A Deeper Look Into the Rosary

Window at Sacred Heart Parish in Miles City

The word, “rosary” comes from the Latin word rosarium, which means, “rose garden”. The word “chaplet” is from the Old French word chapel ‘hat’ from the Latin cappa ‘cap’. It is a garland or wreath for a person’s head.* The rosary came about as a means of honoring the Mother of God by weaving a wreath of spiritual roses for her head. A chaplet is often used to refer to the rosary in its different forms (as discussed in my previous post). To clarify, we know that Mary is NOT God. So why do we honor her with a garland of spiritual roses? Let’s dive into the Scriptures and find out.

O What Love God Has For Us!

My dad often speaks of a time when he was bringing flowers to Mary’s alcove in our church. He heard Mary saying to him, “my little boy loves to bring flowers to his Mother.” These words still bring tears to his eyes. St. John in his first epistle states, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God and obey his commandments.” (1 John 5:1-2)** So many times our vision of Christ becomes myopic. We think we see and feel what Jesus does. Jesus could have come to us on a cloud or in a fiery chariot with angels guarding his way. Couldn’t Jesus just forgive all of our sins without having to suffer anything?

The answer to this question is: God loved us so much that through His life, death and resurrection, we are not just forgiven, we are redeemed and purified. Our Creator loves us so much that he humbled himself to be born of a woman, flesh and blood. He participated in our humanity so that we could participate in His life. Our Creator gave himself into the hands of a poor family and this family participated in God's plan of salvation.

Something about Mary

Catholics are often accused of putting too much emphasis on Mary at the expense of Jesus. My thought is that God put far more emphasis on Mary than the most devout Catholic ever could.

1)   God said from the time of the original sin in the Garden of Eden, “I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman and between your seed and her seed.” (Gen.3:15) This is a prophecy of the Messiah and the "woman" the devil hates. Ave Maria!

2)   God preserved the line of Abraham and King David through slavery, division, invasion and persecution. (See Matthew 1) Ave Maria!

3)   God sent the archangel Gabriel, who stands before the very Throne of God, to the home of a humble virgin in Nazareth (Luke 1). Ave Maria!

4)   The Spirit of God hovered over the waters at Creation and filled the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of Solomon. This same Spirit that brought all things into being overshadowed Mary. (Luke 1:35) Ave Maria!

5)   One of the greatest acts of praise by any of God’s creation is the Magnificat. “My soul magnifies the Lord . . .” Read it for yourself in Luke 1:46-55. Ave Maria!

6)   An angel from heaven appeared to the lowly shepherds declaring the birth of the Messiah. A host of angels praised God. “Glory to God in the highest!” The shepherds found Mary and Joseph and the babe in a manger. (Luke 2:8-18) Ave Maria!

7)   Creation declared the coming of the Lord. The wise men were led by a star. Coming into the house, the wise men saw the Child with Mary his mother. (Matt. 2:11) What a beautiful sight! Our Savior in the arms of His mother. Ave Maria!

8)   God the Father announced His Son from heaven at the Jordan River. (Luke 3:21-22) At the wedding feast at Cana, Mary requested Jesus perform his first miracle. (John 2) This event began His way to Cross. Ave Maria!

9)   Mary beheld her Son on the cross. From the Cross Jesus gave Mary into the care of the beloved disciple. (John 19:26-27) Ave Maria!

10) The enmity declared in Genesis is revealed in the book of Revelation. "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring (who are they?), on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus” Rev. 12:17. Ave Maria!

Can you see that especially in these last two Bible references that Mary is and should be a part of our lives? Even though God is outside time and space, He sent His Son into the world through a woman. I can see now why the Rosary emphasizes the early years of Jesus in the Joyful Mysteries. These reflections show us that Jesus is fully God and fully human. The Glorious Mysteries reveal how Jesus honored His Mother by her Assumption into Heaven and Crowning as Queen. When we understand this, the rest of the gospel message shines even brighter. We have our physical parents in this world. If Jesus is our Brother, God is our Father and Mary is our Mother!

