fills with prayer the days of many a contemplative, or keeps company
with the sick and the elderly who have abundant time at their disposal. Yet it
is clear – and this applies all the more if the new series of mysteria lucis is
included – that many people will not be able to recite more than a part of the
Rosary, according to a certain weekly pattern. This weekly distribution has the
effect of giving the different days of the week a certain spiritual “colour”,
by analogy with the way in which the Liturgy colours the different seasons of
the liturgical year.
According to current
practice, Monday and Thursday are dedicated to the “joyful mysteries”, Tuesday
and Friday to the “sorrowful mysteries”, and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday to
the “glorious mysteries”. Where might the “mysteries of light” be inserted? If
we consider that the “glorious mysteries” are said on both Saturday and Sunday,
and that Saturday has always had a special Marian flavour, the second weekly
meditation on the “joyful mysteries”, mysteries in which Mary's presence is
especially pronounced, could be moved to Saturday. Thursday would then be free
for meditating on the “mysteries of light”.
This indication is not
intended to limit a rightful freedom in personal and community prayer, where account
needs to be taken of spiritual and pastoral needs and of the occurrence of
particular liturgical celebrations which might call for suitable adaptations.
What is really important is that the Rosary should always be seen and
experienced as a path of contemplation. In the Rosary, in a way similar to what
takes place in the Liturgy, the Christian week, centred on Sunday, the day of
Resurrection, becomes a journey through the mysteries of the life of Christ,
and he is revealed in the lives of his disciples as the Lord of time and of
history.
Luca
Giordano, La Vergine del Rosario, 1690.
Madonna
del Rosario (Luca Giordano, San Domenico Soriano, Naples)
CONCLUSION
“Blessed Rosary of Mary,
sweet chain linking us to God”
39. What has been said so
far makes abundantly clear the richness of this traditional prayer, which has
the simplicity of a popular devotion but also the theological depth of a prayer
suited to those who feel the need for deeper contemplation.
The Church has always
attributed particular efficacy to this prayer, entrusting to the Rosary, to its
choral recitation and to its constant practice, the most difficult problems. At
times when Christianity itself seemed under threat, its deliverance was
attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady of the Rosary was
acclaimed as the one whose intercession brought salvation.
Today I willingly entrust
to the power of this prayer – as I mentioned at the beginning – the cause of
peace in the world and the cause of the family.
Peace
40. The grave challenges
confronting the world at the start of this new Millennium lead us to think that
only an intervention from on high, capable of guiding the hearts of those
living in situations of conflict and those governing the destinies of nations,
can give reason to hope for a brighter future.
The Rosary is by its
nature a prayer for peace, since it consists in the contemplation of Christ,
the Prince of Peace, the one who is “our peace” (Eph 2:14). Anyone who
assimilates the mystery of Christ – and this is clearly the goal of the Rosary
– learns the secret of peace and makes it his life's project. Moreover, by
virtue of its meditative character, with the tranquil succession of Hail Marys,
the Rosary has a peaceful effect on those who pray it, disposing them to
receive and experience in their innermost depths, and to spread around them,
that true peace which is the special gift of the Risen Lord (cf. Jn 14:27;
20.21).
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).
The family: parents...
41. As a prayer for
peace, the Rosary is also, and always has been, a prayer of and for the family.
At one time this prayer was particularly dear to Christian families, and it
certainly brought them closer together. It is important not to lose this
precious inheritance. We need to return to the practice of family prayer and
prayer for families, continuing to use the Rosary.
In my Apostolic
Letter Novo
Millennio Ineunte I encouraged the celebration of the Liturgy of the
Hours by the lay faithful in the ordinary life of parish communities and
Christian groups;(39)
I now wish to do the same for the Rosary. These two paths of Christian
contemplation are not mutually exclusive; they complement one another. I would
therefore ask those who devote themselves to the pastoral care of families to
recommend heartily the recitation of the Rosary.
The family that prays
together stays together. The Holy Rosary, by age-old tradition, has shown
itself particularly effective as a prayer which brings the family together.
Individual family members, in turning their eyes towards Jesus, also regain the
ability to look one another in the eye, to communicate, to show solidarity, to
forgive one another and to see their covenant of love renewed in the Spirit of
God.
Many of the problems
facing contemporary families, especially in economically developed societies,
result from their increasing difficulty in communicating. Families seldom
manage to come together, and the rare occasions when they do are often taken up
with watching television. To return to the recitation of the family Rosary
means filling daily life with very different images, images of the mystery of
salvation: the image of the Redeemer, the image of his most Blessed Mother. The
family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere
of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the centre, they share
his joys and sorrows, they place their needs and their plans in his hands, they
draw from him the hope and the strength to go on.
... and children
42. It is also beautiful
and fruitful to entrust to this prayer the growth and development of children.
Does the Rosary not follow the life of Christ, from his conception to his
death, and then to his Resurrection and his glory? Parents are finding it ever
more difficult to follow the lives of their children as they grow to maturity.
In a society of advanced technology, of mass communications and globalization,
everything has become hurried, and the cultural distance between generations is
growing ever greater. The most diverse messages and the most unpredictable
experiences rapidly make their way into the lives of children and adolescents,
and parents can become quite anxious about the dangers their children face. At
times parents suffer acute disappointment at the failure of their children to
resist the seductions of the drug culture, the lure of an unbridled hedonism,
the temptation to violence, and the manifold expressions of meaninglessness and
despair.
To pray the Rosary for
children, and even more, with children, training them from their earliest years
to experience this daily “pause for prayer” with the family, is admittedly not
the solution to every problem, but it is a spiritual aid which should not be
underestimated. It could be objected that the Rosary seems hardly suited to the
taste of children and young people of today. But perhaps the objection is
directed to an impoverished method of praying it. Furthermore, without prejudice
to the Rosary's basic structure, there is nothing to stop children and young
people from praying it – either within the family or in groups – with
appropriate symbolic and practical aids to understanding and appreciation. Why
not try it? With God's help, a pastoral approach to youth which is positive,
impassioned and creative – as shown by the World Youth Days! – is capable of
achieving quite remarkable results. If the Rosary is well presented, I am sure
that young people will once more surprise adults by the way they make this
prayer their own and recite it with the enthusiasm typical of their age group.
The Rosary, a treasure to
be rediscovered
43. Dear brothers and
sisters! A prayer so easy and yet so rich truly deserves to be rediscovered by
the Christian community. Let us do so, especially this year, as a means of
confirming the direction outlined in my Apostolic Letter Novo
Millennio Ineunte, from which the pastoral plans of so many particular
Churches have drawn inspiration as they look to the immediate future.
I turn particularly to
you, my dear Brother Bishops, priests and deacons, and to you, pastoral agents
in your different ministries: through your own personal experience of the
beauty of the Rosary, may you come to promote it with conviction.
I also place my trust in
you, theologians: by your sage and rigorous reflection, rooted in the word of
God and sensitive to the lived experience of the Christian people, may you help
them to discover the Biblical foundations, the spiritual riches and the
pastoral value of this traditional prayer.
I count on you,
consecrated men and women, called in a particular way to contemplate the face
of Christ at the school of Mary.
I look to all of you,
brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families, to
you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: confidently take up the
Rosary once again. Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture, in harmony
with the Liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives.
May this appeal of mine
not go unheard! At the start of the twenty-fifth year of my Pontificate, I
entrust this Apostolic Letter to the loving hands of the Virgin Mary,
prostrating myself in spirit before her image in the splendid Shrine built for
her by Blessed Bartolo Longo, the apostle of the Rosary. I willingly make my
own the touching words with which he concluded his well-known Supplication to
the Queen of the Holy Rosary: “O Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet chain which
unites us to God, bond of love which unites us to the angels, tower of
salvation against the assaults of Hell, safe port in our universal shipwreck,
we will never abandon you. You will be our comfort in the hour of death: yours
our final kiss as life ebbs away. And the last word from our lips will be your
sweet name, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompei, O dearest Mother, O Refuge of
Sinners, O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted. May you be everywhere blessed,
today and always, on earth and in heaven”.
From the Vatican, on the
16th day of October in the year 2002, the beginning of the twenty- fifth year
of my Pontificate.
JOHN PAUL II
(1)
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 45.
(2)
Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus (2 February 1974), 42: AAS
66 (1974), 153.
(3)
Cf. Acta Leonis XIII, 3 (1884), 280-289.
(4)
Particularly worthy of note is his Apostolic Epistle on the Rosary Il religioso
convegno (29 September 1961): AAS 53 (1961), 641-647.
(5)
Angelus: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, I (1978): 75-76.
(7)
During the years of preparation for the Council, Pope John XXIII did not fail
to encourage the Christian community to recite the Rosary for the success of
this ecclesial event: cf. Letter to the Cardinal Vicar (28 September 1960): AAS
52 (1960), 814-816.
(8)
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 66.
(9)
No. 32: AAS 93 (2001), 288.
(10)
Ibid., 33: loc. cit., 289.
(11)
It is well-known and bears repeating that private revelations are not the same
as public revelation, which is binding on the whole Church. It is the task of
the Magisterium to discern and recognize the authenticity and value of private
revelations for the piety of the faithful.
(12)
The Secret of the Rosary.
(13)
Blessed Bartolo Longo, Storia del Santuario di Pompei, Pompei, 1990, 59.
(14)
Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus (2 February 1974), 47: AAS (1974), 156.
(15)
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10.
(17)
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen
Gentium, 58.
(18)
I Quindici Sabati del Santissimo Rosario, 27th ed., Pompei, 1916, 27.
(19)
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen
Gentium, 53.
(21)
Cf. First Radio Address Urbi et Orbi (17 October 1978): AAS 70 (1978), 927.
(22)
Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
(23)
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2679.
(25)
The Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary was composed by Blessed
Bartolo Longo in 1883 in response to the appeal of Pope Leo XIII, made in his
first Encyclical on the Rosary, for the spiritual commitment of all Catholics
in combating social ills. It is solemnly recited twice yearly, in May and
October.
(26)
Divina Commedia, Paradiso XXXIII, 13-15.
(27)
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January 2001), 20: AAS
93 (2001), 279.
(28)
Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus (2 February 1974), 46: AAS 6 (1974), 155.
(29)
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January 2001), 28: AAS
93 (2001), 284.
(31)
Angelus Message of 29 October 1978 : Insegnamenti, I (1978), 76.
(32)
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 22.
(33)
Cf. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Adversus Haereses, III, 18, 1: PG 7, 932.
(34)
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2616.
(35)
Cf. No. 33: AAS 93 (2001), 289.
(36)
John Paul II, Letter to Artists (4 April 1999), 1: AAS 91 (1999), 1155.
(37)
Cf. No. 46: AAS 66 (1974), 155. This custom has also been recently praised by
the Congregation for Divine Worship and for the Discipline of the Sacraments in
its Direttorio su pietà popolare e liturgia. Principi e orientamenti (17
December 2001), 201, Vatican City, 2002, 165.
(38)
“...concede, quaesumus, ut haec mysteria sacratissimo beatae Mariae Virginis
Rosario recolentes, et imitemur quod continent, et quod promittunt assequamur”.
Missale Romanum 1960, in festo B.M. Virginis a Rosario.
(39)
Cf. No. 34: AAS 93 (2001), 290.
Copyright © Libreria
Editrice Vaticana
Mateu López
Oliver, Our Lady of the Rosary, circa 1578, tempera on panel, Museu de
Mallorca. Provenance : Església de Sant Bartomeu d'Alaró (dipòsit
de la Societat
Arqueològica Lul·liana)
The Rosary
In the Western Church
"The Rosary",
says the Roman
Breviary, "is a certain form of prayer wherein
we say fifteen decades or tens of Hail
Marys with an Our
Father between each ten, while at each of these fifteen decades we
recall successively in pious meditation one of the mysteries of
our Redemption."
The same lesson for the Feast
of the Holy Rosary informs us that when the Albigensian
heresy was devastating the country of Toulouse, St.
Dominic earnestly besought the help of Our
Lady and was instructed by her, so tradition asserts, to preach the
Rosary among the people as an antidote to heresy and sin.
From that time forward this manner of prayer was
"most wonderfully published abroad and developed [promulgari augerique
coepit] by St.
Dominic whom different Supreme
Pontiffs have in various past ages of their apostolic
letters declared to be the institutor and author of the same devotion."
That many popes have
so spoken is undoubtedly true,
and amongst the rest we have a series of encyclicals,
beginning in 1883, issued by Pope
Leo XIII, which, while commending this devotion to
the faithful in
the most earnest terms, assumes the institution of the Rosary by St.
Dominic to be a fact historically established.
Of the remarkable fruits of this devotion and
of the extraordinary favours which have been granted to the world, as is
piously believed,
through this means, something will be said under the headings FEAST
OF THE ROSARY and CONFRATERNITIES
OF THE ROSARY. We will confine ourselves here to the controverted question
of its history,
a matter which both in the middle of the eighteenth century and again in recent
years has attracted much attention.
Let us begin with certain
facts which will not be contested. It is tolerably obvious that whenever
any prayer has
to be repeated a large number of times recourse is likely to be had to some
mechanical apparatus less troublesome than counting upon the fingers. In almost
all countries, then, we meet with something in the nature of prayer-counters
or rosary
beads. Even in ancient Nineveh a sculpture has
been found thus described by Lavard in his "Monuments" (I, plate 7):
"Two winged females standing
before the sacred tree in the attitude of prayer;
they lift the extended right hand and hold in the left a garland or
rosary." However this may be, it is certain that among the Mohammedans the Tasbih or
bead-string, consisting of 33, 66, or 99 beads,
and used for counting devotionally the names of Allah,
has been in use for many centuries. Marco Polo, visiting the King of Malabar in
the thirteenth century, found to his surprise that that monarch employed a
rosary of 104 (? 108) precious stones to count his prayers. St.
Francis Xavier and his companions were equally astonished to see that
rosaries were universally familiar to the Buddhists of Japan.
Among the monks of
the Greek
Church we hear of the kombologion, or komboschoinion, a cord
with a hundred knots used to count genuflexions and signs
of the cross. Similarly, beside the mummy of a Christian ascetic, Thaias,
of the fourth century, recently disinterred at Antinöe in Egypt,
was found a sort of cribbage-board with holes, which has generally been thought
to be an apparatus for counting prayers,
of which Palladius and
other ancient authorities have left us an account. A certain Paul
the Hermit, in the fourth century, had imposed upon himself the task of
repeating three hundred prayers,
according to a set form, every day. To do this, he gathered up three hundred
pebbles and threw one away as each prayer was
finished (Palladius, Hist.
Laus., xx; Butler, II, 63). It is probable that other ascetics who
also numbered their prayers by
hundreds adopted some similar expedient. (Cf. "Vita S. Godrici",
cviii.) Indeed when we find a papal privilege addressed
to the monks of St.
Apollinaris in Classe requiring them, in gratitude for the pope's benefactions,
to say Kyrie
eleison three hundred times twice a day (see the privilege of Hadrian
I, A.D. 782, in Jaffe-Löwenfeld, n. 2437), one would infer that some
counting apparatus must almost necessarily have been used for the purpose.
But there were
other prayers to
be counted more nearly connected with the Rosary than Kyrie
eleisons. At an early date among the monastic
orders the practice had established itself not only of offering Masses,
but of saying vocal prayers as
a suffrage for their deceased brethren. For this purpose the private recitation
of the 150 psalms,
or of 50 psalms,
the third part, was constantly enjoined. Already in A.D. 800 we learn from the
compact between St.
Gall and Reichenau ("Mon.
Germ. Hist.: Confrat.", Piper, 140) that for each deceased brother all
the priests should
say one Mass and
also fifty psalms.
A charter in Kemble (Cod. Dipl., I, 290) prescribes that each monk is
to sing two fifties (twa fiftig) for the souls of
certain benefactors, while each priest is
to sing two Masses and
each deacon to
read two Passions.
But as time went on, and the conversi,
or lay
brothers, most of them quite illiterate, became distinct from the
choir monks,
it was felt that they also should be required to substitute some simple form
of prayer in
place of the psalms to
which their more educated brethren
were bound by rule. Thus we read in the "Ancient Customs of Cluny",
collected by Udalrio in 1096, that when the death of any brother at a distance
was announced, every priest was
to offer Mass,
and every non-priest was either to say fifty psalms or
to repeat fifty times the Paternoster ("quicunque
sacerdos est cantet missam pro eo, et qui non est sacerdos quinquaginta psalmos
aut toties orationem dominicam", P.L., CXLIX, 776). Similarly among the Knights
Templar, whose rule dates from about 1128, the knights who
could not attend choir were required to say the Lord's
Prayer 57 times in all and on the death of any of the brethren they
had to say the Pater
Noster a hundred times a day for a week.
To count these accurately
there is every reason to believe that
already in the eleventh and twelfth centuries a practice had come in of using
pebbles, berries, or discs of bone threaded on a string. It is in any case
certain that the Countess Godiva of Coventry (c. 1075) left by will to the
statue of Our
Lady in a certain monastery "the
circlet of precious stones which she had threaded on a cord in order that by
fingering them one after another she might count her prayers exactly"
(Malmesbury, "Gesta Pont.", Rolls Series 311). Another example seems
to occur in the case of St.
Rosalia (A.D. 1160), in whose tomb similar
strings of beads were
discovered. Even more important is the fact that such strings of beads were
known throughout the Middle
Ages — and in some Continental tongues
are known to this day — as "Paternosters". The evidence for this is
overwhelming and comes from every part of Europe.
Already in the thirteenth century the manufacturers of these articles, who were
known as "paternosterers", almost everywhere formed a
recognized craft
guild of considerable importance. The "Livre des métiers" of
Stephen Boyleau, for example, supplies full information regarding the
four guilds of patenôtriers in Paris in
the year 1268, while Paternoster Row in London still
preserves the memory of the street in which their English craft-fellows
congregated. Now the obvious inference is that an appliance which was
persistently called a "Paternoster", or in Latin fila
de paternoster, numeralia de paternoster, and so on, had, at least originally,
been designed for counting Our
Fathers. This inference, drawn out and illustrated with much learning by
Father T. Esser, O.P., in 1897, becomes a practical certainty when we remember
that it was only in the middle of the twelfth century that the Hail
Mary came at all generally into use as a formula of devotion.
It is morally impossible that Lady Godiva's circlet of jewels could have been
intended to count Ave
Marias. Hence there can be no doubt that the strings of prayerbeads were
called "paternosters" because for a long time they were principally
employed to number repetitions of the Lord's
Prayer.
When, however, the Hail
Mary came into use, it appears that from the first the consciousness that
it was in its own nature a salutation rather than a prayer induced
a fashion of repeating it many times in succession, accompanied by genuflexions or
some other external act of
reverence. Just as happens nowadays in the firing of salutes, or in the
applause given to a public performer, or in the rounds of cheers evoked among
school-boys by an arrival or departure, so also then the honour paid
by such salutations was measured by numbers and continuance. Further, since the
recitation of the Psalms divided
into fifties was, as innumerable documents attest, the favourite form of devotion for
religious and learned persons, so those who were simple or much occupied loved,
by the repetition of fifty, a hundred, or a hundred and fifty were salutations
of Our
Lady, to feel that they were imitating the practice of God's more
exalted servants.
