The Year of Faith celebrates the 50th year of Vatican II Council. This Council was formally opened on October 11, which at that time was the day the Church celebrated Mary’s Divine Motherhood. Was it mere coincidence that Vatican II began on Mary’s day and in the month of her Rosary? Something might have been intentional in the mind of the Holy Father John XXIII, who convoked it. Or something providential in God’s mind, the Lord of history and world events. And so, it is most fitting that our celebration of the 50th year of the Council, Mary the Blessed
Mother of God, whom the Council proclaimed Mother of the Church, should render her due acknowledgment and recognition. This is a humble, feeble attempt to do this.The Rosary is easily one of the finest distinctive expressions of our Catholic faith. It contains our basic Catholic prayers, like the sign of the Cross, the Apostle’s Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory be and the Fatima prayer. And with the mysteries, it is a mini-Gospel.
The Year of Faith is a grand opportunity for individuals, families and communities to renew and refresh this excellent prayer and practice and offer it to others and to the world.Where families pray the Rosary, the children become familiar with the basic prayers and learn them in the process.
The Year of Faith as announced by Pope Benedict XVI is intended to help us appreciate the gift of faith, deepen our life of faith and strengthen us to share with others our faith convictions, practices and experiences. What an excellent and powerful means we have for all this in the Rosary. And the Blessed Virgin Mary is the one we can count on in all this. After all, she is our mother, model and advocate. Many simple people of all times have experienced in the Rosary the power to survive difficult moments and situations and persevered in the faith. People who persevere in praying the Rosary not only keep the faith, but grow in their spiritual life. Examples and testimonies in this regard are not wanting.
The Year of Faith is a great time to have maximum recourse to the power of the Rosary. We are confronted with so many evils, among which the most serious are the “crisis of faith” in different forms and various degrees; the “diabolical disorientation” that Sister Lucia of Fatima referred to before she died; the “dictatorship of relativism” Pope Benedict the XVI has often referred to. And from all these can be traced all other evils as consequences. All the evils of our times give us more reason to have maximum recourse to the power of the Rosary. According to sister Lucia, there is no problem the Rosary cannot resolve; there is no evil the Rosary cannot overcome. The Rosary has been empowered by God to confront the evils of our times. In the Blessed Virgin Mary’s interventions in the last three hundred years, she has always asked for the Rosary. We need to tap the power of the Rosary in this Year of Faith as our expression and exercise of faith to overcome evil in all its forms and influences. The practice of some Catholics to pray the Rosary while travelling or waiting for something or someone is a very edifying one and more people should be encouraged to adopt it.
The Rosary has proven its power throughout its history. It effectively checked the advances of the Albi-gensian heresy and Moslem attacks in Europe. The victory of the Christian forces over the better armed more numerous Moslem forces on October 7, 1571, motivated St. Pius V to proclaim the Feast of Our Lady of Victories we know as Our Lady of the Rosary. The battle of Vienna in 1683 and battle of Belgrade in 1716 were won against all odds through Rosary power. Europe was saved from Moslem forces. The “La Naval de Manila” we celebrate every third weekend of October commemorates the victory of the small Filipino-Spanish forces over the better armed more powerful Protestant Dutch fleet. It saved the Philippines from Protestant Dutch occupation in the 17 hundreds.
We have seen more examples of Rosary power in our times. After World War II the allies partitioned Austria and left Russia in control of the most important section. After trying many times to take complete control of Austria, the Communists finally gave up unexpectedly through the Rosary crusade the Franciscan Father PetrusPavlicek organized a couple of months before the “miracle” happened in May 1955. In the thanksgiving celebration every one attributed the miraculous turn of events to the Lady of Victories, the Lady of the Rosary.
Brazil came under communist control in 1964 and all of South America was in danger of falling into Communist power. Thanks to the family Rosary crusade the late Father Patrick Peyton had been organizing, Brazil was saved and all of South America.
