The Excellence of the Rosary
M >> M. J. Frings >> The Excellence of the RosaryTHE EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY
CONFERENCES FOR DEVOTIONS IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
BY
REV. M. J. FRINGS
NEW YORK
JOSEPH F. WAGNER
Nihil Obstat
REMIGIUS LAFORT, D.D.
_Censor_
Imprimatur
JOHN CARDINAL FARLEY
_Archbishop of New York_
NEW YORK, September 19, 1912
Copyright, 1912, by JOSEPH F. WAGNER, NEW YORK
CONTENTS
I. THE NAME OF THIS DEVOTION
II. THE ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY
III. THE POWER OF THE ROSARY
IV. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
V. THE APOSTLES' CREED
VI. THE GLORY BE TO THE FATHER
VII. THE OUR FATHER
VIII. THE HAIL MARY
IX. THE PRAYER TO INCREASE THE THREE DIVINE VIRTUES
X. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY IN REGARD TO ITS FORM
XI. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ROSARY ON ACCOUNT OF THE MYSTERIES
COMMEMORATED
THE ROSARY
CONFERENCES FOR SODALITIES B. V. M.
I. THE NAME OF THIS DEVOTION
"I was exalted as a rose plant in Jericho."--Eccles. xxiv, 18.
My dear brethren, when Pope Pius IX, on May 23, 1877, gave audience to
a number of pious pilgrims he said to them: "Have courage, my dear
children! I exhort you to fight against the persecution of the Church
and against anarchy, not with the sword, but with the rosary, with
prayer and good example." This Pope, who with great wisdom and strong
hand has guided for thirty-two years the bark of Peter, which in many
violent storms had been rocked to and fro, he who well knew the great
dangers of our times, regarded the rosary as a conquering weapon.
What great confidence his successor, Pope Leo XIII, placed in the
veneration and invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by means of the
rosary! He exhorted all Christianity to pray the rosary daily during
the month of October, in order to obtain assistance in these
distressing times. In his brief on this occasion Leo XIII says: "It has
been a favorite and prevalent custom of Catholics, in times of need and
danger, to take refuge in Mary, and to seek consolation from her
motherly concern."
Thus the firm reliance and confidence rightly placed by the Catholic
Church in the mother of God is stanchly avowed.
As a matter of fact, Mary, the immaculate Virgin, free from original
sin, the chosen mother of God, is endowed with such power by her Son,
as no other creature, man or angel, has ever received or can receive.
The efficacy of this great devotion to the great Queen of Heaven had
been demonstrated especially when false teachings, depravity, or other
great enemies threatened disaster to Christians.
History, early and recent, relates how public and private devotion to
the mother of God was held in times of calamity and distress, and how
these prayers were heard, and help was granted. Thus originated the
exalted titles which Catholics give to the Blessed Virgin, such as Help
of Christians, Refuge of Sinners, etc.
To these titles was added another, when under date of December 10,
1883, Leo XIII directed that the title "Queen of the Rosary" be added
to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. In his brief the Holy Father
expresses the desire that all the faithful practise daily the devotion
of the rosary. If, therefore, the rosary is considered of such great
power and efficacy by the head of the Church, the representative of
Christ, it is befitting that we heed his words and pray often and
devoutly by means of the rosary.
If this prayer were better understood it would be prayed with more
devotion, and greater benefit would come from it. In order, then, to
spread a better knowledge, and to urge the devout recital of the
rosary, let us contemplate this devotion in a course of instructive
addresses. The name rosary may be the subject of to-day's discourse.
The devotion of the rosary consists in the recital of a fixed number of
Our Fathers and Hail Marys, combined with the meditation on certain
mysteries from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The name rosary is
significant. It is a symbol of Mary, also of the devotion to her. We
will endeavor to make this clear.
The realm of nature is the symbol of the realm of grace, as the realm
of grace is a symbol of the realm of glory. It was God's intention to
let His earthly creation be a reflection of the divine perfections, of
the supernatural, of divinity, so that man might perceive the
supernatural through created things, and thus more readily understand
it. "For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world,
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom.
i, 20).