In any case it is certain that in the course of the twelfth century and before
the birth of St.
Dominic, the practice of reciting 50 or 150 Ave
Marias had become generally familiar. The most conclusive evidence of
this is furnished by the "Mary-legends", or stories of Our
Lady, which obtained wide circulation at this epoch. The story of Eulalia,
in particular, according to which a client of the Blessed
Virgin who had been wont to say a hundred and fifty Aves was
bidden by her to say only fifty, but more slowly, has been shown by Mussafia
(Marien-legenden, Pts I, ii) to be unquestionably of early date. Not less
conclusive is the account given of St. Albert (d. 1140) by his contemporary
biographer, who tells us: "A hundred times a day he bent
his knees, and fifty times he prostrated himself raising his body again by
his fingers and toes, while he repeated at every genuflexion:
'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou
amongst women and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb'." This was the whole of the Hail
Mary as then said, and the fact of all the words being set down rather
implies that the formula had not yet become universally familiar. Not less
remarkable is the account of a similar devotional
exercise occurring in the Corpus Christi manuscripts of
the Ancren
Riwle. This text, declared by Kölbing to have been written in the middle of
the twelfth century (Englische Studien, 1885, P. 116), can in any case be
hardly later than 1200. The passage in question gives directions how
fifty Aves are
to be said divided into sets of ten, with prostrations and other marks of
reverence. (See The Month, July, 1903.) When we find such an exercise
recommended to a little group of anchorites in
a corner of England,
twenty years before any Dominican foundation
was made in this country, it seems difficult to resist the conclusion that the
custom of reciting fifty or a hundred and fifty Aves had
grown familiar, independently of, and earlier than, the preaching of St.
Dominic. On the other hand, the practice of meditating on certain
definite mysteries,
which has been rightly described as the very essence of the Rosary devotion,
seems to have only arisen long after the date of St.
Dominic's death. It is difficult to prove a negative, but Father T.
Esser, O.P., has shown (in the periodical "Der Katholik", of Mainz,
Oct., Nov., Dec., 1897) that the introduction of this meditation during the
recitation of the Aves was
rightly attributed to a certain Carthusian, Dominic
the Prussian. It is in any case certain that at the close of the fifteenth
century the utmost possible variety of methods of meditating prevailed, and
that the fifteen mysteries now
generally accepted were not uniformly adhered to even by the Dominicans themselves.
(See Schmitz, "Rosenkranzgebet", p. 74; Esser in "Der Katholik
for 1904-6.) To sum up, we have positive evidence that both the invention of
the beads as
a counting apparatus and also the practice of repeating a hundred and
fifty Aves cannot
be due to St.
Dominic, because they are both notably older than his time. Further, we are
assured that the meditating upon the mysteries was
not introduced until two hundred years after his death. What then, we are
compelled to ask, is there left of which St.
Dominic may be called the author?
These positive reasons
for distrusting the current tradition might in a measure be ignored as archaeological refinements,
if there were any satisfactory evidence to show that St.
Dominic had identified himself with the pre-existing Rosary and become
its apostle. But here we are met with absolute silence. Of the eight or nine
early Lives of the saint,
not one makes the faintest allusion to the Rosary. The witnesses who gave
evidence in the cause of his canonization are
equally reticent. In the great collection of documents accumulated by Fathers
Balme and Lelaidier, O.P., in their "Cartulaire de St. Dominique" the
question is studiously ignored. The early constitutions of the different
provinces of the order have been examined, and many of them printed, but no one
has found any reference to this devotion.
We possess hundreds, even thousands, of manuscripts containing
devotional treatises, sermons, chronicles, Saints' lives, etc., written by
the Friars
Preachers between 1220 and 1450; but no single verifiable passage has
yet been produced which speaks of the Rosary as instituted by St.
Dominic or which even makes much of the devotion as
one specially dear to his children. The charters and other deeds of the Dominican convents for
men and women,
as M. Jean Guiraud points out with emphasis in his edition of the Cartulaire of
La Prouille (I, cccxxviii), are equally silent. Neither do we find any
suggestion of a connection between St.
Dominic and the Rosary in the paintings and sculptures of
these two and a half centuries. Even the tomb of St.
Dominic at Bologna and the numberless frescoes by Fra
Angelico representing the brethren of his order ignore the Rosary
completely.
Impressed by this
conspiracy of silence, the Bollandists,
on trying to trace to its source the origin of the current tradition, found
that all the clues converged upon one point, the preaching of the Dominican Alan
de Rupe about the years 1470-75. He it undoubtedly was who first
suggested the idea that
the devotion of
"Our Lady's Psalter" (a hundred and fifty Hail
Marys) was instituted or revived by St.
Dominic. Alan was
a very earnest and devout man,
but, as the highest authorities admit, he was full of delusions, and based his
revelations on the imaginary testimony of writers that never existed (see
Quétif and Echard,
"Scriptores O.P.", 1, 849). His preaching, however, was attended with
much success. The Rosary
Confraternities, organized by him and his colleagues at Douai, Cologne,
and elsewhere had great vogue, and led to the printing of many books, all more
or less impregnated with the ideas of Alan. Indulgences were
granted for the good work
that was thus being done and the documents conceding these indulgences accepted
and repeated, as was natural in that uncritical age, the historical data
which had been inspired by Alan's writings
and which were submitted according to the usual practice by the promoters of
the confraternities themselves.
It was in this way that the tradition of Dominican authorship
grew up. The first Bulls speak
of this authorship with some reserve: "Prout in historiis legitur"
says Leo
X in the earliest of all. "Pastoris aeterni" 1520; but many
of the later popes were
less guarded.
Two considerations
strongly support the view of the Rosary tradition just expounded. The first is
the gradual surrender of almost every notable piece that has at one time or
another been relied upon to vindicate the supposed claims of St.
Dominic. Touron and Alban
Butler appealed to the Memoirs of a certain Luminosi de Aposa who
professed to have heard St.
Dominic preach at Bologna, but these Memoirs have long ago been
proved to be a forgery.
Danzas, Von Löe and others attached much importance to a fresco at Muret; but
the fresco is not now in existence, and there is good reason for believing that
the rosary once seen in that fresco was painted in at a later date ("The
Month" Feb. 1901, p. 179). Mamachi,
Esser, Walsh, and Von Löe and others quote some alleged contemporary verses
about Dominic in
connection with a crown of roses; the original manuscript has
disappeared, and it is certain that the writers named have
printed Dominicus where Benoist, the only person who has seen
the manuscript,
read Dominus. The famous will of Anthony Sers, which professed to leave a
bequest to the Confraternity
of the Rosary at Palencia in
1221, was put forward as a conclusive piece of testimony by Mamachi;
but it is now admitted by Dominican authorities
to be a forgery ("The
Irish Rosary, Jan., 1901, p. 92). Similarly, a supposed reference to the subject
by Thomas
à Kempis in the "Chronicle of Mount St. Agnes" is a pure
blunder ("The Month", Feb., 1901, p. 187). With this may be noted the
change in tone observable of late in authoritative works of reference. In the
"Kirchliches Handlexikon" of Munich and
in the last edition of Herder's "Konversationslexikon"
no attempt is made to defend the tradition which connects St.
Dominic personally with the origin of the Rosary. Another
consideration which cannot be developed is the multitude of conflicting legends
concerning the origin of this devotion of
"Our Lady's Psalter" which prevailed down to the end of the fifteenth
century, as well as the early diversity of practice in the manner of its
recitation. These facts agree ill with the supposition that it took its rise in
a definite revelation and
was jealously watched over from the beginning by one of the most learned and
influential of the religious orders. No doubt can exist that the immense
diffusion of the Rosary and its confraternities in
modern times and the vast influence it has exercised for good are
mainly due to the labours and the prayers of
the sons of St.
Dominic, but the historical evidence
serves plainly to show that their interest in the subject was only awakened in
the last years of the fifteenth century.
That the Rosary is
pre-eminently the prayer of
the people adapted alike for the use of simple and learned is proved not only
by the long series of papal utterances
by which it has been commended to the faithful but
by the daily experience of all who are familiar with it. The objection so often
made against its "vain repetitions" is felt by none but those who
have failed to realize how entirely the spirit of the exercise lies in the
meditation upon the fundamental mysteries of
our faith.
To the initiated the words of the angelical
salutation form only a sort of half-conscious accompaniment, a bourdon
which we may liken to the "Holy, Holy, Holy" of the heavenly
choirs and surely not in itself meaningless. Neither can it be
necessary to urge that the freest criticism of the historical origin
of the devotion,
which involves no point of doctrine,
is compatible with a full appreciation of the devotional treasures
which this pious exercise brings within the reach of all.
As regards the origin of
the name, the word rosarius means a garland or bouquet of roses, and
it was not unfrequently used in a figurative sense — e.g. as the title of a
book, to denote an anthology or collection of extracts. An early legend which
after travelling all over Europe penetrated
even to Abyssinia connected
this name with a story of Our
Lady, who was seen to take rosebuds from the lips of a young monk when
he was reciting Hail
Marys and to weave them into a garland which she placed upon her head.
A German metrical
version of this story is still extant dating from the thirteenth century. The
name "Our Lady's Psalter" can also be traced back to the same
period. Corona or chaplet suggests the same idea as rosarium.
The old English name
found in Chaucer and
elsewhere was a "pair of beads",
in which the word bead originally
meant prayers.
In the Greek Church,
Catholic and schismatic
The custom of
reciting prayers upon
a string with knots or beads thereon
at regular intervals has come down from the early days of Christianity,
and is still practised in the Eastern as
well as in the Western
Church. It seems to have originated among the early monks and hermits who
used a piece of heavy cord with knots tied at intervals upon which they recited
their shorter prayers.
This form of rosary is still used among the monks in
the various Greek
Churches, although archimandrites and bishops use
a very ornamental form of rosary with costly beads.
The rosary is conferred upon the Greek
monk as a part of his investiture with the mandyas or
full monastic habit,
as the second step in the monastic life,
and is called his "spiritual sword". This Oriental form
of rosary is known in the Hellenic
Greek Church as kombologion (chaplet),
or komboschoinion (string of knots or beads),
in the Russian
Church as vervitza (string), chotki (chaplet),
or liestovka (ladder), and in the Rumanian Church
as matanie (reverence). The first use of the rosary in any general
way was among the monks of
the Orient.
Our everyday name of "beads" for
it is simply the Old Saxon word bede (a prayer)
which has been transferred to the instrument used in reciting the prayer,
while the word rosary is an equally modern term. The intercourse
of the Western peoples of the Latin
Rite with those of the Eastern
Rite at the beginning of the Crusades caused
the practice of saying prayers upon
knots or beads to
become widely diffused among the monastic
houses of the Latin
Church, although the practice had been observed in some instances before
that date. On the other hand, the recitation of the Rosary, as practised in
the West,
has not become general in the Eastern
Churches; there it has still retained its original form as a monastic exercise
of devotion, and is but little known or used among the laity,
while even the secular
clergy seldom use it in their devotions. Bishops,
however, retain the rosary, as indicating that they have risen from the monastic state,
even though they are in the world governing their dioceses.
The rosary used in the
present Greek
Orthodox Church — whether in Russia or
in the East —
is quite different in form from that used in the Latin
Church. The use of the prayer-knots or prayer-beads originated
from the fact that monks,
according to the rule
of St. Basil, the only monastic rule
known to the Greek
Rite, were enjoined by their founder to pray without
ceasing" (1
Thessalonians 5:17; Luke
1), and as most of the early monks were laymen,
engaged often in various forms of work and in many cases without
sufficient education to
read the prescribed lessons, psalms,
and prayers of
the daily
office, the rosary was used by them as a means of continually reciting
their prayers.
At the beginning and at the end of each prayer said
by the monk upon
each knot or bead he
makes the "great reverence" (he megale metanoia), bending down to the
ground, so that the recitation of the rosary is often known as a metania.
The rosary used among the Greeks of Greece, Turkey,
and the East usually
consists of one hundred beads without
any distinction of great or little ones, while the Old Slavic, or Russian,
rosary, generally consists of 103 beads,
separated in irregular sections by four large beads,
so that the first large bead is
followed by 17 small ones, the second large bead by
33 small ones, the third by 40 small ones, and the fourth by 12 small ones,
with an additional one added at the end. The two ends of a Russian rosary
are often bound together for a short distance, so that the lines of beads run
parallel (hence the name ladder used for the rosary), and they finish
with a three-cornered ornament often adorned with a tassel or other finial,
corresponding to the cross or medal used
in a Latin rosary.
The use of the Greek rosary
is prescribed in Rule 87 of the "Nomocanon", which reads: "The
rosary should have one hundred [the Russian rule
says 103] beads;
and upon each bead the
prescribed prayer should
be recited." The usual form of this prayer prescribed
for the rosary runs as follows: "O Lord
Jesus Christ, Son and Word of
the living
God, through the intercessions of
thy immaculate
Mother [tes panachrantou sou Metros] and of all thy Saints,
have mercy and save us.
If, however, the rosary be said as a penitential exercise,
the prayer then
is: O Lord
Jesus Christ, Son
of God, have mercy on me a sinner. The Russian rosary
is divided by the four large beads so
as to represent the different parts of the canonical
Office which the recitation of the rosary replaces, while the four
large beads themselves
represent the four Evangelists.
In the monasteries of Mount
Athos, where the severest rule is observed, from eighty to a hundred
rosaries are said daily by each monk.
In Russian monasteries the
rosary is usually said five times a day, while in the recitation of it the
"great reverences" are reduced to ten, the remainder being simply
sixty "little reverences" (bowing of the head no further than the
waist) and sixty recitations of the penitential form
of the prescribed prayer.
Among the Greek Uniats
rosary is but little used by the laity.
The Basilian
monks make use of it in the Eastern style
just described and in many cases use it in the Roman fashion
in some monasteries.
The more active life prescribed for them in following the example of Latin
monks leaves less time for the recitation of the rosary according to
the Eastern form,
whilst the reading and recitation of the Office during
the canonical
Hours fulfils the original monastic obligation and
so does not require the rosary. Latterly the Melchites and
the Italo-Greeks have
in many places adopted among their laity a
form of to the one used among the laity of
the Roman
Rite, but its use is far from general. The Ruthenian and Rumanian Greek Catholics do
not use it among the laity,
but reserve it chiefly for the monastic clergy,
although lately in some parts of Galicia its lay use has been occasionally
introduced and is regarded as a latinizing practice. It may be said that among
the Greeks in
general the use of the rosary is regarded as a religious exercise peculiar to
the monastic life;
and wherever among Greek Uniats
its lay use has been introduced, it is an imitation of the Roman practice.
On this account it has never been popularized among the laity of
the peoples, who remain strongly attached to their venerable Eastern
Rite.
Thurston, Herbert, and
Andrew Shipman. "The Rosary." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1912. 1 Oct.
2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13184b.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael C. Tinkler. In gratitude
for the Most Holy Rosary.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin
Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13184b.htm
.jpg)
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682),
La Virgen del Rosario (detalle) - A
Virgem do Rosário (Murillo), circa 1650, oil
on canvas, 166 x 112, Museo del Prado, Madrid. - La
Virgen del Rosario : https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte/la-virgen-del-rosario/eb5f85ec-f95d-4709-ab09-693206bfb3f5
Feast of the Holy Rosary
Apart from the signal
defeat of the Albigensian
heretics at the battle of Muret in 1213
which legend has attributed to the recitation of the Rosary by St.
Dominic, it is believed that Heaven has
on many occasions rewarded the faith of
those who had recourse to this devotion in times of special danger.
More particularly, the naval victory of Lepanto gained
by Don John of Austria over
the Turkish fleet
on the first Sunday of
October in 1571 responded wonderfully to the processions made
at Rome on
that same day by the members of the Rosary confraternity. St.
Pius V thereupon ordered that a commemoration of the Rosary should
be made upon that day, and at the request of the Dominican
Order Gregory
XIII in 1573 allowed this feast to be kept in
all churches which possessed an altar dedicated to
the Holy
Rosary. In 1671 the observance of this festival was extended
by Clement
X to the whole of Spain,
and somewhat later Clement
XI after the important victory over the Turks gained
by Prince Eugene on 6 August, 1716 (the feast of
our Lady of the Snows), at Peterwardein in Hungary,
commanded the feast of the Rosary to be celebrated by
the universal Church. A set of "proper" lessons in the
second nocturn were conceded by Benedict
XIII. Leo
XIII has since raised the feast to the rank of a double of
the second class and has added to the Litany
of Loreto the invocation "Queen of the
Most Holy Rosary". On this feast, in
every church in which the Rosary confraternity has
been duly erected, a plenary indulgence toties
quoties is granted upon certain conditions to all who visit
therein the Rosary chapel or statue of Our
Lady. This has been called the "Portiuncula" of the Rosary.
Thurston,
Herbert. "Feast of the Holy Rosary." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1912. 1 Oct. 2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13189a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael C. Tinkler.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin
Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13189a.htm
Detail
of right east window in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Glengarriff, showing
how the rosary was given to St Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in
the year 1214. Created by Messrs. Watson and Co. Youghal.
October 1
The Festival of the
Rosary
[On the First Sunday of
October.] THIS festival 1 was
instituted to implore the divine mercy in favour of the church and of all the
faithful, and to thank the Almighty for the protection he has afforded them,
and for the innumerable benefits he has conferred upon them, particularly for
his having delivered Christendom from the arms of the Infidels by the
miraculous victory of Lepanto in 1571, 2 through
the patronage and intercession of the Mother of God, implored with
extraordinary fervour in the devotion of the Rosary. To the same means Pope
Clement XI. acknowledged the church to be indebted for the wonderful victory
which prince Eugene of Savoy obtained over the Turks near Belgrade in 1716.
Upon which account his holiness caused one of the five standards which were taken
from the infidels, and which was sent him by the emperor, to be hung up in the
Dominicans’ church of the Rosary in Rome. At that time the infidels, with an
army of two hundred thousand men, held the Christian army, as it were, besieged
near Belgrade, and had a garrison of twenty thousand men in that strong city,
then the bulwark of their empire. The isle of Corfu was also beleaguered by an
army of forty thousand of the same infidels. The victory of the Christians was
followed by the taking of Belgrade, and the deliverance of Corfu, and also the
preservation of all Germany and Italy, which were next threatened.
The Rosary is a practice
of devotion, in which, by fifteen Our Fathers, and one hundred and
fifty Hail Marys, the faithful are taught to honour our divine
Redeemer in the fifteen principal mysteries of his sacred life, and of his holy
Mother. It is therefore an abridgment of the gospel, a history of the life,
sufferings, and triumphant victory of Jesus Christ, and an exposition of what
he did in the flesh, which he assumed for our salvation. It ought certainly to
be the principal object of the devotion of every Christian always to bear in
mind these holy mysteries, to return to God a perpetual homage of love, praise,
and thanksgiving for them, to implore his mercy through them, to make them the
subject of his assiduous meditation, and to mould his affections, regulate his
life, and form his spirit by the holy impressions which they make on his soul.
