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Title: |
Iucunda Semper Expectatione
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Descr.: |
On The Rosary
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Pope: |
Pope Leo XIII
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Date: |
September 8, 1894
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To
the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other
Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.
Venerable
Brethren, Greeting and Apostolic Benediction.
1.
It is always with joyful expectation and inspired hope that We
look forward to the return of the month of October. At Our
exhortation and by Our express order this month has been
consecrated to the Blessed Virgin, during which for some years now
the devotion of her Rosary has been practiced by Catholic nations
throughout the world with sedulous earnestness. Our reasons for
making this exhortation We have made known more than once. For as
the disastrous condition of the Church and of Society proved to Us
the extreme necessity for signal aid from God, it was manifest to
Us that aid should be sought through the intercession of His
Mother, and by the express means of the Rosary, which Christians
have ever found to be of marvelous avail. This indeed has been
well proved since the very institution of the devotion, both in
the vindication of Holy Faith against the furious attacks of
heresy, and in restoring to honor the virtues, which by reason of
the Age's corruption, required to be rekindled and sustained. And
this same proof was continued in all succeeding ages, by a never
failing series of private and public benefits, whereof the
illustrious remembrance is everywhere perpetuated and immortalized
by monuments and existing institutions. Likewise in Our age,
afflicted with that tempest of various evils, it is a joy to Our
soul to relate the beneficent influence of the Rosary.
Notwithstanding all this, you yourselves, Venerable Brethren,
behold with your own eyes the persistence - nay, the increase - of
the reasons for renewing again this year Our summons to the
Faithful to turn with increased ardor in prayer to Mary, the Queen
of Heaven. Besides, the more We fix Our thoughts upon the
character of the Rosary, the clearer its excellence and power
appear to Us. Hence, while Our wish increases that it may
flourish, Our hope grows also that through Our recommendation it
may come to be more greatly prized, its holy use become more
extended and flourish abundantly. But We shall not now return to
the various instructions which in past years We have given upon
this subject. We shall take instead the opportunity of pointing
out the particular ruling and designs of Providence which ordains
that the Rosary should have new power to instill confidence into
the hearts of those who pray, and new influence to move the
compassionate heart of Our Mother to comfort and succor Us with
the utmost bounty.
2.
The recourse we have to Mary in prayer follows upon the office she
continuously fills by the side of the throne of God as Mediatrix
of Divine grace; being by worthiness and by merit most acceptable
to Him, and, therefore, surpassing in power all the angels and
saints in Heaven. Now, this merciful office of hers, perhaps,
appears in no other form of prayer so manifestly as it does in the
Rosary. For in the Rosary all the part that Mary took as our co-Redemptress
comes to us, as it were, set forth, and in such wise as though the
facts were even then taking place; and this with much profit to
our piety, whether in the contemplation of the succeeding sacred
mysteries, or in the prayers which we speak and repeat with the
lips. First come the Joyful Mysteries. The Eternal Son of God
stoops to mankind, putting on its nature; but with the assent of
Mary, who conceives Him by the Holy Ghost. Then St. John the
Baptist, by a singular privilege, is sanctified in his mother's
womb and favored with special graces that he might prepare the way
of the Lord; and this comes to pass by the greeting of Mary who
had been inspired to visit her cousin. At last the expected of
nations comes to light, Christ the Savior. The Virgin bears Him.
And when the Shepherds and the wise men, first-fruits of the
Christian faith, come with longing to His cradle, they find there
the young Child, with Mary, His Mother. Then, that He might before
men offer Himself as a victim to His Heavenly Father, He desires
to be taken to the Temple; and by the hands of Mary He is there
presented to the Lord. It is Mary who, in the mysterious losing of
her Son, seeks Him sorrowing, and finds Him again with joy. And
the same truth is told again in the sorrowful mysteries.
3.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus is in an agony; in the
judgment-hall, where He is scourged, crowned with thorns,
condemned to death, not there do we find Mary. But she knew
beforehand all these agonies; she knew and saw them. When she
professed herself the handmaid of the Lord for the mother's
office, and when, at the foot of the altar, she offered up her
whole self with her Child Jesus - then and thereafter she took her
part in the laborious expiation made by her Son for the sins of
the world. It is certain, therefore, that she suffered in the very
depths of her soul with His most bitter sufferings and with His
torments. Moreover, it was before the eyes of Mary that was to be
finished the Divine Sacrifice for which she had borne and brought
up the Victim. As we contemplate Him in the last and most piteous
of those Mysteries, there stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother,
who, in a miracle of charity, so that she might receive us as her
sons, offered generously to Divine Justice her own Son, and died
in her heart with Him, stabbed with the sword of sorrow.
4.
Thence the Rosary takes us on to the Glorious Mysteries, wherein
likewise is revealed the mediation of the great Virgin, still more
abundant in fruitfulness. She rejoices in heart over the glory of
her Son triumphant over death, and follows Him with a mother's
love in His Ascension to His eternal kingdom; but, though worthy
of Heaven, she abides a while on earth, so that the infant Church
may be directed and comforted by her "who penetrated, beyond
all belief, into the deep secrets of Divine wisdom" (St.
Bernard). Nevertheless, for the fulfillment of the task of human
redemption there remains still the coming of the Holy Ghost,
promised by Christ. And behold, Mary is in the room, and there,
praying with the Apostles and entreating for them with sobs and
tears, she hastens for the Church the coming of the Spirit, the
Comforter, the supreme gift of Christ, the treasure that will
never fail. And later, without measure and without end will she be
able to plead our cause, passing upon a day to the life immortal.
Therefore we behold her taken up from this valley of tears into
the heavenly Jerusalem, amid choirs of Angels. And we honor her,
glorified above all the Saints, crowned with stars by her Divine
Son and seated at His side the sovereign Queen of the universe.
5.
If in all this series of Mysteries, Venerable Brethren, are
developed the counsels of God in regard to us - "counsels of
wisdom and of tenderness" (St. Bernard) - not less apparent
is the greatness of the benefits for which we are debtors to the
Virgin Mother. No man can meditate upon these without feeling a
new awakening in his heart of confidence that he will certainly
obtain through Mary the fullness of the mercies of God. And to
this end vocal prayer chimes well with the Mysteries. First, as is
meet and right, comes the Lord's Prayer, addressed to Our Father
in Heaven: and having, with the elect petitions dictated by Our
Divine Master, called upon the Father, from the throne of His
Majesty we turn our prayerful voices to Mary. Thus is confirmed
that law of merciful meditation of which We have spoken, and which
St. Bernardine of Siena thus expresses: "Every grace granted
to man has three degrees in order; for by God it is communicated
to Christ, from Christ it passes to the Virgin, and from the
Virgin it descends to us." And we, by the very form of the
Rosary, do linger longest, and, as it were, by preference upon the
last and lowest of these steps, repeating by decades the Angelic
Salutation, so that with greater confidence we may thence attain
to the higher degrees - that is, may rise, by means of Christ, to
the Divine Father. For if thus we again and again greet Mary, it
is precisely that our failing and defective prayers may be
strengthened with the necessary confidence; as though we pledged
her to pray for us, and as it were in our name, to God.
6.
Nor can our prayers fail to ascend to Him as a sweet savour,
commended by the prayers of the Virgin. And He it is who,
all-benign, invites her: "Let thy voice sound in My ears, for
thy voice is sweet." For this cause do we repeatedly
celebrate those glorious titles of her ministry as Mediatrix. Her
do we greet who found favor with God, and who was in a signal
manner filled with grace by Him so that the superabundance thereof
might overflow upon all men; her, united with the Lord by the most
intimate of all conjunction; her who was blessed among women, and
who "alone took away the curse and bore the blessing"
(St. Thomas) - that fruit of her womb, that happy fruit, in which
all the nations of the earth are blessed. Her do we invoke,
finally, as Mother of God; and in virtue of a dignity so sublime
what graces from her may we not promise to ourselves, sinners, in
life and in the agonies of the end?
7.
