To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ. The Rosary, reclaimed in its full meaning, goes to the very heart of Christian life; it offers a familiar yet fruitful spiritual and educational opportunity for personal contemplation, the formation of the People of God, and the new evangelization. (3)According to the Polish Pontiff, the repetition of the Hail Marys is a means to better enter into this contemplation. In fact, he says, the rhythmical recitation is not dry or boring, but draws us closer to Christ:
...Although the repeated Hail Mary is addressed directly to Mary, it is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed, with her and through her. The repetition is nourished by the desire to be conformed ever more completely to Christ, the true programme of the Christian life. Saint Paul expressed this project with words of fire: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). And again: “It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). The Rosary helps us to be conformed ever more closely to Christ until we attain true holiness. (26)He explains the repetition further by using an example from the Eastern Church:
...in the East, the most characteristic prayer of Christological meditation, centred on the words “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”(34) is traditionally linked to the rhythm of breathing; while this practice favours perseverance in the prayer, it also in some way embodies the desire for Christ to become the breath, the soul and the “all” of one's life. (27)I can't help but think of John Paul II, several times a day, praying decades of the Rosary -- beads dancing through his fingers, Hail Marys gently whispered, to the point where it is as natural as breathing... and with each breath he takes, Christ breaths deeper in him, and through him. John Paul II loved the Rosary. It's certainly no secret. In Rosarium Virginis Mariae he writes:
From my youthful years this prayer has held an important place in my spiritual life. ... The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty. To it I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it I have always found comfort. Twenty-four years ago, on 29 October 1978, scarcely two weeks after my election to the See of Peter, I frankly admitted: 'The Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its simplicity and its depth.' (2)Perhaps knowing their dear deceased Papa's love for the Rosary, at the October 7th General Audience, Pope Benedict said to Polish pilgrims:
The Rosary is a special prayer of the Church and a spiritual weapon for each one of you. May meditation on the lives of Jesus and Mary be a light for all of us on our evangelical journey of spiritual renewal and conversion of heart.And added in Italian:
October is the month of the holy rosary, which invites us to appreciate this prayer so dear to the tradition of the Christian people. I invite you, dear young people, to make the rosary your daily prayer. I encourage you, dear sick, to grow in confident abandonment in God's hands, thanks to the recitation of the rosary. I exhort you, dear newlyweds, to make of the rosary a constant contemplation of the mysteries of Christ.Perhaps on today's feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and in this month dedicated to the Rosary, we should take a moment to rediscover -- or to discover for the first time -- this beautiful prayer. As a start, I would suggest taking a look at John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. It's a thorough, yet easy to read letter that offers meditations on the four mysteries, insight into the the significance of the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys, thoughts on the physical beads of the Rosary, it's role as a prayer for peace, for families, for children, and much more. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. - CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月6日(星期日)起,教宗將前往距離羅馬約25公里的岡道爾夫堡夏宮( Castel Gandolfo),展開為期14天的休假,直到7月20日。
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月6日(主日),教宗良十四世在誦念三鐘經前向聚集在聖伯多祿廣場的信友們講道,反省了《路加福音》中所啟示的傳教召叫,強調教會本質上的傳教使命,勉勵信友們在日常生活中去成為堅定的見證人。他說:「教會與世界所需要的,並不是那些將信仰當作外在標籤、僅僅履行宗教義務的人。我們需要的是那些渴望在福傳禾場上工作的工人。」
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月6日(主日),教宗良十四世在誦念三鐘經後以英文發言時,他向在德州突發洪水中失去親人的所有人表達誠摯的哀悼。
王新亮神父:「今天的福音對我們的生活有什麼啟示呢?我們的工作是重要的,但是我們不要忘記為了什麼而工作。如果我們的工作不是為了愛天主和愛身邊的人,那就沒有了意義。」
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】多倫多中華殉道聖人堂將於2025年7月12日(星期六)在多倫多中華殉道聖人堂舉行講座,主題為「慈母教會」,講者是駐馬耳他及利比亞宗座大使韓大輝總主教。講座內容包括:聖經和傳統的根據、教宗地位的反思、 共議同行的實踐。歡迎大家參與!