By Robert Feeney
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 8/14/03)

The rosary is a marvelous prayer whereby we place ourselves into the wonderful and interesting school of Mary. It is a class that lasts 30 minutes out of a day of 1,440 minutes, leaving us 1,410 minutes to work, rest and fulfill other obligations. In this splendid school, we learn from Mary the mysteries which she, as mother, pondered in her heart. In this school, Mary is the perfect teacher, the woman who taught Jesus as a little boy. Pope John Paul II sees the rosary as the prayer of Mary, the prayer in which she feels particularly at one with us, like when she prayed with the apostles in the upper room, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The late great English Dominican, Father Vincent McNabb, once remarked that "most of the contemplatives I have met are in the world, and these have found union with God through the rosary." St. Pius V, a Dominican who became pope in the 16th century, was convinced that once people would enter into this school and meditate on the mysteries of the rosary with Mary, they would be different people.

Pope Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation, Marialis Cultus, stressed contemplation in the rosary and not just saying the ‘Our Father’ and ‘Hail Mary.’ He taught that without contemplation, the rosary is a body without a soul. Paul VI believed that contemplation in union with Mary on the mysteries of the rosary, would encourage practical reflections and provide stimulating norms for living. This great pope, as well as other popes of this century, has praised the rosary as a spiritual training school where people whose muscle of the spirit have grown flabby and atrophied, can slowly and normally win back the strength required to come away victorious in the battle of life.

In this school, we bring our book as well as beads; our book being the gospels from which we study one mystery at a time under Mary’s guidance. From this school, we learn a rule of life, praying for and imitating the virtues these mysteries contain. This school provides wisdom for those who govern, consolation for those who suffer and strength and perseverance for us all to do good. The 15 mysteries provide shining insights for the soul, enlightening us on our way, providing us valuable lessons for daily life.

When Mary appeared at Fatima, Portugal in 1917 to three children from ages seven to 10, Like St. Bernadette, whom Mary appeared to at Lourdes, these children were called to be students in Mary’s school. At Fatima, Mary asked that the rosary be prayed every day. The rosary has proved to be a most effective prayer in times of crisis in the Church and in the world. Ever since Mary instructed St. Dominic to preach the rosary, popes have called upon Catholics to pray the rosary for an end to war, restoration of morals and the promotion of dignity of the human person. In Pope John Paul II’s latest book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, he states: "On this universal level, if victory comes, it will be brought by KMary. Christ will conquer through her because He wants the Church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her."

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the rosary as "an epitome of the whole Gospel." Pope John Paul II calls the rosary a prayer-commentary on chapter eight of the Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium, which concerned itself with Mary’s presence in the mystery of Christ and the Church. How fitting it would be for students in Mary’s school to read this most important chapter on Mary that was complied during the Second Vatican Council.

How appropriate it would be for our times for parents to enroll their children as well as themselves in this most salutary school; for bishops and priests to inspire their flock to enroll in Mary’s school. In this way, we would all be one with Mary as the apostles were in the upper room, awaiting the Holy Spirit.