A soul that shall devoutly repeat these prayers, that shall ponder
with faith these mysteries, will, without doubt, be filled with
wonder at the Divine purposes in this great Virgin and in the work
of the restoration of mankind. Doubtless, this soul, moved by the
warmth of love for her and of confidence, will desire to take
refuge upon her breast, as was the sweet feeling of St. Bernard:
"Remember, O most pious Virgin Mary, that never was it heard
that any who fled to thy protection, called upon thy help, and
sought thy intercession, was left forsaken." But the fruits
of the Rosary appear likewise, and with equal greatness, in the
turning with mercy of the heart of the Mother of God towards us.
How sweet a happiness must it be for her to see us all intent upon
the task of weaving crowns for her of righteous prayers and lovely
praises! And if, indeed, by those prayers we desire to render to
God the glory which is His due; if we protest that we seek nothing
whatsoever except the fulfillment in us of His holy will; if we
magnify His goodness and graciousness; if we call Him Our Father;
if we, being most unworthy, yet entreat of Him His best blessings
- Oh, how shall Mary in all these things rejoice! How
shall she magnify the Lord! There is no language so fit to lead us
to the majesty of God as the language of the Lord's Prayer.
Furthermore, to each of these things for which we pray, things
that are righteous and are ordered, and are in harmony with
Christian faith, hope, and charity, is added a special joy for the
Blessed Virgin. With our voices she seems to hear also the voice
of her Divine Son, Who with His own mouth taught us this prayer,
and by His own authority commanded it, saying: "You shall
pray thus." And seeing how we observe that command, saying
our Rosary, she will bend towards us with the more loving
solicitude; and the mystical crowns we offer her will be to her
welcome, and to us fruitful of graces. And of this generosity of
Mary to our supplications we have no slight pledge in the very
nature of a practice that has the power to help us in praying
well. In many ways, indeed, is man apt, by his frailty, to allow
his thoughts to wander from God and to let his purpose go astray.
But the Rosary, if rightly considered, will be found to have in
itself special virtues, whether for producing and continuing a
state of recollection, or for touching the conscience for its
healing, or for lifting up the soul. As all men know, it is
composed of two parts, distinct but inseparable - the meditation of
the Mysteries and the recitation of the prayers. It is thus a kind
of prayer that requires not only some raising of the soul to God,
but also a particular and explicit attention, so that by
reflection upon the things to be contemplated, impulses and
resolutions may follow for the reformation and sanctification of
life.
8.
Those same things are, in fact, the most important and the most
admirable of Christianity, the things through which the world was
renewed and filled with the fruits of truth, justice, and peace.
And it is remarkable how well adapted to every kind of mind,
however unskilled, is the manner in which these things are
proposed to us in the Rosary. They are proposed less as truths or
doctrines to be speculated upon than as present facts to be seen
and perceived. Thus presented, with the circumstances of place,
time, and persons, these Mysteries produce the most living effect;
and this without the slightest effort of imagination; for they are
treated as things learnt and engraven in the heart from infancy.
Thus, hardly is a Mystery named but the pious soul goes through it
with ease of thought and quickness of feeling, and gathers
therefrom, by the gift of Mary, abundance of the food of Heaven.
And yet another title of joy and of acceptation in her eyes do our
crowns of prayer acquire. For every time that we look once more
with devotional remembrance upon these Mysteries we give her a
sign of the gratitude of our hearts; we prove to her that we
cannot often enough call to mind the blessings of her unwearied
charity in the work of our salvation. At such recollections,
practiced by us with the frequency of love in her presence, who
may express, who may even conceive, what ever-new joys overflow
her ever-blessed soul, and what tender affections arise therein,
of mercy and of a mother's love! Besides these recollections,
moreover, as the sacred Mysteries pass by they cause our prayers
to be transformed into impulses of entreaty that have an
indescribable power over the heart of Mary. Yes, we fly to thee,
we miserable children of Eve, O holy Mother of God. To thee we
lift our prayers, for thou art the Mediatrix, powerful at once and
pitiful, of our salvation. Oh, by the sweetness of the joys that
came to thee from thy Son Jesus, by thy participation in His
ineffable sorrows, by the splendors of His glory shining in thee,
we instantly beseech thee, listen, be pitiful, hear us, unworthy
though we be!
