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Title: |
Laetitiae Sanctae
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Descr.: |
Commending Devotion To The Rosary
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Pope: |
Pope Leo XIII
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Date: |
September 8, 1893
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To
Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops,
Bishops, and Other Ordinaries, Having Peace and Communion with the
Apostolic See.
Venerable
Brethren, Greeting and Apostolic Benediction.
1.
The sacred joy which it has been given to Us to feel in attaining
the fiftieth anniversary of Our Episcopal Consecration has been
deepened by the knowledge that it was shared by the people of the
whole Catholic world, and that as a father in the midst of his
children We have been consoled by the touching testimonies of
their loyalty and love. We gratefully accept it and record it as a
fresh proof of God's special providence, and one which is markedly
full of bounty to Ourselves, and of blessing to the Church.
2.
At the same time We love to offer Our thanks for this signal
benefit to the august Mother of God, whose powerful intercession
We feel to have been exercised in Our behalf. For hers is the
loving kindness which, during the length of years and the
vicissitudes of life, has never failed Us, and which day by day
seems to draw nearer to Us than ever, filling Our soul with
gladness, and strengthening Us with a confidence of which the
surety is higher than the things of time. It is as if the voice of
the heavenly Queen made itself heard to Us, at one moment
graciously consoling Us in the midst of trials; at another guiding
Us by her counsel in directing the great work of the salvation of
souls; at another, urging Us to admonish the Christian people to
advance in piety and in the practice of every virtue. For Us it is
once more a joy as well as a duty to respond to her inspirations.
Amongst the happy results which have already rewarded Our
exhortations which were due to her prompting, We have to reckon
the remarkable impulse given to the Devotion of the Most Holy
Rosary. This awakening has made itself felt in the increased
number of Confraternities instituted for the purpose, the
voluminous literature of pious and learned works written upon the
subject, and the manifold tributes which Christian art has not
failed to bring to its service. And now, as if for yet another
time, listening to the voice of the same zealous Mother, who calls
upon Us to "cry out and cease not," We rejoice once more
to address you, Venerable Brethren, upon the subject of the
Rosary, standing as We do upon the eve of that month of October
which, by the award of special Indulgences, We have deemed it well
to dedicate to this most popular devotion. Our appeal to you,
however, will not be directed so much to add any further
recommendation of a method of prayer so praiseworthy in itself,
nor yet to press upon the faithful the necessity of practicing it
still more fervently, but rather to point out how we may draw from
this devotion certain advantages which are especially valuable and
needful at the present day.
The
Rosary and Society
3.
For We are convinced that the Rosary, if devoutly used, is bound
to benefit not only the individual but society at large. No one
will do Us the injustice to deny that in the discharge of the
duties of the Supreme Apostolate We have labored - as, God
helping, We shall ever continue to labor - to promote the civil
prosperity of mankind. Repeatedly have We admonished those who are
invested with sovereign power that they should neither make nor
execute laws except in conformity with the equity of the Divine
mind. On the other hand, we have constantly besought citizens who
were conspicuous by genius, industry, family, or fortune, to join
together in common counsel and action to safeguard and to promote
whatever would tend to the strength and well-being of the
community. Only too many causes are at work, in the present
condition of things, to loosen the bonds of public order, and to
withdraw the people from sound principles of life and conduct.
Dislike
of Poverty - The Joyful Mysteries
4.
There are three influences which appear to Us to have the chief
place in effecting this downgrade movement of society. These
are-first, the distaste for a simple and laborious life; secondly,
repugnance to suffering of any kind; thirdly, the forgetfulness of
the future life.
5.
We deplore - and those who judge of all things merely by the light
and according to the standard of nature join with Us in deploring
- that society is threatened with a serious danger in the growing
contempt of those homely duties and virtues which make up the
beauty of humble life. To this cause we may trace in the home, the
readiness of children to withdraw themselves from the natural
obligation of obedience to the parents, and their impatience of
any form of treatment which is not of the indulgent and effeminate
kind. In the workman, it evinces itself in a tendency to desert
his trade, to shrink from toil, to become discontented with his
lot, to fix his gaze on things that are above him, and to look
forward with unthinking hopefulness to some future equalization of
property. We may observe the same temper permeating the masses in
the eagerness to exchange the life of the rural districts for the
excitements and pleasures of the town. Thus the equilibrium
between the classes of the community is being destroyed,
everything becomes unsettled, [men's minds become subject to jealousy and
heart-burnings], rights are openly trampled under
foot, and, finally, the people, betrayed in their expectations,
attack public order, and place themselves in conflict with those
who are charged to maintain it.