In honoring our Parents we weave a spiritual garland of roses. Pray the Rosary.

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Jesus, Protect and Save the Unborn!

* Definitions from the New Oxford American Dictionary

**Bible quotes are from the Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition as in previous posts.

Religious Orders and the Rosary: A Walk Through the Scriptures

The Rosary is a wonderful prayer and meditation on the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of His Blessed Mother. In studying the history of the rosary I have come across a number of things that have given me a new appreciation for our faith. One thing I did not know is the rosary did not develop all at once. The rosary developed in religious orders and was picked up by the laity. So with different religious orders, there are different types of rosaries. I would like to share some of those rosaries with you in this article. Instead of going into an historical background of each, I will merely show or describe what each looks like and the religious order that established it.

The Dominican Rosary

The first rosary is the standard 5-decade or “Dominican” rosary. This rosary developed in the Dominican Order. The reflections for meditation are: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries. In 2002, Pope John Paul II added another decade to this rosary. This is not an official addition per se, but it certainly adds to growing experience in devotion and reflection of the Gospel.

The Servite Rosary

Rosary of the 7 Sorrows of Mary or Servite Rosary

The next rosary is called a “Servite” rosary. It is also known as the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. The Servite’s or Servants of Mary developed this rosary as a means of meditating on the sorrows that Mary experienced throughout her life. Notice that this rosary looks a lot like the standard rosary but has 7 groups of 7 beads.

The Franciscan Crown Rosary

A third rosary originated in the Franciscan order. It is called the “Seraphic” rosary or Rosary of the Seven Joys of Mary. It is also called the Franciscan Crown rosary. This is similar to the Seven Sorrows but reflects on the 7 joys in the life of Mary. On this rosary there are 7 groups of 10 beads. It is ended with two extra beads for a total of 72 in honor the 72 years our Lady lived in this life.

Our Lady of Lourdes holds a six decade Rosary

The Brigittine Rosary
A fourth rosary comes from the Carmelite Order. For those who have been to Lourdes, France, you may have noticed that the rosary on the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes is a little different from those we have spoken of already. This rosary is called a “Brigittine” rosary, named after Saint Brigit of Sweden. This rosary looks like the 5-decade rosary only with an extra decade. So the Brigittine rosary has 6 groups of 10. These also contemplate the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries.

The standard “Dominican” rosary has been the one that is most popular. The rosary was originally begun as a means to keep track of daily recitation of the Psalter or Psalms of David. There were 150 psalms and the monks kept count by the use of beads or stones. Stringing the beads made it easier to pray while traveling. This later developed into a recitation of “Our Fathers” (Pater Nosters) and/or Hail Marys (Aves).

In future posts I will be giving a short overview on each type of rosary and a short history. My goal is to point out the wonderful diversity we have in the Catholic Faith in our 2000 years of history. This was one of the means the Church spread the Gospel before Bibles were widely available. If you have any questions or know of any other rosaries from various religious orders, please comment.

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Resources:
The servite rosary information:  http://www.rosaryandchaplets.com/chaplets/seven_sorrows_prayer.html
For more information on the Franciscan Crown Rosary see: http://www.fisheaters.com/franciscancrown.html
Our Lady of Lourdes information and picture retrieved on 1/5/2012 from  http://www.newmanchaplets.com/articles/the-six-decade-rosary/

Prayer: Keeping in Touch with God.

 “I pray because I can’t help myself! I pray because I am helpless. The need just flows out of me waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me.”

This is a line from the movie Shadowlands. In this movie, the well-known author, C.S. Lewis, played by Anthony Hopkins, was expressing his thoughts on prayer to a colleague. Have you ever felt this way? Has the need to pray been stirred up in you in such a way you wanted to do nothing else? In any life-long relationship communication is essential. Without communication there is no connection.

