As the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary dawns, I am inspired to reflect on the meaning of this, our Mother’s prayer.
First, it is interesting to think about the name “Rosary,” which means a “garland” or “garden” of roses. Why is a flower the source for the name of this prayer? Legends abound about saints who prayed the rosary witnessing, or being seen by others as having prayers issuing from their mouths in the form of white roses for the “Our Fathers” and red roses for the “Hail Marys.”
Roses seem to be synonymous with Our Lady. One of the titles for her in the prayer “The Litany of Loretto” is the “Mystical Rose.” Ever wonder why? How often have you thought about Mary as a mystic? It would seem logical that this woman whose womb bore the Son of God, and who was most closely united with our Savior Jesus Christ, would be a woman of prayer, blessed with mystical visions and ecstasies few of us will experience until the next life.
Perhaps this is why the Rosary focuses so heavily on meditation on the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ. Meditation is the road to deep, mystical prayer.
One of things I always remember from my childhood catechism, from my parents and the nuns who used to teach at St. Francis Cabrini in Allen Park, Michigan, is that Mary never wants us to focus on her. She never thinks about herself. When we pray to her, she will always lead us to her Son. One of my favorite scenes in the movie “The Passion of the Christ,” and probably the one most misunderstood, is when Jesus has just been taken out of the court of the high priest, and we are left alone with Our Blessed Mother Mary accompanied by Mary Magdalene and the apostle John. Mary seems to wander aimlessly through the hall, and then locates a certain spot on the floor and lies down on the cold stone. Our vision is transported through the floor, to Jesus in chains in the dungeon below.
We think the scene is all about Mary, but she is leading us to her Son. If you can’t find Him, she will show you where He is. This is what she does when we pray to her, and with her, in the Rosary.
While doing some “googling” I found some links to sites on our RC website, as well as others, that will help you learn more about this beautiful prayer.
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/samaha9.html
http://archive.catholic.com/library/Rosary.asp
