Mary and the rosary

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During the month of May our thoughts turn to Mary and the rosary

Guest Columnist

Father Michael Bergeron

May is the month of the Mary. Almost synonymous with Mary is the rosary. The rosary is steeped in mystery and deep in theology. Pinpointing the origin of the rosary is not easy because it is surrounded in both fact and legend. Wading through this material can be a confusing task since every pamphlet seems to differ somewhat in its origin.

The most popular legend is that the rosary was given by Mary to St. Dominic of Guzman before the Battle of Muret in 1213 to aid in the overthrow of the Albigenese. But the legend of St. Dominic did not originate during the saint’s lifetime nor during the century in which he lived. In the 18th century a group of scholars set out to rewrite the lives of the saints so as to preserve all the truth and separate it from legend. The group concluded that the tradition of the direct gift to St. Dominic was not based on enough evidence to support it nor was it well authenticated.

In truth, the rosary is a combination of many streams of development. In the early days, the liturgical prayer of the church developed around the 150 psalms which Monks sang in the choir. But for laypeople, who could not read, 150 Our Fathers were substituted in place of the psalms. Some used a string of 150 beads to keep count.

A parallel development was taking place among people devoted to Mary. They said 150 Ave Marias (Angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary), mixed with verses and psalms, a devotion known as Our Lady’s Psalter.

About the turn of the 13th century in England, the Cistercians developed a practice of meditating on the 15 joys of the Blessed Virgin. Between the 14th and 15th century, the 150 Ave Marias were divided into 15 decades, each preceded by the Lord’s Prayer.

In the book Rosario della gloriosa Vergine Maria, published in 1521, the author uses the word “mystery” for the first time in association with the rosary. The book introduced the idea of having a mystery introduced by each Our Father.

In 1573, a Dominican wrote the book Rosario della Sacratissima Vergine Maria which set the modern 15 mysteries in their typical division of joyful, sorrowful and glorious. This developed into 150 Hail Marys with 15 mysteries. Today, people usually pray five decades – or one set of mysteries – at a time, although strictly speaking, the rosary is all 15 decades (often called the Dominican Rosary). The crucifix and five more beads were added later. The three Hail Marys represent faith, hope and charity.

The word “bead” comes from “bede” which in early English meant a “prayer.” The use of beads or some sort of counters to keep track of prayers is very old. Even today we see them among Mohammedans, Buddhists, Brahmins, and generally in India, China and Japan. Christian graves as far back as the third century have produced “abacus-like” devices which were probably used for praying. Beads were found in the tomb of St. Gertrude of Nivelles from the sixth century and St. Norbert from the 11th century. The application of the term rosarium (rose garden or crown of roses) to the prayer beads had its major development in the 14th and 15th century. At that time, the concept of a rose garden and a wreath of roses was

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firmly established as symbolizing the Mystic Rose of Scripture—the Virgin Mary. Thus, the term “rosary.”

The rosary took a prominent role when Europe was in crisis. In 1566, the Ottoman Empire was planning to invade Europe. Pope Pius V called for a crusade against the Turks. Only a handful responded: Don John of Austria, the Spaniards, the Venetians and the small Papal fleet. They were no match for the Turkish fleet, which outnumbered them three to one. Pope Pius V was a Dominican and Dominicans had a great devotion to the rosary. So he called for a rosary crusade in Europe to help the Christian forces. On Oct. 7, 1571, the Christian forces under Don John and Andrea Doria met the Turks off the coast of Greece, the Gulf of Lepanto, and miraculously defeated them. Don John confessed the victory was won, not by fighting arms, but by praying arms.

In thanksgiving, Pope Pius V instituted the first Sunday of October as the feast of Our Lady of Victory. (A statue of Our Lady of Victory is located in St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux, although it is mislabeled Our Lady of Peace, and a painting was painted by Billy Ledet for the student union at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux.)

In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII, changed it to Feast of the Most Holy Rosary. Also, to honor the Dominican pope, all succeeding popes wear the white cassock of the Dominicans. Two hundred years later, after a new victory over the Turks by Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1716, at Peterwardein, Hungary, Pope Clement XI extended the celebration of the feast of the rosary to the universal church. Finally, Pope Pius X fixed the feast on Oct. 7.

The rosary is not simply a mechanical repetition of the Hail Mary, punctuated by the Our Father and the Glory Be. It is a meditative prayer – meditating on the mysteries of our redemption as it is revealed through Scripture. More importantly, it is not a relic of the past unless we are prepared to discard the Gospels. The Lord’s Prayer and the greater part of the Hail Mary, as well as the “mysteries” come from the Gospels. The remainder of the Hail Mary comes to us from none other than the Council of Ephesus in 431. Ephesus was famous for its definition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Theotokos, Mother of God, refuting the position of Nestorius and his followers. From here we get “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death. Amen.” In the first half of the 16th century, the official “Catechism of the Council of Trent” approved the wording we have today and strict official adoption of the Hail Mary occurred in 1568 with its publication in the Roman Breviary.

In 1569, Pope Pius V officially recommended this prayer of “150 angelic salutations ... with The Lord’s Prayer at each decade ... while meditating on the mysteries which recall the entire life of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Apostle’s Creed makes its first appearance in the rosary as mentioned in the Libellus perutilis published in 1495. It is a summary of the great mysteries of the Catholic faith, which are standard Gospel teachings.

“Mystery” does not mean something secret, hidden and not readily discernible. Pauline writings speak of the “mystery” long kept secret by God but not “made manifest to his saints” (Colossians 1:26). It emerges that the mystery is identified with the person of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:4; Colossians 4:3; 1 Timothy 3:16) and, at the same time, is identical with the Gospel: The proclamation of the Gospel is the mystery which was kept secret for long ages (Romans 16:25). In other words, the mystery is revelatory. The mysteries of the rosary reveal Christ to us and lead us into a fuller understanding of him. a

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Pope Paul VI proposes a profound harmony between the rosary and the liturgy when the rosary is contemplatively recited outside celebration. In Marialis Cultus (1974), he emphasizes the contemplative aspect of the rosary as effective both as a preparation for the celebration of the mysteries of our redemption in the eucharistic liturgy and as a continuation of its special graces in our lives.

The essence of the rosary devotion – its very heart and soul – is to ponder the mysteries of our redemption over and over again, as Mary did when they were actually unfolding before her eyes. Besides being Marian in nature, the rosary is Christocentric (having Christ as its center). Our Lady focuses our attention on her Son. We look at Jesus through the eyes of someone who was closest to him: His Mother. We are also acknowledging Mary’s role in our redemption. We easily find this articulated in Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Nov. 21, 1964. Mary is an example of the connection of the Order of Salvation and the Order of Creation (grace and nature; God and people). To the Father, she is the daughter; to the Son, she is his mother; to the Spirit, she is the sanctuary. Mary also has a relationship to us: The redeemed. She is a human like us, she is “supereminently, uniquely, archetypically” a member of the people of God, and yet her exultation does not diminish her solidarity with us.

Mary plays a crucial part in salvation. In her fiat (her “yes, let it be done to me”), she is not only passively engaged, but completely co-operative in our salvation in a receptive sense. She entered into being a cause for salvation, of which humanity is a recipient. She actively gives and receives her “yes.” Mary is the model and mediatrix of the graces that we continually need to become better disposed to grow in love. Through the use of the rosary, we can ponder the mysteries of our redemption just as Mary pondered the mysteries which unfolded before her, so that we may answer the invitation of her Son.

As Pope John Paul II says in the encyclical Mother of the Redeemer, the church has from the beginning modeled herself on the earthly journey of the Mother of God. “It is to her as mother and model that the church must look in order to understand in its completeness the meaning of her mission.” What better way to look to the Mother of God than to meditate on her life, to see our Savior through the eyes of his mother, and to ponder our redemption?

Our Lady prayed the rosary with Bernadette at Lourdes. She brought it to Fatima with a promise attached to it. She spoke of “meditating” on the rosary. The rosary teaches us everything we need to know. Its 15 mysteries encompass all the truths of the Christian life, if only we have eyes to see. On one occasion in the Vatican, Pope Paul VI is reported to have held up his rosary and proclaimed: “This is the Bible for those who can neither read nor write.” The whole history of our salvation, the pope went on to explain, is contained in these mysteries which summarize the life of Christ. Pope after pope recalls to the flock the beauty of the rosary. The reason for this is simple: The ultimate foundation of the church’s love for the rosary is her intense love for the Word of God. Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, introduced the Luminous Mysteries in October 2002. The five mysteries, the Mysteries of Light (or the Luminous Mysteries), focus on the public ministry of Jesus Christ.

The rosary, as Mary told us at Lourdes, Fatima and Banneux, is a lever capable of moving heaven and earth. Her parting words at Fatima were: “My children, go on always saying the rosary.” BC

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Chrism Mass

Bishop Fabre’s

Chrism Mass homily

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

I am struck by the Responsorial Psalm antiphon that we just sang together: Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. On the surface, temptation might cause us to be apprehensive or refuse to proclaim these words after the challenges that we have faced during the past year. You will recall that in the past year, we have had to deal with a prolonged, ongoing pandemic; we have had to continue to address and work to dismantle the attack against life that is racism as it manifests itself today and to seek a conversion of our hearts in this regard; and we have had to withstand and deal with the increased number of hurricanes that we endured. Along with these concerns, we continue to face a struggling local economy in light of the pandemic and the downturn in oil and gas production. After all these difficulties, after the pain, after the stress, after the struggle, after the social unrest, we might ask the question: How can we forever sing the goodness of the Lord?

My dear friends in Christ, our answer to this question roots itself in our very presence here today as people of faith, as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Assuredly, the Lord’s continued faithfulness to each of us in spite of trials urges us to sing the goodness of the Lord always and everywhere, and our very presence here indicates our recognition that the Lord is with us, and the Lord never leaves us to face any challenges alone. We have endured much, but the Lord is always a

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with us, and therefore, Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

As people of faith, as the local church of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, I am delighted that we can gather on this Holy Thursday morning as the Body of Christ, come together as the People of God, and celebrate this Chrism Mass. However, there is an additional particular joy in my heart today as we gather for this Chrism Mass as a presbyterate, as priests who serve the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, because as brother priests we gather all together for the first time in over a year. You will recall that last year the Chrism Mass was celebrated in this cathedral church with only our three vicars forane, our three deans, present along with me. Last year, our prayers echoed in empty space, but nonetheless accomplished the purpose for which they were prayed – for indeed the Eucharist was celebrated, and the holy oils were consecrated and blessed and then later distributed to parishes during the Easter season. However, this year is joyfully different! This year we come together in person – bishops, priests, deacons, religious, seminarians and laity – and this brings me great joy. I hope you experience this joy as well. Indeed, my dear friends, we can join with the psalmist and proclaim, Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

As you all may know, the Chrism Mass is of particular importance as an outward expression of our union and unity with Jesus Christ, of our union and unity as brother priests, of our union and unity as bishop and priests, and of our union and unity as bishops, priests, deacons, religious, seminarians and lay faithful as a local church and a diocesan family. During this Mass, as a local church we again bless the three Sacred Oils that will be used for sacramental anointing throughout our diocese for the coming year. The sacred Chrism Oil, which takes its name from Jesus Christ, used for anointing in baptisms, confirmations and ordinations of priests and bishops; the Oil of the Sick, which brings courage, hope, peace and, according to God’s will, healing, to those who are ill in body or mind; and the Oil of the Catechumens, which gives strength to catechumens who are being born again in the sacrament of baptism. At the end of this Mass, as a further sign of our union and unity as a local diocesan church, these sacred oils will be received by members of the laity and immediately transferred to our parish churches for use during sacramental anointings for the coming year. May all who are anointed with these oils know the nearness of Jesus Christ to them in the sacraments that they are receiving, realize the nearness of the Lord Jesus to them in the sacrament they receive, be reminded that they are an important part of our local church family, and also always be able and willing to sing the goodness of the Lord.

In addition to blessing the a

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sacred oils, another important aspect of the Chrism Mass is when all priests present renew the priestly promises made on the day of their ordination. Today, my dear brother priests, for the first time in two years, we will together renew these promises that unite us to the Lord as his priests, and unite us to one another as brother priests and bishops. Holy Thursday and the Chrism Mass are times particularly close to the heart of the priesthood, and therefore on this joyous occasion of gathering together for the celebration of this Mass, and begging the indulgence of others gathered, I would like to address my words to you, my dear brother priests.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus quotes for us today the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.” All of us here, bishops, priests, deacons and laity alike, have been anointed by the Lord. At our baptism and confirmation, we were anointed with sacred Chrism for the proclamation of the Gospel. And each of us, my brother priests, was anointed by the Lord in an additional way. On the day of our ordination as priests, our hands were anointed, palms up, with sacred Chrism for the purpose of setting us apart for a particular reason, a particular mission. On the day of our priestly ordination, we were sent by God himself, in the power of his Spirit, for a particular mission. In our first reading today, the Prophet Isaiah’s words ring especially true to the nature of this priestly mission. Isaiah states that we were “ … sent to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners. To comfort all who mourn, to give an oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.” Jesus tells us in our Gospel, quoting Isaiah, that he brings this prophecy to its fulfillment. Jesus is the one who does this definitively, forever and always.