The Rosary 3 is
a method of doing this, most easy in itself, and adapted to the slowest or
meanest capacity; and, at the same time, most sublime and faithful in the
exercise of all the highest acts of prayer, contemplation, and all interior
virtues. These are admirably comprised in the divine prayer which our Lord
himself vouchsafed to teach us, which pious persons who penetrate the spirit of
each word in those holy petitions, can never be weary in repeating, but must
recite every time with new fervour, and with more ardent sentiments of love and
piety. To obtain mercy and all graces, no prayer certainly can be offered to God
more efficacious or pleasing than that which was indited, and is put into our
hearts and mouths by his divine Son, our blessed Redeemer himself. Neither can
any acts of humility, compunction, love, or praise be thought of more sublime.
All other good prayers are but paraphrases or expositions of this. It is more
especially agreeable and honourable to God, and beneficial to us, when it is
offered in honour of the most holy mysteries of our redemption, to pay the
homage of our love and thanksgiving for them, and to implore God’s tender
mercy, love, and compassion by the same. To honour explicitly each mystery,
some express it in the prayer, as adding to the name Jesus in the Hail
Mary, who was born, crucified, &c. for us: but this is
better done by representing to God in our minds, the mysteries implied in those
words. Thus, in repeating Our Father, &c. we bear in mind, by
whose decree his eternal Son was born in a stable, or sweat blood in his agony,
&c.: at Hallowed be thy name, we add in thought, particularly for
his Son’s nativity, crucifixion, &c.
The Angelical Salutation
is often repeated in the Rosary, because, as it contains a form of praise for
the Incarnation, it best suits a devotion instituted to honour the principal
parts of that great mystery. Though it be addressed to the Mother of God, with
an invocation of her intercession, it is chiefly a praise and thanksgiving to
the Son, for the divine mercy in each part of that wonderful mystery. The Holy
Ghost is the principal author of this holy prayer, which the archangel Gabriel,
the ambassador of the Blessed Trinity in the most wonderful of all mysteries,
began; St. Elizabeth, another organ of the Holy Ghost, continued, and the
Church finished. The first and second part consist of the sacred praises which
were bestowed on the Blessed Virgin by the archangel Gabriel, 4 and
by St. Elizabeth inspired by the Holy Ghost. 5 The
last part was added by the church, and contains a petition of her intercession,
styling her Mother of God, with the general council of Ephesus against the
blasphemies of Nestorius.
We add to the angel’s
salutation the name of this holy Virgin, this being a name of veneration and
sweetness to every devout Christian. The
word Miriam or Mary is expounded by St. Jerom, from
different etymologies, to signify, in Hebrew, a Star of the sea, or Bitter sea,
and in Chaldaic, Lady. 6 Both
the names Lady and Sea-star admirably agree to her who is
the glorious queen of heaven, and our star and patroness in the stormy sea of
this world. Other Hebrew women had borne this name, as the sister of Moses; but
in them it was only a shadow; in the Mother of God it expressed the sublime
dignity of her sacred person. We are not to pass over as insignificant those
words of the evangelist: And the name of the virgin was Mary. 7 For
her very name is not without a mystery, and ought to be to us most amiable,
sweet, and awful. “Of such virtue and excellency is this name, that the heavens
exult, the earth rejoices, and the angels sound forth hymns of praise when Mary
is named,” says St. Bernard. 8 That
devout client of Mary and holy father observes, 9 that
she is truly the star which arose from Jacob, and which being placed above this
wide tempestuous sea, shines forth by the merits and example of her life. “O
you,” goes on that devout father, “who find yourself tossed in the tempests of
this world, turn not your eyes from the brightness of this star, if ye would
not be overwhelmed by storms. If the winds of temptations rise; if you fall
among the rocks of tribulations, look up at the star, call
on Mary. If you are tossed by the waves of pride, ambition,
detraction, jealousy, or envy, look up at the star, call on Mary. If
anger, covetousness, or lust beat on the vessel of your soul, look up
on Mary. If you begin to sink in the gulf of melancholy and despair,
think on Mary. In dangers, in distresses, in perplexities, think
on Mary, call on Mary; let her not depart from your mouth;
let her not depart from your hearts, and that you may obtain the suffrage of
her prayers, never depart from the example of her conversation. Whilst you
follow her, you never go astray; whilst you implore her aid, you never sink in
despair; when you think on her, you never wander; under her patronage, you
never fall; under her protection, you need not fear; she being your guide, you
are not wearied.” Such are the sentiments of confidence, devotion, and respect
with which the name of Mary ought always to inspire us. Out of veneration it
has been sometimes an established custom in certain places that no women should
take the name of Mary. When Alphonsus VI., king of Castile, was about taking a
young Moor to wife, he made it a condition that she should not, at her baptism,
take that name. Among the articles of marriage stipulated between Mary of
Nevers and Uladislas, king of Poland, one was, that laying aside the name of
Mary, she should be called Aloysia. From the time that Casimir I., king of
Poland, upon marrying Mary, daughter of the duke of Russia, obliged her to
change that name, it became a custom in Poland that no woman should bear the
name of Mary: 10 though
this is now changed, and on the other hand, many adopt it with humility, put of
devotion to this powerful advocate and patroness.
Next to this holy name,
the words of the salutation come to be considered. Hail is a word of
salutation, congratulation, and joy. The archangel addressed it with profound
reverence and awe to this incomparable and glorious virgin. It was anciently an
extraordinary thing if an angel appeared to one of the patriarchs and prophets,
and then he was received with great veneration and honour, being by nature and
grace exalted above them; but when the Archangel Gabriel visited Mary, he was
struck at her exalted dignity and pre-eminence, and approached and saluted her
with admiration and respect. He was accustomed to the lustre of the highest
heavenly spirits; but was amazed and dazzled at the dignity and spiritual glory
of her whom he came to salute Mother of God, whilst the attention of the whole
heavenly court was with ravishment fixed upon her. With what humility ought we,
worms of the earth and base sinners, to address her in the same salutation! The
devout Thomas à Kempis gives of it the following paraphrase: 11 “With
awe, reverence, devotion, and humble confidence do I suppliantly approach you,
bearing in my mouth the salutation of the angel, humbly to offer you. I
joyfully present it to you, with my head bowed out of reverence to your sacred
person, and with my arms expanded through excessive affection of devotion; and
I beg the same may be repeated by all the heavenly spirits for me a hundred
thousand times, and much oftener; for I know not what I can bring more worthy
your transcendent greatness, or more sweet to us who recite it. Let the pious
lover of your holy Name listen and attend. The heavens rejoice, and all the
earth ought to stand amazed, when I say, Hail Mary. Satan and hell
tremble when I repeat, Hail Mary. Sorrow is banished, and a new joy
fills my soul, when I say, Hail Mary. My languid affection is
strengthened in God, and my soul is refreshed when I repeat, Hail
Mary. So great is the sweetness of this blessed salutation, that it is not
to be expressed in words, but remains deeper in the heart than can be fathomed.
Wherefore I again most humbly bend my knees to you, O most holy virgin, and say, Hail
Mary, full of grace.—O, that to satisfy my desire of honouring and saluting you
with all the powers of my soul, all my members were converted into tongues and
into voices of fire, that I might glorify you, O Mother of God, without
ceasing! And now prostrate in your presence, invited by sincere devotion of
heart, and all inflamed with veneration for your sweet name, I represent to you
the joy of that salutation when the Archangel Gabriel, sent by God, entered
your secret closet, and honoured you with a salutation unheard-of from the
beginning of the world, saying, Hail, full of grace, our Lord is with
you: which I desire to repeat, were it possible, with a mouth pure as gold, and
with a burning affection; and I desire that all creatures now say with
me, Hail,” &c.
In the like sentiments of
profound respect and congratulation with the angel, we style her, Full of
grace. Though she is descended of the royal blood of David, her
illustrious preeminence is not derived from her birth, or any other temporal
advantages; but from that prerogative in which alone true excellency consists,
the grace of God, in which she surpasses all other mere creatures. To others,
God deals out portions of his grace according to an inferior measure; but Mary
was to be prepared to become mother of the author of grace. To her, therefore,
God gave every grace and every virtue in an eminent degree of excellency and
perfection. Mary “was filled with the ocean of the Holy Ghost poured upon her,”
says venerable Bede. 12 It
was just, that the nearer she approached to the fountain of grace, the more
abundantly she should be enriched by it; and, as God was pleased to make choice
of her for his Mother, nothing less than a super-eminent portion of grace could
suit her transcendent dignity. The church therefore applies to her that of the
Canticles: Thou art all fair, and there is no spot in thee. 13 In
those words, Our Lord is with thee, we repeat with the angel another
eulogium, consequent of the former. God, by his immensity or omnipotence is
with all creatures, because in him all things have their being. He is much more
intimately with all his just, inasmuch as he dwells in them by his grace, and
manifests in them the most gracious effects of his goodness and power; but the
Blessed Virgin being full of grace, and most agreeable in his eyes above all
other mere creatures; having also the closest union with Christ as his Mother,
and burning with more than seraphic charity, she is his most beloved
tabernacle, and he favours her with the special effects of his extraordinary
presence, displaying in her his boundless munificence, power, and love.
The following praise was
given to her in the same words, both by the Archangel Gabriel and St.
Elizabeth, Blessed art thou amongst women. Mary is truly called
blessed above all other women, she having been herself always preserved from
the least stain of sin, and having been the happy instrument of God in
converting the maledictions laid on all mankind into blessings. When Judith had
delivered Bethulia from temporal destruction, Ozias, the prince of the people,
said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, above all women upon the face of
the earth. 14 And The
people all blessed her with one voice, saying: Thou art the glory of
Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honour of our people.” 15 How
much more emphatically shall we from our hearts pronounce her blessed above all
women, who brought forth Him who is the author of all manner of spiritual and
eternal blessings to us! She most justly said of herself, in the deepest sense
of gratitude to the divine goodness, Behold, from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed. 16 By
bestowing these praises on Mary we offer principally to God a profound homage
of praise for the great mystery of the Incarnation. The pious woman mentioned
in the gospel, who, upon hearing the divine doctrine of our Redeemer, cried out
with admiration, Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and blessed are the
breasts which gave thee suck, 17 meant
chiefly to commend the Son. In like manner the praises we address to Mary in
the angelical salutation are reflected in the first place on her divine Son,
from whom, and by whom alone she is entitled to them; for it is for his gifts
and graces, and for his sake, that we praise and honour her. On which account
this prayer is chiefly an excellent doxology for the great mystery of the
Incarnation. Whence, having styled the Mother blessed above all women, we
pronounce the Son infinitely more blessed, saying, And blessed is the
fruit of thy womb. He is the source and author of all her graces and
blessings; she derives them only from him; and to him we refer whatever we
admire and praise in her. Therefore, in an infinitely higher sense of praise,
love, and honour, and in a manner infinitely superior to her, we call him
blessed for ever by God, angels, and men; by God, as his well-beloved Son, and
in his divinity, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father; by the angels, as the
author of their being, grace, and glory, inasmuch as he is their God; and in
his Incarnation, as the repairer of their losses by men, as their Redeemer. We,
considering attentively the infinite evils from which he has delivered us, the
pains and labours which he sustained for us, the ransom which he has paid with
his precious blood to redeem us, the everlasting and infinite advantages which
he has purchased for us, with the boundless felicity of heaven, the excess of
his goodness, love, and mercy, and his infinite majesty and perfections; we, I
say, bearing all this in mind, ought, in a spirit of love and praise, ever to
call her Blessed through whom we receive this so great a Saviour; but him
infinitely more blessed both for his own adorable sanctity, and for all the
graces of which he is the source to us.
The most holy and
glorious name of Jesus which is added to this doxology, is a name of
unspeakable sweetness and grace; a name most comfortable and delightful to
every loving soul, terrible to the wicked spirits, and adorable with respect to
all creatures; so that at its very sound every knee, in heaven, earth, and hell
shall bend, and every creature be filled with religious awe, and profound
veneration and respect. The last part of this prayer is a supplication. The
prayer of the blessed spirits in heaven consists chiefly in acts of adoration,
love, praise, thanksgiving, and the like. We, in this vale of tears and
miseries, join sighs even to our hymns of praise and adoration. So extreme are
our spiritual miseries and wants that we never present ourselves in prayer
before Almighty God, but we make it one part of our addresses to implore his
mercy and graces with the greatest earnestness possible, and the deepest sense
of our wants. It is in this sincere feeling of our sinful necessities, and the
most humble and earnest cry of our heart that the fervour and very soul of our
prayer consists. God knows, and with infinite tenderness compassionates the
depth of our wounds, and the whole extent of our numberless and boundless
spiritual miseries. But our insensibility under them provokes his just
indignation. He will have us sincerely to feel and to acknowledge the weight of
our evils; our extreme spiritual poverty and total insufficiency, the baseness
of our guilt, the rigour of his judgments, the frightful torments of an unhappy
eternity which we deserve for our sins, and the dangers from ourselves and the
invisible enemies with which we are surrounded. He requires that we confess the
abyss of miseries in which we are sunk, and out of it raise our voice to him
with tears and groans, owning our total dependance on his mercy and infinite
goodness. If a beggar ask an alms of us, his wants make him eloquent; he sums
them all up to move us to compassion; sickness, pains, hunger, anguish of mind,
distress of a whole family, and whatever else can set off his miseries in the
most moving manner. In like manner when we pray, we must feel and lay open
before our heavenly Father our deep wounds, our universal indigence, inability,
and weakness, and, with all possible earnestness, implore his merciful succour.
We must beg that God himself will be pleased to form in our hearts such
continued sincere desires, that he inspire us with so deep a sense of all our
miseries, and teach us to display them before him in such a manner as will most
powerfully move him to pity and relieve us. We have recourse to the angels and
saints to beg their joint intercession for us. For this we address ourselves in
the first place to the Blessed Virgin, as the refuge of the afflicted and
sinners. In this prayer we repeat her holy name to excite ourselves to
reverence and devotion. By calling her Mother of God, we express her most
exalted dignity, and stir up our confidence in her patronage; for what cannot
she obtain for us of a God, who was pleased himself to be born of her! We at
the same time remember, that she is also spiritually our mother; for,
by adoption, we are brothers and co-heirs of Christ. She is to us a mother of
more than paternal tenderness; incomparably more sensible of our miseries, and
more ready to procure us all mercy and assistance than carnal mothers can be,
as in charity she surpasses all other mere creatures. But to call her Mother,
and to deserve her compassion, we must sincerely renounce and put an end to our
disorders, by which we have too often trampled upon the blood of her Son.
These words, Holy
Mary, Mother of God, are a kind of preface to our petition, in which we
humbly entreat her to pray for us. We do not ask her to give us grace; we know
this to to be the most precious gift of God, who alone can bestow it on us. We
only desire her to ask it for us of her Son, and to join her powerful
intercession with our unworthy prayers. We mention our quality of sinners, to
humble ourselves in the deepest sentiments of compunction, and to excite her
compassion by laying our extreme miseries and necessities before her, which
this epithet of sinners expresses beyond what any created understanding can
fathom. Mary, from her fuller and more distinct knowledge of the evil of sin,
and the spiritual miseries of a soul infected with it, forms a much more
distinct and perfect idea of the abyss of our evils than we can possibly do,
and in proportion to them, and to the measure of her charity, is moved to
compassionate us under them. But we must mention our sins with sincere
sentiments of contrition and regret; for the will which still adheres to sin
provokes indignation, not compassion, in God, and in all the saints who love
sovereignly his sanctity and justice. How dare impenitent sinners present
themselves before God with their hands yet stained, as it were, with the
adorable blood of his Son, which they have spilt, and which they still
continue, in the language of St. Paul, to trample upon? We must, therefore,
mention our guilt with the most profound sentiments of confusion and
compunction. In proportion to their sincerity and fervour we shall excite the
pity and mercy of God, and the tender compassion of his Mother. Mary, having
borne in her womb the Author of grace and mercy, has put on the bowels of the
most tender compassion for sinners. By this mention of our quality of sinners,
we sufficiently express what it is that we beg of God; namely, the grace of a
perfect repentance, the remission of all our sins, and strength to resist all
temptations to sin. We ask also for all graces and virtues, especially that of
divine charity. All this is sufficiently understood by the very nature of our
request, without being expressed; for what else ought we to ask of God, through
the intercession of her who is the mother of the Author of grace? We beg this
abundance of all graces, both at present, because we stand in need of it every
moment of our lives; and for the hour of our death, that great and most
dreadful moment, which must be a principal object in all our prayers. The whole
life of a Christian ought to be nothing else but a constant preparation for
that tremendous hour, which will decide our eternal lot, and in which the devil
will assail us with the utmost effort of his fury; and our own weakness in mind
and body, the lively remembrance of our past sins, and other alarming
circumstances and difficulties, will make us stand in need of the strongest
assistance of divine grace, and the special patronage of her who is the
protectress of all in distress, particularly of her devout clients in their
last and most dangerous conflict. Amen, or So be
it, expresses an earnest repetition of our supplication and praise. As the
heart, in the ardour of its affections, easily goes far beyond what words can
express, so neither is it confined by them in the extent and variety of its
acts. In one word it often comprises the most perfect acts of faith, hope,
charity, adoration, praise, and other such virtues. Thus, by Amen, it
with ardour repeats all the petitions and acts of the Lord’s Prayer and
Angelical Salutation. Some devout persons have made this short but energetical
and comprehensive word one of their most frequent aspirations to God, during
the course of the day; meaning by it to assent, confirm, and repeat, with all
possible ardour and humility, all the hymns and most perfect acts of profound
adoration, humility, love, praise, zeal, thanksgiving, oblation of themselves,
total resignation, confidence in God, and all other virtues, which all the
heavenly spirits offer to God, with all their power and strength, and with the
utmost purity of affection, without intermission, to eternity. In these acts we
join by the word Amen, and desire to repeat them all with infinite
fervour, were it possible, for ever; and with them we join the most sincere
sentiments and acts of compunction, and a particular humility, condemning
ourselves as infinitely unworthy to join the heavenly choirs, or faithful servants
of God, in offering him a tribute of praise; most unworthy even to pronounce
his most holy name, or mention any of his adorable perfections, which defiled
lips and faint divided affections rather profane and depreciate than praise and
honour.
Note 1. In
thanksgiving for the great victory gained at Lepanto, on the 7th of October,
the first Sunday of the month, in 1571, St. Pius V. instituted an annual
commemoration under the title of St. Mary de Victoriâ. Gregory XIII. in 1573,
changed this title into that of the Rosary, and granted an office of the same
to all churches, in which there was an altar bearing the title of our Lady of
the Rosary. Clement X. extended this festival to all churches subject to the
Spanish monarchy. The army of the Emperor Charles VI. having defeated the Turks
near Temeswar, on the feast of our Lady at Nives, in 1716, and those infidels
having raised the siege of Corcyra the same year on the octave of the
Assumption, Clement XII. made the office of this festival general.
As for the use of beads,
the ancient anchorets and others frequently counted the number of their prayers
by little stones, grains, or other such marks; as is clear from Palladius’s
Lausaic History, from Sozomen, &c. (See Benedict XIV. de Canoniz. par. 2,
c. 10, n. 11.) Those who could neither read nor recite the Psalter by heart,
supplied this by a frequent repetition of the Lord’s Prayer; and the many
illiterate persons performed, at all the canonical hours of prayer, regular
devotions, corresponding to those of the Psalter recited by the clergy and many
others. When the number of Our Fathers was told by studs fastened on
the belts which people then wore, these prayers were reckoned by so many belts.
