"From the Office of Bishop Raymond J Lahey, Diocese of Antigonish, NS"

The Rosary Renewed

The year leading to his 25th anniversary this month (October 2003) Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Rosary. Writing about something clearly very dear to him, he issued a letter titled The Rosary of the Virgin Mary. In this he not only called for a renewed understanding of the Rosary, but actually changed its format, the first time a Pope had done this since 1569.

The Pope first explained that the Rosary is not so much a Marian devotion as a reflection upon Christ. He spoke of it as “learning Christ from Mary,” coming to know Christ personally and becoming formed as Christians according to the heart of Christ. The beads themselves, he said, converging upon the crucifix, remind us that the prayer of believers is always centered upon Christ. Taking up this theme, the Pope stressed that the Rosary had to be prayed not just by multiplying words, but by providing a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace to allow us to meditate upon the Lord’s mysteries.

Similarly, the Holy Father strongly emphasized the Scriptural nature of the Rosary. At its heart it is always a reflection on God’s Word and “a compendium of the Gospels” which should presuppose and promote Scriptural reading. His concrete norms as to how it should be renewed follow from these two key principles: the Rosary can never be anything but Christ-centered and Scripture-based.

To more fully include the mysteries of Christ in the Rosary, the Pope added five new ones. To complement what he called the Mysteries of Joy, the Mysteries of Sorrow and the Mysteries of Glory, the Pope established the Mysteries of Light, recounting Jesus’ public ministry and his self-revelation as Christ and Lord, “the light of the world.” These new Mysteries of Light are: the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the Transfiguration, and the Institution of the Eucharist. These mysteries recall the command of God in the Gospels, “Listen to him,” (Luke 9:35), and speak to every age of Jesus as the Son of God who reveals God’s glory to the world.

These new Mysteries of Light are now prayed on Thursdays, with the Mysteries of Joy prayed on Mondays and Saturdays, the Mysteries of Sorrow on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Mysteries of Glory on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Because the Rosary is a reflection on the Word of God, Pope John Paul also urged that a Scripture reading appropriate to the particular mystery should come after the announcement of the mystery and before the Our Father. In private, this reading could be short, even a verse or two, but longer in public recitation; it is always followed by a silent reflection. Again, the Pope wants to emphasize that praying the Rosary should not be rushed. Similarly, to promote reflection on the particular mystery being prayed, the Pope even suggested that the mystery could be mentioned by adding words to each “Hail Mary,” for example: “and blessed is the fruit of thy [your] womb, Jesus, who ascended into heaven.”

The Pope also called for other changes to the way the Rosary is usually prayed, especially publicly. After the Sign of the Cross and the Creed, or even just the verse “God, come to my assistance / Lord, make haste to help me,” the first mystery follows directly, without further prayers in between. Since the “Glory to the Father” is an acclamation to God, the Pope recommends that it be sung. The Holy Father also asks that the prayer often added after each decade should be a prayer connecting the mystery to Christian living, recommending the prayer “O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death, and resurrection …” He suggests that the Rosary conclude by just a short prayer for the Pope’s monthly intentions and finally the “Hail Holy Queen [Enthroned Above],” sung or recited, or the Litany of Loreto.

Above all, John Paul II sees the Rosary as a great prayer for world peace and a wonderful family prayer. In his view, no one can look upon the face of Christ in the Rosary without seeing the face of Christ in others, thus obliging us to see them “with responsible and generous eyes.” This applies to the world at large; it applies even more within the family. For him, the Rosary is a treasure awaiting re-discovery by the whole Christian community. The Holy Father asks “Why not try it?”