OCTOBER DEVOTION: DAY 31 – “I OPENED THE BIBLE AND I SAW THE HOLY ROSARY” (What does the Bible say about praying the Holy Rosary)?

DAY 31 PRAYER INTENTION: Today, pray for all those who have died (especially the faithful departed dear to us) marked with the sign of faith and undergoing purification in Purgatory. May Our Lady of the Holy Rosary assist them and intercede for them, and aid them in reaching their ultimate goal – heaven, to the greater glory of God. Amen (Also add your own intention…)

Now, say the 20 decades of the Rosary…

At the end of the 20 decades, say the following Prayers:

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! St. Joseph, pray for us!

Litany of Loreto

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us (Repeat after each invocation)

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,

Holy Mary,
pray for us (Repeat after each invocation)
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of Mercy,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother of Hope,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Saviour,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Solace of Migrants,
Comfort of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most Holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;
and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Prayer to Saint Joseph after the Rosary

To you, O Blessed Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently ask your patronage also. Through that sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by his blood, and to aid us in our necessities with your power and strength.

O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. Most beloved father, dispel the evil of falsehood and sin. Our most mighty protector, graciously assist us from heaven in our struggle with the powers of darkness. And just as you once saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. Shield each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your help, we may be able to live a virtuous life, die a holy death, and obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

DAY 31 REFLECTION: I OPENED THE BIBLE AND I SAW THE HOLY ROSARY” (What does the Bible say about praying the Holy Rosary)?

According to St. Louis Marie de Montfort, that “the rosary is the summary work of man’s redemption, a means that has reinstated man to his original state”. On this paradigm, we could say that the rosary is the summary of the New Testament; and a proper recitation of the rosary indicates a perfect way of reading the Bible. How are we to understand this?

Concisely, the rosary is made up of Mental and Vocal prayers. The mental prayers consist of meditating and contemplating on the chief mysteries of our salvation (the birth, mission, suffering, death and the glory of Jesus, and also the important role played by Mary in the salvation history) alongside the recitation of the vocal prayers. The vocal prayers consist of the recitation of the Creed, “The Lord’s Prayer” (Our Father), “Hail Mary” (Angelic greeting), and the Mysteries. In an attempt to understand better, we readily turn to Bible. Below are some explanations.

1. The “Our Father” (The Lord’s prayer) – is literally biblical: Matt. 6:5-13
2. The first part “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you” corresponds to the Angel Gabriel’s salutation at the Annunciation (Lk. 1:28). Consequently, the phrase: “Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb (Jesus)” is exactly the expression of Elizabeth, wife of Zachariah, by the influence of the Holy Spirit – we were told, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit immediately she heard Mary’s greetings (Lk. 1:40-42).
3. The second part of the rosary prayer, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death”, might be understood as follows:

(i) “Holy Mary” again corresponds to the biblical passage of the Annunciation “full of grace”. Some versions of the Bible indicate “highly favoured daughter”. Now let us turn to the Greek version of the Bible (the original language in which the New Testament Bible was written). In the Greek version of the Bible, we see “KECHARITOMENE” in Luke 1:28. With the knowledge of Biblical Greek, I’ve come to understand that KECHARITOMENE is the PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE of the verb “CHARITOO”. This means “to fill or endow with grace.” Now, sincere biblical scholars would agree with me that “KECHARITOMENE” – a PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE implies that the Blessed Virgin Mary was graced in the past and with continuing effects in the present. Therefore, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit; She had already been in the state of sanctifying grace in the past. As a matter of fact, we Roman Catholics hold that it extends over the whole of her life, from the very moment of her conception onwards (That is how we arrive at the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception). Therefore, she was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence, that is why we call her Holy Mary.

(ii) The expression “Mother of God” refers to the fact that the fruit of her womb (Jesus) is also God (True man and True God {the God-Man} – Theo-anthropos). Hence, Mary did not give birth to a Jesus who is only a man, but gave birth to Jesus, True God, and True Man). Little wonder Elizabeth who was filled with the Holy Spirit added to her expression: “Why should I be honoured with a visit from the MOTHER OF MY LORD” (Lk. 1:43).

