On the 7th of October we celebrate with joy the beautiful feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. For us as Dominicans it is a good opportunity to reflect on the figure of the Virgin, her glory and her teachings. Mary was associated in a very special way with the Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection of the Son of God.
With joy we can see how, due to various circumstances, the rosary has become fashionable again, it is again in its place, that is, in the hands of the faithful, young and not so young, lay people as well as the consecrated persons.
One of the many gifts that Saint John Paul II has left the Church is precisely this: to bring back the Holy Rosary in the hands of everyone. By his example, he motivated and confirmed those who had never abandoned this pious practice, even in times when it was ridiculed.
Among all the devotions that are dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the rosary is the one that most identifies and unites Catholics. It is a powerful prayer that allows us to live the mysteries of the Gospel, to remember and meditate on the most significant moments on the life of the Savior. The rosary is an evangelical prayer, which requires meditation. It teaches us that, with Christ, glory is achieved through joy and pain.
In the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae we read: “The Rosary of the Virgin Mary is a prayer loved by countless Saints and encouraged by the Magisterium. Simple yet profound, it still remains, a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness. The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety”. (RVM n.1)
Indeed, the Holy Rosary helps us to live immersed in the mystery of Christ, almost continually pondering his life, his words, his example, his conduct and also fostering identification with Christ.
It brings us in a special way to all the people of God, both the simple and the learned, the saints and sinners. There is no prayer that needs less preparation and, at the same time, is so effective to the heart and mind of man.
Saint Paul VI affirmed, “not only does this prayer not in conflict with the Liturgy, it sustains it, since it serves as an excellent introduction and a faithful echo of the Liturgy, enabling people to participate fully and interiorly in it and to reap its fruits in their daily lives.” (RVM 4) Contemplation is the essential element of the Rosary, it is a perfect prayer. It is a reading of the Gospel in a Marian key.
My dear sisters, let us constantly entrust our personal path of sanctification and apostolate to the Virgin Mary, through the faithful and humble prayer of the Holy Rosary. In history, we do not lack the example of so many saints who were able to carry out their work of evangelization with great efficiency and efficacy.
May we all have a good month of October! May the Holy Rosary unite us, like the rosary beads, in an intense sisterly love.
Happy feast day of our Lady of the Rosary!
My fraternal embrace and prayer,
Sor Mª Asunción González, OP.
General Prioress