Some Key Ideas in Pope St. John Paul II Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae

On October 16, 2002, Pope St. John Paul II, issued his Apostolic Letter on the Most Holy Rosary titled Rosarium Virginis Mariae Latin for “the Rosary of the Virgin Mary.”

I have presented, in this article, certain key ideas contained in the Pope’s Apostolic Letter.

In his Apostolic Letter, the Pope, acknowledged the beauty of the Rosary and its impact on the Christian life. The Pope, described the rosary as “a prayer loved by countless saints and encouraged by the Magisterium” (no. 1a). The Rosary is a prayer treasured by the saints. It produces, in the individual, the gifts, and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Rosary is seen by St. John Paul II, as a prayer of “great significance,” a prayer which “although Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer” (no. 1b). The Rosary is a prayer essentially centered on the mysteries of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Pope, writes the following with regard to the Rosary in his own personal life:

“I myself have often encouraged the frequent recitation of the Rosary. From my youthful years this prayer has held an important place in my spiritual life. I was powerfully reminded of this during my recent visit to Poland, and in particular at the Shrine of Kalwaria. The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty. To it I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it I have always found comfort. Twenty-four years ago, on 29 October 1978, scarcely two weeks after my election to the See of Peter, I frankly admitted: “The Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its simplicity and its depth” (no. 2).

From the Pope’s writing, one can see the great love which St. John Paul II has for the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy Rosary. In fact, the Pope’s episcopal motto “Totus tuus” Latin for “Totally Yours,” derives from his personal consecration to the Mother of God. The Holy Father, goes on to assert that, “To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ” (no. 3). This is indeed true for, as already noted above, the rosary is essentially, a Christocentric prayer. The Pope, points out the need for Rosary to be, “especially emphasized and promoted in the various Christian communities” (no. 5), and thus, proclaims the year October 2002-October 2003 as the Year of the Rosary.

According to the Holy Father, “But the most important reason for strongly encouraging the practice of the Rosary is that it represents a most effective means of fostering among the faithful that commitment to the contemplation of the Christian mystery which I have proposed in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte as a genuine “training in holiness”: “What is needed is a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer” (no. 5).

In recalling the tragic events of history, especially the terrifying attacks of 11 September 2001, the Pope, emphasized the recitation of the Rosary to achieve peace. In the Pope’s own words, “to rediscover the Rosary means to immerse oneself in contemplation of the mystery of Christ who ‘is our peace,’ since he made ‘the two of us one, and broke down the dividing wall of hostility’” (no. 6a). The Rosary, as a prayer for peace, is also needed in the family, which is, “the primary cell of society” (no. 6b). If we want to experience peace within ourselves, in our families, in our nation, and in our world, let us then pray the Most Holy Rosary daily.

In the words of St. John Paul II, “Mary is the perfect icon of the motherhood of the Church” (no. 15). As mother, the Pope says, “The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary’s side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is ‘fully formed’ in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, ‘in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power’” (no.15).

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect prayer, and the prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary.¹ The Pope averred that, “if Jesus, the one Mediator, is the Way of our prayer, then Mary, his purest and most transparent reflection, shows us the Way” (no. 16). Mary, shows us the Way to Christ, and the Rosary is the best and most efficacious means of going to Mary.

In the Rosary, we are presented with the mysteries of Christ and His Blessed Mother. St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort says, “The works of Our Lord and of His Blessed Mother can rightly be called mysteries because they are so full of wonders and all kinds of perfections and deep and sublime truths which the Holy Spirit reveals to the humble and simple souls who honor these mysteries.”²

In his Apostolic Letter, the Holy Father, also introduces the “mysteries of light,” also known as the “luminous mysteries.” These mysteries cover the public ministry of our Lord. In the Pope’s own words, “This addition of these new mysteries, without prejudice to any essential aspect of the prayer’s traditional format, is meant to give it fresh life and to enkindle renewed interest in the Rosary’s place within Christian spirituality as a true doorway to the depths of the Heart of Christ, ocean of joy and of light, of suffering and of glory” (no. 19).

Furthermore, the Pope, asserts that, “Certainly the whole mystery of Christ is a mystery of light. He is the ‘light of the world’ (Jn 8:12). Yet this truth emerges in a special way during the years of his public life, when he proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom” (no. 21). The “mysteries of light” is thus added to the traditional Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries.

In section 25 of the Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the Holy Father avers that, “the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life.” The Rosary is an invaluable treasure for us and needs to be rediscovered, most especially in our world today. The Hail Mary’s which we offer to God and our Lady yields marvelous benefits in our souls and makes us more like Christ.

The Rosary is a prayer to be said by every individual. The Rosary calls upon us poor sinners the mercy of God through our Lady’s intercession. According to the Holy Father, the Hail Mary is, “the most substantial element in the Rosary and also the one which makes it a Marian prayer par excellence. Yet when the Hail Mary is properly understood, we come to see clearly that its Marian character is not opposed to its Christological character, but that it actually emphasizes and increases it” (no. 33).

Like the Liturgy of the hours, the Pope encouraged the recitation of the Rosary by the faithful. The Holy Father also encouraged the family recitation of the Rosary and the need for every individual to “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” (no. 43).

Let us then recite the Rosary every day, making the Rosary, part and parcel of our daily lives. Let us entrust ourselves to our heavenly mother, who loves us far more than any earthly mother could. St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort says that even if you throw all the natural love which all the mothers of the world have for their children into the heart of one mother for only one child, Mary loves her children still more tenderly than that mother would love that child of hers.³

Let us then run to this good and loving mother of ours, trusting in her maternal intercession as we implore her aid through the Most Holy Rosary.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Pray for us

NOTES

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2679

2.  St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, The Secret of the Rosary (Bay Shore, N. Y.: Montfort Publications, 1954), 54. 

3. St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, True Devotion To Mary (Rockford Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, 1941), 126.