See the council of Cealchyth in 816. (Conc. t. 7, p. 1489.) The ordinary use of
the angelical salutation in this manner was not so ancient. (See Mabillon, sæc.
5, Ben. n. 127. Theophilus Raynaudi, t. 7, in Dypticis Marianis, p. 231.)
Erimannus, in the twelfth age, mentions a lady who recited every day sixty
angelical salutations. (l. de restaurat. S. Martini Tornac. ap. Dacher.
Spicileg. t. 12, p. 414.) B. Alanus de Rupe recommends the Hail Mary, and
calls it an ancient devotion. See Trithemius, de Script. et Sixtus Sinens.
Bibl. Sanct. v. Alanus, et Benedict XIV. de Canoniz. l. 4, par. 2. c. 10, n.
11.
St. Albert of Crespin,
and Peter the Hermit are mentioned long before St. Dominic, to have taught
those among the laity who could not read the Psalter, to say a certain number
of Our Fathers and Hail Marys in lieu of each canonical
hour of the Church-office; but the method of reciting fifteen decades or tens
of the angelical salutation, with one Our Father before each decade,
in honour of the principal mysteries of the Incarnation, including two peculiar
to the Blessed Virgin, is ascribed to St. Dominic. The Bollandists dispute
problematically whether this saint instituted, or only propagated the practice
of the Rosary, in order to restore the assiduous use of prayer, and to stir up
the devotion of the people to the mystery of the Incarnation, which was then
impiously blasphemed in Languedoc by the Albigenses and other heretics; but
that St. Dominic was the first institutor of this devotion, called the Rosary,
is affirmed by several popes in a great number of bulls and briefs, and is
proved by the constant tradition of that Order, and by several other convincing
proofs, produced by F. Echard. (Bibl. Script. Ord. Prædic. t. 1, p. 352, t. 2,
p. 271.) See also Malvenda, (Annal. Ord. Prædic.) Justinus Miecoviensis,
(De Litaniis B. M. Virg.) Monelia, (Diss. de Origine Rosarii. Romæ, an.
1725,) and principally Benedict XIV. (De Festo Rosarii, l. 2, c. 10; Op. t. 12,
p. 523,) who nevertheless observes that the works of Luminosi of Aposa, Austin
Anelli, and Galvini Bragia are certainly adulterated, though Touron lays great
stress upon their testimonies, Vie de S. Domin. c. 14,) misled by the authority
of the author of a dissertation on this subject, printed at Ferraria in 1735,
under the title of Vindiciæ, by Alex. Machiar. It is a just remark of Spinelli,
(l. de Maria Deiparâ, c. 39, n. 5,) that this repetition of one hundred and
fifty angelical salutations was instituted by St. Dominic, in imitation of the
hundred and fifty Psalms; on which account the Rosary has been often called the
Psalter of the Blessed Virgin. [back]
Note 2. See the life
of St. Pius V. vol. v. p. 70. [back]
Note 3. See the life
of St. Dominic, vol. 8, p. 57. [back]
Note 6. S. Hieron.
l. de Nomin. Hebraic. ed. Ben. t. 2, p. 62. [back]
Note 8. Hom. 2,
super Missus est. [back]
Note 9. Ibid. [back]
Note 10. See Theoph.
Raynand, in Dypticis Marianis, Op. t. 7, punct. 2, n. 12, and Benedict XIV. l.
De Festis, Sect. De Festo nominis Mariæ, Op t. 10, p. 519. [back]
Note 11. Sol. c.
23. [back]
Note 12. In Matt. c.
1. [back]
Note 13. Cant. iv.
7. See St. Thomas, Expositio Salut. Angelicæ inter opusc. [back]
Note 14. Judith
xiii. 23. [back]
Note 15. Ib. xv.
10. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume X: October. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/10/016.html
Statua della Madonna del Rosario, Patrona Principale di Roccalumera.
Beata Vergine Maria del
Rosario
Questa memoria Mariana di
origine devozionale si collega con la vittoria di Lepanto (1571), che arrestò
la grande espansione dell'impero ottomano. San Pio V attribuì quello storico
evento alla preghiera che il popolo cristiano aveva indirizzato alla Vergine
nella forma del Rosario. (Mess. Rom.)
Etimologia: Maria =
amata da Dio, dall'egiziano; signora, dall'ebraico
Martirologio
Romano: Memoria della beata Maria Vergine del Rosario: in questo giorno
con la preghiera del Rosario o corona mariana si invoca la protezione della
santa Madre di Dio per meditare sui misteri di Cristo, sotto la guida di lei,
che fu associata in modo tutto speciale all’incarnazione, passione e
risurrezione del Figlio di Dio.
Nel 1212 san Domenico di Guzman, durante la sua permanenza a Tolosa, vide la Vergine Maria che gli consegnò il Rosario, come risposta ad una sua preghiera, a Lei rivolta, per sapere come combattere l’eresia albigese.
Fu così che il Santo Rosario divenne l’orazione più diffusa per contrastare le eresie e fu l’arma determinante per vincere i musulmani a Lepanto. Come già per Poitiers (ottobre 732) e poi sarà per Vienna (settembre 1683), la battaglia di Lepanto fu fondamentale per arrestare l’avanzata dei musulmani in Europa. E tutte e tre le vittorie vennero imputate, oltre al valore dei combattenti, anche e soprattutto all’intervento divino.
La battaglia navale di Lepanto si svolse nel corso della guerra di Cipro. Era il 7 ottobre 1571 quando le flotte musulmane dell’Impero ottomano si scontrarono con quelle cristiane della Lega Santa, che riuniva le forze navali della Repubblica di Venezia, dell’Impero spagnolo (con il Regno di Napoli e di Sicilia), dello Stato Pontificio, della Repubblica di Genova, dei Cavalieri di Malta, del Ducato di Savoia, del Granducato di Toscana e del Ducato di Urbino, federate sotto le insegne pontificie. Dell’alleanza cristiana faceva parte anche la Repubblica di Lucca, che pur non avendo navi coinvolte nello scontro, concorse con denaro e materiali all’armamento della flotta genovese.
Prima della partenza della Lega Santa per gli scenari di guerra, san Pio V benedisse lo stendardo raffigurante, su fondo rosso, il Crocifisso posto fra gli apostoli Pietro e Paolo e sormontato dal motto costantiniano In hoc signo vinces. Tale simbolo, insieme con l’immagine della Madonna e la scritta S. Maria succurre miseris, issato sulla nave ammiraglia Real, sarà l’unico a sventolare in tutto lo schieramento cristiano quando, alle grida di guerra e ai primi attacchi turchi, i militi si uniranno in una preghiera accorata. Mentre si moriva per Cristo, per la Chiesa e per la Patria, si recitava il Santo Rosario: e i prigionieri remavano ritmando il tempo con le decine dei misteri. L’annuncio della vittoria giungerà a Roma 23 giorni dopo, portato da messaggeri del Principe Colonna. Il trionfo fu attribuito all’intercessione della Vergine Maria, tanto che san Pio V, nel 1572, istituì la festa di Santa Maria della Vittoria, trasformata da Gregorio XIII in «Madonna del Rosario».
Comandante generale della flotta cristiana era Don Giovanni d’Austria di 24 anni, figlio illegittimo del defunto Imperatore Carlo V e fratellastro del regnante Filippo II. Al fianco della sua nave Real erano schierate: la Capitana di Sebastiano Venier, capitano generale veneziano; la Capitana di Sua Santità di Marcantonio Colonna, ammiraglio pontificio; la Capitana di Ettore Spinola, capitano generale genovese; la Capitana di Andrea Provana di Leinì, capitano generale piemontese; l’ammiraglia Vittoria del priore Piero Giustiniani, capitano generale dei Cavalieri di Malta. In totale, la Lega schierò una flotta di 6 galeazze e circa 204 galere. A bordo erano imbarcati non meno di 36.000 combattenti, tra soldati, venturieri e marinai.
A questi si aggiungevano circa 30.000 galeotti rematori. Comandante supremo dello schieramento ottomano era Müezzinzade Alì Pascià. La flotta turca, munita di minore artiglieria rispetto a quella cristiana, possedeva 170-180 galere e 20 o 30 galeotte, cui si aggiungeva un imprecisato numero di fuste e brigantini corsari. La forza combattente, comprensiva di giannizzeri, ammontava a circa 20-25.000 uomini. L’ammiraglio, considerato il migliore comandante ottomano, Uluč Alì, era un apostata di origini calabresi, convertitosi all’Islam. Alì Pascià si trovava a bordo dell’ammiraglia Sultana, sulla quale sventolava un vessillo verde, dove era stato scritto, a caratteri d’oro, 28.900 volte il nome di Allah.
Per questo san Pio V, Papa mariano e domenicano, affidò a Maria Santissima le armate ed i destini dell’Occidente e della Cristianità, minacciati dai musulmani.
Da allora in poi si utilizzò ufficialmente il titolo di Auxilium Christianorum, titolo che non sembra doversi attribuire direttamente al Pontefice, ma ai reduci vittoriosi, che ritornando dalla guerra passarono per Loreto a ringraziare la Madonna.
I forzati che erano stati messi ai banchi dei remi furono liberati: sbarcarono a Porto Recanati e salirono in processione alla Santa Casa, dove offrirono le loro catene alla Madonna; con esse furono costruite le cancellate poi poste agli altari delle cappelle. Lo stendardo della flotta fu donato alla chiesa di Maria Vergine a Gaeta, dove è tuttora conservato e che attende di essere ancora issato nei cuori di coloro che si professano cristiani e vogliono difendere le proprie radici.
Autore: Cristina Siccardi
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/24800
Benedetto Coda, Pala
d'altare con Madonna del Rosario tra san Domenico di Guzmán e san Paolo; Misteri
del Rosario (prima
metà del XVI secolo), olio su tavola; Gradara, Pinacoteca Civica
LETTERA APOSTOLICA
ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE
DEL SOMMO PONTEFICE
GIOVANNI PAOLO II
ALL'EPISCOPATO, AL CLERO
E AI FEDELI
SUL SANTO ROSARIO
INTRODUZIONE
1. Il Rosario della
Vergine Maria, sviluppatosi gradualmente nel secondo Millennio al soffio dello
Spirito di Dio, è preghiera amata da numerosi Santi e incoraggiata dal
Magistero. Nella sua semplicità e profondità, rimane, anche in questo terzo
Millennio appena iniziato, una preghiera di grande significato, destinata a
portare frutti di santità. Essa ben s'inquadra nel cammino spirituale di un
cristianesimo che, dopo duemila anni, non ha perso nulla della freschezza delle
origini, e si sente spinto dallo Spirito di Dio a « prendere il largo »
(« duc in altum! ») per ridire, anzi 'gridare' Cristo al mondo come
Signore e Salvatore, come « la via, la verità e la vita » (Gv 14, 6), come
« traguardo della storia umana, il fulcro nel quale convergono gli ideali della
storia e della civiltà ».(1)
Il Rosario, infatti, pur
caratterizzato dalla sua fisionomia mariana, è preghiera dal cuore
cristologico. Nella sobrietà dei suoi elementi, concentra in sé la
profondità dell'intero messaggio evangelico, di cui è quasi un compendio.(2)
In esso riecheggia la preghiera di Maria, il suo
perenne Magnificat per l'opera dell'Incarnazione redentrice iniziata
nel suo grembo verginale. Con esso il popolo cristiano si mette alla
scuola di Maria, per lasciarsi introdurre alla contemplazione della bellezza
del volto di Cristo e all'esperienza della profondità del suo amore. Mediante
il Rosario il credente attinge abbondanza di grazia, quasi ricevendola dalle
mani stesse della Madre del Redentore.
I Romani Pontefici e il
Rosario
2. A questa preghiera
hanno attribuito grande importanza tanti miei Predecessori. Particolari
benemerenze ebbe, al riguardo, Leone XIII che il 1º settembre 1883 promulgava
l'Enciclica Supremi
apostolatus officio,(3)
alto pronunciamento col quale inaugurava numerosi altri interventi su questa
preghiera indicandola come efficace strumento spirituale di fronte ai mali
della società. Tra i Papi più recenti che, in epoca conciliare, si sono
distinti nella promozione del Rosario desidero ricordare il Beato Giovanni
XXIII(4)
e soprattutto Paolo VI, che nell'Esortazione apostolica Marialis
cultus sottolineò, in armonia con l'ispirazione del Concilio Ecumenico
Vaticano II, il carattere evangelico del Rosario ed il suo orientamento
cristologico.
Io stesso, poi, non ho
tralasciato occasione per esortare alla frequente recita del Rosario. Fin dai
miei anni giovanili questa preghiera ha avuto un posto importante nella mia
vita spirituale. Me lo ha ricordato con forza il mio recente viaggio in
Polonia, e soprattutto la visita al Santuario di Kalwaria. Il Rosario mi ha
accompagnato nei momenti della gioia e in quelli della prova. Ad esso ho
consegnato tante preoccupazioni, in esso ho trovato sempre conforto.
Ventiquattro anni fa, il 29 ottobre 1978, ad appena due settimane dall'elezione
alla Sede di Pietro, quasi aprendo il mio animo così mi esprimevo: « Il Rosario
è la mia preghiera prediletta. Preghiera meravigliosa! Meravigliosa nella sua
semplicità e nella sua profondità. [...] Si può dire che il Rosario è, in un
certo modo, un commento-preghiera dell'ultimo capitolo della Costituzione Lumen
gentium del Vaticano II, capitolo che tratta della mirabile presenza
della Madre di Dio nel mistero di Cristo e della Chiesa. Difatti, sullo sfondo
delle parole Ave Maria passano davanti agli occhi dell'anima i
principali episodi della vita di Gesù Cristo. Essi si compongono nell'insieme
dei misteri gaudiosi, dolorosi e gloriosi, e ci mettono in comunione viva con
Gesù attraverso – potremmo dire – il Cuore della sua Madre. Nello stesso tempo
il nostro cuore può racchiudere in queste decine del Rosario tutti i fatti che
compongono la vita dell'individuo, della famiglia, della nazione, della Chiesa
e dell'umanità. Vicende personali e vicende del prossimo e, in modo
particolare, di coloro che ci sono più vicini, che ci stanno più a cuore. Così
la semplice preghiera del Rosario batte il ritmo della vita umana ».(5)
Con queste parole, miei
cari fratelli e sorelle, immettevo nel ritmo quotidiano del Rosario il mio
primo anno di Pontificato. Oggi, all'inizio del venticinquesimo anno di
servizio come Successore di Pietro, desidero fare altrettanto. Quante grazie ho
ricevuto in questi anni dalla Vergine Santa attraverso il
Rosario: Magnificat anima mea Dominum! Desidero elevare il mio grazie al
Signore con le parole della sua Madre Santissima, sotto la cui protezione ho
posto il mio ministero petrino: Totus tuus!
Ottobre 2002 – ottobre
2003: Anno del Rosario
3. Per questo, sull'onda
della riflessione offerta nella Lettera apostolica Novo millennio ineunte,
nella quale ho invitato il Popolo di Dio, dopo l'esperienza giubilare, a «
ripartire da Cristo »,(6)
ho sentito il bisogno di sviluppare una riflessione sul Rosario, quasi a
coronamento mariano della stessa Lettera apostolica, per esortare alla
contemplazione del volto di Cristo in compagnia e alla scuola della sua Madre
Santissima. Recitare il Rosario, infatti, non è altro che contemplare con
Maria il volto di Cristo. A dare maggiore rilevanza a questo invito, prendendo
occasione dal prossimo centoventesimo anniversario della menzionata Enciclica
di Leone XIII, desidero che questa preghiera nel corso dell'anno venga
particolarmente proposta e valorizzata nelle varie comunità cristiane.
Proclamo, pertanto, l'anno che va dall'ottobre di quest'anno all'ottobre del
2003 Anno del Rosario.
Affido questa indicazione
pastorale all'iniziativa delle singole comunità ecclesiali. Con essa non
intendo intralciare, ma piuttosto integrare e consolidare i piani pastorali delle
Chiese particolari. Ho fiducia che essa venga accolta con generosità e
prontezza. Il Rosario, se riscoperto nel suo pieno significato, porta al cuore
stesso della vita cristiana ed offre un'ordinaria quanto feconda opportunità
spirituale e pedagogica per la contemplazione personale, la formazione del
Popolo di Dio e la nuova evangelizzazione. Mi piace ribadirlo anche nel ricordo
gioioso di un altro anniversario: i 40 anni dall'inizio del Concilio Ecumenico
Vaticano II (11 ottobre 1962), la « grande grazia » predisposta dallo spirito
di Dio per la Chiesa del nostro tempo.(7)
Obiezioni al Rosario
4. L'opportunità di tale
iniziativa emerge da diverse considerazioni. La prima riguarda l'urgenza di
fronteggiare una certa crisi di questa preghiera che, nell'attuale contesto
storico e teologico, rischia di essere a torto sminuita nel suo valore e perciò
scarsamente proposta alle nuove generazioni. C'è chi pensa che la centralità
della Liturgia, giustamente sottolineata dal Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano II,
abbia come necessaria conseguenza una diminuzione dell'importanza del Rosario.
In realtà, come precisò Paolo VI, questa preghiera non solo non si oppone alla
Liturgia, ma le fa da supporto, giacché ben la introduce e la riecheggia,
consentendo di viverla con pienezza di partecipazione interiore, raccogliendone
frutti nella vita quotidiana.
Forse c'è anche chi teme
che essa possa risultare poco ecumenica, per il suo carattere spiccatamente
mariano. In realtà, essa si pone nel più limpido orizzonte di un culto alla
Madre di Dio, quale il Concilio l'ha delineato: un culto orientato al centro
cristologico della fede cristiana, in modo che « quando è onorata la Madre, il
Figlio [...] sia debitamente conosciuto, amato, glorificato ».(8)
Se riscoperto in modo adeguato, il Rosario è un aiuto, non certo un ostacolo
all'ecumenismo!
Via di contemplazione
5. Ma il motivo più
importante per riproporre con forza la pratica del Rosario è il fatto che esso
costituisce un mezzo validissimo per favorire tra i fedeli quell'impegno di
contemplazione del mistero cristiano che ho proposto nella Lettera
apostolica Novo millennio ineunte come vera e propria 'pedagogia
della santità': « C'è bisogno di un cristianesimo che si distingua innanzitutto
nell'arte della preghiera ».(9)
Mentre nella cultura contemporanea, pur tra tante contraddizioni, affiora una
nuova esigenza di spiritualità, sollecitata anche da influssi di altre
religioni, è più che mai urgente che le nostre comunità cristiane diventino «
autentiche 'scuole' di preghiera ».(10)
Il Rosario si pone nella
migliore e più collaudata tradizione della contemplazione cristiana.
Sviluppatosi in Occidente, esso è preghiera tipicamente meditativa e
corrisponde, in qualche modo, alla « preghiera del cuore » o « preghiera di
Gesù » germogliata sull'humus dell'Oriente cristiano.
Preghiera per la pace e
per la famiglia
6. A dare maggiore
attualità al rilancio del Rosario si aggiungono alcune circostanze storiche.
