ROSES (white, red, and gold) for our BLESSED MOTHER

As we offer ROSES (white, red, and gold) to our BLESSED MOTHER
What a beautiful and powerful devotion!

We've heard it often said that the Rosary is such a powerful weapon, and the most worthy of all devotions, next to the Mass. It is powerful in obtaining manifold graces for ourselves and others. And we ask why? How so? What is the Rosary anyway? As St. John Paul II put it, it is looking at Christ through the eyes of Mary. It is more than just vocal prayer, even as it consists of the most beautiful of all vocal prayers, the 'Our Father' and the 'Hail Mary'. It is meditation on the life of Jesus and Mary, but not just like any other meditation. Here we employ the help of our Mother’s intercession, as we accompany our meditation with the saying of the Hail Mary’s.

But how do we meditate? It shouldn't be hard for us to meditate. Ours is a generation of watching movies. And we are wont to replay in our minds scenes from a movie we've seen. We can do the same in the Rosary. We just look at Jesus in that particular episode, much the same as when we re-run an excerpt in a movie we have seen. Thank God for those excellent movies about the life of Jesus such as “the Passion of the Christ”, or “Jesus of Nazareth”. We can just replay parts of it in our minds while saying the Hail Mary’s.

But surely there is a minimum of knowledge about each mystery that is required as a springboard for our meditation. Scriptural passages help a lot, plus some other commentary, or catechesis. Nowadays we have no excuse, as all these information are available. If we are able to access them then certainly our Rosary praying will be so enhanced by a preparatory study or catechesis on the mysteries; or in a family Rosary, a short scriptural reading on the mystery preceding each decade. A still picture in our minds would suffice for those without access to deeper theological considerations. However, it is very advisable to invoke the Holy Spirit at the beginning, to help us in meditating. Let us remember that the Holy Spirit is the interior Master of Prayer.

For example, we meditate on the “agony of Jesus in the garden”. We may simply put ourselves on the scene, perhaps like one of the disciples beholding Jesus in an intimate conversation with the Father before his Passion. We can then focus on various considerations. We consider his anticipated pain with his infinite knowledge of his impending torture so that he sweat blood. We also consider that despite this sure torture Jesus willingly accepts in full obedience the Father's will for our salvation.

But if our feeble minds do not have access to these truths about the mystery it suffices that we look at Jesus in agony. The Holy Spirit will lead us along the path to some fruit in our meditation. As we dwell on these considerations, one at a time, without cluttering our minds too much, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, our hearts will be gradually worked up to some holy affections of sympathy and union with Jesus in his agony. These affections are powerful in moving us to action based on holy attitudes when we get into similar situations in our life outside of our formal rosary praying. For instance, in times of struggle and temptation, through God’s grace we remember Jesus in his Agony, and we are moved to endure and submit to God’s will, and resist temptation.

By these we are gradually transformed into Christ through the inexhaustible riches of His mysteries. We all know from experience how easily we are influenced by our mental preoccupations, or by what movies or TV programs we watch. As these images go through our senses our attitudes, mindset, affections are affected positively or negatively. Our way of thinking, speaking, and doing are somehow affected by what we indulge in.

Indeed, as we pray the Rosary daily, and go through the mysteries of Jesus’ life, little by little a “luminous atmosphere, pure, strengthening, and fragrant” may be (is) formed in our soul, “which will penetrate our understanding, our will, our heart, our memory, our imagination, our whole being” (from a Prayer to Our Lady of the Rosary). And so as we ponder in our minds and hearts the joyful mysteries, an atmosphere of Joy in the Lord is gradually formed in our consciousness. Through the luminous mysteries Jesus gradually becomes the light of our life. The meditation on the sorrowful mysteries strengthens us in our sufferings, allowing us to unite ourselves to Jesus’ sufferings with love. Finally, the glorious mysteries give us hope of the glory that is to come in spite of our present difficulties. All these, however, happen gradually, as we try to be faithful to praying the Rosary daily. More and more Jesus’ life becomes the pattern of our lives.

Still it is not easy to meditate. It is a battle. We can be distracted at times. And if we lose track of our meditation, we can focus on the meaning of the vocal prayers, owning the words and addressing them to Mary, as though offering her a garland of roses (a token of our love), the 'Hail Mary’s, and pleading her to intercede for us. We may therefore swing from meditation on the mysteries to focusing on the vocal prayers devoutly addressed to Jesus and Mary. This manner of praying the Rosary has the capacity to lead us to contemplation as when through these vocal prayers and meditation we may be led to just fix our gaze on Jesus. The important thing is to enter into prayer calmly, not fretting through the prayers, or just keeping count to get it over with. In a sense then, the Rosary covers all three forms of Prayer, vocal, meditation and contemplation.

What more? Even as the Rosary has the power to transform us into Christ, it can and should be offered to obtain manifold graces for ourselves and others. We can offer the Rosary for healing, guidance, protection, discernment, and any other kind of need. We can offer even just one decade at a time for each of our many loved ones in need. Its power derives from the powerful intercession of our Most loving Mother Mary who is ever desirous to intercede for us. All we have to do is ask her, and it gives her Joy. One might wonder why the Rosary is said to have such a great impetratory (asking) power when offered for any intention. Our petition is fortified by the intercession of our Blessed Mother who desires to form us into Christ even as we beg for favors through her.

Isn't it so awesome that God has given us such a beautiful and powerful prayer as the Rosary? It transforms us even as it obtains graces and favors for us. It is as though Jesus is telling us to keep asking for favors through his Mother, but also learn from Him and be like Him. How natural it is for children to call on their earthly mothers in any need or difficulty. Yet as Christians we are always children before our Mother Mary; and so we call on her even for little things. Nothing is trivial to our Loving Mother.

So who says the Rosary is boring and repetitious? It is actually a very beautiful Prayer of immense power. We just have to pray it aright. Perhaps it takes practice. Indeed we are advised to pray it daily. For the more we pray it, the more we learn how to pray it better, and the more we are transformed little by little into becoming like Christ. May we all persevere in this beautiful devotion.

Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us!