In today’s meditation I would like to speak again about the Holy Rosary, because today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the whole month of October is usually considered to be the “Month of the Rosary”.
The Holy Rosary, also known as the ‘Psalter of the Virgin Mary’, is one of the best-known and most popular prayers in the Catholic Church. In various apparitions, Our Lady insists that we pray it, and there are extraordinary testimonies of its efficacy.
It is a very simple and meditative prayer, suitable to be prayed in the family, in community or even alone… One of the aims of the Holy Rosary is to let the mysteries of our salvation take root in our hearts. We ask the Mother of the Lord to walk with us through the stations of salvation as we say the Hail Marys.
The frequent repetition of the angelic greeting reminds us of the great event that took place in Nazareth and brings the hour of our salvation up to date, inasmuch as God allows us to recognise the choice of Mary, to whom she gave that unsurpassable response of love in the name of all of us: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).
With this prayer, then, we enter into the history of love between God and the Virgin Mary, so that we too may become ever more attached to the divine will. Indeed, this is the great goal for us human beings: to live in total conformity with God’s holy will.
We can also say that the “great prayer” of the Holy Rosary is a school of humility, because when we pray it hand in hand with Our Lady, we also adopt her attitude of being lovingly at the disposal of the Lord, so that He may lead her in His ways.
This is what makes the prayer of the Rosary great, because, as Saint Augustine teaches us, we become great when we cling to Him who is great, but small when we cling to ourselves. God is great, and Our Lady, in her humility, praises this greatness and God’s work in her: “My soul magnifies the Lord. And she continues: “for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Lk 1:46,49).
The Rosary, as a school of humility, also shows its great efficacy against the powers of evil, for it is they who exalt themselves in their pride. And since pride closes the heart to God, while humility opens it to His action, the Rosary becomes a special weapon against evil spirits. This also has to do with the fact that this prayer especially unites us with Our Lady, who, in her most intimate union with God, becomes unbearable to the fallen angels. If Mary is ‘unbearable’ for the powers of darkness, it is because she belongs to God, because of her love for Him, because of her profound humility…. That is why they flee in the presence of the Queen of Angels, just as they will flee when they find us praying the Holy Rosary in union with her.
From whatever point of view we look at it, the recitation of the Holy Rosary is not to be neglected, even if in religious communities we usually also pray the “Great Psalter” in the context of the Liturgy of the Hours. This prayer will unite us not only with the Blessed Mother, but also with all the countless faithful who every day say the Hail Mary in unison with the Archangel Gabriel, praising the greatness of God and, at the same time, the choice of the Virgin Mary.
NOTE: Since today is the 7th day of the month, which we always dedicate in a special way to our Heavenly Father, we want to invite you to listen to the “3 minutes for Abba”, which is a small impulse that we publish daily in order to deepen the relationship of trust with God the Father. You can find them in the following links:
-Telegram: https://t.me/threeminutesforAbba
-Webpage: http://en.elijamission.net/category/3-minutes-for-god-the-father/
