May - The Month of Our Lady - the Holy Rosary

Our Blessed Mother, when she appeared to the three little shepherds in Fátima, introduced herself as,
​“…the Lady of the Rosary…". She spoke of the need for us to amend our lives and to seek pardon for our sins, which, daily, offend Our Lord. She urged the daily recitation of the Rosary, a powerful weapon against the evils of Satan and, therefore, a bountiful source of Grace for those who love her Son and constantly call on Him for aid. Ever concerned for our spiritual wellbeing, and conscious of our tendency to forget even essentials, Holy Mother Church sets aside two months during which this great Prayer is ‘put in the spotlight’ so to speak, both this month of May and later, October.

The Rosary is, of course, a prayer for all people, suitable for all ages and levels of intelligence or level of education, and for all times and situations. It is not limited in its use. While it may, profitably, be recited in its entirety in church before the Blessed Sacrament, it may also be prayed wholly or in sections, for instance at home by Parents and Children, on the way to work, whilst working round the house etc.
 
In essence, the Rosary consists of four sets of Mysteries (i.e. Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious). Look here for starters. Whilst meditating on (i.e. considering mentally) each Mystery, one prays a decade, i.e. ten Hail Marys. Before each decade, comes the Our Father and after each decade comes the Glory be to the Father. The original 150 Hail Marys of which the Rosary was composed were associated with the 150 Psalms in the Prayer of the Church; by ‘telling their beads’, even those with no education or reading ability could unite themselves with the prayer of the Universal Church. This Prayer may be said on beads, on Rosary rings or even on one’s fingers, all basic counting aids. In the dark days of the concentration camps, for example, Rosary beads might even have been made from bread pellets threaded onto string.

The prayers of the Rosary might be compared to the incidental music of a good Family film which serves to heighten awareness of emotions and actions of characters in different scenes. Almost in the background, these prayers serve to aid those praying in focussing upon the most notable scenes from the Lives of Mary and Jesus in particular. Parents are warmly encouraged to teach their children this invaluable Prayer from a very early age. As our youngsters grow in stature and intelligence, their insights into the Mysteries will deepen. Our Blessed Lady will be their constant companion throughout a lifetime in which their Faith will be strongly challenged. It is a prayer which will stand them in good stead from infancy (obviously on a more basic level) to old age, when they will, please God, draw on the fruits of a lifetime’s Rosaries. How about searching this treasure trove together?! If not the internet, then our own Catholic Truth Society is the place to go!
 
Throughout the centuries, this Prayer has developed and been presented in several forms. For example, the Luminous Mysteries, originally developed by Malta’s Saint Ġorġ Preca, were introduced by Saint Pope John Paul II through his Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. Other forms have focussed on particular episodes in the lives of Christ and His Mother. One example is the Seven Dolours Rosary in which one concentrates specifically on the seven sorrows of our Lady: - Simeon’s prophecy that Mary would suffer witnessing her Son’s Passion and Death (Lk. 2:34, 35); Herod’s massacre of the Holy Innocents, which led to the flight of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph into Egypt (Mt. 2:13, 14); The finding of the 12 year old child Jesus in the temple (Lk. 2:43-45); Jesus meets Mary as he carries His Cross to Calvary (4th Station of the Cross); Jesus’ Body being taken down from the Cross (13th Station); the burial of Jesus in the Tomb (14th Station). There is so much out there!