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Title: |
Fidentem Piumque Animum
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Descr.: |
On The Rosary
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Pope: |
Pope Leo XIII
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Date: |
September 20, 1896
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To
Our Venerable Brethren, The Patriarchs, Primates, Bishops, and
other Local Ordinaries Enjoying Peace and Communion with the
Apostolic See.
Venerable
Brethren, Health and the Apostolic Blessing.
1.
We have already had the opportunity on several occasions during
Our Pontificate of bearing public testimony to that confidence and
devotion towards the Blessed Virgin which We imbibed in Our
tenderest years, and have endeavored to cherish and develop all
our life long. For, having fallen upon times of calamity for
Christendom and perils for the nations, We have realized how
prudent it is to warmly recommend this means of safe-guarding
happiness and peace which God has most mercifully granted to
Mankind in His August Mother, and which hath ever been celebrated
in the annals of the Church. The manifold zeal of Christian people
has responded to Our desires and exhortations, most particularly
in exciting a devotion to the Rosary; and a plentiful harvest of
excellent fruits has not been wanting. Still we can never be
satisfied with celebrating the Divine Mother, who is in truth
worthy of all praise, and in urging love and affection towards her
who is also the mother of mankind, who is full of mercy, full of
grace. Yea, Our soul, wearied with the cares of the Apostolate,
the nearer it feels the time of Our departure to be at hand, with
the more earnest confidence looks up to her from whom, as from a
blessed dawn, arose the Day of happiness and joy that was never to
set. It is pleasant to us to remember, Venerable Brethren, that We
have in other letters issued from time to time extolled the
devotion of the Rosary; for it is in many ways most pleasing to
her in whose honor it is employed, and most advantageous to those
who properly use it. But it is equally pleasant to be able now to
insist upon and confirm the same fact. Herein we have an excellent
opportunity to paternally exhort men's minds and hearts to an
increase of religion, and to stimulate within them the hope of
eternal reward.
Necessity
of Prayer
2.
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. There is no duty which Christ and His Apostles more
emphatically urged by both precept and example than that of prayer
and supplication to Almighty God. The Fathers and Doctors in
subsequent times have taught that this is a matter of such grave
necessity, that if men neglect it they hope in vain for eternal
salvation. Every one who prays finds the door open to impetration,
both from the very nature of prayer and from the promises of
Christ. And we all know that prayer derives its chief efficacy
from two principal circumstances: perseverance, and the union of
many for one end. The former is signified in those invitations of
Christ so full of goodness: ask, seek, knock (Matt. vii., 7), just
as a kind father desires to indulge the wishes of his children,
but who also requires to be continually asked by them and as it
were wearied by their prayers, in order to attach their hearts
more closely to himself. The second condition Our Lord has born
witness to more than once: If two of you shall consent upon earth
concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to
them by My Father who is in heaven. For where there are two or
three gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt.
xviii. 19, 20). Hence that pregnant saying of Tertullian: Let us
gather into an assembly and congregation that we may, as it were,
make up a band and solicit God (Apologet. c. xxxix): such violence
is pleasing to God; and the memorable words of Aquinas: It is
impossible that the prayers of many should not be heard, if one
prayer is made up as it were out of many supplications. (In Evang.
Matt. c. xvii). Both of these qualities are conspicuous in the
Rosary. For, to be brief, by repeating the same prayers we
strenuously implore from Our Heavenly Father the Kingdom of His
grace and glory; we again and again beseech the Virgin Mother to
aid us sinners by her prayers, both during our whole life and
especially at that last moment which is the stepping-stone to
eternity. The formula of the Rosary, too, is excellently adapted
to prayer in common, so that it has been styled, not without
reason, "The Psalter of Mary." And that old custom of
our forefathers ought to be preserved or else restored, according
to which Christian families, whether in town or country, were
religiously wont at close of day, when their labors were at an
end, to assemble before a figure of Our Lady and alternately
recite the Rosary. She, delighted at this faithful and unanimous
homage, was ever near them like a loving mother surrounded by her
children, distributing to them the blessings of domestic peace,
the foretaste of the peace of heaven. Considering the efficacy of
public prayer, We, among other decrees which we have from time to
time issued concerning the Rosary, have spoken thus: "It is
Our desire that in the principal church of each diocese it should
be recited every day, and in parish churches on every feast-day
(Apostolic Letter Salutaris IIIe, 24th December, 1883). Let this
be constantly and devoutly carried out. We also see with joy the
custom extended on other solemn occasions of public devotion and
in pilgrimages to venerated shrines, the growing frequency of
which is to be commended. This association of prayer and praise to
Mary is both delightful and salutary for souls. We ourselves have
most strongly experienced this - and Our heart rejoices to recall
it - when at certain times in Our Pontificate We have been present
in the Vatican basilica, surrounded by great crowds of all
classes, who united with Us in mind, voice, and hope, earnestly
invoked by the mysteries and prayers of the Rosary, her who is the
most powerful patroness of the Catholic name.
