Rosary - The Spiritual Weapon of our Time
There’s no problem, no matter how difficult, that cannot be solved by the Rosary.” (Sr. Lucia, Our Lady of Fatima)
Do we realize the true power of the Rosary behind those beads? Why is it important that we should have such a devotion to this Marian prayer? What makes the Rosary so powerful and effective, that it can convert even the most hardened hearts, and thus Satan loathes it? In fact, since the Rosary’s emergence, the evil one incessantly seeks for every opportunity to destroy it.
First, let us look at the origin of the Rosary and how it developed into being the most efficacious of all Catholic devotions.
The word Rosary comes from the Latin word Rosarium, which means rose garden. Originally, it was referred to as the Marian Psalter. Pious tradition tells us that in the year 1208 in France, Our Lady appeared to St. Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans). It would be the pivotal moment of his life, as he was entrusted by the Queen Mother with an apostolic mission, telling him to“Preach my Psalter” by meditating on the sacred mysteries of Jesus: His Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection. It came to light in response to a heretical group known as Albigensians, who were stirring up people into heresy and violent opposition to the Church doctrines. This group was viciously attacking the very concept of human salvation, the Paschal mystery of Jesus. As St. Dominic began to preach the Psalter of Mary, he won many souls back to Christ and the Church. The Rosary proved to be a powerful way of evangelizing, as it brought the Albigensians to conversion. Later in 1422, following a Marian apparition to a Franciscan novice, the Marian Psalter would take on a new name. Attributed to this new type of rosary, known as the Franciscan Crown Rosary, all Marian Psalters would be ascribed as the “Rosary,” which means, Crown of Roses or Corona, to affirm that praying the Rosary is a way of crowning Mary with spiritual roses. And the rest is history.
The Rosary is not just a rhetorical prayer we utter monotonously in line with our Christian tradition. It is a gift from heaven, a spiritual weapon expressed in four dimensions: first, it is an intercessory prayer addressed to Our Blessed Mother; second, it is a meditation centered on the life-saving mysteries of Christ; third, it is a contemplation on the Divinity of the Holy Trinity; and fourth, it is evangelical in nature, as it has the power to convert and save souls.
What happens when we pray the rosary saying “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners” is that the Blessed Mother comes instantly to our side to pray with us. And she does not come alone. She brings Saints and Angels with her. And she and Jesus are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus with her. And Jesus cannot be separated from the Holy Trinity, so he brings the Father and the Holy Spirit with him.
“Realize the power in your hand with the Rosary, for in your hands you hold the power of God.” - Our Lady of the Roses, 1970. It has become more powerful and effectual, due to the inclusion of the prayer that can blind Satan.
It is true that we are living in the most uncertain times, but it is also during this time that God is offering us his Infinite Mercy. As we deal with the current situation on COVID or Coronavirus, do we really see it for what it is? What is God’s message to us? I believe God wants us to see the real Corona, not as a pandemic, not as a virus that is contagious, but the real corona is God himself.
As we crown Jesus and Mary with our prayers, through the Rosary, the Flame of Love, unparalleled signal graces will come upon the world! Why? The Rosary is one of the most powerful weapons against future errors and difficulties. Pope Leo XIII said, “The Rosary is the solution for the evils of our age.” “One day through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the world.” - Our Lady to St. Simon Stock, 1251
by Kay Tabata