The Communists came to power in Portugal on April 25, 1974. Four teachers organized a National Rosary Crusade and obtained pledges of a million Rosaries. In November of 1975, without bloodshed, the Communists relinquished their power. The Rosary saved Portugal from the clutches of godless communism.
The “EDSA Revolution” of 1986 in the Philippines also known as “People’s Power”, was actually “Rosary Power.” With the Rosary in their hands the people were empowered to confront the Marcos dictatorship and its threat of tanks. Our Lady of the Edsa Shrine is the Lady of the Rosary.
In this Year of Faith we are confronted with such major evils as the “crisis of faith,” godlessness in different forms and in varying degrees, the “diabolical disorientation,” the “dictatorship of relativism,” the “culture of death” and worldwide violence and terrorism. All these and other evils no human power can confront and overcome. Only by God’s power can we confront and overcome evil in all its forms and influences. We know by faith that God has constituted a woman as standard bearer in this confrontation with evil and guaranteed her victory over evil: “I will put enmity between you and the woman; between her seed and your seed. She will crush your head and you will strike at her heel,” (Gen. 3:15). We know by faith that “woman” is the Blessed Virgin Mary. She has given us as her arm and weapon in this confrontation with evil- the Holy Rosary. Time and time again, the Rosary has proven its effectiveness and power. We just need to express and exercise our faith in it. If we have enough faith to pray the Rosary, then we shall overcome evil, sooner or later. If there are enough people of faith praying the Rosary, then it will be much sooner than later.
The Year of Faith challenges us to experience the power of faith in the face of evil in our times. There is much the Rosary can help us in this regard if we pray the Rosary well enough and frequently enough as an expression and exercise of faith. If we do not pray the Rosary well enough or often enough, we should look into the possible reason for some people who find the Rosary “repetitious.” Such people have to be reminded that repetition is a fact of life and part of the nature of things. What would life be without repetition? There would be no new life, no new things, insights, realizations, experiences. The whole of creation is full of repetitions: the rising and setting of the sun, the days of week, the months of the year and the seasons of time. As the song goes, “Love makes the world go round,” and gives meaning and value to repetition.
The Year of Faith is an opportune time to enrich our faith by a better way of praying the Rosary. We can consider alternative ways of starting the Rosary:
A) The traditional way: sign of the Cross, Apostle’s Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary (3
B) The Legion of Mary way: sign of the Cross, Invocation of the Holy Spirit, Lord, open my lips, etc. the mysteries follow as usual. In the Rosary proper we can introduce the intention-reflection for each mystery to help us draw more from our Rosary.
Why the Intention-Reflection for each Mystery of the Rosary
1. The intention-reflection belongs to the essence of the Rosary. Without it, the Rosary can easily degenerate into monotonous, meaningless repetition of vocal prayers.
2. With the intention-reflection, the Rosary easily becomes meaningful, powerful prayer.
3. The intention-reflection helps us to relate each mystery of the Rosary to our needs in Christian life.
4. The intention-reflection helps us to transform the Rosary into devotion to the Holy Spirit.
5. Through the intention-reflection we are made aware of the reality of the Person, the Presence and the Power of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus and Mary and in God’s plan of salvation.
6. The intention-reflection is the first step in the effort to tap the potentials of the Rosary for Evangelization.
7. The prepared intention-reflections are meant as aid and guide in our efforts to relate the mysteries of the Rosary to our needs in Christian life.
8. It is suggested that we keep the first part of the prepared intention-reflection: “Obtain for us dearest Mother, from your Divine Son, the grace and power of the Holy Spirit…”
9. You are encouraged to be creative in the second part to relate the mysteries to your personal needs, to those of your family, of your community, of your country, of the Church and of the world.
10. When you have learned to make your own personal intention-reflection, you will find your Rosary richer, meaningful and fruitful.
We can also consider alternative ways to conclude the Rosary.
1. After the Joyful Mysteries, the Angelus may be recited; after the Mysteries of Light, the Memorare of St. Bernard; after the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Hail Holy Queen; and after the Glorious Mysteries, the Sub TuumPraesiduum(We Fly to your Patronage) an ancient prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or during Eastertime, the Regina CoeliLaetare(Queen of Heaven Rejoice). During special Marian celebrations the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be recited.