Prima fra esse, l'urgenza di invocare da Dio il dono della pace. Il Rosario è
stato più volte proposto dai miei Predecessori e da me stesso come preghiera
per la pace. All'inizio di un Millennio, che è cominciato con le
raccapriccianti scene dell'attentato dell'11 settembre 2001 e che registra ogni
giorno in tante parti del mondo nuove situazioni di sangue e di violenza,
riscoprire il Rosario significa immergersi nella contemplazione del mistero di
Colui che « è la nostra pace » avendo fatto « dei due un popolo solo,
abbattendo il muro di separazione che era frammezzo, cioè l'inimicizia »
(Ef 2, 14). Non si può quindi recitare il Rosario senza sentirsi coinvolti
in un preciso impegno di servizio alla pace, con una particolare attenzione
alla terra di Gesù, ancora così provata, e tanto cara al cuore cristiano.
Analoga urgenza di
impegno e di preghiera emerge su un altro versante critico del nostro
tempo, quello della famiglia, cellula della società, sempre più insidiata
da forze disgregatrici a livello ideologico e pratico, che fanno temere per il
futuro di questa fondamentale e irrinunciabile istituzione e, con essa, per le
sorti dell'intera società. Il rilancio del Rosario nelle famiglie cristiane,
nel quadro di una più larga pastorale della famiglia, si propone come aiuto
efficace per arginare gli effetti devastanti di questa crisi epocale.
« Ecco la tua
madre! » (Gv 19, 27)
7. Numerosi segni
dimostrano quanto la Vergine Santa voglia anche oggi esercitare, proprio
attraverso questa preghiera, la premura materna alla quale il Redentore
moribondo affidò, nella persona del discepolo prediletto, tutti i figli della
Chiesa: « Donna, ecco il tuo figlio! » (Gv 19, 26). Sono note le svariate
circostanze, tra il diciannovesimo e il ventesimo secolo, nelle quali la Madre
di Cristo ha fatto in qualche modo sentire la sua presenza e la sua voce per
esortare il Popolo di Dio a questa forma di orazione contemplativa. Desidero in
particolare ricordare, per l'incisiva influenza che conservano nella vita dei
cristiani e per l'autorevole riconoscimento avuto dalla Chiesa, le apparizioni
di Lourdes e di Fatima,(11)
i cui rispettivi santuari sono meta di numerosi pellegrini, in cerca di
sollievo e di speranza.
Sulle orme dei testimoni
8. Sarebbe impossibile
citare lo stuolo innumerevole di Santi che hanno trovato nel Rosario
un'autentica via di santificazione. Basterà ricordare san Luigi Maria Grignion
de Montfort, autore di una preziosa opera sul Rosario,(12)
e, più vicino a noi, Padre Pio da Pietrelcina, che ho avuto recentemente la
gioia di canonizzare. Uno speciale carisma poi, quale vero apostolo del
Rosario, ebbe il beato Bartolo Longo. Il suo cammino di santità poggia su
un'ispirazione udita nel profondo del cuore: « Chi propaga il Rosario è salvo!
».(13)
Su questa base, egli si sentì chiamato a costruire a Pompei un tempio dedicato
alla Vergine del Santo Rosario sullo sfondo dei resti dell'antica Città, appena
lambita dall'annuncio cristiano prima di essere sepolta nel 79 dall'eruzione
del Vesuvio, ed emersa secoli dopo dalle sue ceneri a testimonianza delle luci
e delle ombre della civiltà classica.
Con l'intera sua opera e,
in particolare, attraverso i « Quindici Sabati », Bartolo Longo sviluppò
l'anima cristologica e contemplativa del Rosario, trovando particolare
incoraggiamento e sostegno in Leone XIII, il « Papa del Rosario ».
Gaspare
Mannucci, Madonna del Rosario con i santi Domenico, Francesco, Ansano, Nicola
da Bari, Lucia e Apollonia, 1601
CAPITOLO I
CONTEMPLARE CRISTO CON
MARIA
Un volto splendido come
il sole
9. « E apparve
trasfigurato davanti a loro; il suo volto brillò come il sole » (Mt 17,
2). La scena evangelica della trasfigurazione di Cristo, nella quale i tre
apostoli Pietro, Giacomo e Giovanni appaiono come rapiti dalla bellezza del
Redentore, può essere assunta ad icona della contemplazione cristiana. Fissare
gli occhi sul volto di Cristo, riconoscerne il mistero nel cammino ordinario e
doloroso della sua umanità, fino a coglierne il fulgore divino definitivamente
manifestato nel Risorto glorificato alla destra del Padre, è il compito di ogni
discepolo di Cristo; è quindi anche compito nostro. Contemplando questo volto
ci apriamo ad accogliere il mistero della vita trinitaria, per sperimentare
sempre nuovamente l'amore del Padre e godere della gioia dello Spirito Santo.
Si realizza così anche per noi la parola di san Paolo: « Riflettendo come in
uno specchio la gloria del Signore, veniamo trasformati in quella medesima
immagine, di gloria in gloria, secondo l'azione dello Spirito del Signore » (2
Cor 3, 18).
Maria modello di
contemplazione
10. La contemplazione di
Cristo ha in Maria il suo modello insuperabile. Il volto del Figlio le
appartiene a titolo speciale. È nel suo grembo che si è plasmato, prendendo da
Lei anche un'umana somiglianza che evoca un'intimità spirituale certo ancora
più grande. Alla contemplazione del volto di Cristo nessuno si è dedicato con
altrettanta assiduità di Maria. Gli occhi del suo cuore si concentrano in
qualche modo su di Lui già nell'Annunciazione, quando lo concepisce per opera
dello Spirito Santo; nei mesi successivi comincia a sentirne la presenza e a
presagirne i lineamenti. Quando finalmente lo dà alla luce a Betlemme, anche i
suoi occhi di carne si portano teneramente sul volto del Figlio, mentre lo
avvolge in fasce e lo depone nella mangiatoia (cfr Lc 2, 7).
Da allora il suo sguardo,
sempre ricco di adorante stupore, non si staccherà più da Lui. Sarà
talora uno sguardo interrogativo, come nell'episodio dello smarrimento nel
tempio: « Figlio, perché ci hai fatto così? » (Lc 2, 48); sarà in ogni
caso uno sguardo penetrante, capace di leggere nell'intimo di Gesù, fino a
percepirne i sentimenti nascosti e a indovinarne le scelte, come a Cana (cfr Gv 2,
5); altre volte sarà uno sguardo addolorato, soprattutto sotto la croce,
dove sarà ancora, in certo senso, lo sguardo della 'partoriente', giacché Maria
non si limiterà a condividere la passione e la morte dell'Unigenito, ma
accoglierà il nuovo figlio a Lei consegnato nel discepolo prediletto (cfr Gv 19,
26-27); nel mattino di Pasqua sarà uno sguardo radioso per la gioia
della risurrezione e, infine, uno sguardo ardente per l'effusione
dello Spirito nel giorno di Pentecoste (cfr At 1, 14).
I ricordi di Maria
11. Maria vive con gli
occhi su Cristo e fa tesoro di ogni sua parola: « Serbava tutte queste cose
meditandole nel suo cuore » (Lc 2, 19; cfr 2, 51). I ricordi di Gesù,
impressi nel suo animo, l'hanno accompagnata in ogni circostanza, portandola a
ripercorrere col pensiero i vari momenti della sua vita accanto al Figlio. Sono
stati quei ricordi a costituire, in certo senso, il 'rosario' che Ella stessa ha
costantemente recitato nei giorni della sua vita terrena.
Ed anche ora, tra i canti
di gioia della Gerusalemme celeste, i motivi del suo grazie e della sua lode
permangono immutati. Sono essi ad ispirare la sua materna premura verso la
Chiesa pellegrinante, nella quale Ella continua a sviluppare la trama del suo
'racconto' di evangelizzatrice. Maria ripropone continuamente ai credenti
i 'misteri' del suo Figlio, col desiderio che siano contemplati, affinché
possano sprigionare tutta la loro forza salvifica. Quando recita il Rosario, la
comunità cristiana si sintonizza col ricordo e con lo sguardo di Maria.
Rosario, preghiera
contemplativa
12. Il Rosario, proprio a
partire dall'esperienza di Maria, è una preghiera spiccatamente
contemplativa. Privato di questa dimensione, ne uscirebbe snaturato, come
sottolineava Paolo VI: « Senza contemplazione, il Rosario è corpo senza anima,
e la sua recita rischia di divenire meccanica ripetizione di formule e di
contraddire all'ammonimento di Gesù: 'Quando pregate, non siate ciarlieri come
i pagani, che credono di essere esauditi in ragione della loro loquacità' (Mt 6,
7). Per sua natura la recita del Rosario esige un ritmo tranquillo e quasi un
indugio pensoso, che favoriscano nell'orante la meditazione dei misteri della
vita del Signore, visti attraverso il Cuore di Colei che al Signore fu più
vicina, e ne dischiudano le insondabili ricchezze ».(14)
Mette conto di
soffermarci su questo profondo pensiero di Paolo VI, per far emergere alcune
dimensioni del Rosario che meglio ne definiscono il carattere proprio di
contemplazione cristologica.
Ricordare Cristo con
Maria
13. Il contemplare di
Maria è innanzitutto un ricordare. Occorre tuttavia intendere questa
parola nel senso biblico della memoria (zakar), che attualizza le opere
compiute da Dio nella storia della salvezza. La Bibbia è narrazione di eventi
salvifici, che hanno il loro culmine in Cristo stesso. Questi eventi non sono
soltanto un 'ieri'; sono anche l''oggi' della salvezza. Questa
attualizzazione si realizza in particolare nella Liturgia: ciò che Dio ha
compiuto secoli or sono non riguarda soltanto i testimoni diretti degli eventi,
ma raggiunge con il suo dono di grazia l'uomo di ogni tempo. Ciò vale, in certo
modo, anche di ogni altro devoto approccio a quegli eventi: « farne memoria »,
in atteggiamento di fede e di amore, significa aprirsi alla grazia che Cristo
ci ha ottenuto con i suoi misteri di vita, morte e risurrezione.
Per questo, mentre va
ribadito con il Concilio Vaticano II che la Liturgia, quale esercizio
dell'ufficio sacerdotale di Cristo e culto pubblico, è « il culmine verso cui
tende l'azione della Chiesa e, insieme, la fonte da cui promana tutta la sua
forza »,(15)
occorre anche ricordare che la vita spirituale « non si esaurisce nella
partecipazione alla sola sacra Liturgia. Il cristiano chiamato alla preghiera
in comune, nondimeno deve anche entrare nella sua camera per pregare il Padre
nel segreto (cfr Mt 6, 6); anzi, deve pregare incessantemente come
insegna l'Apostolo (cfr 1Ts 5, 17) ».(16)
Il Rosario si pone, con una sua specificità, in questo variegato scenario della
preghiera 'incessante', e se la Liturgia, azione di Cristo e della Chiesa,
è azione salvifica per eccellenza, il Rosario, quale meditazione su Cristo
con Maria, è contemplazione salutare. L'immergersi infatti, di mistero in mistero,
nella vita del Redentore, fa sì che quanto Egli ha operato e la Liturgia
attualizza venga profondamente assimilato e plasmi l'esistenza.
Imparare Cristo da Maria
14. Cristo è il Maestro
per eccellenza, il rivelatore e la rivelazione. Non si tratta solo di imparare
le cose che Egli ha insegnato, ma di 'imparare Lui'. Ma quale maestra, in
questo, più esperta di Maria? Se sul versante divino è lo Spirito il Maestro
interiore che ci porta alla piena verità di Cristo (cfr Gv 14, 26;
15, 26; 16, 13), tra gli esseri umani, nessuno meglio di Lei conosce Cristo,
nessuno come la Madre può introdurci a una conoscenza profonda del suo mistero.
Il primo dei 'segni'
compiuto da Gesù – la trasformazione dell'acqua in vino alle nozze di Cana – ci
mostra Maria appunto nella veste di maestra, mentre esorta i servi a eseguire
le disposizioni di Cristo (cfr Gv 2, 5). E possiamo immaginare che
tale funzione Ella abbia svolto per i discepoli dopo l'Ascensione di Gesù,
quando rimase con loro ad attendere lo Spirito Santo e li confortò nella prima
missione. Il passare con Maria attraverso le scene del Rosario è come mettersi
alla 'scuola' di Maria per leggere Cristo, per penetrarne i segreti, per
capirne il messaggio.
Una scuola, quella di
Maria, tanto più efficace, se si pensa che Ella la svolge ottenendoci in
abbondanza i doni dello Spirito Santo e insieme proponendoci l'esempio di
quella « peregrinazione della fede »,(17)
nella quale è maestra incomparabile. Di fronte a ogni mistero del Figlio, Ella
ci invita, come nella sua Annunciazione, a porre con umiltà gli interrogativi
che aprono alla luce, per concludere sempre con l'obbedienza della fede: « Sono
la serva del Signore, avvenga di me quello che hai detto » (Lc 1,
38).
Conformarsi a Cristo con
Maria
15.La spiritualità
cristiana ha come suo carattere qualificante l'impegno del discepolo di
conformarsi sempre più pienamente al suo Maestro (cfr Rm 8, 29; Fil 3,
10. 21). L'effusione dello Spirito nel Battesimo inserisce il credente come
tralcio nella vite che è Cristo (cfr Gv 15, 5), lo costituisce membro
del suo mistico Corpo (cfr 1Cor 12, 12; Rm 12,5). A questa
unità iniziale, tuttavia, deve corrispondere un cammino di assimilazione
crescente a Lui, che orienti sempre più il comportamento del discepolo secondo
la 'logica' di Cristo: « Abbiate in voi gli stessi sentimenti che furono in
Cristo Gesù » (Fil 2, 5). Occorre, secondo le parole dell'Apostolo, «
rivestirsi di Cristo » (cfr Rm 13, 14; Gal 3, 27).
Nel percorso spirituale
del Rosario, basato sulla contemplazione incessante – in compagnia di Maria –
del volto di Cristo, questo ideale esigente di conformazione a Lui viene
perseguito attraverso la via di una frequentazione che potremmo dire 'amicale'.
Essa ci immette in modo naturale nella vita di Cristo e ci fa come 'respirare'
i suoi sentimenti. Dice in proposito il beato Bartolo Longo: « Come due amici,
praticando frequentemente insieme, sogliono conformarsi anche nei costumi, così
noi, conversando familiarmente con Gesù e la Vergine, nel meditare i Misteri
del Rosario, e formando insieme una medesima vita con la Comunione, possiamo
divenire, per quanto ne sia capace la nostra bassezza, simili ad essi, ed
apprendere da questi sommi esemplari il vivere umile, povero, nascosto,
paziente e perfetto ».(18)
Per questo processo di
conformazione a Cristo, nel Rosario, noi ci affidiamo in particolare all'azione
materna della Vergine Santa. Colei che di Cristo è la genitrice, mentre è essa
stessa appartenente alla Chiesa quale « membro eccelso e del tutto eccezionale
»,(19)
è al tempo stesso la 'Madre della Chiesa'. Come tale continuamente 'genera'
figli al Corpo mistico del Figlio. Lo fa mediante l'intercessione, implorando
per essi l'effusione inesauribile dello Spirito. Ella è l'icona perfetta
della maternità della Chiesa.
Il Rosario ci trasporta
misticamente accanto a Maria impegnata a seguire la crescita umana di Cristo
nella casa di Nazareth. Ciò le consente di educarci e di plasmarci con la
medesima sollecitudine, fino a che Cristo non « sia formato » in noi pienamente
(cfr Gal 4, 19). Questa azione di Maria, totalmente fondata su quella
di Cristo e ad essa radicalmente subordinata, « non impedisce minimamente
l'unione immediata dei credenti con Cristo, ma la facilita ».(20)
È il luminoso principio espresso dal Concilio Vaticano II, che ho sperimentato
tanto fortemente nella mia vita, facendone la base del mio motto episcopale: Totus
tuus.(21)
Un motto, com'è noto, ispirato alla dottrina di San Luigi Maria Grignion de
Montfort, che così spiegava il ruolo di Maria nel processo di conformazione a
Cristo di ciascuno di noi: « Tutta la nostra perfezione consiste
nell'essere conformi, uniti e consacrati a Gesù Cristo. Perciò la più perfetta
di tutte le devozioni è incontestabilmente quella che ci conforma, unisce e
consacra più perfettamente a Gesù Cristo. Ora, essendo Maria la creatura più
conforme a Gesù Cristo, ne segue che, tra tutte le devozioni, quella che
consacra e conforma di più un'anima a Nostro Signore è la devozione a Maria,
sua santa Madre, e che più un'anima sarà consacrata a lei, più sarà consacrata
a Gesù Cristo ».(22)
Mai come nel Rosario la via di Cristo e quella di Maria appaiono così
profondamente congiunte. Maria non vive che in Cristo e in funzione di
Cristo!
Supplicare Cristo con
Maria
16.Cristo ci ha invitati
a rivolgerci a Dio con insistenza e fiducia per essere esauditi: « Chiedete e
vi sarà dato; cercate e troverete; bussate e vi sarà aperto » (Mt 7, 7).
Il fondamento di questa efficacia della preghiera è la bontà del Padre, ma
anche la mediazione presso di Lui da parte di Cristo stesso (cfr 1Gv 2,
1) e l'azione dello Spirito Santo, che « intercede per noi » secondo i disegni
di Dio (cfr Rm 8, 26-27). Noi infatti « nemmeno sappiamo che cosa sia
conveniente domandare » (Rm 8, 26) e talvolta non veniamo esauditi perché
« chiediamo male » (cfr Gc 4, 2-3).
A sostegno della
preghiera, che Cristo e lo Spirito fanno sgorgare nel nostro cuore, interviene
Maria con la sua intercessione materna. « La preghiera della Chiesa è come sostenuta
dalla preghiera di Maria ».(23)
In effetti, se Gesù, unico Mediatore, è la Via della nostra preghiera, Maria,
pura trasparenza di Lui, mostra la Via, ed « è a partire da questa singolare
cooperazione di Maria all'azione dello Spirito Santo, che le Chiese hanno
sviluppato la preghiera alla santa Madre di Dio, incentrandola sulla persona di
Cristo manifestata nei suoi misteri ».(24)
Alle nozze di Cana il Vangelo mostra appunto l'efficacia dell'intercessione di
Maria, che si fa portavoce presso Gesù delle umane necessità: « Non hanno più
vino » (Gv 2, 3).
Il Rosario è insieme
meditazione e supplica. L'insistente implorazione della Madre di Dio poggia
sulla fiducia che la sua materna intercessione può tutto sul cuore del Figlio.
Ella è « onnipotente per grazia »,(25)
come, con audace espressione da ben comprendere, diceva nella sua Supplica
alla Vergine il beato Bartolo Longo. Una certezza, questa, che, a partire
dal Vangelo, si è andata consolidando per via di esperienza nel popolo
cristiano. Il sommo poeta Dante la interpreta stupendamente, nella linea di san
Bernardo, quando canta: « Donna, se' tanto grande e tanto vali, / che qual vuol
grazia e a te non ricorre, / sua disianza vuol volar sanz'ali ».(26)
Nel Rosario Maria, santuario dello Spirito Santo (cfr Lc 1, 35),
mentre è supplicata da noi, si pone per noi davanti al Padre che l'ha colmata
di grazia e al Figlio nato dal suo grembo, pregando con noi e per noi.
