fiDari? Booklets Mary, Mother of God Mary's sanctity, dignity and power; her glory in the mystery of the incarna- tion; her delight in the Hail Mary and Angelus; her Seven Joys on earth and in heaven. 10^ Under Mary's Mantle Depicts the powerful patronage of Mary in childhood, in the trials of life, at the hour of death, in purgatory and in heaven. Consecration of children to her. Beautiful prayers. 10<^ The Mysteries of Mary Offers a practical means of preparing for the fifteen principal feasts of Mary. 10^^ Liturgical Novenas & Triduums for All Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary Arranged to extend throughout the Church year. Part II: Explanation of Con- secration to Mary according to De Mont- fort; also prayers. 12 8 pages. 15^ Reduction for quantities. Postage extra. Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration Clyde, Missouri The Rosary, My Treasure •That in all things ,^^p God may be glorified.' (Holy Rule of St. Benedict) Nihil Obstat »i< Stephanas Schappler, O.S.B. Abbas Coadjutor Ini. Conceptionis Imprimatur >i< Carolus Hubertus Le Blond Episcopus Sancti Josephi 9th Edition, May, 1948 All rights reserved 210,000 Price, W Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration Clyde, 3Iissouri Promises Made by the Blessed Virgin to St. Dominic and Blessed Alanus in Favor of Those Devoted to Her Rosary 1. To all those who shall recite my Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and very great graces. 2. Those who shall persevere in the reci- tation of my Rosary will receive some signal grace. 3. The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy. 4. The Rosary will make virtue and good works flourish, and will obtain for souls the most abundant Divine mercies; it will substitute in hearts love of God for love of the world, and elevate them to desire heavenly and eternal goods. Oh, that souls would sanctify them- selves by this means! 5. Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary will not perish. 6. Those who shall recite my Rosary pious- ly, considering its mysteries, will not be over- whelmed by misfortune, nor die a bad death. 7. Those truly devoted to my Rosary shall not die without the consolations of the Church or without grace. 3 8. Those who shall recite my Rosary will find during their life and at their death the light of God, the fulness of His grace and will share in the merits of the blessed. 9. I will deliver very promptly from pur- gatory the souls devoted to my Rosary. 10. The true children of my Rosary will enjoy great glory in heaven. 11. What you shall ask through my Rosary you shall obtain. 12. Those who propagate my Rosary will obtain through me aid in all their necessities. 13. I have obtained from my Son that all the members of the Rosary Confraternity shall have for their intercessors in life and death the saints of heaven. 14. Those who recite my Rosary faithfully are all my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. 15. Devotion to my Rosary is a special sign of predestination. 4 PART I The Rosary, My Treasure •••^|-^»« An Infallible Means of Obtaining Heaven ^IRISTIAN piety finds in the Rosary devotion a most fruitful and satisfy- ing means of expression. Truly enlightened are they who know how to appreciate it. "This is the most precious treas- ure of the Vatican," once exclaimed the saintly Pius IX, showing to a band of pilgrims his be- loved rosary. It is likewise your treasure, Christian soul. You possess nothing more beautiful, nothing more excellent: < — nothing more beautiful, for the Rosary is the model and ideal of prayers, at once a prayer of praise, of thanksgiving and of petition; nothing more excellent, for the Blessed Virgin herself gave us this devo- tion, the practice of which has converted hundreds of thousands of heretics and mil- 5 lions of sinners, and has strengthened faith and love in the hearts of countless Chris- tians. The Rosary is the barometer, as it were, of Christianity. Wherever the Ro- sary devotion is cherished, the Catholic f^aith is still in its vigor and reigns in the hearts and lives of Christians. On the other hand, wherever the Rosary is neg- lected or contemptuously cast aside, there the Catholic Faith has dropped to the freezing point, there pride and false edu- cation guide the heart. One who prays the Rosary cannot forget the mysteries of Redemption, for the Rosary prayers are not only a rule of faith, but they contain a summary of Catholic doctrine as well, and embrace all that a Christian should believe, hope for, love and practice. The Rosary is a perfect catechism. It teaches Christian truths exactly and completely, and illustrates them beautifully. Truly, we may say that the Rosary con- tains an infallible means for obtaining heaven. An infallible means? Yes; the following incident will disclose the "in- fallible means" hidden in the Rosary: It is related that St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, when a boy of twelve years, was once walking through the field, re- flecting on the Gospel passage, "Many are called but few are chosen" (Matt. xxii. 14). The uncertainty as to whether lie 6 himself belonged to the small number of elect filled his heart with anxiety and ap- prehension. He begged God to reveal to him what he could do that he might sure- ly attain salvation. Presently a wondrous- ly charming boy approached Edmund, bearing on his forehead, in golden letters, the name Jesus. "If you wish," spoke the heavenly Youth, "to secure yourself against the assaults of the evil spirit, if you wish to obtain from God the necessary graces for a pious life and a happy death, iiiedi- tate daily on a niysterj- of My liife, Passion and Death. This is an infallible means of obtaining the bliss of heaven." In no de- votion can this be done so easily, so piously and so consolingly, as in the Rosary devo- tion. May every Hail Mary you recite in the Rosary be like the crystal water of a limpid mountain stream, pure and fresh; not dark and muddy like the torrent of a rain- swollen river. The one is prayed with devotion and attention; the other with negligence and through routine. The one is truly a pure, fervent praise of Mary; the other a