When saying the Rosary we are keeping in remembrance the One loved. In a way the Rosary is a walk through the liturgical year every week. This devotion also prepares us to receive the Eucharist at Mass (receiving Jesus!). By reflecting on the life of Jesus every day and receiving Him in Communion, we are abiding in Christ. So let us always treasure this devotion and allow Jesus to work in and through us.

May God bless you all in this new year.

 

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Is Tradition Leading in the Right Direction? If not, what's the point?

When I started the Rosary Board back in March, the original plan was to talk about the Rosary and reflect on the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of His mother. As I have been studying and writing about my faith more, the question arose, “Why do I do the things I do?”  Prayer should conform me to the image of Christ. Jesus Christ does not look like me. I should look like Him. Is what I do a "tradition of men" or one that leads me to God?

Here are some key questions to ask when it comes to tradition in the Church.

1) Do we want salvation?  Here is a heads up: Purgatory will not correct bad attitudes, habits and dispositions. It will not correct an unrepentant soul. That is not the time to discover that we were wrong in our definition of morality. Mother Angelica, founder of EWTN, said years ago that some people live as if they are trying to get into Purgatory. What happens if you aim and miss? The only way left is straight down. As a quick review, Purgatory is purifying before coming into the presence of God. If we don’t want to live in God’s presence for all eternity, He won’t force us to be there!

2) Do we know what salvation is and how to attain it? Faith, hope and love are gifts from God. Grace is a gift from God. Forgiveness is a gift from God. Healing our diseases, opening our eyes and ears and driving out demons are all gifts from God. We don’t work for them. We can’t earn them. They are an undeserved gift. Be thankful by giving Christ your whole being and put off the deeds of the flesh!

Does the light that emanates from God make us uncomfortable? That seems like an awkward question, but it cuts to the heart of who God is and what we should ultimately attain. We should live as if we want to be in heaven! This is a call to look deeper into our lives and repent.

3) Are the traditions we observe leading us toward God or away from God? The Rosary is a means to focus on the Gospel message and pray for the needs of others. The Rosary is a reflection of the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of His mother. When was the last time we thanked the Mother of our Lord for being the Mother of our Lord? Think of what all a mother goes through in giving birth, nurturing and raising a child. Now think of the responsibility of being the mother of the Messiah.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, lets understand where this tradition leads us. Do the customs we keep point us to Christ or to ourselves? Do we anticipate “stuff” more than the coming of our Savior? As the Catechism states, “The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition” (CCC 83).

Like chaff among wheat, bad traditions and customs that take us away from God can manifest themselves. Don't assume that all tradition is bad or is a "tradition of men." The fruits of a bad tradition will always lead away from God. Some traditions at this time of year do just that. Sacred Tradition given to us by the Church leads us to Jesus Christ.  

The true meaning of Christmas is that God is with us!

Merry Christmas!

Ave Maria!

Praised Be Jesus Christ! 

Resource:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994.

Rejoice! Say It Again. Rejoice!

On this third Sunday of Advent, the Catholic Church celebrates “Gaudete” Sunday. If you are familiar with the Latin version of the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” you will notice this word means REJOICE. This is the way the archangel Gabriel greeted Mary. Here are a number of ways we celebrate this time in Advent.

1. The Advent Wreath is composed of 5 candles; 3 purple, 1 pink (rose) and 1 white. The purple candles represent penance. It is also the color of royalty. The pink or rose candle, lit specifically on the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, symbolizes rejoicing. Rejoice for the Savior of the world is coming soon! The white candle in the center represents Christ and Christmas. Remember that Christmas is not just a word; it is a celebration of the Mass of Christ.
2. The priest wears vestments that are pink or rose colored. Colors are a wonderful way we have to understand our faith. We prepare ourselves to receive Christ into the world and into our lives.
3. As stated above, colors are a wonderful way to reflect on and remember God’s truth. In the different liturgical seasons there are different colors that remind us of our mission to evangelize world.

Jesus, I Trust In You.

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!
 

I found a wonderful video of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" presented by the Derby Cathedral Choir in England. Rejoice!