Holy Rosary
« Author's note »
As it was in other times –such as Lepanto–, the Rosary must be today a powerful weapon, to conquer the enemies of the Holy Roman Church and of your Country.
Offer reparation to the Lord, exalt His Mother with your lips: your God asks for atonement, for praises from your tongue, because –and these are words of the Holy Father, spoken to his Noble Guard, on the last day of the year 1944 –
"The hostility of the enemies of Christ and of the Church has been served in all times, not only by wicked criticisms, and vehement attacks, but especially by that poisonous slander, those sly insinuations and vague, anonymous rumours, which skillfully spread, have often deceived persons of good faith, even some ignorant and credulous Christians."
Their tongue is a piercing arrow, says Jeremiah (9:8).
–I hope you will have the knowledge and the will to cure those wounds, with this beautiful devotion to Our Lady and with your vigilant charity.
At the Shrine of Fatima, February 6, 1945
Note to the Fifth Spanish Edition
For you, my friend, the reader of this book: I have written the "Holy Rosary" so that you and I may learn how to become absorbed in prayer when we are praying to Our Lady.
Don't allow yourself to be disturbed by the sound of words as you meditate on the thoughts I set before you: do not read them aloud, for then they would lose their intimacy.
On the other hand, pronounce the Our Father and the Hail Marys of each decade clearly and without haste. In this way you will always gain more from this practice of love of Mary.
And don't forget to pray for me.
Msgr J.M. Escriva
Rome, on the Feast of the Purification, February 2, 1952
« Foreword »
These lines are not written for "little women." –They are written for full-grown men, and very... manly men, who at times, no doubt, have raised their hearts to God, crying out to Him with the Psalmist: Notam fac mihi viam, in qua ambulem; quia ad te levavi animam meam. –Make the way known to me, wherein I should walk; for I have lifted up my soul to Thee (Ps 142:8).
I must tell these men a secret that may very well be the beginning of the way that Christ wants them to follow.
My friend, if you want to be great, become little.
To be little it is necessary to believe as children believe, to love as children love, to give yourself up as children give themselves up... to pray as children pray.
And all of this is necessary to accomplish what I am going to reveal to you in these lines:
The beginning of the way, at the end of which you will find yourself completely carried away with love for Jesus, is a confident love for Mary.
–Do you want to love Our Lady? –Well, get to know her. How? –By praying her Rosary well.
But, in the Rosary... we always say the same things! –Always the same? And don't those who are in love always say the same things to each other?... Could it not be that there is monotony in your Rosary because, instead of pronouncing words like a man, you emit sounds like an animal, while your mind is very far from God? –Moreover, listen: before each decade we are told the mystery to be contemplated.
–Have you... ever contemplated these mysteries?
Become little. Come with me and –this is the essence of what I have to confide– we will live the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Each day we will render them a new service. We will hear their family conversations. We will see the Messiah grow up. We will admire His thirty years of hidden life... We will be present at His Passion and Death... We will be awed by the Glory of His Resurrection... In a word: we will contemplate, carried away with Love (the only real love is Love), each and every instant of Christ Jesus.
« Joyful mysteries »
Don't forget, my friend, that we are children. The Lady of the sweet name, Mary, is withdrawn in prayer.
You, in that house, are whatever you want to be: a friend, a servant, an onlooker, a neighbour... –I, at this moment, don't dare to be anything. I hide behind you; full of awe, I contemplate the scene:
The Archangel delivers his message... Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco? –How shall this be done since I know not man? (Luke 1:34)
Our Mother's voice brings to my memory –by contrast– all the impurities of men.... mine too.
And then how I hate the low, mean things of the earth...What resolutions!
Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.– Be it done unto me according to Thy word (Luke 1:38). By the enchantment of this virginal phrase, the Word was made flesh.
The first decade is about to end... I still have time to tell my God, before anyone else does: Jesus, I love You.
By now, my little friend, you have no doubt learned to get along by yourself. –Joyfully keep Joseph and Mary company... and you will hear the traditions of the House of David:
You will hear of Elizabeth and Zachary, you will be moved by Joseph's pure love, and your heart will pound whenever there is mention of the Child who will be born in Bethlehem...
We walk in haste towards the mountains, to a town of the tribe of Judah (Luke 1:39).
We arrive. –It is the house where John the Baptist is to be born. –Elizabeth gratefully hails the Mother of her Redeemer: Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! –How have I deserved to be thus visited by the Mother of my Lord? (Luke 1:42-43)
The unborn Baptist quivers... (Luke 1:41) –Mary's humility pours forth in the Magnificat... –And you and I, who are proud –who were proud–, promise to be humble.
A decree of Caesar Augustus has been proclaimed, ordering the whole world to be enrolled. For this purpose, every person must go to the city of his ancestors. –Since Joseph is of the house and family of David, he goes with the Virgin Mary from Nazareth to the city called Bethlehem, in Judea (Luke 2:1-5).
And in Bethlehem is born our God: Jesus Christ! –There is no room at the inn: He is born in a stable. –And His Mother wraps Him in swaddling clothes and lays Him in a manger.
Cold. –Poverty... –I am Joseph's little servant. –How good Joseph is! –He treats me like a father. –He even forgives me if I take the Child in my arms and spend hour after hour saying sweet and loving things to Him!...
And I kiss Him –you kiss Him too! –and I rock Him in my arms, and I sing to Him, and I call Him King, Love, my God, my Only-one, my All!... How beautiful is the Child and how short the decade!
