Praise for the Rosary

Praise for the Rosary

Also See: Holy Rosary (Topic Page)

"Of all the prayers, the Rosary is the most beautiful and the richest in graces; of all it is the one most pleasing to Mary, the Virgin Most Holy." (Pope St. Pius X)

"I beg of you to beware of thinking of the Rosary as something of little importance - as do ignorant people and even several great but proud scholars. Far from being insignificant, the rosary is a priceless treasure which is inspired by God." (St. Louis de Montfort)

"To vocal prayer we must add mental prayer, which enlightens the mind, inflames the heart and disposes the soul to listen to the voice of Wisdom, to savor his delights and possess his treasures. For myself, I know of no better way of establishing the kingdom of God, Eternal Wisdom, than to unite vocal and mental prayer by saying the holy Rosary and meditating on its fifteen mysteries." (St. Louis de Montfort)

"Thus the prayers of the Rosary, which are in themselves so plain and simple, are full of a deep and varied meaning, and become really the prayer of the heart. We may say these wonderful prayers every day, and every hour of the day, and they never grow old, never grow wearisome; they have always a new meaning, they always express the desires of our heart." (Muller)

"The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description." (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)

"Now, to appease the might of an outraged God and to bring that health of soul so needed by those who are sorely afflicted, there is nothing better than devout and persevering prayer, provided it be joined with a love for and practice of Christian life. And both of these, the spirit of prayer and the practice of Christian life, are best attained through the devotion of the Rosary of Mary." (Pope Leo XIII, "Magnae Dei Matris", 1892 A.D.)

"How great is the power and mercy of the Blessed Virgin for those who are faithful in the practice of the Rosary! If you wish then, to save your soul, practice the devotion of the Rosary with fervor and perseverance. If you wish to save the souls of those who are near and dear to you, try to introduce this devotion without delay into your family." (Muller)

"The form of prayer We refer to has obtained the special name of 'Rosary,' as though it represented by its arrangement the sweetness of roses and the charm of a garland. This is most fitting for a method of venerating the Virgin, who is rightly styled the Mystical Rose of Paradise, and who, as Queen of the universe, shines therein with a crown of stars. So that by its very name it appears to foreshadow and be an augury of the joys and garlands of Heaven offered by her to those who are devoted to her. This appears clearly if we consider the nature of the Rosary of Our Lady." (Pope Leo XIII, "Fidentem Piumque Animum", 1896)

"Now, if what appeared to be an unseasonable exercise of Mary's influence resulted in a miracle, and the first of the public miracles of our Lord; and if he predicted the coming of an hour when the exercise of her influence should no longer be unseasonable, as his words clearly imply, what prodigies must not her intercession effect at the present time! If she could thus prevail with God in her lowliness, what can she not obtain now in her exalted state! How, how can we avail ourselves of her great power of intercession with God? By the practice of the devotion of the Rosary. When the Blessed Virgin revealed this devotion to St. Dominic, she said to him: 'By this devotion the faithful shall obtain numberless benefits and shall always find me ready to help them in their wants.' The Blessed Virgin has never failed to keep her promise." (Muller)

"We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times. Not with force, not with arms, not with human power, but with Divine help obtained through the means of this prayer, strong like David with his sling, the Church undaunted shall be able to confront the infernal enemy, repeating to him the words of the young shepherd: 'Thou comest to me with a sword, and a spear, and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of armies...and all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for this is his battle, and he will deliver you into our hands'" (I Kings 17, 45-47)" (Pope Pius XII, "Ingruentium Malorum", 1951)

"We well know the Rosary's powerful efficacy to obtain the maternal aid of the Virgin. By no means is there only one way to pray to obtain this aid. However, We consider the Holy Rosary the most convenient and most fruitful means, as is clearly suggested by the very origin of this practice, heavenly rather than human, and by its nature. What prayers are better adapted and more beautiful than the Lord's prayer and the angelic salutation, which are the flowers with which this mystical crown is formed? With meditation of the Sacred Mysteries added to the vocal prayers, there emerges another very great advantage, so that all, even the most simple and least educated, have in this a prompt and easy way to nourish and preserve their own faith." (Pope Pius XII, "Ingruentium Malorum", 1951)

"Among the various supplications with which we successfully appeal to the Virgin Mother of God, the Holy Rosary without doubt occupies a special and distinct place. This prayer, which some call the Psalter of the Virgin or Breviary of the Gospel and of Christian life, was described and recommended by Our Predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, with these vigorous passages: 'Very admirable is this crown interwoven with the angelic salutation which is interposed in the Sunday prayer, and unites with it the obligation of interior meditation. It is an excellent manner of prayer... and very useful for the attainment of immortal life' (Acta Leonis, 1898, Vol. XVIII, pp. 154, 155). And this can well be deduced from the very flowers that form this mystic garland. What prayers in fact can be found more adaptable and holy? This first is that which our Divine Redeemer Himself pronounced when His disciples asked Him: 'Lord, teach us to pray' (Luke xi, 1); a very holy supplication which both offers us the way - as far as it is possible for us - to render glory to God, and also takes into account all the necessities of our body and soul. How can the Eternal Father, when prayed to with the very words of His Son, refuse to come to our aid? The other prayer is the Angelic Salutation, which begins with the eulogies of the Archangel Gabriel and of St. Elizabeth, and ends with that very pious supplication by which we beg the help of the Blessed Virgin now and at the hour of our death. To these invocations, said aloud, is added the contemplation of the sacred mysteries, through which they place, as it were, under our eyes the joys, sorrows and triumphs of Jesus Christ and of His Mother, so that we receive relief and comfort in our sorrows. Following those most holy examples, we ascend to the happiness of the heavenly country by steps of ever higher virtue." (Pope Pius XI, "Ingravescentibus Malis", 1937 A.D.)

