Mary’s greatest desire is to lead us to Jesus. In the prayer of the Rosary is not Jesus found at the center of every Ave? The motive then, which prompts one to join the Perpetual Rosary Association, is spiritual. It is to unite our prayers with others in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary and through her to the Most Holy Trinity. United, we pray for all the needs of the Church, of the world and of each individual member of the Association.
“Whosoever will find Mary will find Life, that is, Jesus Christ Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.”(St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion Nº 50). Speaking of Mary, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said: “Devoutly meditating on her and contemplating her in the light of the Word made man, the Church reverently penetrates more deeply into the great mystery of the Incarnation…and when she is the subject of preaching and worship she prompts the faithful to come to her Son, to his sacrifice and to the love of the Father” (Vatican Council II, LG, Nº65).
Mary is the Mother of Christ and our Mother. Nothing pleases her more than to have her children know and love her Son. In Fatima, Our Lady assured Lucia of her continual presence, love and guidance when she said: “Do not lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God” (13 July 1917). These words are meant for all, who look to Mary as the Mother and most excellent disciple of Christ.
The spiritual bond between members assures each one of continual remembrance in the powerful prayer of the Rosary throughout life and after death. Jesus has told us: “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Commenting on this passage St. Thomas Aquinas said: “… it is impossible that the entreaties of a multitude be not heard if they form a single prayer by uniting their pleas.” In the Acts of the Apostles we read: “Peter, was well guarded in prison, but there was a continual stream of prayer going up to God on his behalf…Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood over him, and a light shone in his cell…Now I can tell for certain, he said, that the Lord has sent his angel, to deliver me…” (Acts12: 5,7,11). Herein lies one of the secrets of the efficacy of the Perpetual Rosary. Far from being a prayer of one individual, it forms an immense spiritual association with members spread throughout the world.
All members are inscribed in the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. This allows them to share in all the spiritual merits and indulgences, which members of the Dominican Order and the Association acquire before God, by their prayers, penances and good works.
Each member of the Church is called by his/her Baptism to evangelize — to proclaim the message of the Gospel. But, as Pope John Paul II has said: “There can be no evangelization without contemplation”.
‘Without contemplation’ simply means, without prayer in our life, without a deep personal relationship with Christ. Therefore, the meditative prayer of the Rosary lends itself beautifully to the mission of evangelization.
This prayer invites us to ponder, in company with Mary, the Mysteries of Christ found in the Gospel. Mary, “who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues”(LG, Nº 65), teaches us what it means to be a disciple of Christ. And, little by little, the faithful Rosarian begins to manifest in his or her daily life the faith, hope and love of the Christian calling. For this very reason, the Holy Rosary has for centuries been most useful to missionaries as an instrument of evangelization. Noted preachers have said: “To preach the Rosary is to preach the Gospel!”
Members of the Rosary Association receive a copy of this small newsletter, which is published by our Monastery once each year.