(iii) The phrase “Pray for us” can be referred to as the intercessory role of Mary and it can be related to the Wedding Feast at Cana where Mary intercedes with her Son for the couple who ran out of wine. (John 2:5). In other words, Jesus’ first sign was prompted by his mother. Hence, we implore her intercession till the hour of our death because we are sinners.

(iv) Finally, the doxology “Glory be to the Father” makes direct reference to the Trinity; Father, Son and Spirit and the praise due to them. Put differently, the “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…”; refers to the song the angels sang at the birth of Jesus Christ, “glory to God in the highest…” (cf. Lk. 1:13-14). In the Godhead is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, if the Father is glorified, then the Son and the Holy Spirit are equally glorified because the Three Persons (however distinct) are united and undivided – One God.

THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY

As stated earlier, the rosary is the summary of the childhood, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, and also the important role played by Mary in the salvation history. We have the following mysteries: Joyful, Luminous, sorrowful, and Glorious.

1. JOYFUL MYSTERIES: (i) The Annunciation – Luke 1: 26-38; John 1:14. (ii) The Visitation – Luke 1: 39-56. (iii) The Nativity of Christ – Luke 2: 6-20. (iv) The Presentation of Jesus in the temple – Luke 2: 22-39. (v) The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple – Luke 2: 41-51.

2. LUMINOUS MYSTERIES: (i) The Baptism of Jesus – Matthew 3:11-17; Luke 3:15-22; John 1:22-34. (ii) The manifestation of Jesus at the Wedding Feast at Cana – John 2: 1-12. (iii) The Proclamation of the Kingdom and call to Conversion – Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 5:1-8; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:21. (iv) The Transfiguration of Jesus – Luke 9:28-36; Matthew 17:1-8. (v) The Institution of the Eucharist – Matthew 26:26-28; John 6: 33-59.

(Note: The five Luminous Mysteries, or Mysteries of Light, were introduced in 2002 by Pope John Paul II)

3. SORROWFUL MYSTERIES: (i) The Agony of Christ in the Garden – Matthew 26: 36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22: 39-46. (ii) The Scourging of Christ at the Pillar – Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1. (iii) The Crowning with Thorns – Matthew 27:29-30; Mark 15:16-20; John 1: 2-3. (iv) The Carrying of the Cross – Luke 23: 26-32; Matthew 27:31-32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23: 26-32. (v) The Crucifixion of Christ – Luke 23: 33-46; Matthew 27: 33-54; Mark 15: 22-39; Luke 23: 33-47; John 19: 17-374.

4. GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: (i) The Resurrection of Christ – Matthew 28: 1-10; Mark 16: 1-18; Luke 24: 1-49; John 20:1-29. (ii) The Ascension into heaven – Mark: 16: 19-20; Luke 24: 50-51; Acts 1: 6-11 (iii) The Descent of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2: 1-41 (iv) The Assumption Revelation 12:1. (v) Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth Revelation 12:1

Mary‘s Assumption and Coronation are implied in Revelation Chapter 12 and in other Biblical references, but neither is directly stated in the Bible. Both events are part of Catholic Tradition. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the Assumption in Sections 966 and 974.

From what we have seen so far, the conclusion is inescapable – the rosary prayer is indeed, the summary of the New Testament. Put differently, it is just like reading the Bible (especially the New Testament) perfectly (7 times).

Dear friends in Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Pope St. Pius V instituted the feast of the Holy Rosary as a result of the favour he received for praying the rosary. In other words, it was in thanksgiving for the great naval victory over the Turks at the battle of Lepanto (on October 7, 1571); a favour granted to him due to the recitation of the Rosary. Pope St. Pius V and all Christians had prayed the Rosary for victory. This victory saved Europe from being overrun by the forces of Islam. Therefore, this month of October offers us the opportunity to intensify our devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary. Let us endeavour to pray the rosary daily.

Blessing
Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, may Almighty God bless + you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Paroquia Nossa Senhora de Fatima, Vila Sabrina, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com