habitual, thoughtless, mechan- ical repetition. What a mild, joyful gaze the Queen of Heaven bends upon her clients wha know how to pray the Rosary devoutly! She generously repays their de- votion, recompenses it a hundredfold even here on earth. Consolation in suffering, health in sickness, conversion of obdurate 7 hearts, help at the hour of death — these and ever so many more heavenly gifts flow from the hands of our Mother Mary to the fervent clients of her holy Rosary. Prejudices against the Rosary Non-Catholics understand very little about things pertaining to the Catholic Church. The Rosary, especially has ever been a stumbling block to them. They cannot comprehend how intelligent human beings can practice such a "tedious" prayer! When Queen Mary of Bavaria contem- plated joining the Catholic Church, a Prot- estant minister held out a pair of beads to her, saying in an ironic tone, "Well, if your Royal Highness becomes a Catholic, you will have to pray the Rosary, too." What was his surprise and vexation when the Queen replied, "W^hy, I already pray the Rosary every day!" Strange as it may seem, not only Protestants, but even so-called Catholics, have their prejudices. They say, for in- stance, that the Rosary, on account of its constant repetition, is wearisome and stu- pefying. True, the Rosary may sometimes seem tedious; the fault, however, rests not with the Rosary, but with him who prays it. It is because he prays in a tedious, thoughtless, cold, distracted manner. Others think the Rosary is suitable only 8 for children, old women, and simple-mind- ed persons, but that educated, intelligent people can surely find no satisfaction in it. This opinion, too, is erroneous. The Rosary is indeed the prayer of the humble and the little ones, but it is likewise the prayer of the great and learned. For the little ones it is so simple that even the youngest can pray and understand it; for the great and learned it is so sublime that no one, not even the most intelligent, can fathom its mysteries. Nowadays many Christians have for- gotten how to pray, and especially how to meditate. The spirit of the world with all its pomp and glamor, its love of pleasure and gaiety, enthralls the hearts of many. The worldly spirit and the Rosary devotion can never agree. The world and the Cross, sensual pleasures and piety, will ever be in opposition. Wherever the spirit of the world reigns in a soul, the Rosary seems tedious and stupefying. If we do not wish to be ruined by the spirit of worldliness, this evil spirit must be driven from our heart. Praying the holy Rosary will accomplish this in a very effectual manner. The Threefold Antidote The spirit of the world is threefold, and exercises power over the mind, heart and body. It is like a triple-headed serpent 9 which throttles numbers of Christians and ruins them. What weapon is capable of killing this gigantic serpent? Lo, it is the Rosary, which is also threefold in form. With invincible power it drives this hid- eous spirit-serpent from the heart. The grace-abounding, joyful Kosai*^' is directed against the pride of life, haughti- ness, and revolt against the commandments of God. It shows us the Son of God in His unspeakable humility and abasement; it shows us the true God become incarnate, the Omnipotent as a weak, helpless Child; the Most High debasing Himself to an amazing degree of lowliness. A person who .understands how to pray the joyful Rosary properly can hear from each mys- tery this exhortation of the Son of God: "Learn from Me, for I am meek and hum- ble of Heart" (Matt. xi. 29). Against the concupiscence of the flesh, against the sinful desires which degrade man from the sublime state of resemblance to God, and place him on a level with the beast, the sori*o\vful Rosary is directed. For it shows us the unutterable sufferings endured by our Savior in His agony. In His scourging, in His crowning with thorns, on the way to Calvary, and on the Cross. How dreadful was the martyrdom of Jesus in His most sacred Body, in His immacu- late Flesh, for the sensual sins of man- kind! Realizing these sufferings, how can 10 anyone still commit sins of the flesh, and thus pollute this soul purchased with the Precious Blood of Christ? Against the concupiscence of the eyes, the insatiable craving for possessions and wealth, the glorious Rosary is directed. It shows us our Savior in His victory over death, in His triumphal entry into heaven, in the richness of His heavenly possessions, which He dispenses through the Holy Ghost, The glorious Rosary shows us the eternal, infinitely sublime possessions that await us in our beautiful heavenly home. If we walk the Way of the Cross with Jesus and Mary, we shall also be crowned by Jesus in union with Mary. Whoever con- templates the beauties of heaven will be filled with contempt for the passing goods of earth and with longing for the priceless treasures of eternity. In taking certain food we find that at first we do not relish it. then we begin to like it, and finally discover in it a delicious savor. What is the reason? The palate at first was unaccustomed to it. Similarly, many Christians do not at first relish the Rosary; but if they will continue to pray it, they will like it; it will become their delight, and after they have once deeply penetrated its meaning, they will never re- linquish it. The Rosary is one of the most popular of devotions because it is one of the most beautiful and most profitable. 11 The Rosary, a Key to Heaven For many, the Rosary has become a key to heaven. By the frequent or -daily recital of this beautiful prayer, they have gained victories over sin and temptation, have strengthened their faith, animated their hope and enkindled their charity. A lay-brother was on his deathbed. His superiors asked whether he had any wish. "Only this one," he answered, "that you pray the Rosary for me when I am dying. Last night I dreamt that I had departed from this life. At the gate of heaven I saw a soul holding a large bunch of keys, but none of them would unlock the gate of paradise. Finally, in her dilemma she seized her beads, and lo! the Crucifix of the Rosary turned the lock. For this soul the Rosary was the key to heaven, and I hope it will be so for me also." If the Rosary is to be a true key to heaven, our prayer must be like precious metal and costly jewels. For this, the sterling silver of faith is needed above all, then the emerald of hope, and finally the pure gold of charity. "He who does not believe shall be condemned" (Mark xvi. 16), says our Redeemer. The Rosary is in reality our expression of faith, with spe- cial prominence given to the greatest mys- teries of our holy religion, the great works of God accomplished by Jesus and Mary. In the Rosary, therefore, we have the 12 first and most essential part of the key to heaven, faith. Never did a person lose his faith who zealously prayed his Rosary. Faith, true Catholic faith, speaks from every word of the Rosary. Happy, there- fore, is he who loves and prays the Ro- sary; he may confidently expect to be ad- mitted into the heavenly city of God. Hope is also a part of this key of heaven. The saints clearly realized that man, by his own strength, is utterly inca- pable of doing anything for his salvation, but God can do all things. "I despair • — of myself/* St. Philip Neri was accustomed to say, "but I hope in God." Yes, as long as we are children of the true Church and participate in her graces and sacraments, as long as we are aided by the Mother of God with her powerful intercession and maternal compassion, as long -as our Re- deemer with His Sacred Wounds and His love-glowing Heart dwells with us in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we have every reason to hope for eternal salvation. What prayer can inspire us with more hope and confidence than the Rosary? It grants hope to the just, hope to the sinner; hope for pardon, hope for grace, hope for life eternal. In the Rosary, then, we pos- sess the second part of the key to heaven, hope. Charity is the third necessary part of the key of heaven. Without charity no one 13 can enter heaven. The Rosary touches the heart, it enkindles charity and devotion within the soul. A person who frequently prays the Rosary and finds that his heart does not gradually become filled with love for Jesus and Mary, must indeed pray with great thoughtlessness. The Rosary contains, in truth, the third, the most precious part of the heavenly key - charity - which will easily open every gate of paradise. Verily, the Rosary is a most wonderful key to heaven, a most excellent devotion, composed of the most beautiful and magnificent prayers, as the succeeding pages will unfold to you. The Rosary, a Source of Grace The holy Rosary is a living fountain of grace. One of the first graces issuing from it is conversion. Alas! there are sin- ners everywhere, yes, multitudes of them. If we wish sinners to be converted, we must zealously pray the Rosary and beg Mary to interest herself graciously in their welfare. On February 11, 1853, Our Lady ap- peared upon the rock of Massabielle, in France, now famous throughout the world as the shrine of Lourdes. la her clasped fingers she held a rosary of snow-white beads on a golden chain, and her message to the little peasant girl, Bernadette Soubi- rous, was: "Pray the Rosary for the con- 14 version of sinners/' Eighteen times the Virgin appeared, and each time the Rosary was prayed. The words of the Mother of God were not for Bernadette alone; they were an appeal to the whole Catholic Church to pray the Rosary for the conver- sion of the sinful world. St. Clement Hofbauer (1751-1821) re- lied with unswerving confidence on the Rosary to effect the reconciliation of way- ward souls. He used to say, ''When I am summoned to a sick person who I know is unprepared or will not hear of confession, I pray the Rosary on the way and every- thing goes according to my wishes when I arrive at the patient's home. The Mother of God never denies me assistance when I invoke her with fifty or one hundred and fifty Hail Marys. It is not her wont to fail." The Rosary, a Source of Comfort in Trials The human heart is often afflicted with trouble and sorrow. Most persons enter the matrimonial state amid singing and dancing, vainly imagining they have found heaven on earth. For a few years, per- haps, things go well, but in most instances crosses and trials are not wanting. Sick- ness, financial reverses, care and anxiety afflict the soul and cloud the horizon of happiness. The father of a certain family though 15 very kindhearted, at times drank to excess, and when in this state, frequently came home late at night very ill-tempered. On such occasions the mother was filled with anxiety lest an accident befall him. The children trembled because they saw their mother's anxiety and dreaded to see their father angry. Whenever the father did not come home for the evening meal, the mother would call the children before going to bed and say, "Papa will come home late tonight. I am so worried! Let us pray the Rosary so that he may not meet with an accident." Mother and chil- dren would then pray the Rosary fervently. After reciting her beads the mother would say: "Now, the Rosary has relieved my heart!" A like strength and consolation has flowed into the soul of many a poor mother while invoking the Heavenly Queen. The Rosary Moulds Men of Character Anyone who is urged by praiseworthy ambition to become a man of character, who desires to draw God's blessing upon his labors, who desires to lead a truly Christian life and to die a happy death, should zealously pray the Rosary in honor of the Mother of God. A young page of high nobility once escorted Napoleon I to a theatre. The emperor, however, was but slightly in- terested in the play that was being staged; 16 he had little taste for the fictitious and imaginary. While gazing about, he ob- served that his youthful attendant was evidently not more concerned about the performance than he himself. The page sat with downcast eyes, and seemed to fumble with something hidden beneath his coat. Being curious to know what it was. Napoleon seized the youth's hand and found it held — a rosary! The page had been surprised at pray- ing his beads, and in the theatre! During this epoch of history, the Rosary was not very highly thought of, and the youth