On the Memorial Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

 The month of October is a Marian month. We honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary. And the memorial feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is October 7, on the anniversary of the Christendom’s victory at the Battle of Lepanto, 1571.

The Scripture Readings of the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Acts1:12-14; Luke 1:26-38) reflects the first mystery and the last mystery of all 20 mysteries in the 4 categories in the Holy Rosary. And the Responsorial Psalm (Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55) is drawn from Mary’s Magnificat canticle (Luke 1:46-55) during her visitation to Elizabeth, which is reflected on the second Joyful Mystery.

The Rosary is Christological, as well as, Mariological, because each mystery of the Rosary reflects how Mary may contemplate on the life of her Son, Jesus the Christ, from his virginal conception in her womb to his ascension into heaven, following his passion, death, and resurrection, upon his performing of miraculous signs and proclaiming his Kingdom. And the last two glorious mysteries reflect Mary’s assumption and heavenly coronation, to reflect Jesus’ reunification with his mother, Mary.  In fact, the Rosary puts Christ and his mother, Blessed Virgin Mary together in its each mystery, we cite both the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father …(Pater Noster)) and the Angelic Greeting to Mary (Hail Mary (Ave Maria)…), connecting Jesus and his mother, Blessed Virgin Mary.

As St. Augustine of Hippo puts it in De Sancta Virginitate (On Holy Virginity), Mary serves not only as the Theotokos but also collaborates her Son’s salvific and redemptive works (not to be confused with “coredemptrix”, as Pope Francis cautions). It means that Mary helps us receive the salvific and redemptive providence of God from her Son, Jesus the Christ. Given this, by putting Jesus, through the prayer that he taught, the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father..”), and Mary, through Archangel Gabriel’s greetings to Mary (“Hail Mary…”), reflecting on his earthly life, his public ministry, and his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, as well as, Mary’s assumption and coronation, the Rosary helps us come closer to the union of Jesus and his mother, Mary, for his salvific and redemptive providential benefits.

Because we are called to carry on the works of Jesus (i.e. John 14:12; Matthew 28:19-20), we may face many challenges against us for doing his works. However, we can overcome adversities and complete our apostolic works on Christ’s behalf through the Rosary, as in the case with St. Dominic Guzman, to whom Mary revealed her Psalter, which has been developed into the Holy Rosary. And, as the Christendom was able to fend off a great threat of destruction with its victory of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, through a fervent prayer of the Rosary, it also has a protective benefit. These are just a few examples of the Rosary’s powerful benefits to the faithful. In fact, the Church and her faithful believers have overcome so many challenges through the Rosary. So, Pope Leo XIII calls the Rosary as a powerful weapon against enemies of our faith in Christ and his Church.

The five Joyful Mysteries: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of the Lord, the Presentation of the Lord, and Finding Jesus in the Temple, covering Jesus’ life form the conception to his adolescence. The five Luminous Mysteries: the Baptism of the Lord, the Wedding at Cana, Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration of the Lord, and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist, to punctuate Jesus’ public ministry.  The five Sorrowful Mysteries: Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning with Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion, reflects Jesus’ passion and death from late Holy Thursday night to the afternoon of Good Friday. The Via Crusis, the Stations of the Cross, are in this context. Then, the five Glorious Mysteries: the Resurrection of the Lord, the Assumption of the Lord, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary, reflects the Paschaltide and beyond.

Moving from the five Joyful Mysteries to the five Glorious Mysteries through the five Luminous Mysteries and the five Sorrowful Mysteries, we can reflect God’s salvific and redemptive scheme from the incarnation of Christ in Mary’s womb at the Annunciation all the way to the consummation of it with the incarnated Christ’s reunification with his mother as the heavenly Gebirah (Queen Mother).  This spectrum of the Rosary is reflected in all four canonical Gospels and the Book of Revelation.

Through all 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary, which grew out of the Marian Psalter given to St. Dominic Guzman, we reflect the life of Jesus from his conception in Mary’s womb to his ascension into heaven to seat at the right hand of the Father, as well as, his mother’s assumption and coronation. We also unite Jesus and his mother, Blessed Virgin Mary, as we cite the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father..”) in each mystery , responded with the Angelic Greeting to Mary (“Hail Mary..”) 10 times. And this is how we continue to fight and win our spiritual wars against Satan, until Christ returns. So, we serve our Lord Jesus Christ more effectively with the Holy Rosary.