Lenten Rosary with John Paul II

The Daily Rosary: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Seasons: Advent Christmas Lent Lent (Holy Week) Easter

As a general principle, the Pope affirms that the Rosary, in line with Christian spirituality, should “engage the whole person in all his complex psychological, physical and relational reality”. In other word, the Rosary strives to involve the whole person in prayer:

-the body: the lips pronounce the ‘Hail Marys’, the fingers slip the beads, the body takes different positions;

- the imagination: this faculty is involved in mentally recreating the Gospel scene;

- the desire: our being is focused on the person of Christ,welcoming him and being transformed by and in him.

John Paul II underlines the following elements that should help us in praying the Rosary.

1. Announcing each mystery

This announcement should help us “open up a scenario on which to focus our attention”. This can be done mentally through our imagination, or visually, by using different means of illustrating the scene: posters, transparencies, slides, etc (See the beautiful drawings by Claudette Danis in The Rosary, Contemplating the Mystery).

2. Listening to the Word of God

A biblical passage related to the mystery is then proclaimed. “As we listen, we are certain that this is the word of God, spoken for today and spoken ‘for me’. It is not a matter of recalling information but of allowing God to speak”. In certain solemn celebrations, the Scripture passage can be commented on or explained briefly. One must avoid though making short homilies on every mystery!

3. Silence

Next, “it is fitting to pause and focus one’s attention for a suitable period of time on the mystery concerned, before moving into vocal prayer”. In a society where “silence becomes increasingly difficult to achieve,” it is the more important to make place for it in our prayer. The deeper the word to be received, the deeper must be the silence that receives it.

4. The ‘Our Father’

Being the prayer of Christ and of the Church, the Our Father is the very foundation of our relation with God. It reveals the ultimate end of our lives: that through Christ and in the Spirit, we enter in relation with the Father.

5. The ten ‘Hail Marys’

On the one hand, it is the prayer of the creature marveling at the doings of God and giving thanks. On the other hand, it expresses the wonder of the Creator Himself in the sight of the perfect humanity of Jesus and Mary, “God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

The Pope mentions the use of “clauses” which are short invocations added at the end of the first part of the Hail Mary. For instance, during the first Joyful mystery, one could say “...blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus, Son of God in our flesh”. You can find such suggestions in the book “The Rosary, Contemplating the Mystery” (Pauline Books and Media, 2000), or you can compose your own. Another very ancient use of clauses is to proclai8m one before each Hail Mary. For instance, at the first Sorrowful mystery, one could say:

- Jesus and his disciples enter the garden of Gethsemane; - Hail Mary…
- Jesus is distressed to the point of death; - Hail Mary…
- Jesus prays to his Father, “Take this cup away from me, but not what I wish, but what you do; - Hail Mary…
- Jesus finds his disciples asleep; - Hail Mary…
- Jesus says to Peter, “Stay awake and pray that you won’t be put to the test;” – Hail Mary…

6. The “Gloria”

“The Trinitarian doxology is the goal of all Christian contemplation” notes the Pope, since it brings us into the presence of the Trinity, mystery of life offering itself to us in the person of Christ. The Pope adds, “It is important that the Gloria, the high-point of contemplation, be given due prominence in the Rosary. In public recitation it could be sung.” My experience has shown the value of this suggestion: singing the Gloria – simply chanting it on a psalm melody – gives the Rosary a very prayerful and festive quality.


7. The Concluding short prayer

John Paul II writes, “The contemplation of the mysteries could better express their full spiritual fruitfulness if an effort were made to conclude each mystery with a prayer for the fruits specific to that particular mystery. Such as final prayer could take on a legitimate variety of forms, as indeed it already does.”

In a few lines, the Pope then presents the symbolical value of the beads, presenting them as a “chain which links us to God, to Mary, and to all others”.


The opening and closing

The Pope notes that “there are many ways to introduce the Rosary.” It can be the invocation from Psalm 69 / 70 introducing the Morning prayer (Lauds) in the breviary”

- O God, come to our aid.
- O Lord, make haste to help us.

In many places, people recite the Creed. “There and similar customs, to the extent that they prepare the mind for contemplation, are all equally legitimate” concludes the Pope.

At the end of the Rosary, one must be attentive “to expand the vision of the one praying to embrace all the needs of the Church”, which includes the intentions of our universal pastor. One should feel the need also “to burst forth in praise of the Blessed Virgin,” either by singing an antiphon (like the “Salve Regina’) or reciting a litany or a prayer.


Distribution over time

As the Pope acknowledges, the recitation of the Rosary is usually spread over a week, each day having its own set of mysteries. Whatever the rhythm used, “What is really important is that the Rosary should always be seen and experienced as a path of contemplation. In the Rosary, the Christian week becomes a journey through the mysteries of the life of Christ.”

Conclusion

In the last part of his Letter, John Paul II underlines the role that the Rosary can play in promoting world peace and in strengthening family life. “Anyone who assimilates the mystery of Christ – and this is clearly the goal of the Rosary – learns the secret of peace and makes it his life’s project”.

On the other hand, when parents invite their family to join in the prayer of the Rosary, “they are filling daily life with very different images [from those seen on TV], images of the mystery of salvation: the image of the Redeemer, the image of his most Blessed Mother. The family that recites the Rosary together places Jesus at the center; its members share his joys and sorrows, place their needs and their plans in his hands, draw from him the hope and the strength to go on”. “To pray the Rosary for children, and even more, with children”, such is the Pope’s invitation to parents. To make the prayer more adapted to youth, the Pope invites us to be creative, finding “appropriate and practical aids to the understanding and appreciation” of this form of prayer.

In the last lines of his Letter, the Pope invites all – pastors, theologians, consecrated people – to rediscover and promote “a prayer so easy and yet so rich”. Let us hear his final appeal:

I look to all of you, brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families, to you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: confidently take up the Rosary once again. Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the Liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives. May this appeal of mine not go unheard!