Our first parents obtained a clear conception of the supernatural
through the natural things of this life. Nature was to them an open
book, in which they could read the divine perfections. Through sin the
understanding of man was dimmed and he failed in the interpretation of
nature. Instead of being led to God through it, he allowed himself to
become estranged, and from a master became the slave of nature.
Then Christ came and redeemed the world from the slavery of sin and
again granted to man the clear conception of the true God, as also the
right understanding of nature. This is verified in the saints and we
have a beautiful example in St. Francis of Assisi. About his
interpretation and meditation of nature St. Bonaventure says: "He
considered all things created as original from God, and saw in each
creature the Creator and Preserver."
Everything in nature was to him a symbol of spiritual life. He took
delight especially in flowers, because they reminded him of the flower
from the root of Jesse, which refreshens and gladdens the whole world.
See, my dear brethren, this is the correct, the Christian way of
contemplating nature. The spiritual world is reflected in the visible.
And Jesus being the King and Mary the Queen in the realm of grace and
glory, nature contains symbols that refer to Jesus and Mary. All things
of this creation: from the flowers of the valley to the brilliant stars
that illumine the night, all things in nature are symbols of the
glorious mother of God. Among many such symbols used in Holy Scripture
we find Mary called the mystical rose. The Church therefore regards the
rose as a symbol of Mary. Let us see in what the likeness consists.
If on a summer's day we enter a garden, where various flowers through
their form, color and sweet odor delight and refresh us, our eye is
chiefly attracted by the rose. We are especially well pleased with it.
The rose is the queen of flowers in form, color and fragrant odor,
because of its beauty.
Let us turn now our gaze to the spiritual garden, the Church of Christ.
The various flowers there are the faithful, adorned with piety and
virtue, and spreading the fragrance of saintliness with which God is
pleased. In the Canticle of Canticles the Lamb of God is pictured as
feeding among the lilies. A beautiful thought! It tells us how the Lamb
of God, our divine Saviour, is fond of the flowers of God, the
God-loving souls, as is the lamb of the lilies.
And in this garden of God, the Holy Church, Mary is the rose, the pride
of the garden, the queen of the flowers. The rose is therefore the most
beautiful symbol of Mary, of all saints the queen, exalted above all
saints in sublimity, beauty, gentleness and sweetness. Therefore,
because Mary is among the saints what the rose is among flowers, she is
called "the mystical rose." And the name rosary is to remind us of
this.
The rose, furthermore, signifies the virtuous life of Mary the virgin.
The rosebud is a beautiful symbol of virginity. It is hidden as under a
veil. Lovely is the Christian virgin, hidden in the garb of innocence
like a rosebud. Mary is the Virgin of Virgins, and can above all be
compared to the fair and undefiled rosebud.
The open, blooming rose is an emblem of pure motherhood. Like the
opened radiant rose the Christian mother is in the full vigor of life;
her heart open with true love for her husband and children; and she
unfolds her soul to heaven, so that through prayer she may receive the
needed assistance for herself and hers. Through her good example in
Christian virtues she spreads around her the fragrance of a God-
pleasing life, and encourages those who associate with her to imitate
her virtues.
Mary is the immaculate virgin and mother, mother of God, and of all
mankind. She is the most noble and perfect of all mothers. Like a
magnificent rose she shines in the splendor of her virtues, and is the
perfect example for all mothers. Because her heart is fired with love
for God and man, she is, as St. Jordanus says, likened to the flaming
red rose.
There is no rose but has its thorns. The thorns are a figure of
suffering, of sorrow, of the temptations in life, under which only a
truly virtuous life can thrive.
St. Brigid relates in her revelations how she at one time was downcast
because the enemies of Christ were so powerful, and how she was
consoled by the mother of God herself, who told her to remember the
rose among the thorns. "The rose," so said Mary, "gives a fragrant
odor; it is beautiful to the sight, and tender to the touch, and yet it
grows among thorns, inimical to beauty and tenderness. So may also
those who are mild, patient, beautiful in virtue, be put to a test
among adversaries. And as the thorn, on the other hand, guards, so do
wicked surroundings protect the just against sin by demonstrating to
them the destructiveness of sin."
The life of Mary was interwoven with many sorrows and she is justly
called "a rose among thorns." St. Brigid says: "The Virgin may suitably
be called a blooming rose. Just as the gentle rose is placed among
thorns, so this gentle Virgin was surrounded by sorrow."
