Catholic Apologetics #46
Those familiar with the Catholic Faith, and surely those familiar with the Blessed Virgin Mary’s apparitions in Fatima in 1917, will know how to pray the Rosary. The Fatima Center has published a good resource on how to pray the Rosary. For those seeking to re-learn or print and share a resource with others, that article is a useful guide.[1]
While many Catholics will know how to pray the Rosary, most will struggle with remaining focused during the prayers. We do not pray using vain repetition through the Rosary. The Rosary is a tool which the Blessed Virgin Mary Herself gave to the Church through an apparition to St. Dominic in 1208 A.D. as a means for us to pray and meditate. As an aside, I recommend you stay away from resources that promote the so-called “Luminous Mysteries” which are not a part of the Rosary given by our Blessed Mother.[2]
In addition to merely calling upon Our Lord for mercy and His Mother to pray for us, we can pray for the fruits of the mysteries in our own life. For instance, as we think of Our Lord in Bethlehem born in cold and poverty, we pray for the spirit of poverty to take root in our own lives. How can we better imitate Our Lord and Our Lady in humility? What steps can we take to cultivate this virtue? Have you considered adding the Litany of Humility to your daily prayers?[3] St. Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises begins by stating that a detachment from things (whether we are rich or poor) is necessary for eternal life. As I pray the 3rd Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary, all these thoughts come to mind.
Likewise, when praying the 2nd Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary I reflect on the immense pain of Our Lord Whose flesh was ripped apart by whips laden with jagged pieces of stone. I picture Our Lord’s bloody and tortured body against the pillar because I do not do enough penance. He has made reparation for all our sins against the flesh. What can I do to further root out sin from my life? How can I do greater penance in response to Our Lady’s requests at Fatima? All these thoughts come to mind as I reflect on the fruits of the virtue of penance in life.
Thus, we can add great enrichment to our own prayers of the Rosary by praying for its fruits. Because the Rosary leads us to meditate upon most important Mysteries of the Catholic Faith, their treasury is inexhaustible. Naturally, attentive and devout meditation upon these Mysteries can provide innumerable graces and fruits which help one grow in merit and virtue. Various saints have suggested the practice of focusing on a particular virtue for a specific Mystery, but there are numerous such options. A Catholic may even choose, over time, to vary which specific virtue is prayed for in a given mystery. Some more common options are listed below. It may help to print out the list and keep it close at hand when praying the Rosary.
Does this enrich your meditations? Does it lead to real, concrete changes in your own life? The purpose of the Rosary and all prayer is to lift “up of our minds and hearts to God, to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body” (Baltimore Catechism No. 3, Q. 1099). We do not do so by merely saying the Rosary without meditating on the mysteries. Meditating on the life of Our Lord and Our Lady is integral to the Rosary. And how can we approach such a profound and deeply enriched prayer if we do not expect Our Lord to shower us with graces and inspirations during it. Knowing which virtues to pray for will help us focus our petitions.
The Fruits of Each Rosary Mystery:
Joyful Mysteries:
- Annunciation: Humility
- Visitation: Fraternal Charity
- Nativity: Love of Poverty or Detachment from the World
- Presentation: Purity and Obedience
- Finding of Jesus in the Temple: Wisdom and the Grace to Follow the Motions of Holy Providence
Sorrowful Mysteries:
- Agony in the Garden: Contrition of Sins and the Grace to Forgive Others
- Scourging at the Pillar: Mortification of Senses
- Crowning with Thorns: Mortification of Pride and Self-love, Meekness
- Carrying of the Cross: Patience in Tribulation
- Crucifixion and Death: Self-sacrifice for God and Our Neighbor or Love of Enemies
Glorious Mysteries:
- Resurrection: The Virtue of Faith
- Ascension: The Virtue of Hope
- Descent of the Holy Ghost: Charity, the Desire for Sanctification or Missionary Zeal
- Assumption: Devotion to Our Blessed Mother and the Grace of a Happy Death
- Coronation: Perseverance or to pray the Rosary more fervently
[1] https://fatima.org/about/fatima-the-requests/how-to-pray-the-rosary/
[2] For those wanting to understand more why this novelty should be avoided, we strongly recommend Christopher Ferrara’s short treatise, The New Rosary. You can also read his brief article at The Remnant on this subject. Our archives also include a 6-minute Q&A video from Fr. Gruner and John Vennari on the subject, “The Luminous Mysteries Why Not?” If you have other questions on this matter, please comment using the forum beneath this article, as it may initiate a lively and fruitful discussion.
[3] A great laminated holy card with this Litany that I keep in my Breviary and say every morning can be found at https://inhisname.com/litany-of-humility-large-laminated-holy-card-ihn-g4
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