ex- pected nothing less than a" sharp repri- mand. But instead, Napoleon remarked, "You will be the right kind of man some day. Continue, my boy, I shall not dis- turb you anymore." And, in fact, the youth did become the "right kind of a man." He became the bishop of Besancon, where in piety and active charity his mem- ory lives to this day. His name was Rohan Chabat, Prince of Leon. By praying the Rosary, Daniel O'Con- nell (1775-1847), an illustrious Irish ora- tor, conquered the tyrany of his country's oppressors. For more than ten years this noble Catholic fought in the English Parlia- ment to gain Catholic emancipation and to break the chains wherewith the British held Ireland's seven millions of Catholics fettered. In this combat for the great 17 cause of his country and his Church. O'Connell stood in need of faithful, power- ' ful helpers. At first he found few or none at all in the English Parliament, and so ! he turned to the Mother of God for aid. While his opponents were engaged in a violent dispute over his arguments, tlie great emancipator prayed the Rosary in a j corner of the parliament hall. ' A Powerful Aid in Need The Rosary aids in bodily needs as well as in spiritual dangers. Thousands of books could be written telling of the won- derful protection of the Queen of the most holy Rosary. During the Thirty Years' War, the Queen of the holy Rosary gave touching proof of her powerful maternal protection. In the parish church of Mumerstadt, a Catholic town in the Rhine Province, there is a most beautiful picture of the Virgin Mother with the Infant Jesus. Two cannon balls hang beside the altar of Our Lady as a votive offering. One day the enemy ad- vanced to bombard the town, which was fortified by double walls. Cannons were mounted on the neighboring heights, and all day long the bombardment continued. In this extreme distress, the members of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, k amidst imminent peril, held a procession ■ in honor of their patroness and protectress. I How devoutly must the Rosary have been prayed amid the thundering of the cannon! Aid, immediate, effectual aid, was needed, if the inhabitants of the town were to be spared from death and destruction. Suddenly, Mary, the Queen of Heaven, appeared above the walls in radiant splen- dor. She was robed in white and wore a mantle of heavenly blue. Immediately the roaring of the cannons ceased. The sol- diers, who were already advancing with scaling-ladders and pitchrings, drew back and, forced by a mysterious, terrifying power, retreated. So quickly were the in- vaders routed that the next day no enemy could be seen or heard for miles around. To many of us, life often resembles a prolonged thirty, forty, or fifty years' war. A hostile commander, that is, our pre- dominant passion, with all kinds of mil- itary forces of bad habits, evil desires and dangerous temptations, with the heavy artillery of concupiscence of the eyes, con- cupiscence of the flesh and pride of life, advances toward our poorly fortified heart to cast into it the firebrand of covetous- ness, to drag it into sin and take it by storm. Happy he who in this dreadful, unequal combat has powerful allies, above all in the merciful Heart of our Savior, and of the Queen of the most holy Rosary. The evil spirit is afraid of the Rosary, and many would never have lost their eternal 19 salvation had they learned to use this weapon. I^et us never, never forget, the Hosary is a key to heaven, an inexhaustible fountain of graces, comfort and blessings; it moulds men of character, helps in thou- sands of spiritual needs and temporal dan- gers diu'ing life, and particularly in the stmiggle of oiur last agony. The Rosary Affords Efficacious Aid to the Suffering Souls It was revealed to St. Bridget and other saints that purgatory is Mary's kingdom, wherein she has been given all power. On her, to a great extent, depends the deliver- ance of the holy souls. It is Mary's ardent desire that we pray the Rosary often for her suffering children, for the holy Rosary, the source of so many graces to the living, is also singularly efficacious in relieving the faithful departed. There is, indeed, no prayer more effectual in shortening the pains of the beloved departed than the constant and fervent repetition of the Rosary. Of this we have a touching proof in the life of Ven. Mother Prances of the Blessed Sacrament. From her infancy, this pious soul had a consuming desire to release the suffering souls and to assist them. Besides works of penance and charity, she daily recited the Rosary, which she called her almoner. In recompense, God frequently 20 permitted souls to visit her. Sometimes they would enter the cell of their bene- factress, and if they found her praying the Rosary, they would take her hands and kiss them lovingly, as the instruments of their deliverance. Because of the many indulgences at- tached to this form of prayer, the Rosary is of greater efficacy for the poor souls than many other prayers, for it has power to lighten and shorten their suffering. More precious by far than silver and gold in the eyes of worldings is the Ro- sary to the poor souls. This prayer, when offered for them, is an urgent supplication which may not easily be denied. Fifty times in a single Rosary the pleading peti- tion "pray for us" is repeated, which in this instance means **pray for the poor souls." And this petition is directed to the most powerful Mediatrix whom the poor souls have in heaven — the holy Mother of God. So impetuous a petition the most clement Virgin will surely not refuse. The precious treasure of the Rosary is ever at our disposal. We may apply it at pleasure to pay the debts of the suffering souls in purgatory, among whom may be our parents and dearest friends. Oh, let us hasten to their relief. The Family Rosary For centuries the beautiful custom of the Family Rosary flourished in Catholic 21 homes. Everywhere it was the custom for fathers and mothers to kneel with their children and any other members of the household each evening at bedtime and re- cite the Rosary together. The Rosary was often followed by the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. This