The rose obtains its life through the stem, to which it is closely
united. A rose broken from the stem will soon wither. So Mary received
all her graces from Jesus, with whom she was united through the
liveliest faith and ardent love.
Mary is in truth a spiritual, a mystic rose. The rose therefore is a
fitting symbol of the virtuous life of the mother of God. As mystical
rose she deserves our admiration and veneration, and she must be our
example and model in all Christian virtues, the model of a true
spiritual life.
The name rosary, therefore, is well suited to this devotion. For it is
a wreath of spiritual roses, as it were, which we place at the feet of
Mary, in order to show our love and veneration.
The rose has, moreover, been at all times regarded as a symbol of love.
It was already the custom of the early Christians to adorn on feast
days the pictures and statues of the saints with wreaths of roses,
especially on feast days of the Blessed Virgin.
St. Dominic, inspired and instructed by Mary, formed from the beautiful
and efficacious prayers, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, together
with the principal mysteries from the lives of Jesus and Mary, a
beautiful wreath, and called it the "Rosary."
The threefold mysteries represented in the devotion again give it a
resemblance to the rose. The green of the rose is the color of hope and
confidence. It is represented in the glorious rosary. The thorns are
represented in the sorrowful rosary. The beautiful red petals of the
rose, finally, are represented in the joyful rosary, in the glories of
Jesus and Mary.
Thus is shown therefore the deep and significant meaning of the name
rosary. And as the rosary reminds us of all the virtues, the spiritual
beauty and sublimity of Mary, and as it is a worthy manifestation of
our love and veneration for the mother of God it is meet that we hold
the rosary in high esteem. And Mary finds delight in this devotion, for
it reminds her of all the good God did for her, and for which all
nations pronounce her blessed.
Oh, let us then resolve to wind this wreath frequently, to lay it often
at the feet of the noble, the gracious queen of the Rosary!
II. THE ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY
"The Highest himself hath founded her."--Ps. lxxxvi.
My dear brethren, in our consideration on the rosary let us to-day
reflect upon its origin.
Its origin and age bestow on this devotion a great dignity. From the
earliest times of Christianity it has been the custom of the Christians
to observe in their prayers method and perseverance. Thus it was the
custom of the hermits of the Orient, as far back as the fourth century,
to devise a sequence of certain prayers, which they counted on pebbles.
We also know that long ago in England a so-called Paternoster-cord was
used for this purpose. St. Gregory, at the end of the fourth century,
spoke of such a method of devotion in veneration of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. This pious bishop thought a wreath of spiritual roses would be
more pleasing to the blessed Virgin than the natural roses with which
the faithful adorned her altar. He selected, therefore, a number of
prayers, in praise of the blessed Virgin, and united them into a
wreath. And this was the origin of the rosary, woven by pious hands for
the veneration of Mary, the mystical rose.
In the fifth century, St. Brigid urgently commended the devotion of the
rosary, and she chose as its prayers the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and
the Creed, and united them into a wreath of prayers. In order to count
their recital she strung little beads of stone or wood and made a
wreath of them.
This custom subsequently spread through all Christian lands, and
through the centuries, to our own days. That this devotion was always
in great favor and esteem among pious Christians may be concluded from
the fact that in the grave of St. Norbert, who died in 1134, a rosary
similar to ours was found.
We have proof, then, that the devotion of the rosary, such as we have
it, was practised already in the early days of Christianity. And it was
practised not only by monks and nuns, but found adherents among all the
faithful.
The particular manner in which we now pray the rosary was brought into
vogue by St. Dominic. This is attested by the tradition of six
centuries. Twelve Popes bear witness to this fact. We will now speak of
the introduction by St. Dominic, and will also refer to the great
efficacy of this devotion since its inception. May our reflections
contribute to the greater honor of God, and of the glorious Queen of
the rosary.
I. The devotion of the rosary in its present form dates its origin from
the thirteenth century, and St. Dominic was selected by God as the
instrument of its introduction. Spain was the home of this great saint.
