The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-13
THE HOLY ROSARY.

~ something to do with the choice Of
the General Intention for the present
month, writes Rev. e. j. Devine, S. j.
The need of prayer to move the
Heart of God, in order to make Him
intervene land, send :, peace again
among the nations, is absolutely felt,
and our Holy Father. wishing to
enlist the SRhole Catholic sworId in
the crusade} naturally turns to the
prayer which all may recite, namely,
the time-honored Rosary of our Lady,
The high esteem in which His
Holiness holds the Rosary is plainly
shown in the documents which he
published shortly after his elevation
to the sovereign pontificate. AS a
messenger of piety and OF consolation
to individuals, to families, sand to
society,"" he writes, I'VE have always
highly valued the mystic crown
which Christian people, in inspired
words Of veneration and affection,
place every day upon the royal head
of the Mother of God" 1t is its
universal character of collective and
domestic prayer, more pronounced
than in other forms of prayer, that
appealed to the Holy Father and
made him choose it as the one best
suited for the times in which we live,
when all classes and conditions of
men are asked to storm heaven for
the restoration of peace.
-,
use among the faithful since the
thirteenth century. 1t was popular
lied by Saint Dominic, who, accord
ing to a pious tradition, received it
from the hands of our Lady herself
as the weapon with which he was to
triumph over the Albigensian heresy.
This tradition does not mean that
Saint Dominic was the first to
introduce this method of prayer, but
it seems historically correct to say
that he gave the Rosary its present
form, and the saint is cited in differ
ent pontiffcal bulls as the one who
established the practice.
To understand in a general way
the order and method employed in
this form of prayer, we must dis
tinguish between the full Rosary of
Saint Dominic and the shorter one,
so familiar to us all. The full
Rosary is also called the "Psalter of
Mary" because it contains the same
number of Hail Marys as there are
psalms in the Bible. This number
was chosen by Saint Dominic SO that
the faithful who could not recite the
Psalter might replace it by the
Rosary. The one hundred and fifty
Hail Marys form fifteen decades
which are said in honor of the fifteen
principal mysteries of the life of
Mary and her Divine Son.
The mysteries of the Rosary follow
each other practically in the order of
the fcasts of the liturgical year. If we
examine these facts we shall distin-
guish three series which we may
name Joyful "sorrowful," and
glorious" according to the character
of the mysteries and the time of the
year in which we recall them. The
joyful period extends from Advent to
Septuagesima; the sorrowful, from
Septuagesima to Easter; and from
Easter to Advent, the glorious. One
may sec the same order of mysteries
in the full Rosary of our Lady.
The short Rosary,--or the beads,
as it is more Familiarity known--is
one'third the length of the full one,
and is recitcd in honor of one series
of mysteries at time. 1t comprises
the five decades of Hail MaryS which
we say, when we hold in our hand
the chain on which the fifty beads
are Rngrained To this shorter
Rosary crucifx and other beads
are attached precisely to honor the
Persons of the Holy Trinity. While
this addition is not essential, it is a
kind of introduction or preparation
for the better recital of the short
Rosary.
This rather superficial explanation
helps us at least to understand how
great is the homage we pay to our
Lady when we offer her the tribute
y
Mary because it offers her crown
of mystical roses bound together by
the golden chain of the mysteries of
the Redemption. If we wish further
to understand and appreciate the
excellence of this form of prayer we
have merely to see what the Infallible
Church and her visible Head think
of it. In bulls and briefs, forty-five
Popes have urged the faithful in
Christ to recite the Rosary. Two of
our most recent Pontiffs, Leo XIII
and Plus \, were especially promi-
nent in this crusade, one of them
proclaiming that the Rosary is 1.-The
remedy for our evils and the begin
ming of all our good" IF YOU will
have peace in your families and in
your nations" exclaimed the fatherly
Plus X, say your beads together in
your homes. The Rosary is the
summing up of the Gospel; it brings
peace to all who are devoted to it.
OF all prayers it is the most beautiful
and the richest in graces; it is the
prayer which is most acceptable to
the blessed Virgin Mary. Love your
Rosary; say it every day with devo-
ton; this is my last wish leave you
so that you may remember me"
The Church, on her side, calls this
prayer the Most Holy Rosary" and
makes the expression title of glory
for our Blessed Lady by addressing