Our Lady & the Rosary
By Melinda Sass
Many people wonder why we as Catholics are invited to pray the Rosary as given to us by Our Lady. It’s considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the story of our salvation.
Within the Rosary we meditate on the mysteries of joy, of sorry, of glory, and of light. It is a humble and simple prayer to recite alone or say it together with our family or with small groups.
However, the power of the Rosary prayed from one’s heart, with contemplation and meditation, allows a transformative connection with Our Lady to receive Her promises, blessings, and benefits. Our Lady has invited us to say the Rosary as a powerful weapon against evil, to bring us to true peace.
Q. What is the Rosary?
Also known as the greatest Marian Prayer, has been celebrated by the Church as the most highly recommended prayer understanding the life of Christ through Our Lady in a deeper, more profound spiritual connection.
The Rosary is a beautiful collection of prayers recited by using a string of about 60 beads. There are before and after prayers, the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and the Fatima prayers along with meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s life.
Traditionally, there are four decades (or sets) for each of the four mysteries known as the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious plus the additional fifth Luminous mystery (Mysteries of Light) added by St. John Paul II, taken directly from the pages of Scripture. The reason for the addition of five new mysteries is so that the Rosary may have a greater Christological depth. In other words, now we may reflect and meditate on more aspects of Jesus’ life — in this case, His public ministry, that part of His life that came between His Baptism and His Passion (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, no. 19).
Saint John Paul II offers this advice: “The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary’s own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning.”1 St. John Paul II always spoke of the Rosary as his favorite prayer and described the tremendous value in connecting us to Jesus through his Mother’s heart.
Q. What is the meaning of the word Rosary?
The Latin word for “Rosary” is Rosarium. Originally, rosarium simply meant “rose garden”. Catholic tradition honors the rose as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, to whom the Rosary is specially devoted. It is written the recitation of the Rosary gathers a rose for every Hail Mary and a complete crown of roses is given to Our Lady for every Rosary said.
Q. How did the Rosary originate?
The Rosary, as we know it today, evolved over the centuries. One tradition traces the Rosary to St. Dominic Guzman (around 1214), founder of the Dominican Order (Order of Preachers).
According to this tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic and instructed him in a very unique combination of preaching and prayer that She told him would become one of the most powerful weapons against future errors and difficulties.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, instructed by the Blessed Virgin as well as by his own experience, St. Dominic preached the Rosary for the rest of his life.
The full story can be found in a well-known book, De Dignitate Psalterii, by Blessed Alan de la Roche how St. Dominic received the urging and inspiration from Our Lady to preach the Rosary more and more to wipe out sin and convert sinners.
Q. Why should we pray the Rosary?
The Rosary is a great weapon against evil – either evil from our surroundings or evil within our own hearts.
In one of the most well known and studied written literature of all times about the Rosary is from St. Louis De Montfort (1673-1716) in his, “Secret of the Rosary”. In his book, he reveals that those who commit to praying the Rosary every day gain extraordinary power from God to change their lives and perform mighty works of faith.3
References:
- Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (16 October 2002)
- “rosary“, Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, retrieved September 10,
2023. - St. Louis De Montfort, The Secret of the Rosary. Translated by Mary Barbour,
T.O.P. Published 1954. Bay Shore, New York: Montfort Publications.