6.
For evils such as these let us seek a remedy in the Rosary, which
consists in a fixed order of prayer combined with devout
meditation on the life of Christ and His Blessed Mother. Here, if
the joyful mysteries be but clearly brought home to the minds of
the people, an object lesson of the chief virtues is placed before
their eyes. Each one will thus be able to see for himself how
easy, how abundant, how sweetly attractive are the lessons to be
found therein for the leading of an honest life. Let us take our
stand in front of that earthly and divine home of holiness, the
House of Nazareth. How much we have to learn from the daily life
which was led within its walls! What an all-perfect model of
domestic society! Here we behold simplicity and purity of conduct,
perfect agreement and unbroken harmony, mutual respect and love -
not of the false and fleeting kind - but that which finds both
its life and its charm in devotedness of service. Here is the
patient industry which provides what is required for food and
raiment; which does so "in the sweat of the brow," which
is contented with little, and which seeks rather to diminish the
number of its wants than to multiply the sources of its wealth.
Better than all, we find there that supreme peace of mind and
gladness of soul which never fail to accompany the possession of a
tranquil conscience. These are precious examples of goodness, of
modesty, of humility, of hard-working endurance, of kindness to
others, of diligence in the small duties of daily life, and of
other virtues, and once they have made their influence felt they
gradually take root in the soul, and in course of time fail not to
bring about a happy change of mind and conduct. Then will each one
begin to feel his work to be no longer lowly and irksome, but
grateful and lightsome, and clothed with a certain joyousness by
his sense of duty in discharging it conscientiously. Then will
gentler manners everywhere prevail; home-life will be loved and
esteemed, and the relations of man with man will be loved and
esteemed, and the relations of man with man will be hallowed by a
larger infusion of respect and charity. And if this betterment
should go forth from the individual to the family and to the
communities, and thence to the people at large so that human life
should be lifted up to this standard, no one will fail to feel how
great and lasting indeed would be the gain which would be achieved
for society.
Repugnance
to Suffering - The Sorrowful Mysteries
7.
A second evil, one which is specially pernicious, and one which,
owing to the increasing mischief which it works among souls, we
can never sufficiently deplore, is to be found in repugnance to
suffering and eagerness to escape whatever is hard or painful to
endure. The greater number are thus robbed of that peace and
freedom of mind which remains the reward of those who do what is
right undismayed by the perils or troubles to be met with in doing
so. Rather do they dream of a chimeric civilization in which all
that is unpleasant shall be removed, and all that is pleasant
shall be supplied. By this passionate and unbridled desire of
living a life of pleasure, the minds of men are weakened, and if
they do not entirely succumb, they become demoralized and
miserably cower and sink under the hardships of the battle of
life.
8.
In such a contest example is everything, and a powerful means of
renewing our courage will undoubtedly be found in the Holy Rosary,
if from our earliest years our minds have been trained to dwell
upon the sorrowful mysteries of Our Lord's life, and to drink in
their meaning by sweet and silent meditation. In them we shall
learn how Christ, "the Author and Finisher of Our
faith," began "to do and teach," in order that we
might see written in His example all the lessons that He Himself
had taught us for the bearing of our burden of labor and sorrow,
and mark how the sufferings which were hardest to bear were those
which He embraced with the greatest measure of generosity and good
will. We behold Him overwhelmed with sadness, so that drops of
blood ooze like sweat from His veins. We see Him bound like a
malefactor, subjected to the judgment of the unrighteous, laden
with insults, covered with shame, assailed with false accusations,
torn with scourges, crowned with thorns, nailed to the cross,
accounted unworthy to live, and condemned by the voice of the
multitude as deserving of death. Here, too, we contemplate the
grief of the most Holy Mother, whose soul was not merely wounded
but "pierced" by the sword of sorrow, so that she might
be named and become in truth "the Mother of Sorrows."
Witnessing these examples of fortitude, not with sight but by
faith, who is there who will not feel his heart grow warm with the
desire of imitating them?
9.
Then, be it that the "earth is accursed" and brings
forth "thistles and thorns,"- be it that the soul is
saddened with grief and the body with sickness; even so, there
will be no evil which the envy of man or the rage of devils can
invent, nor calamity which can fall upon the individual or the
community, over which we shall not triumph by the patience of
suffering. For this reason it has been truly said that "it
belongs to the Christian to do and to endure great things,"
for he who deserves to be called a Christian must not shrink from
following in the footsteps of Christ. But by this patience, We do
not mean that empty stoicism in the enduring of pain which was the
ideal of some of the philosophers of old, but rather do We mean
that patience which is learned from the example of Him, who
"having joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the
shame" (Heb. xvi., 2). It is the patience which is obtained
by the help of His grace; which shirks not a trial because it is
painful, but which accepts it and esteems it as a gain, however
hard it may be to undergo. The Catholic Church has always had, and
happily still has, multitudes of men and women, in every rank and
condition of life, who are glorious disciples of this teaching,
and who, following faithfully in the path of Christ, suffer injury
and hardship for the cause of virtue and religion. They re-echo,
not with their lips, but with their life, the words of St. Thomas:
"Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John xi.,
16).
10.
May such types of admirable constancy be more and more splendidly
multiplied in our midst to the weal of society and to the glory
and edification of the Church of God!
Forgetfulness
of the Future - The Glorious Mysteries
11.
The third evil for which a remedy is needed is one which is
chiefly characteristic of the times in which we live. Men in
former ages, although they loved the world, and loved it far too
well, did not usually aggravate their sinful attachment to the
things of earth by a contempt of the things of heaven. Even the
right-thinking portion of the pagan world recognized that this
life was not a home but a dwelling-place, not our destination, but
a stage in the journey. But men of our day, albeit they have had
the advantages of Christian instruction, pursue the false goods of
this world in such wise that the thought of their true Fatherland
of enduring happiness is not only set aside, but, to their shame
be it said, banished and entirely erased from their memory,
notwithstanding the warning of St. Paul, "We have not here a
lasting city, but we seek one which is to come" (Heb. xiii.,
4).
12.
When We seek out the causes of this forgetfulness, We are met in
the first place by the fact that many allow themselves to believe
that the thought of a future life goes in some way to sap the love
of our country, and thus militates against the prosperity of the
commonwealth. No illusion could be more foolish or hateful. Our
future hope is not of a kind which so monopolizes the minds of men
as to withdraw their attention from the interests of this life.
Christ commands us, it is true, to seek the Kingdom of God, and in
the first place, but not in such a manner as to neglect all things
else. For, the use of the goods of the present life, and the
righteous enjoyment which they furnish, may serve both to
strengthen virtue and to reward it. The splendor and beauty of our
earthly habitation, by which human society is ennobled, may mirror
the splendor and beauty of our dwelling which is above. Therein we
see nothing that is not worthy of the reason of man and of the
wisdom of God. For the same God who is the Author of Nature is the
Author of Grace, and He willed not that one should collide or
conflict with the other, but that they should act in friendly
alliance, so that under the leadership of both we may the more
easily arrive at that immortal happiness for which we mortal men
were created.
13.
But men of carnal mind, who love nothing but themselves, allow
their thoughts to grovel upon things of earth until they are
unable to lift them to that which is higher. For, far from using
the goods of time as a help towards securing those which are
eternal, they lose sight altogether of the world which is to come,
and sink to the lowest depths of degradation. We may doubt if God
could inflict upon man a more terrible punishment than to allow
him to waste his whole life in the pursuit of earthly pleasures,
and in forgetfulness of the happiness which alone lasts for ever.
14.
It is from this danger that they will be happily rescued, who, in
the pious practice of the Rosary, are wont, by frequent and
fervent prayer, to keep before their minds the glorious mysteries.
These mysteries are the means by which in the soul of a Christian
a most clear light is shed upon the good things, hidden to sense,
but visible to faith, "which God has prepared for those who
love Him." From them we learn that death is not an
annihilation which ends all things, but merely a migration and
passage from life to life. By them we are taught that the path to
Heaven lies open to all men, and as we behold Christ ascending
thither, we recall the sweet words of His promise, "I go to
prepare a place for you." By them we are reminded that a time
will come when "God will wipe away every tear from our
eyes," and that "neither mourning, nor crying, nor
sorrow, shall be any more," and that "We shall be always
with the Lord," and "like to the Lord, for we shall see
Him as He is," and "drink of the torrent of His
delight," as "fellow-citizens of the saints," in
the blessed companionship of our glorious Queen and Mother.
Dwelling upon such a prospect, our hearts are kindled with desire,
and we exclaim, in the words of a great saint, "How vile
grows the earth when I look up to heaven!" Then, too, shall
we feel the solace of the assurance "that which is at present
momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above
measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. iv.,
17).
15.
Here alone we discover the true relation between time and
eternity, between our life on earth and our life in heaven; and it
is thus alone that are formed strong and noble characters. When
such characters can be counted in large numbers, the dignity and
well-being of society are assured. All that is beautiful, good,
and true will flourish in the measure of its conformity to Him who
is of all beauty, goodness, and truth the first Principle and the
Eternal Source.
Confraternities
of the Rosary
16.
These considerations will explain what We have already laid down
concerning the fruitful advantages which are to be derived from
the use of the Rosary, and the healing power which this devotion
possesses for the evils of the age and the fatal sores of society.
These advantages, as we may readily conceive, will be secured in a
higher and fuller measure by those who band themselves together in
the sacred Confraternity of the Rosary, and who are thus more than
others united by a special and brotherly bond of devotion to the
Most Holy Virgin. In this Confraternity, approved by the Roman
Pontiffs, and enriched by them with indulgences and privileges,
they possess their own rule and government, hold their meetings at
stated times, and are provided with ample means of leading a holy
life and of laboring for the good of the community. They are, are
so to speak, the battalions who fight the battle of Christ, armed
with His Sacred Mysteries, and under the banner and guidance of
the Heavenly Queen. How faithfully her intercession is exercised
in response to their prayers, processions, and solemnities is
written in the whole experience of the Church not less than in the
splendor of the victory of Lepanto.
17.
It is, therefore, to be desired that renewed zeal should be called
forth in the founding, enlarging, and directing of these
confraternities, and that not only by the sons of St. Dominic, to
whom by virtue of their Order a leading part in this Apostolate
belongs, but by all who are charged with the care of souls, and
notable in those places in which the Confraternity has not yet
been canonically established. We have it especially at heart that
those who are engaged in the sacred field of the missions, whether
in carrying the Gospel to barbarous nations abroad, or in
spreading it amongst the Christian nations at home, should look
upon this work as especially their own. If they will make it the
subject of their preaching, We cannot doubt that there will be
large numbers of the faithful of Christ who will readily enroll
themselves in the Confraternity, and who will earnestly endeavor
to avail themselves of those spiritual advantages of which We have
spoken, and in which consist the very meaning and motive of the
Rosary. From the Confraternities, the rest of the faithful will
receive the example of greater esteem and reverence for the
practice of the Rosary, and they will be thus encouraged to reap
from it, as We heartily desire that they may, the same abundant
fruits for their souls' salvation.
Conclusion
18.
This then is the hope, which, amid the manifold evils which beset
society, brightens, consoles, and supports Us. May Mary, the
Mother of God and of men, herself the authoress and teacher of the
Rosary, procure for Us its happy fulfillment. It will be your
part, Venerable Brethren, to provide that by your efforts Our
words and Our wishes may go forth on their mission of good for the
prosperity of families and the peace of peoples.
19.
And as a pledge of the Divine favor, and of Our own affection, We
lovingly bestow upon you, your clergy, and your people, the
Apostolic Benediction.
Given
at St. Peter's, Rome, this 8th day of September, in the year of
Our Lord 1893, and the 16th of Our Pontificate.
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