Christ
the one Mediator: Position of the Saints and Especially of Mary
3.
And who could think or say that the confidence so strongly felt in
the patronage and protection of the Blessed Virgin is excessive?
Undoubtedly the name and attributes of the absolute Mediator
belong to no other than to Christ, for being one person, and yet
both man and God, He restored the human race to the favor of the
Heavenly Father: One Mediator of God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, who gave Himself a redemption for all (1 Tim. ii. 5, 6).
And yet, as the Angelic Doctor teaches, there is no reason why
certain others should not be called in a certain way mediators
between God and man, that is to say, in so far as they cooperate
by predisposing and ministering in the union of man with God
(Summa, p. IIL, q. xxvi., articles 1, 2). Such are the angels and
saints, the prophets and priests of both Testaments; but
especially has the Blessed Virgin a claim to the glory of this
title. For no single individual can even be imagined who has ever
contributed or ever will contribute so much towards reconciling
man with God. She offered to mankind, hastening to eternal ruin, a
Savior, at that moment when she received the announcement of the
mystery of peace brought to this earth by the Angel, with that
admirable act of consent in the name of the whole human race
(Summa. p. III, q. xxx., art. 1). She it is from whom is born
Jesus; she is therefore truly His mother, and for this reason a
worthy and acceptable "Mediatrix to the Mediator." As
the various mysteries present themselves one after the other in
the formula of the Rosary for the meditation and contemplation of
men's minds, they also elucidate what we owe to Mary for our
reconciliation and salvation. No one can fail to be sweetly
affected when considering her who appeared in the house of
Elizabeth as the minister of the divine gifts, and who presented
her Son to the Shepherds, to the kings, and to Simeon. Moreover,
one must remember that the Blood of Christ shed for our sake and
those members in which He offers to His Father the wounds He
received, the price of our liberty, are no other than the flesh
and blood of the virgin, since the flesh of Jesus is the flesh of
Mary, and however much it was exalted in the glory of His
resurrection, nevertheless the nature of His flesh derived from
Mary remained and still remains the same (de Assumpt. B. V. M., c.
v., among the Opera S. Aug).
Divine
Faith and the Rosary
4.
Yet another excellent fruit follows from the Rosary, exceedingly
opportune to the character of our times. This we have referred to
elsewhere. It is that, whilst the virtue of Divine Faith is daily
exposed to so many dangers and attacks, the Christian may here
derive nourishment and strength for his faith. Holy writ calls
Christ the Author and finisher of faith (Heb. vii. 2), the Author,
because He taught men many things which they had to believe,
especially about Himself in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead (Colos. ii., 9), and also because He mercifully gives the
power of believing by the grace and, as it were, the function of
the Holy Ghost; the Finisher, because in Heaven, where He will
change the habit of faith into the splendor of glory, He openly
discloses to them those things which they have seen in this mortal
life as through a veil. Now Christ stands forth clearly in the
Rosary. We behold in meditation His life, whether His hidden life
in joy, or His public life in excessive toil and sufferings unto
death, or His glorious life from His triumphant resurrection to
His eternal enthronement at the right hand of the Father. And
since faith, to be full and sufficient, must display itself - for
with the heart we believe unto justice, but with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation (Rom. x., 10) - so have we also
in the Rosary an excellent means unto this, for by those vocal
prayers with which it is intermingled, we are enabled to express
and profess our faith in God, our most watchful Father; in the
future life, the forgiveness of sins; in the mysteries of the
august Trinity, the Incarnation of the Word, the Divine Maternity,
and others. All know the value and merit of faith. For faith is
just like a most precious gem, producing now the blossoms of all
virtue by which we are pleasing to God, and hereafter to bring
forth fruits that will last forever: for to know Thee is perfect
justice, and to know Thy justice and Thy power is the root of
immortality (Wisdom xv., 3). It is here the place to add a remark
respecting the duties of those virtues which faith rightly
postulates. Among them is the virtue of penance, and one part of
this is abstinence, which for more reasons than one is necessary
and salutary. It is true the Church is growing more indulgent
towards her children in this matter, but they must understand they
are bound to take all care to make up for this maternal indulgence
by other good works. We rejoice for this reason also to propose
particularly the use of the rosary, which is capable of producing
worthy fruits of penance, especially by the remembrance of the
sufferings of Christ and His Mother.