2. To gain the indulgences attached to the recitation of the Rosary one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be is usually said for the special needs and intentions of the Holy Father.
3. The recitation of the Rosary may be concluded with the following invocations:
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!
Queen of the Family, pray for us and protect our families!
Queen of peace, pray for us and obtain for us genuine and lasting peace! Amen.
Without unnecessarily prolonging or extending the Rosary; without prejudice to the essence of the Rosary, the slight changes or variations are meant to help people enrich their way of praying the Rosary and thus get more from their practice and devotion.
The Year of Faith is a great opportunity to tap the big crowds at Novena Masses and celebrations, especially the Aguinaldo Masses, to pray the Rosary (wherever and whenever possible). This will impress on our people that the best way to prepare and dispose ourselves for a meaningful and fruitful encounter with Christ in the Eucharist is an encounter of faith with Mary in the Rosary. This will help our people to understand and realize that Mary leads us and brings us to Christ, and the Rosary to the Eucharist. Let there be enough time for the Rosary before the major or principal Masses or celebrations to help people prepare and dispose for the Eucharist. The Year of Faith should lead us and bring us closer to Christ through Mary, to the Eucharist through the Rosary. The success of the Year of Faith has to be gauged by the degree and measure we have been brought closer to Christ through Mary, to the Eucharist through the Rosary. After all, Jesus and Mary, the Eucharist and the Rosary are very much at the center of our Catholic faith and practice. The words of Paul to the Colossians 1:23 find timely echo in the Year of Faith: “You must hold fast to faith, be firmly grounded and steadfast in it, unshaken in the hope promised you by the Gospel which has been announced to every creature under heaven.” For generations people have experienced the Rosary to help them make the words of Paul a reality in their lives.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Rosary, the Lady of Victories, in the Year of Faith
O Mary Immaculate, Mother of God, Lady of the Rosary, whom God has constituted Standard-bearer in the confrontation with evil and the Lady of Victories, behold us gathered before your Image, the visible sign of your maternal presence among us and a constant reminder of the consecration and dedication we have made of ourselves to You at different moments in our life.
Remind us by the sight of your Image that we belong to You and You to us. Let us feel and experience your closeness and nearness to us at all times: In our joys and sorrows, in our struggles and pains, in our defeats and failures, in our successes and triumphs, in our hopes, dreams and visions. Show us that You always care as only the best of mothers knows how. Help us to experience in every Rosary, a genuine encounter and intimate communion with You, our Mother.
Look down with loving kindness upon us all. We beg You not just to offer your Divine Son to us but to form Him in each one of us. We pray You, dearest Mother, to spare no effort and deny us no help to make Jesus Christ, your Son, the center of our personal, individual lives as well as of our family and community life.
“Show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.” Reveal him to us at every moment of our life. Ever lead us to penetrate the ineffable riches, infinite treasures and fullness of the mystery of your Divine Son that we may ever come closer to his full stature.
As we make maximum recourse to the power of your Rosary, help us to overcome evil in all its forms and influences. Deliver us from the present faith crisis in varying expressions and degrees, from the subtle diabolical disorientation on values, on good and evil, from the dictatorship of relativism in many areas of life, in the Church and in the world. Deliver us from all anti-life forces that threaten human existence. Protect us from the ever increasing in frequency and intensity of natural disasters and calamities; from wars, terrorism and violence. Take us under your special care and protection in all our needs, especially in all our struggles to overcome evil as we experience it in our selfishness and self-centeredness, in our pride and arrogance, in our forgetfulness and ignorance of God, our Creator, Redeemer and Provider.
Queen of the Holy Rosary, Lady of Victories, pray for us and obtain for us victory over evils that afflict and threaten us!
Queen of the Family, pray for us and protect life in our families!
Queen of Peace, pray for us and obtain for us genuine and lasting peace!
Amen.