The Rosary – Exemplar of Prayer

In our ongoing examination of the spiritual life, last week we discussed the three main forms of prayer—vocal, meditative, and contemplative. Talking about the forms may leave us only considering them in an abstract way without putting them into practice. They may even seem disconnected and out of reach. There is a way of connecting them in a practical and beautiful manner. It is the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
           
There is probably no more universally recognizable sign of Catholic prayer than the Rosary. Simply to see it in a person’s hand is a reminder of prayer. Part of the Church’s arsenal of prayer and hallmark of Catholic culture, the Rosary is often not appreciated as the powerful school of prayer that it is.
           
Carlo Carretto (1910-1988), an Italian layman who, having become a Little Brother of Jesus, spent 10 years as a hermit in the Sahara Desert following the example of the Little Brothers’ founder, St. Charles de Foucauld, wrote this about the Rosary, “The Rosary belongs to that type of prayer which precedes or accompanies the contemplative prayer of the spirit. Whether you meditate it or not, whether or not you get distracted, if you love the Rosary deeply and can’t let a day go by without saying it, you are already a person of prayer. The rosary is like the echo of a wave breaking on God’s shore: Hail Mary… Hail Mary… Hail Mary… It is like your mother’s hand on your childhood cradle. The Rosary is a point of arrival, not a point of departure” (Carlo Carretto, Letters from the Desert).
           
What does Carlo Carretto mean? I believe that when he notes that the Rosary is a prayer that precedes or accompanies the contemplative prayer of the spirit, he sees the Rosary as an integration of vocal, meditative, and contemplative prayer. In this prayer that is often regarded as for the simple, as repetitious, as old-fashioned, as inferior, can be found a means of using the formal prayers of the Church to enter into meditation on the mysteries of Our Lord’s life, and become an avenue into the prayer of contemplation by which we are united with God.
           
The Rosary is a powerful prayer that helps people of all backgrounds, of all levels of prayer, and of all cultures to deepen their prayer life. The prayerful rhythm of the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys can quiet our minds and hearts in the midst of a noisy and distracted world. The turning of our mind to the mysteries of the Rosary provides a source of meditation and focus for our prayer. Entry into contemplation can be the result of picking up the Rosary and allowing God’s grace to lead us into greater union with Him.
           
Pope St. John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter on the Most Holy Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, taught, “What has been said so far (in this letter) 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” (#39). The Holy Father is echoing the thoughts of Carlo Carretto and countless others who have plumbed or are now plumbing the depths of the Rosary, a prayer recommended by heaven itself. St. John Paul shared, “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’ (Jn 19:26). 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; these shrines continue to be visited by great numbers of pilgrims seeking help and comfort” (#7).
           
Over and over again, Pope Francis encourages us to pray the Rosary. On an apostolic trip to Malta he said, “Often make use of this powerful instrument, the prayer of the Holy Rosary, because it brings peace to hearts, to families, to the Church and the world.”
           
Let us take up the Rosary every day using the structure of the beloved prayers we learned from our youth, calling to mind the mysteries of the life of Our Lord and Our Lady, and trusting that God will lead us into contemplation of His loving Presence.  Persevering in the Rosary, we will be amazed on how it supports our spiritual life. For centuries the sense of the faithful has understood the importance of this cherished and powerful prayer  through which Mary leads us into a deeper relationship with Jesus.   Let us follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in recommending it to others. 

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh