The Church, as
the sacred story tells us, made
prayer without ceasing to God for him; and the greater was the fear of
a misfortune, the greater was the fervor of all who prayed to God.
After the granting of their desires the miracle stood revealed; and
Christians still celebrate with a joyous gratitude the marvel of the
deliverance of Peter. Christ has given us a still more memorable
instance, a Divine instance, so that the Church might be formed not
upon his precepts only, but upon His example also. During His whole
life He had given Himself to frequent and fervent prayer, and in the
supreme hours in the Garden of Gethsemane, when His soul was filled
with bitterness and sorrow unto death, He prayed to His Father and
prayed repeatedly. It was not for Himself that He prayed thus, for He
feared nothing and needed nothing, being God; He prayed for us, for His
Church, whose prayers and future tears He already then accepted with
joy, to give them back in mercies.
Since the salvation of our race was accomplished by the mystery
of the
Cross, and since the Church, dispenser of that salvation after the
triumph of Christ, was founded upon earth and instituted, Providence
established a new order for a new people. The consideration of the
Divine counsels is united to the great sentiment of religion. The
Eternal Son of God, about to take upon Him our nature for the saving
and ennobling of man, and about to consummate thus a mystical union
between Himself and all mankind, did not accomplish His design without
adding there the free consent of the elect Mother, who represented in
some sort all human kind, according to the illustrious and just opinion
of St. Thomas, who says that the Annunciation was effected with the
consent of the Virgin standing in the place of humanity.
With equal truth may it be also affirmed that, by the will of God, Mary
is the intermediary through whom is distributed unto us this immense
treasure of mercies gathered by God, for mercy and truth were created
by Jesus Christ. Thus as no man goeth to the Father but by the Son, so
no man goeth to Christ but by His Mother. How great are the goodness
and mercy revealed in this design of God! What a correspondence with
the frailty of man! We believe in the infinite goodness of the Most
High, and we rejoice in it; we believe also in His justice and we fear
it. We adore the beloved Savior, lavish of His blood and of His life;
we dread the inexorable Judge.
Thus do those whose actions have disturbed their consciences need an
intercessor mighty in favor with God, merciful enough not to reject the
cause of the desperate, merciful enough to lift up again towards hope
in the divine mercy the afflicted and the broken down. Mary is this
glorious intermediary; she is the mighty Mother of the Almighty;
but—what is still sweeter—she is gentle, extreme in tenderness, of a
limitless loving-kindness. As such God gave her to us. Having chosen
her for the Mother of His only begotten Son, He taught her all a
mother's feeling that breathes nothing but pardon and love. Such Christ
desired she should be, for He consented to be subject to Mary and to
obey her as a son a mother. Such He proclaimed her from the cross when
he entrusted to her care and love the whole of the race of man in the
person of His disciple John. Such, finally, she proves herself by her
courage in gathering in the heritage of the enormous labors of her Son,
and in accepting the charge of her maternal duties towards us all.
The design of this most dear mercy, realized by God in Mary and
confirmed by the testament of Christ, was comprehended at the
beginning, and accepted with the utmost joy by the Holy Apostles and
the earliest believers. It was the counsel and teaching of the
venerable Fathers of the Church. All the nations of the Christian age
received it with one mind; and even when literature and tradition are
silent there is a voice that breaks from every Christian breast and
speaks with all eloquence. No other reason is needed than that of a
Divine faith which, by a powerful and most pleasant impulse, persuades
us towards Mary. Nothing is more natural, nothing more desirable than
to seek a refuge in the protection and in the loyalty of her to whom we
may confess our designs and our actions, our innocence and our
repentance, our torments and our joys, our prayers and our desires—all
our affairs. All men, moreover, are filled with the hope and confidence
that petitions which might be received with less favor from the lips of
unworthy men, God will accept when they are recommended by the most
Holy Mother, and will grant with all favors. The truth and the
sweetness of these thoughts bring to the soul an unspeakable comfort;
but they inspire all the more compassion for those who, being without
Divine faith, honor not Mary and have her not for their mother; for
those also who, holding Christian faith, dare to accuse of excess the
devotion to Mary, thereby sorely wounding filial piety.
This storm of evils, in the midst of which the Church struggles so
strenuously, reveals to all her pious children the holy duty whereto
they are bound to pray to God with instance, and the manner in which
they may give to their prayers the greater power. Faithful to the
religious example of our fathers, let us have recourse to Mary, our
holy Sovereign. Let us entreat, let us beseech, with one heart, Mary,
the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Mother. "Show thyself to be a mother;
cause our prayers to be accepted by Him Who, born for us, consented to
be thy Son."
Now, among the several rites and manners of paying honor to the Blessed
Mary, some are to be preferred, inasmuch as we know them to be most
powerful and most pleasing to our Mother; and for this reason we
specially mention by name and recommend the Rosary. The common language
has given the name of corona to this manner of prayer, which recalls to
our minds the great mysteries of Jesus and Mary united in joys,
sorrows, and triumphs. 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.
Moreover, we may well believe that the Queen of Heaven herself has
granted an especial efficacy to this mode of supplication, for it was
by her command and counsel that the devotion was begun and spread
abroad by the holy Patriarch Dominic as a most potent weapon against
the enemies of the faith at an epoch not, indeed, unlike our own, of
great danger to our holy religion. The heresy of the Albigenses had in
effect, one while covertly, another while openly, overrun many
countries, and this most vile offspring of the Manicheans, whose deadly
errors it reproduced, were the cause in stirring up against the Church
the most bitter animosity and a virulent persecution.
There seemed to be no human hope of opposing this fanatical and most
pernicious sect when timely succor came from on high through the
instrument of Mary's Rosary. Thus under the favor of the powerful
Virgin, the glorious vanquisher of all heresies, the forces of the
wicked were destroyed and dispersed, and faith issued forth unharmed
and more shining than before. All manner of similar instances are
widely recorded, and both ancient and modern history furnish remarkable
proofs of nations saved from perils and winning benedictions therefrom.
There is another signal argument in favor of this devotion, inasmuch as
from the very moment of its institution it was immediately encouraged
and put into most frequent practice by all classes of society. In
truth, the piety of the Christian people honors, by many titles and in
multiform ways, the Divine Mother, who, alone most admirable among all
creatures, shines resplendent in unspeakable glory. 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.
Nor may we permit to pass unnoticed the especial Providence of God
displayed in this devotion; for through the lapse of time religious
fervor has sometimes seemed to diminish in certain nations, and even
this pious method of prayer has fallen into disuse; but piety and
devotion have again flourished and become vigorous in a most marvelous
manner, when, either through the grave situation of the commonwealth or
through some pressing public necessity, general recourse has been
had—more to this than to even other means of obtaining help—to the
Rosary, whereby it has been restored to its place of honor on the
altars. But there is no need to seek for examples of this power in a
past age, since we have in the present a signal instance of it. In
these times—so troublous (as We have said before) for the Church, and
so heartrending for ourselves—set as We are by the Divine will at the
helm, it is still given Us to note with admiration the great zeal and
fervor with which Mary's Rosary is honored and recited in every place
and nation of the Catholic world. And this circumstance, which
assuredly is to be attributed to the Divine action and direction upon
men, rather than to the wisdom and efforts of individuals, strengthens
and consoles Our heart, filling Us with great hope for the ultimate and
most glorious triumph of the Church under the auspices of Mary.
But there are some who, whilst they honestly agree with what We have
said, yet because their hopes—especially as regard the peace and
tranquillity of the Church—have not yet been fulfilled, nay, rather
because troubles seem to augment, have ceased to pray with diligence
and fervor, in a fit of discouragement. Let these look into themselves
and labor that the prayers they address to God may be made in a proper
spirit, according to the precept of our Lord Jesus Christ. And if there
be such, let them reflect how unworthy and how wrong it is to wish to
assign to Almighty God the time and the manner of giving His
assistance, since He owes nothing to us, and when He hearkens to our
supplications and crowns our merits, He only crowns His own innumerable
benefits; and when He complies least with our wishes it is as a good
father towards his children, having pity on their childishness and
consulting their advantage. But as regards the prayers which we join to
the suffrages of the heavenly citizens, and offer humbly to God to
obtain His mercy for the Church, they are always favorably received and
heard, and either obtain for the Church great and imperishable
benefits, or their influence is temporarily withheld for a time of
greater need. In truth, to these supplications is added an immense
weight and grace—the prayers and merits of Christ Our Lord, Who has
loved the Church and has delivered Himself up for her to sanctify her .
. . so that He should be glorified in her. He is her Sovereign Head,
holy, innocent, always living to make intercession for us, on whose
prayers and supplication we can always by divine authority rely. As for
what concerns the exterior and temporal prosperity of the Church, it is
evident that she has to cope with most malicious and powerful
adversaries.
Too often has she suffered at their hands the abolition of her rights,
the diminution and oppression of her liberties, scorn and affronts to
her authority, and every conceivable outrage. And if in their
wickedness her enemies have not accomplished all the injury they had
resolved upon and striven to do, they nevertheless seem to go on
unchecked. But, despite them the Church, amidst all these conflicts,
will always stand out and increase in greatness and glory. Nor can
human reason rightly understand why evil, apparently so dominant,
should yet be so restricted as regards its results; whilst the Church,
driven into straits, comes forth glorious and triumphant. And she ever
remains more steadfast in virtue because she draws men to the
acquisition of the ultimate good. And since this is her mission, her
prayers must have much power to effect the end and purpose of God's
providential and merciful designs towards men. Thus, when men pray with
and through the Church, they at length obtain what Almighty God has
designed from all eternity to bestow upon mankind.
