Angels in the Holy Rosary

Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church recognize both the existence of angels and the unique role that they play in the natural and supernatural worlds.  Accordingly, angels also play an important role in one of the most powerful and important prayers available to Catholics:  the Holy Rosary.  

 
The importance of the Rosary cannot be overstated.  Properly exercised, it is a theological and spiritual journey through the life of Christ.  It also shows the selfless and most loving devotion of Our Blessed Mother to her most Holy Son.   

 
Paragraph 328 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls “angels” is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.”   The Catechism further states in Paragraph 330 “As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.”

 
Angels play an important role in both the Old and New Testaments.  Angels bar the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve after their banishment.  Angels visit various Old Testament persons from time to time.  An angel of the Lord strikes down the first born of Egypt prior to the Exodus.  In the New Testament, St. Gabriel informs Mary that she will bear the Son of God and angels are present at his birth in Bethlehem, proclaiming and celebrating him.   Though angels play important roles in Scripture at various times, only three are identified by name:  St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and St. Michael.

 
Given the important role of angels in Scripture and the life of the Church, naturally angels would play an important part in the Rosary.   Angels play an important role in several of the Twenty Mysteries of the Rosary, namely the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Agony in the Garden, the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Assumption and the Crowning of Mary.  In several of the mysteries, their role is prominent and obvious; in a couple others, their role is less obvious.  

 
An angel appears in the very first Joyful Mystery when the Archangel St. Gabriel visits Mary and informs her that she has been chosen by God to be the Mother of the Son of God.  As St. Luke records in his Gospel:  “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31).  

In this First Joyful Mystery, an angel also appears in a dream to Mary’s betrothed, St. Joseph.  After learning of Mary’s pregnancy, St. Joseph is presented with quite a conundrum.  A woman who is unmarried and pregnant faces serious, even severe societal consequences.  As St. Matthew reports in his Gospel: 

 
“Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.   She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1:19-21) 

In the Third Joyful Mystery, an angel announces the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.  As St. Luke records in his Gospel:  “The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord”  (Luke 2:10-1).  Then a great multitude of angelic host appeared in the sky singing the praises of God Most High (Luke 2:13-4).

 
An angel is with Jesus during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (The First Sorrowful Mystery).  As St. Luke records in his Gospel:  “After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.’  And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him”  (Luke 22:41-3).

 
Angels play an important role in the First Glorious Mystery - the Resurrection of Our Lord. Angels are not only present at the Resurrection of Our Lord but they are the first heralds of Jesus’s Resurrection.  Just as the angels announced Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem, the angels announce Jesus’s Resurrection from the dead.  The role of angels is described in all four Gospels.

 
In St. Matthew’s Gospel, an angel rolls back the stone which had closed Jesus’s tomb and announces his Resurrection to the Holy Women.  St. Matthew writes: “Then the angel said to the women in reply, ‘Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you”  (Matthew 28:5-7).  

 
St. Mark’s Gospel offers a similar description of Jesus’s Resurrection (Mark 16:1-8).  

 
Whereas, one angel is mentioned in the Resurrection account in the Gospels of St. Mark and St. Matthew, St. Mary Magdalene encounters two angels at the Resurrection in St. John’s Gospel. Finding the tomb empty, St. Mary Magdalene weeps, believing that someone has taken away Jesus’s body.  Then she sees the two angels, one at the head of where Jesus had been laid to rest and one at his feet.  The angels ask her why she is weeping and she replies that they have taken away Jesus’s body and she does not know where they have taken him.    The Resurrected Jesus then appears to her with a message for his apostles.   See John 20:1-18.  

 
Like St. John, St. Luke also mentions two angels at the Resurrection but in his account, the angels play a much larger role.  The Holy Women find the tomb empty.  St. Luke writes:  “While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.’  And they remembered his words”  (Luke 24:4-8).

The Holy Women see the empty tomb and struggle to comprehend what they are seeing or rather what they are not seeing.  Then the two angels speak some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture:  “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised”  (Luke 24:5-6).  Throughout history, there have been numerous religious and spiritual leaders.  They have offered hope, inspiration, purpose, meaning in life and direction.  But only one religious leader offers redemption from sin and eternal life:  Jesus the Son of God.  Here in these powerful words the angels remind the Holy Women who Jesus is and what he came into the world to do.    

 
In the Fourth Glorious Mystery, Our Blessed Mother is assumed directly into Heaven at the end of her Earthly life.   There she is reunited with her Son and there is great rejoicing in Heaven.  Since angels live in Heaven with God, they must have been present at Mary’s arrival in Heaven and her joyous reunion with her Son.  

 
In the Fifth Glorious Mystery, Our Blessed Mother is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.  Again, since angels live in Heaven with God, the angels must have been present when Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth and they must have rejoiced with great joy.  

There is another important aspect of the role of the angels in the Holy Rosary which I initially overlooked but was later reminded of when I was reading Pope St. John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae.  When we pray the Ave Maria (Hail Mary) as part of every Mystery of the Rosary, we are using the greeting of St. Gabriel in the Annunication:  "Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you." So in this way, angels are present with us throughout the entirety of the Rosary's twenty Mysteries as we pray with St. Gabriel "Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you."

 
The Holy Rosary is a powerful prayer and expression of our faith.   The Rosary offers us so many different levels of spiritual contemplation.  It is far from being a mindless repetition of words.  It is an opportunity to contemplate and immerse ourselves in Jesus’s life on Earth and his Most Blessed Mother’s supporting role in his mission of salvation.   With angels playing such a prominent role in Holy Scripture, it is only natural that they too would play an important role in the Rosary which honors and celebrates Jesus’s life on Earth.