pious practice brought un- told blessings to homes, and was the means of molding the children into true Chris- tian men and women, who when they left the parental roof went forth as staunch Catholics, whose firmly rooted faith was not to be shaken by the views of free- thinkers and false philosophers; Catholics who lived their faith and did not lightly leave off the practice of virtue and their Christian duties under the influence of worldly doctrines and example; Catholics who were not afraid to defend their Faith when need arose. In homes such as these innumerable vocations to the priesthood and religious life were fostered. May not the decline of vocations so keenly felt in these later years be traced to the decline of the Family Rosary? Though a goodly number of fervent Catholic families still keep up the beauti- ful practice of the Family Rosary, it is regrettable that it has fallen into disuse among the majority of Catholics. Some look upon it as unconventional; some neg- lect it because of work or various forms of recreation which take the individual mem- 22 bers of the family away from the home evening after evening and make it incon- venient and impractical. Others again neg- lect it from sheer indifference. The sad outcome of this neglect of prayer in the family is everywhere manifest today in the broken homes, in the delinquency of youth, and in the lawlessness and lack of respect for authority now so prevalent. The restoration in the home of the spirit of religious faith and its fervent practice is a crying need of our day. Re- alizing that the Rosary is one of the surest and easiest means to accomplish this end, a zealous young priest in 1942 began a Crusade to restore the Family Rosary to the homes of America. He has succeeded in getting thousands of families to pledge the daily recitation of the Rosary and is at present furthering the work through vari- ous means, such as radio broadcasts, dra- matic presentations, circulars and address- es. People of all classes have taken an active interest in the Crusade and have lent their help to bring to neglectful Cath- olics the realization of the necessity of the Family Rosary and its inestimable value in teaching and aiding men and women to live Christian and saintly lives in their homes, in their oflSces, in their workshops, and in their social gatherings, in imitation of Christ and His Blessed Mother. The daily recitation of the Rosary in 23 the home circle teaches the members of the family to see God in all that happens in life, to think of Him reverently, to look up to Him trustingly, to acquiesce lovingly in all that He sends or permits, and to find the whole of life bright with His pres- ence, and filled with love, joy and peace. May America and all the world hasten to restore to the home the beautiful practice of the Family Rosary! May God grant this Crusade a world- wide success so that the faithful every- where may seize and hold fast to this an- chor of salvation in the days to come! Where the Family Rosary now flourishes, may the heads of families continue to pre- serve inviolate this sacred and beautiful custom; where it has been neglected, may it be restored; and where it never existed, may it be introduced at once. The famous Bishop Martin of Pader- born, in urging the devout recitation of tlie Family Rosary, once exclaimed: **Every house thus blessed becouies a citadel of the C hurch against the assaults of im* morality and irreligiou. Despite all the assaults of hell, the Catholic Faith will be preserved in families, and Christian life flourish by this means." Family Rosary Praised by the Popes The Popes have repeatedly stressed the need of a renewal of the practice of the 24 Family Rosary. Pius IX urgd its recital every evening as a sure means to secure the blessings of heaven. Pope Pius XI asked specifically for the Family Rosary, and presented rosaries to bridal couples who visited the Vatican. Pope Pius XII has continued this practice and on many occasions has commended the Family Ro- sary, reminding his hearers of the special promise attached to prayer where several are gathered together in God's name. "The Rosary is the mystic crown which Christian people place every day on the queenly head of the Mother of God. It is certainly the most beeautiful flower of hu- man piety and the most beautiful source of heavenly graces. This prayer is perfect because of the praise it offei's, because of the lessons it imparts, because of the graces it obtains and because of the tri- umphs it achieves.'* — Benedict XV **The Holy Rosary not only serves ad- mirably to overcome the enemies of God and religion, but is also a stimulus and spur to the practice of evangelical virtues which it injects and cultivates in our souls. Above all, it nourishes the Catholic Faith, which flourishes again precisely in oppor- tune meditation of the sacred mysteries, and raises minds to the truths revealed to us by God." — Piiis XI 25 PART II The Rosary, the Bulwark of the Church History of the Rosary Devotion HELL, enraged against the Mystical Body of Christ, has at different times mustered its forces to make a fatal assault on the Catholic Church. But Christ, her Head and Divine Founder, has marvelously come to the aid of the Church in each great tribulation. He has fore- stalled the coming attack, and at several critical periods He has been pleased, through His august Mother, the Queen of the universe, to crush the head of the in- fernal serpent. Thus, in one of the sad- dest ages of the history of the Church, the Blessed Trinity, through the interven- tion of Our Lady, destroyed heresy and re-established the kingdom of Christ. The twelfth century was approaching its close when a new heresy plunged the Church into bitterness and grief. The Albigenses taught their pernicious errors not only in France, but in other quarters of the Latin world. They carried every- where the terror of their arms, and, far 26 and wide, strove to rule by massacre and devastation. Pope Leo XIII, in the first of his en- cyclicals on the Rosary, thus describes the manner in which God came to the rescue of His holy Church: > — "Our merciful God raised up against these fierce