Annunciare Cristo con
Maria
17. Il Rosario è
anche un percorso di annuncio e di approfondimento, nel quale il mistero
di Cristo viene continuamente ripresentato ai diversi livelli dell'esperienza
cristiana. Il modulo è quello di unapresentazione orante e contemplativa, che
mira a plasmare il discepolo secondo il cuore di Cristo. In effetti, se nella
recita del Rosario tutti gli elementi per un'efficace meditazione vengono
adeguatamente valorizzati, ne nasce, specialmente nella celebrazione comunitaria
nelle parrocchie e nei santuari, una significativa opportunità catechetica che
i Pastori devono saper cogliere. La Vergine del Rosario continua anche in
questo modo la sua opera di annuncio di Cristo. La storia del Rosario mostra
come questa preghiera sia stata utilizzata specialmente dai Domenicani, in un
momento difficile per la Chiesa a motivo del diffondersi dell'eresia. Oggi
siamo davanti a nuove sfide. Perché non riprendere in mano la Corona con la
fede di chi ci ha preceduto? Il Rosario conserva tutta la sua forza e rimane
una risorsa non trascurabile nel corredo pastorale di ogni buon
evangelizzatore.
Nicolò Grassi (1682–1748), Rosary
Mother of God with Sts Dominic and Francis of Assisi / Rožnovenska Mati Božja s
sv. Dominikom in sv. Frančiškom Asiškim, circa 1700, 161 x 110, Jesenice Upper Sava Museum, Jesenice
Paintings by Nicola Grassi ; Paintings
of Madonna and Child in the National Gallery of Slovenia ; 18th-century
paintings of Our Lady of the Rosary ; Paintings in the
Jesenice Upper Sava Museum
CAPITOLO II
Il Rosario « compendio
del Vangelo »
18. Alla contemplazione
del volto di Cristo non ci si introduce che ascoltando, nello Spirito, la voce
del Padre, perché « nessuno conosce il Figlio se non il Padre » (Mt 11,
27). Nei pressi di Cesarea di Filippo, di fronte alla confessione di Pietro,
Gesù preciserà la fonte di una così limpida intuizione della sua identità: « Né
la carne né il sangue te l'hanno rivelato, ma il Padre mio che sta nei cieli »
(Mt 16, 17). È necessaria dunque la rivelazione dall'alto. Ma per
accoglierla, è indispensabile mettersi in ascolto: « Solo l'esperienza del
silenzio e della preghiera offre l'orizzonte adeguato in cui può maturare
e svilupparsi la conoscenza più vera, aderente e coerente, di quel mistero ».(27)
Il Rosario è uno dei
percorsi tradizionali della preghiera cristiana applicata alla contemplazione
del volto di Cristo. Così lo descrisse il Papa Paolo VI: « Preghiera
evangelica, incentrata nel mistero dell'incarnazione redentrice, il Rosario è,dunque,
preghiera di orientamento nettamente cristologico. Infatti, il suo elemento
caratteristico – la ripetizione litanica del « Rallegrati, Maria » –
diviene anch'esso lode incessante a Cristo, termine ultimo dell'annuncio
dell'Angelo e del saluto della madre del Battista: 'Benedetto il frutto del tuo
seno' (Lc 1, 42). Diremo di più: la ripetizione dell'Ave Maria costituisce
l'ordito, sul quale si sviluppa la contemplazione dei misteri: il Gesù che ogni Ave
Maria richiama, è quello stesso che la successione dei misteri ci propone,
a volta a volta, Figlio di Dio e della Vergine ».(28)
Una opportuna
integrazione
19. Dei tanti misteri
della vita di Cristo, il Rosario, così come si è consolidato nella pratica più
comune avvalorata dall'autorità ecclesiale, ne addita solo alcuni. Tale
selezione è stata imposta dall'ordito originario di questa preghiera, che si
venne organizzando sul numero 150 corrispondente a quello dei Salmi.
Ritengo tuttavia che, per
potenziare lo spessore cristologico del Rosario, sia opportuna un'integrazione
che, pur lasciata alla libera valorizzazione dei singoli e delle comunità, gli
consenta di abbracciare anche i misteri della vita pubblica di Cristo tra
il Battesimo e la Passione. È infatti nell'arco di questi misteri che
contempliamo aspetti importanti della persona di Cristo qualerivelatore
definitivo di Dio. Egli è Colui che, dichiarato Figlio diletto del Padre nel
Battesimo al Giordano, annuncia la venuta del Regno, la testimonia con le
opere, ne proclama le esigenze. È negli anni della vita pubblica che il
mistero di Cristo si mostra a titolo speciale quale mistero di luce: «
Finché sono nel mondo, sono la luce del mondo » (Gv 9, 5).
Affinché il Rosario possa
dirsi in modo più pieno 'compendio del Vangelo', è perciò conveniente che, dopo
aver ricordato l'incarnazione e la vita nascosta di Cristo (misteri della gioia),
e prima di soffermarsi sulle sofferenze della passione (misteri del dolore), e
sul trionfo della risurrezione (misteri della gloria), la meditazione si porti
anche su alcuni momenti particolarmente significativi della vita pubblica (misteri
della luce). Questa integrazione di nuovi misteri, senza pregiudicare nessun
aspetto essenziale dell'assetto tradizionale di questa preghiera, è destinata a
farla vivere con rinnovato interesse nella spiritualità cristiana, quale vera
introduzione alla profondità del Cuore di Cristo, abisso di gioia e di luce, di
dolore e di gloria.
Misteri della gioia
20. Il primo ciclo,
quello dei 'misteri gaudiosi', è effettivamente caratterizzato dalla gioia
che irradia dall'evento dell'Incarnazione. Ciò è evidente fin
dall'Annunciazione, dove il saluto di Gabriele alla Vergine di Nazareth si
riallaccia all'invito alla gioia messianica: « Rallegrati, Maria ». A questo
annuncio approda tutta la storia della salvezza, anzi, in certo modo, la storia
stessa del mondo. Se infatti il disegno del Padre è di ricapitolare in Cristo
tutte le cose (cfr Ef 1, 10), è l'intero universo che in qualche modo
è raggiunto dal divino favore con cui il Padre si china su Maria per renderla
Madre del suo Figlio. A sua volta, tutta l'umanità è come racchiusa nel fiat con
cui Ella prontamente corrisponde alla volontà di Dio.
All'insegna
dell'esultanza è poi la scena dell'incontro con Elisabetta, dove la voce stessa
di Maria e la presenza di Cristo nel suo grembo fanno « sussultare di gioia »
Giovanni (cfr Lc 1, 44). Soffusa di letizia è la scena di Betlemme,
in cui la nascita del Bimbo divino, il Salvatore del mondo, è cantata dagli
angeli e annunciata ai pastori proprio come « una grande gioia » (Lc 2,
10).
Ma già i due ultimi
misteri, pur conservando il sapore della gioia, anticipano i segni del
dramma. La presentazione al tempio, infatti, mentre esprime la gioia della
consacrazione e immerge nell'estasi il vecchio Simeone, registra anche la
profezia del « segno di contraddizione » che il Bimbo sarà per Israele e della
spada che trafiggerà l'anima della Madre (cfr Lc 2, 34-35). Gioioso e
insieme drammatico è pure l'episodio di Gesù dodicenne al tempio. Egli qui
appare nella sua divina sapienza, mentre ascolta e interroga, e sostanzialmente
nella veste di colui che 'insegna'. La rivelazione del suo mistero di Figlio
tutto dedito alle cose del Padre è annuncio di quella radicalità evangelica che
pone in crisi anche i legami più cari dell'uomo, di fronte alle esigenze
assolute del Regno. Gli stessi Giuseppe e Maria, trepidanti e angosciati, « non
compresero le sue parole » (Lc 2, 50).
Meditare i misteri
'gaudiosi' significa così entrare nelle motivazioni ultime e nel significato
profondo della gioia cristiana. Significa fissare lo sguardo sulla concretezza
del mistero dell'Incarnazione e sull'oscuro preannuncio del mistero del dolore
salvifico. Maria ci conduce ad apprendere il segreto della gioia cristiana,
ricordandoci che il cristianesimo è innanzitutto euanghelion, 'buona
notizia', che ha il suo centro, anzi il suo stesso contenuto, nella persona di
Cristo, il Verbo fatto carne, unico Salvatore del mondo.
Misteri della luce
21. Passando
dall'infanzia e dalla vita di Nazareth alla vita pubblica di Gesù, la
contemplazione ci porta su quei misteri che si possono chiamare, a titolo
speciale, 'misteri della luce'. In realtà, è tutto il mistero di Cristo
che è luce. Egli è « la luce del mondo » (Gv 8, 12). Ma questa dimensione
emerge particolarmente negli anni della vita pubblica, quando Egli
annuncia il vangelo del Regno. Volendo indicare alla comunità cristiana cinque
momenti significativi – misteri 'luminosi' – di qesta fase della vita di
Cristo, ritengo che essi possano essere opportunamente individuati: 1. nel suo
Battesimo al Giordano, 2. nella sua auto-rivelazione alle nozze di Cana, 3.
nell'annuncio del Regno di Dio con l'invito alla conversione, 4. nella sua
Trasfigurazione e, infine, 5. nell'istituzione dell'Eucaristia, espressione sacramentale
del mistero pasquale.
Ognuno di questi misteri
è rivelazione del Regno ormai giunto nella persona stessa di Gesù. È
mistero di luce innanzitutto il Battesimo al Giordano. Qui, mentre il Cristo
scende, quale innocente che si fa 'peccato' per noi (cfr 2Cor 5, 21),
nell'acqua del fiume, il cielo si apre e la voce del Padre lo proclama Figlio
diletto (cfr Mt 3, 17 e par), mentre lo Spirito scende su di Lui per
investirlo della missione che lo attende. Mistero di luce è l'inizio dei segni
a Cana (cfr Gv 2, 1-12), quando Cristo, cambiando l'acqua in vino,
apre alla fede il cuore dei discepoli grazie all'intervento di Maria, la prima
dei credenti. Mistero di luce è la predicazione con la quale Gesù annuncia
l'avvento del Regno di Dio e invita alla conversione (cfr Mc 1, 15),
rimettendo i peccati di chi si accosta a Lui con umile fiducia (cfr Mc 2,
3-13; Lc 7, 47-48), inizio del ministero di misericordia che Egli
continuerà ad esercitare fino alla fine del mondo, specie attraverso il
sacramento della Riconciliazione affidato alla sua Chiesa (cfr Gv 20,
22-23). Mistero di luce per eccellenza è poi la Trasfigurazione, avvenuta,
secondo la tradizione, sul Monte Tabor. La gloria della Divinità sfolgora sul
volto di Cristo, mentre il Padre lo accredita agli Apostoli estasiati perché lo
ascoltino (cfr Lc 9, 35 e par) e si dispongano a vivere con Lui il
momento doloroso della Passione, per giungere con Lui alla gioia della
Risurrezione e a una vita trasfigurata dallo Spirito Santo. Mistero di luce è,
infine, l'istituzione dell'Eucaristia, nella quale Cristo si fa nutrimento con
il suo Corpo e il suo Sangue sotto i segni del pane e del vino, testimoniando «
sino alla fine » il suo amore per l'umanità (Gv 13, 1), per la cui
salvezza si offrirà in sacrificio.
In questi misteri, tranne
che a Cana, la presenza di Maria rimane sullo sfondo. I Vangeli accennano
appena a qualche sua presenza occasionale in un momento o nell'altro della
predicazione di Gesù (cfr Mc 3, 31-35; Gv 2, 12) e nulla
dicono di un'eventuale presenza nel Cenacolo al momento dell'istituzione
dell'Eucaristia. Ma la funzione che svolge a Cana accompagna, in qualche modo,
tutto il cammino di Cristo. La rivelazione, che nel Battesimo al Giordano è
offerta direttamente dal Padre ed è riecheggiata dal Battista, sta a Cana sulla
sua bocca, e diventa la grande ammonizione materna che Ella rivolge alla Chiesa
di tutti i tempi: « Fate quello che vi dirà » (Gv 2, 5). È ammonizione,
questa, che ben introduce parole e segni di Cristo durante la vita pubblica,
costituendo lo sfondo mariano di tutti i 'misteri della luce'.
Misteri del dolore
22. Ai misteri del dolore
di Cristo i Vangeli danno grande rilievo. Da sempre la pietà cristiana,
specialmente nella Quaresima, attraverso la pratica della Via Crucis, si è
soffermata sui singoli momenti della Passione, intuendo che è qui il
culmine della rivelazione dell'amore ed è qui la sorgente della nostra
salvezza. Il Rosario sceglie alcuni momenti della Passione, inducendo l'orante
a fissarvi lo sguardo del cuore e a riviverli. Il percorso meditativo si apre
col Getsemani, lì dove Cristo vive un momento particolarmente angoscioso di
fronte alla volontà del Padre, alla quale la debolezza della carne sarebbe
tentata di ribellarsi. Lì Cristo si pone nel luogo di tutte le tentazioni
dell'umanità, e di fronte a tutti i peccati dell'umanità, per dire al Padre: «
Non sia fatta la mia, ma la tua volontà » (Lc 22, 42 e par). Questo suo
'sì' ribalta il 'no' dei progenitori nell'Eden. E quanto questa adesione alla
volontà del Padre debba costargli emerge dai misteri seguenti, nei quali, la
salita al Calvario, con la flagellazione, la coronazione di spine, la morte in
croce, Egli è gettato nella più grande abiezione: Ecce homo!
In questa abiezione è
rivelato non soltanto l'amore di Dio, ma il senso stesso dell'uomo. Ecce
homo: chi vuol conoscere l'uomo, deve saperne riconoscere il senso, la radice e
il compimento in Cristo, Dio che si abbassa per amore « fino alla morte, e alla
morte di croce » (Fil 2, 8). I misteri del dolore portano il credente a
rivivere la morte di Gesù ponendosi sotto la croce accanto a Maria, per
penetrare con Lei nell'abisso dell'amore di Dio per l'uomo e sentirne tutta la
forza rigeneratrice.
Misteri della gloria
23.« La contemplazione
del volto di Cristo non può fermarsi all'immagine di Lui crocifisso. Egli è il
Risorto! ».(29)
Da sempre il Rosario esprime questa consapevolezza della fede, invitando il
credente ad andare oltre il buio della Passione, per fissare lo sguardo sulla
gloria di Cristo nella Risurrezione e nell'Ascensione. Contemplando il Risorto
il cristiano riscopre le ragioni della propria fede (cfr 1
Cor 15, 14), e rivive la gioia non soltanto di coloro ai quali Cristo si
manifestò – gli Apostoli, la Maddalena, i discepoli di Emmaus –, ma anche la
gioia di Maria, che dovette fare un'esperienza non meno intensa della nuova
esistenza del Figlio glorificato. A questa gloria che, con l'Ascensione, pone
il Cristo alla destra del Padre, Ella stessa sarà sollevata con l'Assunzione,
giungendo, per specialissimo privilegio, ad anticipare il destino riservato a
tutti i giusti con la risurrezione della carne. Coronata infine di gloria –
come appare nell'ultimo mistero glorioso – Ella rifulge quale Regina degli
Angeli e dei Santi, anticipazione e vertice della condizione escatologica della
Chiesa.
Al centro di questo
percorso di gloria del Figlio e della Madre, il Rosario pone, nel terzo mistero
glorioso, la Pentecoste, che mostra il volto della Chiesa quale famiglia
riunita con Maria, ravvivata dall'effusione potente dello Spirito, pronta per
la missione evangelizzatrice. La contemplazione di questo, come degli altri
misteri gloriosi, deve portare i credenti a prendere coscienza sempre più viva
della loro esistenza nuova in Cristo, all'interno della realtà della Chiesa,
un'esistenza di cui la scena della Pentecoste costituisce la grande 'icona'. I
misteri gloriosi alimentano così nei credenti la speranza della meta
escatologica verso cui sono incamminati come membri del Popolo di Dio
pellegrinante nella storia. Ciò non può non spingerli ad una coraggiosa
testimonianza di quel « lieto annunzio » che dà senso a tutta la loro
esistenza.
Dai 'misteri' al
'Mistero': la via di Maria
24. Questi cicli
meditativi proposti nel Santo Rosario non sono certo esaustivi, ma richiamano
l'essenziale, introducendo l'animo al gusto di una conoscenza di Cristo che
continuamente attinge alla fonte pura del testo evangelico. Ogni singolo tratto
della vita di Cristo, com'è narrato dagli Evangelisti, rifulge di quel Mistero
che supera ogni conoscenza (cfr Ef 3, 19). È il Mistero del Verbo
fatto carne, nel quale « abita corporalmente tutta la pienezza della divinità »
(Col 2, 9). Per questo il Catechismo della
Chiesa Cattolica insiste tanto sui misteri di Cristo, ricordando che «
tutto nella vita di Gesù è segno del suo Mistero ».(30)
Il « duc in altum » della Chiesa nel terzo Millennio si misura sulla
capacità dei cristiani di « penetrare nella perfetta conoscenza del mistero di
Dio, cioè Cristo, nel quale sono nascosti tutti i tesori della sapienza e della
scienza » (Col 2, 2-3). A ciascun battezzato è rivolto l'ardente auspicio
della Lettera agli Efesini: « Che il Cristo abiti per la fede nei vostri cuori
e così, radicati e fondati nella carità, siate in grado di [...] conoscere
l'amore di Cristo che sorpassa ogni conoscenza, perché siate ricolmi di tutta
la pienezza di Dio » (3, 17-19).
Il Rosario si pone a
servizio di questo ideale, offrendo il 'segreto' per aprirsi più facilmente a
una conoscenza profonda e coinvolgente di Cristo. Potremmo dirlo la via di
Maria. È la via dell'esempio della Vergine di Nazareth, donna di fede, di silenzio
e di ascolto. È insieme la via di una devozione mariana animata dalla
consapevolezza dell'inscindibile rapporto che lega Cristo alla sua Madre
Santissima: i misteri di Cristo sono anche, in certo senso, i
misteri della Madre, persino quando non vi è direttamente coinvolta, per il
fatto stesso che Ella vive di Lui e per Lui. Facendo nostre nell'Ave Maria le
parole dell'angelo Gabriele e di sant'Elisabetta, ci sentiamo spinti a cercare
sempre nuovamente in Maria, tra le sue braccia e nel suo cuore, il « frutto
benedetto del suo grembo » (cfr Lc 1, 42).
Mistero di Cristo,
'mistero' dell'uomo
25. Nella già ricordata
testimonianza del 1978 sul Rosario quale mia preghiera prediletta, espressi un
concetto sul quale desidero ritornare.
Dissi allora che « la
semplice preghiera del Rosario batte il ritmo della vita umana ».(31)
Alla luce delle
riflessioni finora svolte sui misteri di Cristo, non è difficile approfondire
questa implicazione antropologica del Rosario. Un'implicazione più
radicale di quanto non appaia a prima vista. Chi si pone in contemplazione di
Cristo ripercorrendo le tappe della sua vita, non può non cogliere in Lui anche
la verità sull'uomo. È la grande affermazione del Concilio Vaticano
II, che fin dalla Lettera enciclica Redemptor
hominis ho fatto tante volte oggetto del mio magistero: « In realtà,
il mistero dell'uomo si illumina veramente soltanto nel mistero del Verbo
incarnato ».(32)
Il Rosario aiuta ad aprirsi a questa luce. Seguendo il cammino di Cristo, nel
quale il cammino dell'uomo è « ricapitolato »,(33)
svelato e redento, il credente si pone davanti all'immagine dell'uomo vero.