5.
To those therefore who are striving after supreme happiness this
means of the Rosary has been most providentially offered, and it
is one unsurpassed for facility and convenience. For any person
even moderately instructed in his religion can make use of it with
fruit, and the time it occupies cannot delay any man's business.
Sacred history abounds with striking and evident examples. It is
well known that there have been many persons occupied in most
weighty functions or absorbed in laborious cares who have never
omitted for a single day this pious practice. Combined with this
advantage is that inward sentiment of devotion which attracts
minds to the Rosary, so that they love it as the intimate
companion and faithful protector of life; and in their last agony
they embrace and hold fast to it as the dear pledge of the
unfading Crown of glory. Such a pledge is greatly enhanced by the
benefits of sacred indulgences, if properly employed; for the
devotion of the Rosary has been richly endowed with such
indulgences by both our Predecessors and Ourselves. These favors
will certainly prove most efficacious to both the dying and the
departed, being bestowed as it were by the hands of the merciful
Virgin, in order that they may the sooner enjoy the eternal peace
and light they have desired.
Prayer
for the Reunion of Christendom
6.
These considerations, Venerable Brethren, move us incessantly to
extol and recommend to Catholic peoples this excellent and most
salutary form of devotion. Yet another very urgent reason, of
which we have often spoken both in Letters and Allocutions,
encourages us to do this. For that earnest desire, which We have
learnt from the Divine Heart of Jesus, of fostering the work of
reconciliation among those who are separated from Us daily urges
Us more pressingly to action; and we are convinced that this most
excellent reunion cannot be better prepared and strengthened than
by the power of prayer. The example of Christ is before us, for in
order that His disciples might be one in faith and charity, he
poured forth prayer and supplication to His Father. And concerning
the efficacious prayer of His most holy Mother for the same end,
there is a striking testimony in the Acts of the Apostles. Therein
is described the first assembly of the Disciples, expecting with
earnest hope and prayer the promised fullness of the Holy Spirit.
And the presence of Mary united with them in prayer is specially
indicated: All these were persevering with one mind in prayer with
Mary the Mother of Jesus (Acts i., 14). Wherefore as the nascent
church rightly joined itself in prayer with her as the patroness
and most excellent custodian of Unity, so in these times is it
most opportune to do the same all over the Catholic World,
particularly during the whole month of October, which we have long
ago decreed to be dedicated and consecrated, by the solemn
devotion of the Rosary, to the Divine Mother, in order to implore
her for the afflicted Church. Let then the zeal for this prayer
everywhere be rekindled, particularly for the end of Holy Unity.
Nothing will be more agreeable and acceptable to Mary; for, as she
is most closely united with Christ she especially wishes and
desires that they who have received the same Baptism with Him may
be united with Him and with one another in the same faith and
perfect charity. So may the sublime mysteries of this same faith
by means of the Rosary devotion be more deeply impressed in men's
minds, with the happy result that "we may imitate what they
contain and obtain what they promise."
7.
Meanwhile, as a pledge of the Divine Favors and Our affection, We
most lovingly impart to You, your clergy and People, the Apostolic
Benediction.
Given
at St. Peter's in Rome, September 20, 1896, in the 19th year of
Our Pontificate.
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