In the recitation of the Rosary there is the joy, the suffering, the glory and the light of the company of Jesus on our journey towards holiness

by Ottavio De Bertolis

As everyone knows, the Rosary is a very common prayer; however, like all common things, it must probably still be discovered by many, and rediscovered by those who already frequent it, because use gets used to everything, and wears out the meaning of even the most beautiful things. We therefore propose to reflect, at the beginning of this month of October, on how we can better pray with this ancient and widespread devotion, in order to be able to draw more fruit from it.

The Rosary essentially consists of the meditation of some episodes of the Gospel, punctuated by the recitation of the Our Father and the Hail Marys. These episodes are called "mysteries" and we should already stop here: in fact, they are not simple facts that happened many years ago, but realities that visibly show the invisible God, the one who He loved, wanted, showed about himself and who it was made manifest in Jesus Christ. We are continually made present to these facts: in fact they do not "remain there", closed in their past, but continue to release meanings that continually challenge us and to produce in us the same effects of grace that they had in those people who were protagonists of them and contemporary. For this reason they are called "mysteries", that is, effective signs, capable of operating in us who contemplate them.

It seems to me that Mary too, and even more so, could say what the evangelist John says at the beginning of his first letter: "what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have contemplated and what our hands have touched […] what we have seen and heard, we also proclaim to you” (1 Jn 1-3). The Rosary is essentially this: seeing, hearing, listening, touching God the Father, as he reveals himself to us in Jesus, because whoever sees the Son also sees the Father. The Spirit then makes us contemporary with the fact or mystery we contemplate. You therefore understand that for this reason the Rosary is a prayer that requires a thoughtful rhythm, a slow lingering, a "feeling and tasting" the things of God; on the contrary, unfortunately it is often said quickly and almost in a rush, and it doesn't go that way, because it becomes chatter and insignificant buzz. We must, as individuals and as a community, re-learn how to pray the Rosary in an attentive, dignified and devout way. For this reason, when we enunciate a mystery, we can also stop, before reciting the prayers, and remain silent, or read and listen to the page of Scripture referred to.

It is better to recite only a dozen, but do it well and fruitfully, than a whole crown, rushing and not paying attention to what we say. On the other hand, it is true that we don't even have to look for who knows what intellectual flights or mystical elevations: it will be enough to ask ourselves "what does this mystery mean for me, in what I am experiencing?". St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, tells us that it is sufficient to draw "some fruit" from the contemplation of the mysteries, not all possible and imaginable fruits; every mystery, as you will see, contains within itself a grace, and therefore a particular fruit, and the Spirit will reveal it to us. Indeed, he will reveal many of them to us, as you will see as you continue your prayers daily. It will be a surprise to see how many things are written behind a few lines of the Gospel. The recitation of prayers is like time passing: while the lips move, first in the prayer that the Lord himself has taught us, and which we can do more calmly, thinking about the words we say, and then blessing Jesus and Mary in the greeting angelica and recommending ourselves to her now and at the hour of our death, the interior mind and gaze remain in the contemplated mystery.

Naturally, it is not possible to avoid distractions: it is not a question of achieving an impossible fixity, but of "pausing" in what we have seen, listened to, contemplated, almost remaining in it. At the end, the Gloria takes us back to the praise of the Trinity, of God the Father as he revealed himself to us in the Son, and to the Spirit, who reminded us, in the past prayer, of his words. In the coming months we will focus on each and every one of the mysteries, to provide almost a prayer guide and an aid.