Pray the Rosary, Pray the Gospel

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 20 November 2010)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We, Catholics, are often accused of not reading the Bible. This may be true, but, as a remark I came across the Internet says, we pray the Bible. How so? By praying the Rosary.

Do you know that in the Rosary prayer, we have a very handy “compendium of the entire Gospel”, as traditionally phrased by Pope Pius XII? The Rosary is biblical because its mysteries are drawn from the New Testament. In the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, Pope Paul VI described it as “a Gospel prayer, centred on the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation…”. And so, although the Rosary may seem to be more Marian in character, at heart it is actually Christ-centred. Pope Paul VI wrote: “…the succession of Hail Mary's constitutes the warp on which is woven the contemplation of the mysteries. The Jesus that each Hail Mary recalls is the same Jesus whom the succession of the mysteries proposes to us-now as the Son of God, now as the Son of the Virgin…”.

To illustrate, let us now see the Gospel in the Rosary mysteries.

The Joyful Mysteries present the joyous and decisive moment of our Redemption in the Annunciation and Mary’s “yes” to God’s mission for her. We travel with Mary to visit her cousin Elizabeth, where she imparted the Holy Spirit to St. John the Baptist, the herald of Jesus Christ, while still in his mother’s womb. We hear Mary praising God for fulfilling His promises in the Magnificat. Further on unfold the mysteries of Jesus’ virginal birth, His infancy and His childhood.

The Luminuous Mysteries bring us into the public life of Jesus – His Baptism in the Jordan at the start of His ministry; the first manisfestation of His glory at the wedding at Cana; His proclamation of the Kingdom of God by His teaching, preaching, calls to conversion and healing; His Transfiguration where God reveals the glory to be given to Him; and His institution of the Eucharist by which He made Himself present to us for all time to come.

The Sorrowful Mysteries remind us of Jesus’ humble submission to the Father’s will even while in agony in the Garden of Getshsemane; the horrendous torture, pain and humiliation that He went through in His scourging at the pillar, His crowning with thorns, His carrying of the Cross and finally His death on the Cross – all for the sake of saving us.

The Glorious Mysteries proclaim the triumphant victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death by His resurrection. He was raised to His rightful place at the right hand of the Father at His Ascension. We then see the Church born in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit by its prayers as a family together with Mary (JPII, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, #23, 2002), the Mother of the Church. We are reminded of the glorious end we are destined for in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. The last mystery presents Mary as Queen of the Angels and Saints (JPII, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, #23, 2002), shining forth in the glory bestowed by the Father for her faithful and perfect discipleship. We are thus assured of her powerful intercession for us as we journey towards our heavenly home. The last two mysteries, although not explicitly written in the Bible, flowed from the faith of the Church based on revelations of the truths in the Bible.

There you have the entire Gospel presented in the Rosary. Indeed, a complete Rosary is the entire 20 mysteries. Brother John M. Samaha wrote on the Mary Page website: (quote)

“To know how to pray the twenty mysteries of the rosary means that we know the basics about the life of Jesus and his teachings – his life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension; the meaning of Jesus’ Incarnation and Redemption.  This challenges us to ponder what these mysteries mean for us today. In reality the rosary is a compendium of the Gospel; it is the Gospel strung on beads.” (unquote)

And so, the Gospel can be easily prayed anywhere, anytime (as long as not interfering with our duties), and by anyone, even the illiterate. We don’t even have to carry the Bible with us! And we can be sure that we would be pleasing God, since the Gospel is the very Word of God. So let us pray the Rosary, and we’ll be praying the Gospel – in a simple way, and in union with Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother.