The Rosary — Our Spiritual Treasure

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Bishop of Arlington
(From the issue of 10/23/03)

The following homily was given by Bishop Paul S. Loverde at the Arlington Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C,. on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Throughout this past week, our attention has been riveted on Pope John Paul II as he observed on Thursday, Oct. 16, the 25th anniversary of his election as Universal Pastor of the Church. For 25 years, our Holy Father has been proclaiming the Gospel of Life, of Justice and of Peace; for 25 years, he has been calling us to holiness. In fact, in his message at the beginning of this new millennium, he clearly stated that the primary task for us as disciples of Christ is to become holy. "First of all, I have no hesitation in saying that all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness…. It is necessary therefore to rediscover the full significance of Chapter 5 of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, dedicated to the ‘universal call to holiness.’ … This as it were objective gift of holiness is offered to all the baptized. But the gift in turn becomes a task, which must shape the whole of Christian life: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1 Th 4:3)" (no. 30). In today’s second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to Romans, we are reminded that God desires that we become holy, that is, become like His Son. "For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son….And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified."

How do we become holy? By listening to Jesus, by keeping our eyes fixed on Him and by following His footsteps. In listening to His Word, in keeping our eyes fixed on Him, in following His footsteps, are we not, in fact, contemplating the Face of Christ? Just as an artist keeps his eyes fixed on the person whose portrait he is painting or the sculptor on the subject whose image he is fashioning, so we keep looking at Christ, contemplating His Face. Who among us has done this best of all? Is it not Mary, the Mother of God? Indeed, she is the first and the best of all those who contemplate the Face of Christ. In his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II puts this so beautifully: "Mary lived with eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: ‘She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart’

(Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51)" (no. 11).

How then do we, like Mary, live with our eyes fixed on Christ? Obviously, there are many ways to do that, but eminent among them is the Rosary. "In the recitation of the Rosary," our Holy Father tells us, "the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary." (Ibid.) … "By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord" (Ibid., no. 12). "The Rosary is one of the traditional paths of Christian prayer directed to the contemplation of Christ’s Face" (Ibid., no. 18).

However, we must do more than merely recite the Rosary. We must reflect on the mysteries — Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious — and live these mysteries in our own lives. In other words, as we reflect on the mysteries in both Christ’s and Mary’s lives, we not only contemplate what they experienced but begin to see how each mystery is also relived in our lives. Pope John Paul II writes: "… ‘the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life.’ It could be said that each mystery of the Rosary, carefully meditated, sheds light on the mystery of man" (Ibid., no. 25).

Yes, the Rosary is our spiritual treasure! We are gathered here in Mary’s House as a diocesan family much like the first disciples described in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles: "All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." Here united together as members of one diocesan family, we are rediscovering a treasure — the Holy Rosary. Here united together, we are rediscovering a fundamentally gospel way to respond to the call to holiness — a Gospel way that is more concrete and readily available to everyone. Once again, let us listen to our Holy Father: "Dear brothers and sisters! A prayer so easy and yet so rich truly deserves to be rediscovered by the Christian community…. I look to all of you, brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families, to you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: 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" (Ibid., no. 43).

Yes, may we rediscover the Rosary as we come here on pilgrimage to Mary’s House! May we recommit ourselves not only to say the Rosary daily, but even more to pray over each mystery, allowing ourselves to be so transformed by this contemplative prayer that we come to live each mystery in our lives as well. Yes, may we so contemplate the Face of Christ, imitating His Mother Mary, that we will obtain new levels of holiness and live more fully united in faith, hope and love. "The Rosary retains all its power and continues to be a valuable pastoral resource for every good evangelizer" (Ibid., no. 17).

Tucked in our memories — at least, in the memories of some of us who are older is a homey poem-like prayer to Our Blessed Mother we may have learned as children or heard Bishop Sheen pray with such fervor. "Lovely Lady dressed in blue — Teach me how to pray! God was just your little Boy, Tell me what to say!" O Mary, tell us to pray the Rosary so that we can be transformed into the Image of your Son! "Lovely Lady, dressed in blue, Teach me how to pray! God was just your little Boy, and you know the way!" O Mary, the way is the Rosary. Every day, help us to follow the way you point out — the way of the Rosary! Amen!

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