enemies a most holy man, the illustrious parent and founder of the Do- minican Order. Great in the soundness of doctrine, in the example of his virtue, and in his apostolic labors, he undauntedly proceeded to attack the enemies of the Catholic Church, not by the force of arms but by that devotion which he was the first to institute, under the name of the holy Rosary. In this he wholly trusted; and by his preaching and that of his breth- ren, he spread it throughout the length and breadth of the earth. ^'Guided by Divine inspiration and grace, he foresaw that, like a most power- ful weapon, this devotion would be the means of putting the enemy to flight and of confounding his mad impiety and audac- ity. In fact, such was its result. Thanks to this new form of prayer, — when adopted and carried out as instituted by the holy Father Dominic — piety, faith and unity began to return. The projects and devices of the heretics fell to pieces. Many wanderers returned to the way of salvation, and the wrath of the impious 27 was checked by the arms of those who, in defense, had determined to resist them." According to tradition, it was the Blessed Virgin herself who charged St. Dominic with the mission of propagating the Rosary devotion, promising him that by means of the Rosary, virtue would flourish, vices be extirpated, heresy de- stroyed and Divine grace obtained. This promise of our Heavenly Queen has been fulfilled throughout the centuries. Revival of the Rosary Devotion In the fifteenth .century, when the people's first ardor for the Rosary had slackened, the Mother of God raised up Blessed Alanus de Rupe, who in the spirit of his holy father, St. Dominic, zealously championed and defended the holy Rosary. Blessed Alanus wrote many beautiful tracts on devotion to the Rosary and was favored with visions in which the Blessed Virgin revealed to him its power and ex- cellence. The Blessed Virgin urged her devoted client to preach the Rosary with great zeal and to exhort all the faithful to recite it devoutly. At the same time she directed him to encourage the religious of his Order to do likewise. By this revival of the holy Rosary our Heavenly Mother gave Christendom a powerful means to avert a new devastation which threatened it in the sixteenth cen- 28 tury. Here, again, we quote from the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Rosary: *'In the sixteenth century, also, the efla- cacy and power of this devotion were won- derfully shown. The vast forces of the Turks at that time threatened to impose the yoke of superstition and barbarism on nearly the whole of Europe. The Sovereign Pontiff, St. Pius V, after arousing among all the Christian princes the resolution for a common defense, above all strove with the greatest zeal to obtain for Christendom the favor of the most powerful Mother of God. This noble example, before heaven and earth, rallied around him, in those times, all the minds and hearts of the age. Christ's faithful people then prepared to sacrifice their blood and their lives for the safety of their Faith and country. They went forward fearlessly to meet their foe near the Gulf of Corinth. At the same time, those who were unable to take part in the conflict formed a pious band of sup- plicants, who called on Mary and unitedly hailed her, again and again, in the words of the Rosary, imploring her to give the victory to their companions who were en- gaged in battle. *'And our Sovereign Lady granted her aid; for, in the naval battle near the Echi- nades Islands, the Christian fleet gained a magnificent victory, in which, with slight loss to itself, it routed the enemy with 29 great slaughter.* It was to preserve the memory of this great boon that the same most holy Pontiff desired that a feast in honor of Our Lady of Victories should celebrate the anniversary of so memorable a struggle. It is this feast which Gregory XIII dedicated under the title of "The Most Holy Rosary." Though the Turks greatly outnumbered the Christians in this struggle and had to their advantage a greater number of ships and a favorable wind, they nevertheless suffered a crushing defeat. For the Chris- tians were aided by an invisible power ■ — the irresistible power of the Queen of the most holy Rosary. Twice during the eighteenth century the Turks renewed their attacks, but both times they were repelled. Each time it was on a feast of Mary, after the Rosary had been prayed with great confidence. Hope of Our Century The period in which we now live great- ly resembles those stormy days when St. Dominic preached the Rosary devotion as the last means of bringing peace, charity and reconciliation to mankind. All who understand the trend of our times are filled with dread for the future. However, let us take courage, for Holy Church, des- tined by God to bestow happiness upon *This battle is perhaps better known as the Battle of Lepanto. 30 all nations of all ages, holds ever in readi- ness the proper remedies to meet and heal the evils of the world's various epochs. During the last fifty years, Holy Church has never wearied of encouraging us in every possible manner to love and vener- ate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to love Holy Communion and receive It frequently, and pray the Rosary. Our time suffers from the great evil of inordinate desire for pleasure, from cold- ness and indifference toward heavenly things, from hatred among nations which has been fomented by a godless press. To combat these harmful influences. Holy Church offers us the Rosary as our weap- on. The Rosary devotion proved the sal- vation of previous ages: it will also aid the children of God in our trying times. At his death, St. Dominic's task was not yet accomplished. To St. Catherine of Siena was once shown the greatness and glory of St. Dominic, and it was revealed to her that he would preach to the end of the world. And indeed the voice of St. Dominic has powerfully re-echoed through- out the world, inviting the faithful to pray the Rosary. In 1878, God gave to the Church in Leo XIII a Pope imbued with the true spirit of St. Dominic. Even at his election Our Lord wished to reveal this, for, in a vision, a highly