But my brother priests, we have been anointed in Jesus’ name. We are priests of Jesus Christ. There is great responsibility given to us in the anointing we have received. In our humble service of the Lord, the anointing we have received works a very real grace in the lives of those entrusted to our pastoral care. We see, through our priestly ministry, God healing the brokenhearted and bringing liberty to captives. We see, through our priestly ministry, comfort brought to those who are mourning. We see, through our priestly ministry, those with a listless spirit receiving the glorious mantle from God himself. With particular regard for the difficulties of the last year, we have all seen the ways that God has continued to work in the lives and the hearts of his people in spite of difficult circumstances, circumstances dear brother priests that you did, and continue to, respond to with great innovation, effort, pastoral care and grace. You have done a

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much for others, and I express to you my great gratitude for your priestly ministry, especially over this past year. However, my brothers, we cannot ignore the reality of what this anointing also offers to each one of us as a priest – personally. We were not anointed only for the sake of mission, for the sake of accomplishing the task that the Lord has entrusted to us – as important and necessary as that mission is. Our first reading from Isaiah goes on to state, “You yourselves shall be named priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. I will give them their recompense faithfully, a lasting covenant I will make with them.” God has promised to give recompense to us faithfully as priests, a lasting covenant he will make with us. Before all else, the anointing that we have received configures us to Jesus Christ in a very particular, covenant relationship. This anointing unites us so closely to the person of Jesus that we act in the person of Jesus Christ in a very real way. In persona Christi – words that I am sure we have all heard before, but whose full weight and importance we will never be able to completely exhaust. My dear brother priests, I invite you to feel the weight of these words. In a powerful and real way, you represent Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has united himself to you so closely that you act in his person. Not just as an abstract theological concept that we learned about in seminary, but as a tangible – lived – experienced reality – in your life. Your words are His words. Your presence conveys His presence. And, yes, while He does do this so that you can bring His presence to those whom you minister, He does it even more importantly for you. He wants you to know just how deeply He desires this union with you. Our union together in persona Christi is a key grace that we must not and cannot miss or overlook because in this grace, we remember who we truly are, and we are able to give ourselves over to the mission that has been entrusted to us as priests of the new covenant, priests in the line of Melchizedek, priests of Jesus Christ. Let us never forget the anointing that the Lord signed and sealed us with on the day of our ordination as a priest, and let us always strive to live as worthy recipients of such great love and grace given to us by Jesus Christ. Dear brother priests, I sincerely hope and pray that all the grace and peace of this Holy Thursday, this celebration of priesthood, be yours in great abundance. Thank you for your priesthood and priestly ministry.

My dear people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, it is when those who serve you as priests know and remember who they are that we all experience the grace of that same reality. As together here today our priests renew their promises of ordination, I am drawn to the words of the Mass where priests’ literally take Jesus’ words as our own: “This is my body given for you. This is my blood poured out for you.” As I so often say these words, I am usually drawn to think of the congregation – Jesus gives his body and blood for them, and I, too, as a priest of Jesus Christ, through him, with him, and in him, give my entire self for their sake. My brother priests, as we all pray these words today, I invite you to hear Jesus saying them to you individually as well. Jesus gives his body for you, dear priests. Jesus pours out his blood for you, dear priests. In the areas of weakness, in the times of brokenness, Jesus nonetheless gives it all for you, my brother priests. Jesus chose you to be his priest; he chose you to act in his person, and he chose you to be intimately united to him in the totality of your lives. Acting from a renewed experience of this identity as his priests, we can truly witness the ways the Lord will bring glad tidings to his people, heal the brokenhearted, and set his people free. May this reality penetrate our hearts more deeply as we join together in this Chrism Mass, and understand anew why we can truly proclaim, Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. BC