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Dear Friends and Benefactors,
The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary — an occasion, especially
this year with the Rosary Crusade, to redouble our prayers and sacrifices.
I am sure that it is not necessary to point out the power of the Holy Rosary; we
have all seen with our previous Crusades, the effects of praying the Rosary
generously. It is by itself so powerful that we can by it obtain anything from
God. The Rosary is, after the Holy Mass, one of the most beautiful and
efficacious forms of prayer.
One aspect of the Holy Rosary on which we cannot place enough emphasis is the
contemplation of the mysteries of salvation. The Holy Rosary is, indeed, a true
school of meditation or contemplation on Our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, to
avoid a certain routine in our prayers, to fight against all sorts of
distractions, we are given the diverse aspects of the life of Our Savior; and
the more we focus our minds on contemplating these mysteries, the more
meritorious and efficacious our prayers become. Thus, it becomes easier to
distance ourselves from our daily worries and to remain united with Our Lord and
His Blessed Mother.
The first reason then, why we should avail ourselves of the fifteen Mysteries of
the Holy Rosary is in order to pray with more attention and fewer distractions.
The meditation that should accompany our daily Rosaries is also a way to greater
understanding of Our Savior’s mysteries. We meditate upon the Joyful, Sorrowful,
and Glorious Mysteries in order focus on and mentally picture the various
aspects of our salvation. The Joyful Mysteries show us the mystery of the
Incarnation. The Sorrowful remind us of the mystery of Redemption. And, of
course, the Glorious Mysteries cause us to contemplate Eternal Life — the
singular goal of our lives.
In every Mystery, therefore, we have an act of faith in the various aspects of
our Catholic Faith, seen directly in the life of Our Lord and Savior.
By making a sincere effort to meditate upon the Holy Rosary, our prayer life is
purified, even elevated, little by little to a higher form of praying. We move
from vocal prayer — prayer whereby we merely repeat the words — to an interior
prayer, and a deeper union with God through contemplation.
And finally, the Holy Rosary is a form of prayer that helps us to imitate Our
Lord Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother. They are our models, the ones we
should always have in mind to imitate at all times, and at all cost.
The mysteries of the Holy Rosary help us to contemplate Their life, in order
that we may apply Their example to our own life: To be with Our Lord in His
Passion when we suffer, to imitate His patience when we are irritated, to
practice His Charity towards everyone, and to rejoice with the Blessed Virgin
Mary when God blesses us with joy and peace in our lives, to hope for the
heavenly rewards and therefore accept the crosses of today.
The Rosary is also most practical; we can apply it to all circumstances of our
lives. It is a school of virtues. Let us revive our devotion and our practice of
praying the Holy Rosary, convinced of its power, not only as a prayer of
petition or way of obtaining our necessities, but also and more importantly, as
a prayer of sanctification.
The Rosary Crusade begun in May for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, must include also a personal effort. It must be a way of looking
for a greater holiness, a new infusion of graces for our families, our parishes,
our schools.
Let us not fall into routine or lukewarmness in this Rosary Crusade, but let us
pray with great fervor for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
With my prayers and blessing,
In the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Fr. Arnaud Rostand |