9.
Thus the excellence of the Rosary; considered under the double
aspect We have here set forth, will convince you, Venerable
Brethren, of the reasons We have for an incessant eagerness to
commend and to promote it. At the present day - and on this We have
already touched there is a signal necessity of special help from
Heaven, particularly manifest in the many tribulations suffered by
the Church as to her liberties and her rights, as also in the
perils whereby the prosperity and peace of Christian society are
fundamentally threatened. So it is that it belongs to Our office
to assert once again that We place the best of Our hopes in the
holy Rosary, inasmuch as more than any other means it can
impetrate from God the succor which We need. It is Our ardent wish
that this devotion shall be restored to the place of honor; in the
city and in the village, in the family and in the workshop, in the
noble's house and in the peasant's; that it should be to all a
dear devotion and a noble sign of their faith; that it may be a
sure way to the gaining of the favor of pardon. To this end it is
indispensable that zeal should be redoubled, while impiety daily
redoubles its efforts and labors to move the justice of God and to
provoke, for the general ruin, His terrible vengeance. Amongst so
many causes of grief to all good men, and to Ourself, not the
least is this, that in the very midst of Catholic nations there
exist persons who are ever ready to rejoice in that which insults
and outrages our august religion; and that they themselves, with
incredible effrontery and with all publicity, seize every
opportunity of teaching the multitude to hold holy things in
contempt and of persuading them from their old confidence in the
intercession of the Blessed Virgin. During the last months the
very person of Our Divine Redeemer has not been spared. Such a
depth of shameless indignity has been reached that Jesus Christ
Himself has been dragged upon the stage of a theatre often
contaminated with corruptions, and has been represented there
discrowned of that Divinity upon which rests the whole work of
human salvation. And the last touch of shame was added in an
attempt to rescue from the execration of ages the guilty name of
him who was the very sign of perfidy, the betrayer of Christ. At
the consummation of such excesses in the cities of Italy there
arose a general cry of indignation, and energetic protest against
the violation and trampling under foot of the inviolable rights of
religion, and this in a nation that has for its greatest and most
righteous boast that it is Catholic. The Bishops rose at once, on
fire with holy zeal. And first they made their vigorous appeal to
those whose sacred duty it is to safeguard the decorum of the
religion of the country. Next, they informed their people of the
gravity of the scandal, and exhorted them to special acts of
reparation towards our most loving Savior exposed to such
slanders.
10.
We have pleasure, however, in rendering praise to the free and
fruitful faith manifested by men of good will; and this has
brought Us comfort in the bitterness inflicted upon the very quick
of Our heart. And having regard to the duties of Our supreme
ministry, We take this occasion to lift up Our voice and to unite
Our complaints and protests to those of the Bishops and of their
people, authenticated by Our Apostolic authority. And with a like
ardor to that wherewith we condemned this sacrilegious offence, do
We preach faith to all Catholics, and particularly to the
Italians. Let them with jealous care guard this inestimable
inheritance received from their fathers, let them defend it with
courage, let them not cease from magnifying it with good actions
of which their faith is the inspiring motive. This is a motive the
more for the enkindling, in private and in common prayer,
throughout the coming month of October, of a holy emulation in
celebrating and honoring the Mother of God, the mighty succorer of
the Christian people, the most glorious Queen of Heaven. For Our
own part, We confirm with all Our heart the favors and indulgences
We have already awarded upon this point.
11.
Now may God, "Who in His most merciful Providence gave us
this Mediatrix," and "decreed that all good should come
to us by the hands of Mary" (St. Bernard), receive
propitiously our common prayers and fulfill our common hopes. May
you receive a pledge thereof in the Apostolic Benediction which We
give to you, to your clergy, and to your people, with all
affection in Our Lord.
Given
in Rome at St. Peter's, on September 8, 1894, in the seventeenth
year of our Pontificate.
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