Our fatherly solicitude urges Us to implore of God, the Giver of all
good gifts, not merely the spirit of prayer, but also that of holy
penance for all the sons of the Church. And whilst We make this most
earnest supplication, We exhort all and each one to the practice with
equal fervor of both these virtues combined. Thus prayer fortifies the
soul, makes it strong for noble endeavors, leads it up to divine
things: penance enables us to overcome ourselves, especially our
bodies—most inveterate enemies of reason and the evangelical law. And
it is very clear that these virtues unite well with each other, assist
each other mutually, and have the same object, namely, to detach man
born for heaven from perishable objects, and to raise him up to
heavenly commerce with God. On the other hand, the mind that is excited
by passions and enervated by pleasure is insensible to the delights of
heavenly things, and makes cold and neglectful prayers quite unworthy
of being accepted by God. We have before Our eyes examples of the
penance of holy men whose prayers and supplications were consequently
most pleasing to God, and even obtained miracles. They governed and
kept assiduously in subjection their minds and hearts and wills. They
accepted with the greatest joy and humility the doctrines of Christ and
the teachings of His Church. Their unique desire was to advance in the
science of God; nor had their actions any other object than the
increase of His glory. They restrained most severely their passions,
treated their bodies rudely and harshly, abstaining from even permitted
pleasures through love of virtue. And therefore most deservedly could
they have said with the Apostle Paul, our conversation is in Heaven:
hence the potent efficacy of their prayers in appeasing and in
supplicating the Divine Majesty. It is clear that not every one is
obliged or able to attain to these heights; nevertheless, each one
should correct his life and morals in his own measure in satisfaction
to the Divine justice: for it is to those who have endured voluntary
sufferings in this life that the reward of virtue is vouchsafed.
Moreover, when in the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church, all
the members are united and flourish, it results, according to St. Paul,
that the joy or pain of one member is shared by all the rest, so that
if one of the brethren in Christ is suffering in mind or body the
others come to his help and succor him as far as in them lies.
The members are solicitous in regard of each other,
and if one member suffer all the members suffer in sympathy, and if one
member rejoice all the others rejoice also. But you are the body of
Christ, members of one body. But in this illustration of charity,
following the example of Christ, Who in the immensity of His love gave
up His life to redeem us from sin, paying Himself the penalties
incurred by others, in this is the great bond of perfection by which
the faithful are closely united with the heavenly citizens and with
God. Above all, acts of holy penance are so numerous and varied and
extend over such a wide range, that each one may exercise them
frequently with a cheerful and ready will without serious or painful
effort.
And now, venerable brethren, your remarkable and
exalted piety towards the Most Holy Mother of God, and your charity and
solicitude for the Christian flock, are full of abundant promise: Our
heart is full of desire for those wondrous fruits which, on many
occasions, the devotion of Catholic people to Mary has brought forth;
already We enjoy them deeply and abundantly in anticipation. At your
exhortation and under your direction, therefore, the faithful,
especially during this ensuing month, will assemble around the solemn
altars of this august Queen and most benign Mother, and weave and offer
to her, like devoted children, the mystic garland so pleasing to her of
the Rosary. All the privileges and indulgences We have herein before
conceded are confirmed and ratified.
How grateful and magnificent a spectacle to see in
the cities, and towns, and villages, on land and sea—wherever the
Catholic faith has penetrated—many hundreds of thousands of pious
people uniting their praises and prayers with one voice and heart at
every moment of the day, saluting Mary, invoking Mary, hoping
everything through Mary. Through her may all the faithful strive to
obtain from her Divine Son that the nations plunged in error may return
to the Christian teaching and precepts, in which is the foundation of
the public safety and the source of peace and true happiness. Through
her may they steadfastly endeavor for that most desirable of all
blessings, the restoration of the liberty of our Mother, the Church,
and the tranquil possession of her rights—rights which have no other
object than the careful direction of men's dearest interests, from the
exercise of which individuals and nations have never suffered injury,
but have derived, in all time, numerous and most precious benefits.
And for you, venerable brethren, through the
intercession of the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, We pray Almighty God
to grant you heavenly gifts, and greater and more abundant strength,
and aid to accomplish the charge of your pastoral office. As a pledge
of which We most lovingly bestow upon you and upon the clergy and
people committed to your care, the Apostolic Benediction.
Given at Rome, St. Peter's, the 22nd day of
September, 1891, in the fourteenth year of Our Pontificate.
Mary
Immaculate
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