Reflecting on Our Lady of the Rosary

"Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. I invite everyone to rediscover, especially during this month of October, the beauty of the prayer of the rosary, which has nourished the faith of the Christian people through the centuries,”  Pope Francis said.

Some people are great at thinking on their feet, with on-target comments and observations ready in the moment.    Others of us think of a “comeback” sometime after the moment, maybe while replaying the scene over and over in our head.

Several years ago I was in a class with a woman who made it clear at every chance that she had not enjoyed her time in Catholic school in the 1960s.   In fairness it was pretty clear that no school experience could have been easy for this woman—-including the adult education setting where I was experiencing her.   Frequently she would lob views about Catholics—-individual or corporate—-from across the room.  I would just let the broadness and unfairness of her assertions be the best refutation.

One statement that stood out was that she learned “nothing, nothing” about the Bible as a child—-in Catholic school K through 12.  A decade too late, I am ready with a response in case I ever see her again

I will say, OK, maybe Catholics are not generally known for the ability to quote Old and New Testament chapter and verse.   But we do have a rich tradition of engagement with scripture.   Just look at our very popular devotion, the rosary.   This prayer focuses on key, vivid moments in the life of Jesus and his mother.   We are encouraged to meditate, to spend time with the Word Become Flesh and his Mother, over and over to encounter them in these scenes. 

Even the vocal prayers come directly from the pages of the gospels (“Our Father who art in heaven…” “Hail Mary, full of grace…”).   Or they grew out of faith in the importance of bringing our needs to God and the appropriateness of praying for one another (“…Mother of God, pray for us…”    Or they are ancient, foundational statements of Christian belief (the Apostles’ Creed or the “Glory Be”)

No doubt we have all encountered people who can quote scripture readily.  I have listened to people who know the Bible so well that its images and phrases effortlessly color their speech.  The color is poetic and rich.  But so many times I have witnessed this skill directed to bringing this or that text as proof to support this or that assertion.   Christianity devolves to winning arguments and asserting simplistic certainties: religion as a kind of amateur debating society.   

There is no doubt that knowing the Bible can bring us to Christ.   But the tradition represented by the rosary is focused on encounters with the Lord whose example and friendship can change and form us.   

Pope Francis puts it very well. I would like to emphasize the beauty of a simple contemplative prayer, accessible to all, great and small, the educated, and those with little education. It is the prayer of the holy rosary. In the rosary, we turn to the Virgin Mary so that she may guide us to an ever closer union with her Son Jesus to bring us into conformity with him, to have his sentiments, and to behave like him. Indeed, in the rosary while we repeat the Hail Mary we meditate on the mysteries, on the events of Christ’s life, so as to know and love him even better. The rosary is an effective means for opening ourselves to God, for it helps us to overcome egotism and to bring peace to hearts, in the family, in society, and in the world.