October 14, 2023
"I am Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary". This is how the Virgin Mary introduced herself to the three children of Fatima on May 13, 1917. "Pray the rosary every day," she asked them.
The Rosary, which Saints Francisco and Jacinta prayed so lovingly for sinners, for souls in purgatory, for Peace in the world, is indeed a prayer for everyone, a prayer that we can pray everywhere and in every circumstance. Just think of Saint John Paul II or Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
The Rosary is the liturgy of the poor, of busy people, of children, of the elderly. It is the prayer of God's children, of Mary's children, of those who want to live in rhythm with Mary's Immaculate heart, in greater proximity with her.
The Rosary enables us to live every stage of our lives, every joyful or painful circumstance, every time of struggle or victory, with Mary, under her protection, under her maternal gaze. Each mystery of the Rosary is an opportunity for us to share in the grace of the Virgin Mary. It's a privileged means that the Church is so fond of, enabling us to conform our hearts to that of Mary.
But how do we pray the rosary?
By loving Mary and discovering her gaze on Christ in all the proposed mysteries, by contemplating her, that is, by living her mystery. Mary is our Mother and the cause of our joy. It is through her that Christ was given to the world to save us, and it is through her that we can present our prayers and our hearts to Jesus.
We can pray the rosary as a holy devotion or by meditating on the mysteries. That's a start. But we can enter more deeply into Mary's heart by praying the Rosary from within, in a more contemplative way. Above all, it's about remaining in Mary's presence, making her love for Jesus our own.
Contemplative rosary prayer is a source of inner silence. It helps us to fight against our imagination, purifying it and preparing us to enter into a divine silence. Through it, we welcome Mary's divine maternity, which then envelops us, carries us, pacifies us, strengthens us, restores hope and leads us into a true prayer of the heart. Mary gives herself to us. We are transformed by her presence.
Praying the mysteries of the Rosary means receiving Mary's presence. And this presence of the Immaculate leads us into joy, into light, into the victory of love over suffering, into love that is victorious.
So can we not dare to say that the Rosary is Mary's Testament for us,for her children? In this simple way, she gives herself to us. Is it not her desire that our lives be transformed by hers?