In one of the valleys of Castile there is situated an humble little
village named Calarunga, where his parents possessed a small estate. He
was born there in the year 1170. While being baptized his sponsor saw,
as if in a vision, a brilliant star over the forehead of the future
saint, shedding its brilliant light through the church. As Dominic
advanced in years he increased in wisdom, virtue and piety. In due time
he devoted himself to theology, believing that in this pursuit alone he
could find the wisdom of God. Not in the pleasures of this world, but
in the knowledge of God, he sought his pastime. His favorite place was
the church and the solitude of the sanctuary. Two incidents from his
schooldays throw a light upon his character. At the time of a famine
Dominic gave all that he possessed to the poor, even all but the
necessary clothes, and when he had nothing more to give, he sold even
his beloved books and gave the proceeds to the poor. When berated by
people for his excessive generosity, he said: "How could I dare indulge
in these lifeless books, when human lives are in danger of starvation?"
At another time St. Dominic met a woman who was weeping bitterly
because she had no money with which she could release her brother, who
had been imprisoned by the Saracens. Dominic offered to sell himself
into bondage to release this brother; but since God had destined him to
release sinful mankind from the bondage of sin, of error and unbelief,
He did not permit Dominic to do as he offered.
At the age of twenty-five he was appointed upon the chapter of the
cathedral at Osma. Here he was conspicuous among his brethren on
account of his humility, holiness, and zeal for prayer. He spent nine
years in Osma, during which time divine Providence prepared him for his
important and great vocation. This vocation became plain to him when,
in the year 1204, he went to France and saw the terrible devastation
which the prevailing heresies had wrought against the Church of Christ.
The sight of this disaster nearly broke his heart. The poison of heresy
had spread among the faithful with great rapidity, and principally in
southern France. From the city of Albi the heretics had assumed the
name Albigenses. These Albigenses discarded the doctrines of
Christianity and constructed new doctrines that played havoc with
morality and social order. They were violent enemies of Church and
State, and preached disobedience and rebellion against spiritual and
temporal authority. An enemy of the Church is invariably also an enemy
of the State; history and experience prove this.
In southern France the Albigenses secured the support of Prince
Raimond, of Toulouse, a wealthy and mighty, but, at the same time, a
most godless and immoral prince of that time. He had several wives;
associated with heretics, and even gave his children to be educated by
them. This prince undertook the leadership of the heretical Albigenses,
and with them, and other rabble by which France at that time was
overrun, scoured the country, robbing and plundering wherever they
went. This lawless band, under the direction of this godless prince,
robbed churches of their treasures, murdered priests, even tore open
the tabernacles and desecrated the most holy Sacrament. A messenger of
Pope Innocent III was murdered by one of these knaves, who then found
the protection of this depraved prince. Under these conditions the Pope
finally saw the necessity of preaching a crusade against these
heretics, who surpassed even the Saracens in the outrages committed. A
terrible war then ensued, in which these enemies of Church and State
were subdued, but not converted. For this there was necessary an
extraordinary spiritual effort, and divine Providence had already
prepared the instrument. St. Dominic was the tool in the hand of God to
introduce and apply an efficacious remedy, and this remedy was the
rosary.
Dominic had for many years taught the doctrines of the Catholic Church
to the heretics, and had converted a number of them, but not enough to
satisfy his holy zeal. He often turned with humility to God and
besought Him with tears, and deeds of penance, that He might let him
know how to accomplish better results. Since childhood he had been a
faithful servant of Mary, and had often said that the devotion to her
was a powerful means of converting heretics and sinners.
Finally his prayers were heard in a miraculous way. One day, while on
his way from Toulouse, Dominic threw himself down on his knees and
resolved not to cease praying until his prayers were heard. Then, so
the legend tells us, the glorious Queen of heaven appeared to him,
spoke words of encouragement, and taught him how to pray the rosary,
assuring him that this would be the right weapon to conquer error and
sin. With joy Dominic arose and returned to Toulouse, and began to
spread the use of the rosary, as Mary had taught him and in the way we
now recite it. He preached this devotion, explained it, and taught the
people how to pray it. It proved indeed a most efficacious means for
the conversion of apostates, heretics, and sinners. Since the lack of
knowledge in matters of faith had been the real cause why heresy so
quickly spread, the principal truths of faith and morals were now
communicated to the people through the rosary, and the principles of a
Christian life were taught them in this most sublime prayer of the
Church. This was bound to bring results, and we will give now some
thought to these results.
II. According to the historians of those ages the effects of the rosary
sermons of St. Dominic were truly wonderful. In all cities where he
preached, the people gathered in great numbers to hear his heaven-
inspired words and to pray the rosary with St. Dominic. Sinners were
converted, the faithful were strengthened and fortified, and many
thousands of those who had been led into heresy opened their hearts
again to the true faith and returned to the holy Church. The inspired
words of St. Dominic met with such splendid results that, even if the
tradition did not tell us so, the miraculous effects of this devotion
would prove its heavenly inspiration, and Pius IX, Leo XIII, as many
Popes before them, have publicly avowed their belief that St. Dominic
received the rosary from our blessed Mother.
The promise which Dominic received was fulfilled. Where all other means
had failed, the humble prayer of the rosary accomplished the victory
over heresy. Thus divine wisdom and infinite power make use of humble
things to effect great achievements. Of this the great work of the
redemption gives us an example. God made the Cross the instrument of
the redemption. The despised Cross, once a shame and disgrace, was
raised on the height of Calvary and became the instrument of the
redemption for all the world, the fountain of grace, a blessing for
time and eternity, the symbol of victory and glory.
St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, writes: "And I,
brethren, when I came to you, came not in loftiness of speech or of
wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of Christ. For I judge not
myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And my speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human
wisdom, but in the showing of the spirit and power. That your faith
might not stand on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. But we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and
unto the Gentiles foolishness: But unto them that are called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God; for the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; but the foolish things of the
world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong. That no flesh
should glory in his sight" (I Cor. i and ii). And so did God choose the
rosary, this humble prayer, to work such great things, that human
effort had not been able to accomplish. What an incentive to put all
our trust in God, rather than in our own strength!
The devotion of the rosary soon spread from southern France to all
other Catholic lands, and all peoples welcomed it with joy and prayed
it with great zeal. Rosary societies were formed and approved of by the
Popes, and were richly endowed with many indulgences. Ever since there
has been no other prayer practised so diligently as the rosary. And
often there have been recorded miraculous effects of this devotion, no
less miraculous than the conversion of the heretics in the south of
France.
The devotion as now practised is therefore in use over seven hundred
years. The wonderful origin, its great age and the remarkable miracles
that were wrought by its use at all times, bestow a great dignity on
this devotion.
When we consider the conditions that prevailed at the time of the
origin of the rosary, and for the betterment of which divine Providence
provided this devotion, we can not fail to realize a similarity of
conditions in our own times. Materialism and unbelief, connected with
widespread immorality, are now prevalent as they were then. They are
causing great injury to Church, State, and homes, and will become more
destructive if not checked by the right weapon. Pope Pius IX, as also
Pope Leo XIII, have declared the rosary to be that weapon, and have
exhorted Christianity to resort to the zealous use of it. If all
Christians would follow the advice of these supreme Pontiffs, we should
soon see the Catholic faith and good morals come into their own again,
and ample blessing would, through this devotion, be bestowed upon
private and public life. All the insistent endeavors of world-wise
scholars and reformers will be of no avail if God's blessing does not
rest upon their work. Only then, when the true faith and a life of
faith are made the standard of public and private merit and ethics,
will the temporal, no less than the eternal, welfare of nations and of
individuals be assured.
Let us, through the rosary, call to Mary for her powerful intercession
in the battle of the Church against the enemies of faith and morals,
and with her intercession we shall be sure of victory. Amen.
III. THE POWER OF THE ROSARY
"Lo, here is the sword of Goliath. . . . There is none like that, give
it to me."--I Kings xxi, 9.
SYNOPSIS.--_David, with God's assistance, his only weapon a pebble,
slew the giant. God gives us, as our weapon, the rosary. This has
proven efficacious in the battles of the Church against heretics and
heathen armies. Examples: Albigenses; Turks at Lepanto and Belgrade;
many epidemics abated or averted by the power of the rosary. This
devotion is just as powerful for the individual and for the family.
God has shown us that He wishes many to co-operate with the Church and
with the Christian in their fight for faith and salvation. Let all use
this weapon._