Words
from John Paul II’s heart reveal hidden graces of the rosary
By
NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer
Imagine you would have had an opportu-nity to spend a quiet evening sitting
with the late Pope John Paul II, in which he revealed to you the secrets
of his prayer life — secrets from the innermost depths of his
soul. Would you tell him you were too busy to listen to him?
That’s exactly what he does in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis,
[The Rosary of the Virgin Mary]. He shares with you the reasons why the
rosary is his favorite form of prayer, shining new light on a simple prayer
that some may find to be monotonous, or dry.
“The rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer,” the
late pope wrote. “How many graces have I received in these years
from the Blessed Virgin through the rosary.”
Pope John Paul II’s awe can’t be contained on the page, nor
can his obvious affection for Mary and Jesus as two dear friends.
“The rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments
of difficulty. To it I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it I
have always found comfort,” he writes.
The pope’s Marian devotion was instilled in him when he was a child
by his parents, who had the family pray the rosary together. When his
mother died, he was only 9 years old. As a result, his connection to the
Blessed Mother deepened, and one has a glimpse of his intimate relationship
with her in his letter.
“Just as two friends, frequently in each other’s company,
tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with
Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the rosary
and by living the same life in holy communion, we can become, to the extent
of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models
a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection,”
the holy father wrote, quoting Blessed Bartolo Longo, who is known as
the “man of Mary.”
The Holy Father tells us that the rosary is Mary’s instrument in
teaching us the path to contemplation. Mary held Jesus in her heart, and
spent her entire earthly life contemplating the face of Christ, and she
continues to do so in heaven.
She is fully and perfectly in union with Christ, so she is the best person
to teach us how to be sons and daughter of God. Her mission is to form
her students to be like her Son.
Holding our hands, she leads us to gaze on, and contemplate, the face
that took form in her womb, the face she lovingly held as a child and
cared for into adulthood; the face she beheld on the cross, and in joy
at the Resurrection and Ascension.
Mary has a treasure chest of memories, the pope tells us, that she shares
with us through the contemplation of the rosary.
“The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with
her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her
Son’s side. In a way, those memories were to be the “rosary”
which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life,”
he said.
It is that same, “maternal concern for the pilgrim Church, in which
she continues to relate her personal account of the Gospel. Mary constantly
sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with
the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all
their saving power,” the Holy Father tells us.
He says the rosary is a “compendium of the Gospel,” or a condensed
version of the Gospel, which helps us appreciate it more fully.
The Gospels teach us about Christ, and in learning about Christ, we learn
about ourselves, so the rosary, prayed contemplatively, also helps us
understand our own humanity more deeply.
“Contemplating Christ’s birth, [we] learn of the sanctity
of life; seeing the household of Nazareth, [we] learn the original truth
of the family according to God’s plan; listening to the Master in
the mysteries of his public ministry, [we] find the light which leads
[us] to enter the Kingdom of God; and following him on the way to Calvary,
[we] learn the meaning of salvific suffering.
“Finally, contemplating Christ and his Blessed Mother in glory,
[we] see the goal towards which each of us is called, if we allow ourselves
to be healed and transformed by the Holy Spirit. It could be said that
each mystery of the rosary, carefully meditated, sheds light on the mystery
of man,” the pope explains.
Through it all, Mary is praying with us and for us, asking her Spouse
to pour His many gifts upon her students so that we can excel in the school
of holiness.
She takes our prayers, shines them up, and delivers them straight to the
heart of Jesus, and then puts in a good word for us.
We can’t go wrong with the rosary, Pope John Paul II assures us.
In fact, he points out, each ‘Hail Mary’ is an unceasing whispering
of love and praise to God.
“Not only does God have a divine heart, rich in mercy and in forgiveness,
but also a human heart, capable of all the stirrings of affection. ...
To understand the rosary, one has to enter into the psychological dynamic
proper to love,” the pope explains. “One thing is clear: although
the repeated ‘Hail Mary’ is addressed directly to Mary, it
is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed, with her and
through her. The repetition is nourished by the desire to be conformed
ever more completely to Christ, the true program of the Christian life.
... The rosary helps us to be conformed ever more closely to Christ until
we attain true holiness.”
How someone prays the rosary is crucial, because if it is not prayed contemplatively,
the rosary is in danger of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas,
in violation of the admonition of Christ: “In praying do not heap
up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard
for their many words.”
“By its nature,” the Holy Father tell us, “the recitation
of the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace; helping the
individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as seen
through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable
riches of these mysteries are disclosed.”
He experienced first-hand the many fruits and graces of praying the rosary
contemplatively and we, the Church, benefited from his holiness, obtained
through the transforming power of the rosary.
It is that secret that he wants to share with us.
In his personal letter to us, Pope John Paul II goes deeper into the meditation
of each of the four mysteries, explains the intentions Mary has for us
when we pray the rosary, and he teaches us how the rosary is truly meant
to be prayed.
He is waiting to share all this with you, over a warm cup of tea or coffee,
or a glass of wine, whatever you prefer. So don’t delay a moment
more. Pick up his letter and allow him to inspire you and teach you to
pray.
CS&T staff writer Nadia Pozo can be reached at npozo@adphila.org
or (215) 965-4614.
To read Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis,
(The Rosary of the Virgin Mary), go to: www.vatican.va. Click on Papal
Archive — the first circle on the top — and then click on
John Paul II. Scroll down and click on Apostolic Letter. Then scroll down
and click on Rosarium Virginis.