The rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is about the most popular of all private devotions and prayers among Catholics. There are non-Catholic Christians who love and pray the rosary. A close look at the rosary and its content discloses that it is truly a comprehensive form of prayer.
The rosary begins with the Christian creed, “I believe in God”. The one who prays the rosary professes faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit which includes the mysteries of the Church, and other elements of faith. This is done because the bible teaches that “anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11: 6).
The profession of faith in the rosary is followed immediately by the Lord’s Prayer. This is the prayer that the Lord Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11: 2-4). In addition to the creed and the Lord’s prayer, the Trinity is glorified using the traditional formula: “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…”. All together, “the creed”, “the Lord’s prayer”, and “the glory be” show us that though the rosary is of the Blessed Virgin, God is its primary focus.
Recounting, reflecting, and meditating on the key mysteries of the human salvation through Jesus are fundamental elements of the rosary. These mysteries: joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious, each having five different bits, cover almost all the aspects of the life of Christ from conception to the resurrection. Thus, through the rosary, we tell the story of salvation, appreciate and make them our own.
The “Hail Mary” is the part of the rosary that focuses on Mary. It is a combination of the words of the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Luke 1: 28), of Elizabeth to and about Mary during her visit (Luke 1: 42), and the petition of the faithful form through the Church.
Whoever is familiar with the story of Mary cannot be surprised with why the Church asks her to pray for us. It is her faith that made the conception of Jesus possible (Luke 1: 38). She anticipated Elizabeth’s need for assistance, made herself available, and spent about three months with her (Luke 1: 56). Without being asked, she came to the help of the couple at Cana in Galilee and saved them from embarrassment (John 2: 1-11). She has continued to appear in different places in the world continuing her usual concern for the wellbeing of the human race.
In almost every occasion that Mary appears, she recommends the rosary to people in the world. Her interest in our praying the rosary is not because she wants to be honored; there is no honor we can accord her that will surpass what the Almighty has already done for her. Everything she does or asks us to do is totally for our good. She loves us and knows what is good for us. She asks us to pray the rosary. Let us make the rosary part of our daily devotion and prayer.
-Fr Bona