Contemplando la sua nascita impara la sacralità della vita, guardando alla casa
di Nazareth apprende la verità originaria sulla famiglia secondo il disegno di
Dio, ascoltando il Maestro nei misteri della vita pubblica attinge la luce per
entrare nel Regno di Dio e, seguendolo sulla via del Calvario, impara il senso
del dolore salvifico. Infine, contemplando Cristo e sua Madre nella gloria,
vede il traguardoa cui ciascuno di noi è chiamato, se si lascia sanare e
trasfigurare dallo Spirito Santo. Si può dire così che ciascun mistero del
Rosario, ben meditato, getta luce sul mistero dell'uomo.
Al tempo stesso, diventa
naturale portare a questo incontro con la santa umanità del Redentore i tanti
problemi, assilli, fatiche e progetti che segnano la nostra vita. « Getta sul
Signore il tuo affanno, ed egli ti darà sostegno » (Sal 55, 23). Meditare
col Rosario significa consegnare i nostri affanni ai cuori misericordiosi di
Cristo e della Madre sua. A distanza di venticinque anni, ripensando alle prove
che non sono mancate nemmeno nell'esercizio del ministero petrino, mi sento di ribadire,
quasi come un caldo invito rivolto a tutti perché ne facciano personale
esperienza: sì, davvero il Rosario « batte il ritmo della vita umana », per
armonizzarla col ritmo della vita divina, nella gioiosa comunione della Santa
Trinità, destino e anelito della nostra esistenza.
.jpg)
Rustichino, Madonna
del Rosario e Santi, Montalcino, Chiesa dei SS. Michele e Angelo in Colle
Francesco Rustici ; Our Lady of the Rosary ; San Michele
Arcangelo (Sant'Angelo in Colle) ; Il
Buon Secolo della Pittura Senese (2017 exhibition - Pienza)
CAPITOLO III
PER ME VIVERE È CRISTO
Il Rosario, via di
assimilazione del mistero
26. La meditazione dei
misteri di Cristo è proposta nel Rosario con un metodo caratteristico, atto per
sua natura a favorire la loro assimilazione. È il metodo basato sulla
ripetizione. Ciò vale innanzitutto per l'Ave Maria, ripetuta per ben dieci
volte ad ogni mistero. Se si guarda superficialmente a questa ripetizione, si
potrebbe essere tentati di ritenere il Rosario una pratica arida e noiosa. Ben
altra considerazione, invece, si può giungere ad avere della Corona, se la si
considera come espressione di quell'amore che non si stanca di tornare alla
persona amata con effusioni che, pur simili nella manifestazione, sono sempre
nuove per il sentimento che le pervade.
In Cristo, Dio ha assunto
davvero un « cuore di carne ». Egli non ha soltanto un cuore divino, ricco di
misericordia e di perdono, ma anche un cuore umano, capace di tutte le
vibrazioni dell'affetto. Se avessimo bisogno in proposito di una testimonianza
evangelica, non sarebbe difficile trovarla nel toccante dialogo di Cristo con
Pietro dopo la Risurrezione: « Simone di Giovanni, mi vuoi bene? ». Per ben tre
volte è posta la domanda, per ben tre volte è data la risposta: « Signore, tu lo
sai che ti voglio bene » (cfr Gv 21, 15-17). Al di là dello specifico
significato del brano, così importante per la missione di Pietro, a nessuno
sfugge la bellezza di questa triplice ripetizione, in cui l'insistente
richiesta e la relativa risposta si esprimono in termini ben noti
all'esperienza universale dell'amore umano. Per comprendere il Rosario, bisogna
entrare nella dinamica psicologica che è propria dell'amore.
Una cosa è chiara: se la
ripetizione dell'Ave Maria si rivolge direttamente a Maria, con Lei e
attraverso di Lei è in definitiva a Gesù che va l'atto di amore. La ripetizione
si alimenta del desiderio di una conformazione sempre più piena a Cristo, vero
'programma' della vita cristiana. San Paolo ha enunciato questo programma con
parole infuocate: « Per me il vivere è Cristo e il morire un guadagno » (Fil 1,
21). E ancora: « Non sono più io che vivo, ma Cristo vive in me » (Gal 2,
20). Il Rosario ci aiuta a crescere in questa conformazione fino al traguardo
della santità.
Un metodo valido...
27. Che il rapporto con
Cristo possa avvalersi anche dell'aiuto di un metodo non deve stupire. Iddio si
comunica all'uomo rispettando il modo di essere della nostra natura ed i suoi
ritmi vitali. Per questo la spiritualità cristiana, pur conoscendo le forme più
sublimi del silenzio mistico, nel quale tutte le immagini, le parole e i gesti
sono come superati dall'intensità di una unione ineffabile dell'uomo con Dio, è
normalmente segnata dal coinvolgimento totale della persona, nella sua
complessa realtà psico-fisica e relazionale.
Questo appare in modo
evidente nella Liturgia. I Sacramenti e i sacramentali sono strutturati
con una serie di riti, che chiamano in causa le diverse dimensioni della
persona. Anche la preghiera non liturgica esprime la stessa esigenza. Lo
conferma il fatto che, in Oriente, la più caratteristica preghiera della
meditazione cristologica, quella centrata sulle parole: « Gesù, Cristo, Figlio
di Dio, Signore, abbi pietà di me peccatore »,(34)
è tradizionalmente legata al ritmo del respiro, che, mentre favorisce la
perseveranza nell'invocazione, assicura quasi una densità fisica al desiderio
che Cristo diventi il respiro, l'anima e il 'tutto' della vita.
... che tuttavia può
essere migliorato
28. Ho ricordato, nella
Lettera apostolica Novo
millennio ineunte, che c'è oggi anche in Occidente una rinnovata
esigenza di meditazione, che trova a volte in altre religioni modalità
piuttosto accattivanti.(35)
Non mancano i cristiani che, per la poca conoscenza della tradizione
contemplativa cristiana, si lasciano allettare da quelle proposte. Esse
tuttavia, pur avendo elementi positivi e talvolta integrabili con l'esperienza
cristiana, nascondono spesso un fondo ideologico inaccettabile. Anche in quelle
esperienze è molto in voga una metodologia che, mirando al traguardo di un'alta
concentrazione spirituale, si avvale di tecniche di carattere psico-fisico,
ripetitive e simboliche. Il Rosario si pone in questo quadro universale della
fenomenologia religiosa, ma si delinea con caratteristiche proprie, che rispondono
alle esigenze tipiche della specificità cristiana.
In effetti, esso non è
che un metodo per contemplare. Come metodo, va utilizzato in relazione al
fine e non può diventare fine a se stesso. Tuttavia, essendo frutto di secolare
esperienza, anche il metodo non va sottovalutato. Milita a suo favore
l'esperienza di innumerevoli Santi. Ciò non toglie, però, che esso possa essere
migliorato. Proprio a questo mira l'integrazione, nel ciclo dei misteri, della
nuova serie dei mysteria lucis, unitamente ad alcuni suggerimenti relativi
alla recita che propongo in questa Lettera. Con essi, pur rispettando la
struttura ampiamente consolidata di questa preghiera, vorrei aiutare i fedeli a
comprenderla nei suoi risvolti simbolici, in sintonia con le esigenze della
vita quotidiana. Senza questo, c'è il rischio che il Rosario non solo non
produca gli effetti spirituali auspicati, ma persino che la corona, con la
quale si è soliti recitarlo, finisca per essere sentita alla stregua di un
amuleto o di un oggetto magico, con un radicale travisamento del suo senso e
della sua funzione.
L'enunciazione del
mistero
29. Enunciare il mistero,
e magari avere l'opportunità di fissare contestualmente un'icona che lo
raffiguri, è come aprire uno scenario su cui concentrare
l'attenzione. Le parole guidano l'immaginazione e l'animo a quel determinato
episodio o momento della vita di Cristo. Nella spiritualità che si è sviluppata
nella Chiesa, sia la venerazione di icone che le molte devozioni ricche di elementi
sensibili, come anche lo stesso metodo proposto da sant'Ignazio di Loyola negli
Esercizi Spirituali, hanno fatto ricorso all'elemento visivo e immaginativo
(la compositio loci), ritenendolo di grande aiuto per favorire la
concentrazione dell'animo sul mistero. È una metodologia, del resto, che corrisponde
alla logica stessa dell'Incarnazione: Dio ha voluto prendere, in Gesù,
lineamenti umani. È attraverso la sua realtà corporea che noi veniamo condotti
a prendere contatto con il suo mistero divino.
A questa esigenza di
concretezza risponde anche l'enunciazione dei vari misteri del Rosario. Certo,
essi non sostituiscono il Vangelo e neppure richiamano tutte le sue pagine. Il
Rosario, pertanto, non sostituisce la lectio divina, al contrario la
suppone e la promuove. Ma se i misteri considerati nel Rosario, anche con il
completamento dei mysteria lucis, si limitano alle linee fondamentali
della vita di Cristo, da essi l'animo può facilmente spaziare sul resto del
Vangelo, soprattutto quando il Rosario è recitato in particolari momenti di
prolungato raccoglimento.
L'ascolto della Parola di
Dio
30. Per dare fondamento
biblico e maggiore profondità alla meditazione, è utile che l'enunciazione del
mistero sia seguita dalla proclamazione di un passo biblico corrispondente che,
a seconda delle circostanze, può essere più o meno ampio. Le altre parole,
infatti, non raggiungono mai l'efficacia propria della parola ispirata. Questa
va ascoltata con la certezza che è Parola di Dio, pronunciata per l'oggi e «
per me ».
Accolta così, essa entra
nella metodologia di ripetizione del Rosario senza suscitare la noia che
sarebbe causata dal semplice richiamo di un'informazione ormai ben acquisita.
No, non si tratta di riportare alla memoria un'informazione, ma di lasciar
'parlare' Dio. In qualche occasione solenne e comunitaria, questa parola può
essere opportunamente illustrata da qualche breve commento.
Il silenzio
31. L'ascolto e la
meditazione si nutrono di silenzio. È opportuno che, dopo l'enunciazione del
mistero e la proclamazione della Parola, per un congruo periodo di tempo ci si
fermi a fissare lo sguardo sul mistero meditato, prima di iniziare la preghiera
vocale. La riscoperta del valore del silenzio è uno dei segreti per la pratica
della contemplazione e della meditazione. Tra i limiti di una società
fortemente tecnologizzata e mass-mediatica, c'è anche il fatto che il silenzio
diventa sempre più difficile. Come nella Liturgia sono raccomandati momenti di
silenzio, anche nella recita del Rosario una breve pausa è opportuna dopo
l'ascolto della Parola di Dio, mentre l'animo si fissa sul contenuto di un
determinato mistero.
Il « Padre nostro »
32. Dopo l'ascolto della
Parola e la focalizzazione del mistero è naturale che l'animo si innalzi
verso il Padre. Gesù, in ciascuno dei suoi misteri, ci porta sempre al Padre, a
cui Egli continuamente si rivolge, perché nel suo 'seno' riposa (cfr Gv 1,
18). Nell'intimità del Padre Egli ci vuole introdurre, perché diciamo con Lui «
Abbà, Padre » (Rm 8, 15; Gal 4, 6). È in rapporto al Padre che
Egli ci fa fratelli suoi e fratelli tra di noi, comunicandoci lo Spirito che è
suo e del Padre insieme. Il Padre nostro, posto quasi come fondamento alla
meditazione cristologico-mariana che si sviluppa attraverso la ripetizione
dell'Ave Maria, rende la meditazione del mistero, anche quando è compiuta in
solitudine, un'esperienza ecclesiale.
Le dieci « Ave Maria »
33. È questo l'elemento
più corposo del Rosario e insieme quello che ne fa una preghiera mariana per
eccellenza. Ma proprio alla luce dell'Ave Maria ben compresa, si avverte
con chiarezza che il carattere mariano non solo non si oppone a quello
cristologico, ma anzi lo sottolinea e lo esalta. La prima parte dell'Ave Maria,
infatti, desunta dalle parole rivolte a Maria dall'angelo Gabriele e da
sant'Elisabetta, è contemplazione adorante del mistero che si compie nella
Vergine di Nazareth. Esse esprimono, per così dire, l'ammirazione del cielo e
della terra e fanno, in certo senso, trapelare l'incanto di Dio stesso nel
contemplare il suo capolavoro – l'incarnazione del Figlio nel grembo verginale
di Maria –, nella linea di quel gioioso sguardo della Genesi (cfr Gn 1,
31), di quell'originario « pathos con cui Dio, all'alba della
creazione, guardò all'opera delle sue mani ».(36)
Il ripetersi, nel Rosario, dell'Ave Maria, ci pone sull'onda dell'incanto di
Dio: è giubilo, stupore, riconoscimento del più grande miracolo della storia. È
il compimento della profezia di Maria: « D'ora in poi tutte le generazioni mi
chiameranno beata » (Lc 1, 48).
Il baricentro dell'Ave
Maria, quasi cerniera tra la prima e la seconda parte, è il nome di Gesù. Talvolta,
nella recitazione frettolosa, questo baricentro sfugge, e con esso anche
l'aggancio al mistero di Cristo che si sta contemplando. Ma è proprio
dall'accento che si dà al nome di Gesù e al suo mistero che si contraddistingue
una significativa e fruttuosa recita del Rosario. Già Paolo VI ricordò,
nell'Esortazione apostolica Marialis cultus, l'uso praticato in alcune
regioni di dar rilievo al nome di Cristo, aggiungendoviuna clausola evocatrice
del mistero che si sta meditando.(37)
È un uso lodevole, specie nella recita pubblica. Esso esprime con forza la fede
cristologica, applicata ai diversi momenti della vita del Redentore. È professione
di fede e, al tempo stesso, aiuto a tener desta la meditazione,
consentendo di vivere la funzione assimilante, insita nella ripetizione dell'Ave
Maria, rispetto al mistero di Cristo. Ripetere il nome di Gesù – l'unico nome
nel quale ci è dato di sperare salvezza (cfr At 4, 12) – intrecciato
con quello della Madre Santissima, e quasi lasciando che sia Lei stessa a
suggerirlo a noi, costituisce un cammino di assimilazione, che mira a farci
entrare sempre più profondamente nella vita di Cristo.
Dallo specialissimo
rapporto con Cristo, che fa di Maria la Madre di Dio, la Theotòkos,
deriva, poi, la forza della supplica con la quale a Lei ci rivolgiamo nella
seconda parte della preghiera, affidando alla sua materna intercessione la
nostra vita e l'ora della nostra morte.
Il « Gloria »
34. La dossologia
trinitaria è il traguardo della contemplazione cristiana. Cristo è infatti la
via che ci conduce al Padre nello Spirito. Se percorriamo fino in fondo questa
via, ci ritroviamo continuamente di fronte al mistero delle tre Persone divine
da lodare, adorare, ringraziare. È importante che il Gloria, culmine
della contemplazione, sia messo bene in evidenza nel Rosario. Nella recita
pubblica potrebbe essere cantato, per dare opportuna enfasi a questa
prospettiva strutturale e qualificante di ogni preghiera cristiana.
Nella misura in cui la
meditazione del mistero è stata attenta, profonda, ravvivata – di Ave in Ave –
dall'amore per Cristo e per Maria, la glorificazione trinitaria ad ogni
diecina, lungi dal ridursi ad una rapida conclusione, acquista il suo giusto
tono contemplativo, come per elevare l'animo all'altezza del Paradiso e farci
rivivere, in qualche modo, l'esperienza del Tabor, anticipazione della
contemplazione futura: « È bello per noi stare qui » (Lc 9, 33).
La giaculatoria finale
35. Nella pratica
corrente del Rosario, dopo la dossologia trinitaria segue una giaculatoria, che
varia a seconda delle consuetudini. Senza nulla togliere al valore di tali
invocazioni, sembra opportuno rilevare che la contemplazione dei misteri potrà
meglio esprimere tutta la sua fecondità, se si avrà cura di far sì che ciascun
mistero si concluda con una preghiera volta ad ottenere i frutti specifici
della meditazione di quel mistero. In questo modo il Rosario potrà esprimere
con maggiore efficacia il suo legame con la vita cristiana. Lo suggerisce una
bella orazione liturgica, che ci invita a chiedere di poter giungere, meditando
i misteri del Rosario, ad « imitare ciò che contengono e ad ottenere ciò che
promettono ».(38)
Tale preghiera finale
potrà ispirarsi, come già succede, a una legittima varietà. Il Rosario acquista
in tal modo anche una fisionomia più adeguata alle varie tradizioni spirituali
e alle varie comunità cristiane. In questa prospettiva, è auspicabile che si
diffondano, col debito discernimento pastorale, le proposte più significative,
magari sperimentate in centri e santuari mariani particolarmente attenti alla
pratica del Rosario, in modo che il Popolo di Dio possa avvalersi di ogni
autentica ricchezza spirituale, traendone nutrimento per la propria
contemplazione.
La 'corona'
36. Strumento
tradizionale per la recita del Rosario è la corona. Nella pratica più
superficiale, essa finisce per essere spesso un semplice strumento di conteggio
per registrare il succedersi delle Ave Maria. Ma essa si presta anche ad
esprimere un simbolismo, che può dare ulteriore spessore alla contemplazione.
A tal proposito, la prima
cosa da notare è come la corona converga verso il Crocifisso, che apre
così e chiude il cammino stesso dell'orazione. In Cristo è centrata la vita e
la preghiera dei credenti. Tutto parte da Lui, tutto tende a Lui,tutto,
mediante Lui, nello Spirito Santo, giunge al Padre.
In quanto strumento di
conteggio, che scandisce l'avanzare della preghiera, la corona evoca
l'incessante cammino della contemplazione e della perfezione cristiana. Il
beato Bartolo Longo la vedeva anche come una 'catena' che ci lega a Dio.
Catena, sì, ma catena dolce; tale sempre si rivela il rapporto con un Dio che è
Padre. Catena 'filiale', che ci pone in sintonia con Maria, la « serva del Signore
» (Lc 1, 38), e, in definitiva, con Cristo stesso, che, pur essendo Dio,
si fece « servo » per amore nostro (Fil 2, 7).
Bello è anche estendere
il significato simbolico della corona al nostro rapporto reciproco, ricordando
con essa il vincolo di comunione e di fraternità che tutti ci lega in Cristo.
Avvio e chiusa
37. Sono vari, nella
prassi corrente, i modi di introdurre il Rosario nei diversi contesti
ecclesiali. In alcune regioni, si suole iniziare con l'invocazione del Salmo
69: « O Dio, vieni a salvarmi; Signore, vieni presto in mio aiuto », quasi ad
alimentare nell'orante l'umile consapevolezza della propria indigenza; altrove,
invece, l'avvio avviene con la recita del Credo, quasi a mettere la
professione di fede a fondamento del cammino contemplativo che si intraprende.