But this title of the Rosary, this mode of prayer which seems to contain, as it were, a final pledge of affection, and to sum up in itself the honor due to Our Lady, has always been highly cherished and widely used in private and in public, in homes and in families, in the meetings of confraternities, at the dedication of shrines, and in solemn processions; for there has seemed to be no better means of conducting sacred solemnities, or of obtaining protection and favors." (Pope Leo XIII, "Octobri Mense", 1891 A.D.)

"The contemplation of these august mysteries, contemplated in their order, affords to faithful souls a wonderful confirmation of faith, protection against the disease of error, and increase of the strength of the soul. The soul and memory of him who thus prays, enlightened by faith, are drawn towards these mysteries by the sweetest devotion, are absorbed therein and are surprised before the work of the Redemption of mankind, achieved at such a price and by events so great. The soul is filled with gratitude and love before these proofs of Divine love; its hope becomes enlarged and its desire is increased for those things which Christ has prepared for such as have united themselves to Him in imitation of His example and in participation in His sufferings. The prayer is composed of words proceeding from God Himself, from the Archangel Gabriel, and from the Church; full of praise and of high desires; and it is renewed and continued in an order at once fixed and various; its fruits are ever new and sweet." (Pope Leo XIII, "Octobri Mense", 1891 A.D.)

"The string of beads is simply intended to assist the memory. The touch of beads quietly reminds us that it is time to pass from one prayer or from one point of meditation to another. Thus the Rosary may, in truth, be called the Gospel abridged, and a most holy and divine prayer. It has proved to be the great propagator of Christianity, the sweet nurse and sure preserver of faith, hope, and charity, the indomitable expeller of unbelief, the quick extinguisher of heresies, the infallible remedy for sadness and despair, the universal appeaser of the anger of God, the fruitful mother of tears, the entertaining companion on journeys, the irresistible destroyer of vice, the easy bridge over the high waters of temptation, the impregnable bulwark against all assaults of afflictions, the glorious standard and trophy in war, the substantial food of souls, the fertile source of all virtues, the wide and deep channel of all blessings spiritual and temporal, the powerful lever of the spiritual life, the patent medicine of the sick, the bright light of the understanding, the best riches of the poor, the inexhaustible treasure of all Christians, the never failing support of widows, the reliable protection of the just, the unsupportable torment of the devil, a most acceptable homage to God and the ever blessed Mother of God, the safe seal of virginity, the strong safeguard of nuptial fidelity, the safe harbor in the storms of this life, the city of refuge for sinners, the faithful friend and physician of the dying, the wonder working rod of Moses, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, showing the way to heaven, the Piscina Probatita - that is, the pond of healing water wherein whosoever descends is healed of whatsoever spiritual infirmity he may lie under - the sweet milk of little children, the beautiful crosier of bishops, the unconquerable strength, courage and persuasive power of priests, the golden key to heaven, the mother of good counsel, the celebrated school of eloquence, the unshaken constancy of the martyrs, gentle tyranny towards God, the impenetrable armor of all the faithful, who, when shielded by this heavenly armor, courageously fight and gloriously overcome all their enemies - the impious maxims of the world, the deceitful allurements of the flesh, and the subtle suggestions and snares of the devil - and thus obtain in the world to come that heavenly glory and endless happiness which the Lord has prepared for his faithful servants." (Muller)

"It is clear and comprehensible to the unlearned, and yet it contains an inexhaustible source of strength and meditation to the learned. It contains within itself an immeasurable depth, and embraces all the regions of the doctrines of faith and of moral truth. It declares and regulates the highest duties of human life. It is sufficiently evident that so simple, and yet so exalted and celestial, a form of prayer must be descended from heaven, and will never be surpassed by any human composition. There is a countless variety of prayer books; but not one of them can be better than the Rosary. What book is so convenient to carry with us as our beads? It can always be about us; in going to our work we can take it in our hands, and say a decade; and night we can put it around our neck or on the arm, and before falling asleep offer to our Mother another decade of prayer. And if we happened to lose it? Why, our dear Lord has provided each of us with a living pail of beads; we can count our ten Hail Mary's on our ten fingers, and accommodate ourselves thus until we have provided ourselves with another. The Rosary is a prayer book for all. From the hour it was made known, it found its way through millions of lowly homes, even to the most distant countries. It has been used in every language throughout the wide world; its prayers have been said by the lips of little children who can barely lisp the name of mother; by the lips of old age that trembles with weakness and grief; they have been said by the sailor on the deep, by the ploughman at his work in the field, by the scholar at his books, by the soldier battling bravely for his altars and firesides, by peasant girls singing in sunny vineyards, by the lips of those whose brows flashed the gems of royal diadems. The book of the Rosary is in use...in the hour of joy and in the hour of anguish. It is a book blest and approved by [more than] twenty five Popes, and recommended by the many indulgences they attached to its prayers; a book which the little child and aged man, the rich and the poor, the learned and the uninstructed can use with the same fervor, the same love, the same efficacy; a book in which the good Christian glories as the living testimony of Catholicism, and a mark of tenderness towards Jesus Christ and the most holy Mother of God." (Muller)

Also See: Benefits of the Rosary | The Family Rosary | In Defense of the Rosary / Those Who Consider the Devotion an "Annoying Formula" | Knowing if a Man is For God / Rosary | Recitation of the Rosary is Recommended | The Rosary & Sin | The Rosary & The Souls in Purgatory | The Rosary as a Spiritual Thermometer | The Rosary in History | The Rosary is a Medicine | The Rosary is Pleasing to Mary | Those Who Say Daily Rosary Are Not Led Astray

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