privileged nun beheld the newly consecrated Pontiff with 31 St. Dominic standing beside him. Where in the history of Christianity do we read of a more zealous promoter of this beautiful devotion, a more fervent client of the Rosary, than Leo XIII, the great Pope who consecrated the month of October to the solemn recital of this sub- lime form of prayer! Not once or twice only did this Father of Christendom raise his voice in praise of the holy Rosary, but he addressed to the bishops of the world and to the faithful no fewer than twenty encyclicals and briefs exhorting them to pray the Rosary. This same Pontiff directed that the in- vocation, "Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us" be added to the Litany of Loretto. "How glorious," he wrote, "and how precious (to the Church) will it be when in cities, in towns, in places of busi- ness, on land, on sea, to the very limits of the Catholic world, hundreds of thousands of pious souls, in united praise and peti- tion, with one heart and one voice, at every hour, unanimously greet Mary and hope all things from Mary" (Encycl. Sept. 22, 1891). As Pius X admonished Catho- lics to receive Holy Communion daily, so before him, Leo XIII admonished them to pray the Rosary daily, or at least three times a week. Pope Pius XI was likewise ardently de- voted to the Rosary. He prayed it daily, 32 no matter if urgent and numerous duties compelled him to postpone this beloved exercise to a late hour. Moreover, he lost no opportunity to urge others to do like- wise. His last encyclical, issued on the eve of the month of the Holy Rosary, 1937, was devoted to the Rosary and its recita- tion as a weapon to be used in combating modern evils. In this encyclical the Holy Father expressed his earnest desire that the Rosary be recited in a special manner during the month of October as a crusade against the insane efforts of the enemies of God to destroy the Catholic Faith and to send mankind to perdition. **The Holy Virgin." he wrote, "who once victoriously drove the terrible sect of the Albigenses from Christian countries, now suppliantly invoked by us. will turn aside the new errors, especially those of conimunisni, which reminds us in many ways, in its motives and misdeeds, of the ancient ones. And as in the times of the Crusades in all Europe there was raised one voice of the people, one supplication, so it is today: in all the world, in the cities and even the smallest villages, united with courage and strength, with filial and constant insistence, the people seek to ob- tain from the great Mother of God that the enemies of Christian and human civiliza- tion be defeated, and that thus real peace may shine again over tried and straying 33 men. If, then, all will do this with due disposition, with great faith and with fer- vent piety, it is right to liope that as in the past, so in our day, the Blessed Virgin will obtain from her Divine Son that the waves of the present tempests be calmed and that a brilliant victory crowTi this rivalry of Christians in prayer." This, then, is the weapon given in oiir days to the children of the Faith against the rage of hell which seeks to annihilate the Church. Mary desires to be venerated as Queen of the holy Rosary. She wishes to bestow graces and blessings upon those who pray it, and to confound the enemies of salvation. She has begged for the rec- itation of the Rosary in various appari- tions. As previously mentioned, she ap- peared eighteen times to St. Bernadette at Lourdes in the last century and urged the recitation of the Rosary as a means of bringing about the cure of the world's evils. Six times, from May 13, 1917, to October 13 of the same year, she appeared to three little shepherds at Fatima in Por- tugal, and repeatedly urged upon them the necessity of saying the Rosary if the world were to find true and lasting peace. Not only did she plead for a renewal of the practice of the Rosary devotion, but in her last apparition she conmianded that everyone should say the Rosary in order to bring the world back to God. *'They 34 MUST say the Rosary!" she exhorted. Yes, the Rosary is Our Lady's own fifteen-point peace program which will infallibly prove successful, because of all creatures she is nearest to the Triune God and can unerr- ingly point out what sinful mankind must do to return to Him. Beauty of the Rosary Prayers S AMONG all books Holy Scripture is the most excellent, so among prayers the Rosary is the most magnificent. It is among prayers what the sun is among the stars. The Rosary prayers are the most sublime and the most efficacious we can utter: 1. Because of their origin; 2. Because of their contents; 3. Because of their beauty and power. The entire Rogary consists of one hundred fifty Hail Marys. It begins with the Apostles' Creed; each of the decades is preceded by the Our Father and concludes with the Glory be to the Father, the beautiful doxology which the liturgy of the Church has borrowed from the liturgy of heaven. The fifteen decades of the Rosary are PART III 35 prayed, as taught by St. Dominic, in honor of the fifteen principal mysteries of the Redemption in which the Blessed Virgin participated most intimately. Her life was so closely interwoven with that of her Di- vine Son that the joys and sorrows of Jesus were also those of His most holy Mother, and* she, as Queen of heaven, now has the greatest share in the glory of her Divine Son. How to Say the Mosary Make the Sign of the Cross: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. (1) While holding the Crucifix in the hand, recite the Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suf- fered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sit-teth at the right hand of God, the Father Al- mighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the for- giveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. 36 (2) On the first large bead, recite the Our Father. Our Father who art in heaven, hallow- ed be Thy Name: Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and for- give us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. (3) On the three small beads recite the Hail Mavy for an increase of faith, hope and charity. Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among Avomen, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. (4) On the large bead, recite the Glory be to the Father. (tlory be to the Father, and to tlie son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Call to mind the first Mystery and re- flect a moment upon it; then recite on the same large bead the Our Father. (5) On the ten small beads, recite the Hail Mary, keeping in mind the mystery. ( 6 ) On the large bead separating these 37 ten small beads from the next ten, recite the Glory be to the Father. In each of the following decades continue as in the first: Recall the Mystery, then say the Our Father, the ten Hail Marys and the Glory be to the Father. Explanation of the Kosary Prayers The Apostles' Creed We begin with the Sign of the Cross, which embodies the essentials of the Creed, and the Creed is the root of all super- natural life. The first requisite is faith; whoever desires to come to God must be- lieve and must pray. The Apostles' Creed embraces all the Christian truths, the greatest mysteries of our holy Faith; it is therefore most fitting- ly chosen for the beginning of the Rosary. While we pray it, the eternal truths pass before our minds like rays of light, and the profession of our faith is without doubt the best preparation for our prayer. There is a deep, interior connection be- tween the Rosary and the Creed. The few, concise sentences of the Creed are developed in the Rosary. The words: ''conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary," develop into the joyful mys- teries. The words: "suffered under Pon- tius Pilate, was crucified, died and was 38 buried," constitutes the mysteries of the sorrowful Rosary. The words: ''arose again from the dead, ascended into heav- en," comprise the glorious mysteries. Therefore, in reality, the Rosary is simply a development of the Apostles' Creed. From it buds and blossoms a tricolored wreath: the white roses of the joyful mys- teries, the red roses of the sorrowful, and the golden-yelloAV roses of the glorious mysteries. The Our Father The Our Father precedes each decade of the Rosary, like a precious pearl to which the Hail Mary is attached. Human lips cannot frame a prayer that will appeal more strongly to our Heavenly Father than the prayer which was taught by our Divine Redeemer Himself. He who gave us the life of grace also teaches us how to pray, how to preserve this life. The Our Father is short, that it may be learned by all; it is instructive and intelligible to ordinary persons and full of mysteries for the learned; it comprises all our duties toward God and our neighbor. It was appropri- ately called by Tertullian, in the fourth century, **a summary of the whole Gospel" and it also summarizes the psalms. St. Chrysostom says, "Whosoever does not pray as Our Lord prayed is not His dis- ciple: the Father hears the prayers of His Son." St. Augustine writes, **Every Our 39 Father prayed well effaces venial sins; the seven petitions heal the seven falls referred to in Holy Scripture. Let us therefore pre- fer the Our Father to all other prayers." St. Hugh, Bishop of Grenoble, prayed the Our Father many times during the day, not omitting it even during illness. On one occasion he had frequently repeated it during a night in which he suffered greatly; his servant remarked that it was too much of a strain and would certainly exhaust him. "Oh, no," replied the holy Bishop, "the repetition of this beautiful prayer comforts and strengthens me." Our Father! — What reverence, what confidence, what love these words should infuse into our hearts! God, our Father — and Christ Himself desires that we call Him by that name! How pleasing to the ears of the Heavenly Father, our Creator, must be these words, uttered by the lips of His children! How beautifully is the fraternal love we should have for one an- other thereby expressed! Who art m heaven — Our future home, where we shall live forever in the company of the saints. Hallowed be Thy Name — In heaven, by the angels and saints who constantly sing holy, holy, holy; on earth, by all man- kind, that the Name of God may be every- where known and loved, and that through it we also may attain unto holiness. 40 Thy kingdom come — May God reign in us through His grace here on earth, as He reigns through His glory in heaven. May the kingdom of Christ be extended to all parts of the world! Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven — Let us dwell on the thought of doing the will of God on earth as the angels and saints do it in heaven. This one petition embraces all perfection. Let us submit our will absolutely to the will of God; let us put no obstacle to the work- ing of God's will in us, that it may be done in us and by us. Give us this day our daily bread - — Daily bread for the body, daily Heavenly Bread for the soul — Holy Communion, and God's grace. Forgive us our trespasses, as Ave for- give those who trespass against us — Of how many sins are we daily guilty! Oh, may God pardon them! We shall willing- ly confess them, forgive our neighbor and make atonement. Lead us not into temptation — As we must live in a world which has become a permanent occasion of sin, may God strengthen our will to resist temptation and remove the occasions of sin. Deliver us from evil — From sin, the only evil on earth; and in the world to come, from eternal death. 41 Amen — I believe that Thou, O God wilt hear my prayer, as I petition, "so be it." The prayer full of faith is heard. All the attributes of God are signified in the Our Father; it contains the reme- dies against sin and the practice of all virtues. The more frequently a person prays it, the more he draws therefrom and the more he refreshes himself at t^ii- clear fountain of salvation which lias sprung from the Heart of the Heavenly Father. The Hail Mary The principal prayer of the Rosary is the Hail Mary, repeated one hundred and fifty times. The multiplied Aves are the roses twined one after another into the wreath of Mary's psalter. The Angelical Salutation is the message of joy brought by the Archangel Gabriel to our fallen world so needy of redemption, continue