Questi e simili modi, nella misura in cui ben dispongono l'animo alla
contemplazione, sono usi ugualmente legittimi. La recita è poi conclusa con la
preghiera secondo le intenzioni del Papa, per allargare lo sguardo di chi prega
sull'ampio orizzonte delle necessità ecclesiali. È proprio per incoraggiare
questa proiezione ecclesiale del Rosario che la Chiesa ha voluto arricchirlo di
sante indulgenze per chi lo recita con le debite disposizioni.
In effetti, se vissuto
così, il Rosario diventa veramente un percorso spirituale, in cui Maria si fa
madre, maestra, guida, e sostiene il fedele con la sua intercessione potente.
Come stupirsi se l'animo sente il bisogno, alla fine di questa preghiera, in
cui ha fatto intima esperienza della maternità di Maria, di sciogliersi nelle
lodi per la Vergine Santa, sia nella splendida preghiera della Salve
Regina, che in quella delle Litanie lauretane? È il coronamento di un
cammino interiore, che ha portato il fedele a contatto vivo con il mistero di
Cristo e della sua Madre Santissima.
La distribuzione nel
tempo
38. Il Rosario può essere
recitato integralmente ogni giorno, e non manca chi lodevolmente lo fa. Esso
viene così a riempire di orazione le giornate di tanti contemplativi, o a tener
compagnia ad ammalati ed anziani che dispongono di tempo abbondante. Ma è ovvio
– e ciò vale a maggior ragione, se si aggiunge il nuovo ciclo dei mysteria
lucis – che molti non potranno recitarne cheuna parte, secondo un certo
ordine settimanale. Questa distribuzione settimanale finisce per dare alle
varie giornate della settimana un certo 'colore' spirituale, analogamente a
quanto la Liturgia fa con le varie fasi dell'anno liturgico.
Secondo la prassi
corrente, il lunedì e il giovedì sono dedicati ai « misteri della gioia », il
martedì e il venerdì ai « misteri del dolore », il mercoledì, il sabato e la
domenica ai « misteri della gloria ». Dove inserire i « misteri della luce »?
Considerando che i misteri gloriosi sono riproposti di seguito il sabato e la
domenica e che il sabato è tradizionalmente un giorno a forte carattere mariano,
sembra consigliabile spostare al sabato la seconda meditazione settimanale dei
misteri gaudiosi, nei quali la presenza di Maria è più pronunciata. Il giovedì
resta così libero proprio per la meditazione dei misteri della luce.
Questa indicazione non
intende tuttavia limitare una conveniente libertà nella meditazione personale e
comunitaria, a seconda delle esigenze spirituali e pastorali e soprattutto
delle coincidenze liturgiche che possono suggerire opportuni adattamenti. Ciò
che è veramente importante è che il Rosario sia sempre più concepito e
sperimentato come itinerario contemplativo. Attraverso di esso, in modo
complementare a quanto si compie nella Liturgia, la settimana del cristiano,
incardinata sulla domenica, giorno della risurrezione, diventa un cammino
attraverso i misteri della vita di Cristo, e questi si afferma, nella vita dei
suoi discepoli, come Signore del tempo e della storia.
Notre Dame du Rosaire / Our Lady of the Rosary, circa 1740, fresco on intonaco, 390 x 450, , La chiesa di Nostra Signora della Concordia ad Albissola Marina, in provincia di Savona
CONCLUSIONE
« Rosario benedetto
di Maria, catena dolce che ci rannodi a Dio »
39. Quanto fin qui s'è detto,
esprime ampiamente la ricchezza di questa preghiera tradizionale, che ha la
semplicità di una preghiera popolare, ma anche la profondità teologica di una
preghiera adatta a chi avverte l'esigenza di una contemplazione più matura.
A questa preghiera la
Chiesa ha riconosciuto sempre una particolare efficacia, affidando ad essa,
alla sua recita corale, alla sua pratica costante, le cause più difficili. In
momenti in cui la cristianità stessa era minacciata, fu alla forza di questa
preghiera che si attribuì lo scampato pericolo e la Vergine del Rosario fu
salutata come propiziatrice della salvezza.
Oggi all'efficacia di
questa preghiera consegno volentieri – l'ho accennato all'inizio – la causa
della pace nel mondo e quella della famiglia.
La pace
40. Le difficoltà che
l'orizzonte mondiale presenta in questo avvio di nuovo Millennio ci inducono a
pensare che solo un intervento dall'Alto, capace di orientare i cuori di quanti
vivono situazioni conflittuali e di quanti reggono le sorti delle Nazioni, può
far sperare in un futuro meno oscuro.
Il Rosario è
preghiera orientata per sua natura alla pace, per il fatto stesso che consiste
nella contemplazione di Cristo, Principe della pace e « nostra pace » (Ef 2,14).
Chi assimila il mistero di Cristo – e il Rosario proprio a questo mira –,
apprende il segreto della pace e ne fa un progetto di vita. Inoltre, in forza
del suo carattere meditativo, con il tranquillo succedersi delle Ave Maria,
il Rosario esercita sull'orante un'azione pacificante che lo dispone a ricevere
e sperimentare nella profondità del suo essere e a diffondere intorno a sé
quella pace vera che è dono speciale del Risorto (cfr Gv 14, 27; 20,
21).
È poi preghiera di pace
anche per i frutti di carità che produce. Se ben recitato come vera preghiera
meditativa, il Rosario, favorendo l'incontro con Cristo nei suoi misteri, non
può non additare anche il volto di Cristo nei fratelli, specie in quelli più
sofferenti. Come si potrebbe fissare, nei misteri gaudiosi, il mistero del
Bimbo nato a Betlemme senza provare il desiderio di accogliere, difendere e
promuovere la vita, facendosi carico della sofferenza dei bambini in tutte le
parti del mondo? Come si potrebbero seguire i passi del Cristo rivelatore, nei
misteri della luce, senza proporsi di testimoniare le sue beatitudini nella
vita di ogni giorno? E come contemplare il Cristo carico della croce e
crocifisso, senza sentire il bisogno di farsi suoi « cirenei » in ogni fratello
affranto dal dolore o schiacciato dalla disperazione? Come si potrebbe, infine,
fissare gli occhi sulla gloria di Cristo risorto e su Maria incoronata Regina,
senza provare il desiderio di rendere questo mondo più bello, più giusto, più
vicino al disegno di Dio?
Insomma, mentre ci fa
fissare gli occhi su Cristo, il Rosario ci rende anche costruttori della pace
nel mondo. Per la sua caratteristica di petizione insistente e corale, in
sintonia con l'invito di Cristo a pregare « sempre, senza stancarsi » (Lc 18,1),
esso ci consente di sperare che, anche oggi, una 'battaglia' tanto difficile
come quella della pace possa essere vinta. Lungi dall'essere una fuga dai
problemi del mondo, il Rosario ci spinge così a guardarli con occhio
responsabile e generoso, e ci ottiene la forza di tornare ad essi con la
certezza dell'aiuto di Dio e con il proposito fermo di testimoniare in ogni
circostanza « la carità, che è il vincolo di perfezione » (Col 3, 14).
La famiglia: i
genitori...
41. Preghiera per la
pace, il Rosario è anche, da sempre, preghiera della famiglia e per la
famiglia. Un tempo questa preghiera era particolarmente cara alle famiglie
cristiane, e certamente ne favoriva la comunione. Occorre non disperdere questa
preziosa eredità. Bisogna tornare a pregare in famiglia e a pregare per le
famiglie, utilizzando ancora questa forma di preghiera.
Se nella Lettera
apostolica Novo
millennio ineunte ho incoraggiato la celebrazione della Liturgia
delle Ore anche da parte dei laici nella vita ordinaria delle comunità
parrocchiali e dei vari gruppi cristiani,(39)
altrettanto desidero fare per il Rosario. Si tratta di due vie non alternative,
ma complementari, della contemplazione cristiana. Chiedo pertanto a quanti si
dedicano alla pastorale delle famiglie di suggerire con convinzione la recita
del Rosario.
La famiglia che prega
unita, resta unita. Il Santo Rosario, per antica tradizione, si presta
particolarmente ad essere preghiera in cui la famiglia si ritrova. I singoli
membri di essa, proprio gettando lo sguardo su Gesù, recuperano anche la capacità
di guardarsi sempre nuovamente negli occhi, per comunicare, per solidarizzare,
per perdonarsi scambievolmente, per ripartire con un patto di amore rinnovato
dallo Spirito di Dio.
Molti problemi delle
famiglie contemporanee, specie nelle società economicamente evolute, dipendono
dal fatto che diventa sempre più difficile comunicare. Non si riesce a stare
insieme, e magari i rari momenti dello stare insieme sono assorbiti dalle
immagini di un televisore. Riprendere a recitare il Rosario in famiglia significa
immettere nella vita quotidiana ben altre immagini, quelle del mistero che
salva: l'immaginedel Redentore, l'immagine della sua Madre Santissima. La
famiglia che recita insieme il Rosario riproduce un po' il clima della casa di
Nazareth: si pone Gesù al centro, si condividono con lui gioie e dolori, si
mettono nelle sue mani bisogni e progetti, si attingono da lui la speranza e la
forza per il cammino.
... e i figli
42. A questa preghiera è
anche bello e fruttuoso affidare l'itinerario di crescita dei figli. Non
è forse, il Rosario, l'itinerario della vita di Cristo, dal concepimento, alla
morte, fino alla resurrezione e alla gloria? Diventa oggi sempre più arduo per
i genitori seguire i figli nelle varie tappe della vita. Nella società della
tecnologia avanzata, dei mass media e della globalizzazione, tutto è
diventato così rapido e la distanza culturale tra le generazioni si fa sempre
più grande. I più diversi messaggi e le esperienze più imprevedibili si fanno
presto spazio nella vita dei ragazzi e degli adolescenti, e per i genitori
diventa talvolta angoscioso far fronte ai rischi che essi corrono. Si trovano
non di rado a sperimentare delusioni cocenti, constatando i fallimenti dei
propri figli di fronte alla seduzione della droga, alle attrattive di un
edonismo sfrenato, alle tentazioni della violenza, alle più varie espressioni
del non senso e della disperazione.
Pregare col Rosario per
i figli, e ancor più con i figli, educandoli fin dai teneri anni a questo
momento giornaliero di « sosta orante » della famiglia, non è, certo, la
soluzione di ogni problema, ma è un aiuto spirituale da non sottovalutare. Si
può obiettare che il Rosario appare preghiera poco adatta al gusto dei ragazzi
e dei giovani d'oggi. Ma forse l'obiezione tiene conto di un modo di praticarlo
spesso poco accurato. Del resto, fatta salva la sua struttura fondamentale,
nulla vieta che per i ragazzi e i giovani la recita del Rosario – tanto in
famiglia quanto nei gruppi – si arricchisca di opportuni accorgimenti simbolici
e pratici, che ne favoriscano la comprensione e la valorizzazione. Perché non
provarci? Una pastorale giovanile non rinunciataria, appassionata e creativa –
le Giornate Mondiali della Gioventù me ne hanno dato la misura! – è capace di
fare, con l'aiuto di Dio, cose davvero significative. Se il Rosario viene ben
presentato, sono sicuro che i giovani stessi saranno capaci di sorprendere
ancora una volta gli adulti, nel far propria questa preghiera e nel recitarla
con l'entusiasmo tipico della loro età.
Il Rosario, un tesoro da
riscoprire
43. Carissimi fratelli e
sorelle! Una preghiera così facile, e al tempo stesso così ricca, merita
davvero di essere riscoperta dalla comunità cristiana. Facciamolo soprattutto
in questo anno, assumendo questa proposta come un rafforzamento della linea
tracciata nella Lettera apostolica Novo
millennio ineunte, a cui i piani pastorali di tante Chiese particolari si
sono ispirati nel programmare l'impegno per il prossimo futuro.
Mi rivolgo in particolare
a voi, cari Confratelli nell'Episcopato, sacerdoti e diaconi, e a voi,
operatori pastorali nei diversi ministeri, perché, facendo esperienza personale
della bellezza del Rosario, ne diventiate solerti promotori.
Confido anche in voi,
teologi, perché praticando una riflessione al tempo stesso rigorosa e
sapienziale, radicata nella Parola di Dio e sensibile al vissuto del popolo
cristiano, facciate scoprire, di questa preghiera tradizionale, i fondamenti
biblici, le ricchezze spirituali, la validità pastorale.
Conto su di voi,
consacrati e consacrate, chiamati a titolo particolare a contemplare il volto
di Cristo alla scuola di Maria.
Guardo a voi tutti,
fratelli e sorelle di ogni condizione, a voi, famiglie cristiane, a voi,
ammalati e anziani, a voi giovani: riprendete con fiducia tra le mani la
corona del Rosario, riscoprendola alla luce della Scrittura, in armonia con la
Liturgia, nel contesto della vita quotidiana.
Che questo mio appello
non cada inascoltato! All'inizio del venticinquesimo anno di Pontificato,
affido questa Lettera apostolica alle mani sapienti della Vergine Maria, prostrandomi
spiritualmente davanti alla sua immagine nello splendido santuario a Lei
edificato dal beato Bartolo Longo, apostolo del Rosario. Faccio volentieri mie
le parole toccanti con le quali egli chiude la celebre Supplica alla
Regina del Santo Rosario: « O Rosario benedetto di Maria, catena dolce che ci
rannodi a Dio, vincolo di amore che ci unisci agli Angeli, torre di salvezza negli
assalti dell'inferno, porto sicuro nel comune naufragio, noi non ti lasceremo
mai più. Tu ci sarai conforto nell'ora dell'agonia. A te l'ultimo bacio della
vita che si spegne. E l'ultimo accento delle nostre labbra sarà il nome tuo
soave, o Regina del Rosario di Pompei, o Madre nostra cara, o Rifugio dei
peccatori, o Sovrana consolatrice dei mesti. Sii ovunque benedetta, oggi e
sempre, in terra e in cielo ».
Dal Vaticano, il 16
ottobre dell'anno 2002, inizio del venticinquesimo di Pontificato.
GIOVANNI PAOLO II
(1)
Conc. Ecum. Vat. II, Cost. past. sulla Chiesa nel mondo contemporaneo Gaudium
et spes, 45.
(2)
Cfr Paolo VI, Esort. ap. Marialis cultus (2 febbraio 1974), 42: AAS 66
(1974), 153.
(3)
Cfr Acta Leonis XIII, 3 (1884), 280-289.
(4)
Degna di nota è, in particolare, la sua Epistola apostolica sul Rosario Il
religioso convegno (29 settembre 1961): AAS 53 (1961), 641-647.
(5) Angelus:
Insegnamenti I (1978), 75-76.
(7)
Giovanni XXIII negli anni di preparazione del Concilio non aveva mancato di
invitare la comunità cristiana alla recita del Rosario per la riuscita di
questo evento ecclesiale: cfr Lettera al Cardinale Vicario del 28
settembre 1960: AAS 52 (1960), 814-817.
(8)
Cost. dogm. sulla Chiesa Lumen gentium, 66.
(9)
N. 32: AAS 93 (2001), 288.
(11)
È noto e va ribadito che le rivelazioni private non sono della stessa natura
della rivelazione pubblica, normativa per tutta la Chiesa. È compito del
Magistero discernere e riconoscere l'autenticità ed il valore delle rivelazioni
private per la pietà dei fedeli.
(12) Il
segreto meraviglioso del Santo Rosario per convertirsi e salvarsi: Opere,
1, Scritti Spirituali, Roma 1990, pp. 729-843.
(13)
B. Bartolo Longo, Storia del Santuario di Pompei, Pompei 1990, p.59.
(14)
Esort. ap. Marialis cultus (2 febbraio 1974), 47: AAS 66
(1974), 156.
(15)
Cost. sulla sacra Liturgia Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10.
(17)
Conc. Ecum. Vat. II, Cost. dogm. sulla Chiesa Lumen gentium, 58.
(18) I
Quindici Sabati del Santissimo Rosario, 27ª ed., Pompei 1916, p.
27.
(19)
Conc. Ecum. Vat. II, Cost. dogm. sulla Chiesa Lumen gentium, 53.
(21)
Cfr Primo radiomessaggio Urbi et orbi (17 ottobre 1978): AAS 70
(1978), 927.
(22) Trattato
della vera devozione a Maria, 120: Opere, 1, Scritti spirituali, Roma
1990, p. 430.
(23) Catechismo
della Chiesa Cattolica, 2679.
(25)
La Supplica alla Regina del Santo Rosario, che si recita solennemente due
volte l'anno, in maggio e ottobre, fu composta dal beato Bartolo Longo nel
1883, come adesione all'invito del Papa Leone XIII ai cattolici, nella sua
prima Enciclica sul Rosario, per un impegno spirituale volto a fronteggiare i
mali della società.
(26) Divina
Commedia, Par. XXXIII, 13-15.
(27)
Giovanni Paolo II, Lett. ap. Novo millennio ineunte (6gennaio 2001),
20: AAS 93 (2001), 279.
(28)
Esort. ap. Marialis cultus (2 febbraio 1974), 46: AAS 66
(1974), 155.
(29)
Giovanni Paolo II, Lett. ap. Novo millennio ineunte (6 gennaio 2001),
28: AAS 93 (2001), 284.
(31) Angelus del
29 ottobre 1978: Insegnamenti I (1978), 76.
(32)
Cost. past. sulla Chiesa nel mondo contemporaneo Gaudium et spes, 22.
(33)
S. Ireneo di Lione, Contro le eresie, III, 18, 1: PG 7, 932.
(34) Catechismo
della Chiesa Cattolica, 2616.
(35)
Cfr n. 33: AAS 93 (2001), 289.
(36)
Giovanni Paolo II, Lettera agli artisti (4 aprile 1999), 1: AAS 91
(1999), 1155.
(37)
Cfr n. 46: AAS 66 (1974), 155. Quest'uso è stato anche recentemente
lodato dalla Congregazione per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti
nel Direttorio su pietà popolare e liturgia. Principi e
orientamenti (17 dicembre 2001), 201, Città del Vaticano, 2002, p. 165.
(38)
« ... concede, quaesumus, ut haec mysteria sacratissimo beatae Mariae
Virginis Rosario recolentes, et imitemur quod continent, et quod promittunt
assequamur »: Missale Romanum 1960, In festo B.M. Virginis
a Rosario.
(39)
Cfr n. 34: AAS 93 (2001), 290.
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LES MYSTÈRES DU SAINT ROSAIRE : https://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/misteri_fr.html#:~:text=LES%20MYST%C3%88RES%20DU%20SAINT%20ROSAIRE&text=Le%20premier%20chapelet%20comprend%20les,glorieux%20(mercredi%20et%20dimanche).
Le Rosaire et le chapelet, Encyclopédie mariale :
https://www.mariedenazareth.com/encyclopedie-mariale/prier-marie-prier-avec-la-vierge-marie/les-grandes-prieres-mariales/le-rosaire-et-le-chapelet
Comment prier le chapelet - Les étapes de la prière du
Rosaire sont : https://rosarycenter.org/fr/how-to-pray-the-rosary/
Quels sont les 5 mystères lumineux du Rosaire ? : https://hozana.org/chapelet/les-mysteres-du-rosaire/les-mysteres-lumineux