When the days of the Mother's purification are accomplished, according to the Law of Moses, the Child must be taken to Jerusalem, to be presented to the Lord (Luke 2:22).
And this time it will be you, my friend, who will carry the cage with the doves (Luke 2:24). –Just think: She –the Immaculate!– submits herself to the Law as if she were defiled.
Through this example, foolish child, will you learn to obey the Holy Law of God, regardless of any personal sacrifice?
Purification! You and I surely do need purification! –Atonement, and more than atonement, Love. –Love as a searing iron to cauterize our souls' uncleanness, and as a fire to kindle with divine flames the wretched tinder of our hearts.
A just and God-fearing man has come to the temple led by the Holy Ghost –it had been revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Christ. –He takes the Messiah in his arms and says to Him: Now, My Lord, Thou canst take Thy servant out of this world in peace, according to Thy promise... because my eyes have seen the Saviour (Luke 2:25-30).
Where is Jesus? –The Child, my Lady!... where is He?
Mary is crying. –In vain you and I have run from group to group, from caravan to caravan: no one has seen Him. –Joseph, after useless attempts to keep from crying, cries too... And You... And I.
Being a common little servant, I cry my eyes out and wail to heaven and earth... to make up for those times when I lost Him through my own fault and did not cry.
Jesus: may I never lose Thee again... Then you and I are united in misfortune and grief, as we were united in sin. And from the depth of our being come moans of heartfelt sorrow and burning phrases that the pen cannot and should not record.
And, as we are consoled by the joy of finding Jesus –three days He was gone!– debating with the doctors of Israel (Luke 2:46), your soul and mine will be left deeply impressed by the duty to leave our home and family to serve our heavenly Father.
« Sorrowful mysteries »
"Pray that you may not enter into temptation". –And Peter fell asleep. –And the other apostles. –And you, little friend, fell asleep..., and I too was another sleepyheaded Peter.
Jesus, alone and sad, suffers and soaks the earth with His blood.
Kneeling on the hard ground, He perseveres in prayer... He weeps for you... and for me: the weight of the sins of men overwhelms Him.
Pater, si vis, transfer calicem istum a me. –Father, if Thou wilt, remove this chalice from me... Yet not my will, sed tua fiat, but Thine be done (Luke 22:42).
An Angel from Heaven comforts Him. –Jesus is in agony. –He continues prolixius, praying more intensely... –He approaches us, who are asleep: Arise, pray –He says again–, lest you enter into temptation (Luke 22:46).
Judas the traitor: a kiss. –Peter's sword gleams in the night. –Jesus speaks: Are you come, as to a robber, to apprehend Me? (Mark 14:48)
We are cowards: we follow Him from afar, but awake and praying. –Prayer... Prayer...
Pilate speaks: It is your custom that I release one prisoner to you on the Pasch. Whom shall I set free, Barabbas –a thief jailed with others for a murder –or Jesus? (Matt 27:17) –Put this man to death and release unto us Barabbas, cries the multitude, incited by their chief priests (Luke 23:18).
Pilate speaks again: What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ? (Matt 27:22) –Crucifige eum! Crucify Him!
Pilate, for the third time, says to them: Why, what evil has He done? I find no fault in Him that deserves death (Luke 23:22).
The clamour of the mob grows louder: Crucify Him, crucify Him! (Mark 15:14)
And Pilate, wishing to please the populace, releases Barabbas to them and orders Jesus to be scourged.
Bound to the pillar. Covered with wounds.
The blows of the lash sound upon His torn flesh, upon His undefiled flesh, that suffers for your sinful flesh. –More blows. More fury. Still more... It is the last extreme of human cruelty.
Finally, exhausted, they unbind Jesus. –And the body of Christ yields to pain and falls limp, broken and half dead.
You and I are unable to speak. –Words are not needed. –Look at Him, look at Him... slowly. After this... can you ever fear penance?
Our King's eagerness for suffering has been fully satisfied! –They lead Our Lord to the courtyard of the palace, and there they call together their whole band (Mark 15:16). –The brutal soldiers strip His most pure body. –They drape a dirty purple rag about Jesus. –A reed, as a sceptre, in His right hand...
The crown of thorns, driven in by blows, makes Him a mock king... Ave Rex Judeorum! –Hail, King of the Jews (Mark 15:18). And with their blows they wound His head. And they strike Him... and they spit on Him.
Crowned with thorns and clothed in rags of purple, Jesus is shown to the Jewish mob: Ecce Homo! –Behold the Man! And again the chief priests and the ministers raise the cry, saying: Crucify Him, crucify Him (John 19:5-6).
–You and I..., haven't we crowned Him anew with thorns, and struck Him and spit on Him?
Never more, Jesus, never more... And a firm and concrete resolution marks the end of these ten Hail Marys.
Carrying His Cross, Jesus goes out toward Calvary, a place that in Hebrew is called Golgotha (John 19:17). –And they lay hold of a certain Simon of Cyrene, who is coming from a farm; and they make him take the Cross and carry it after Jesus (Luke 23:26).
The prophesy of Isaiah (53:12) has been fulfilled: cum sceleratis reputatus est, He was counted among the wicked: for two others, who were robbers, were led with Him to be put to death (Luke 23:32).
If anyone would follow me... Little friend: we are sad, living the Passion of Our Lord Jesus. –See how lovingly He embraces the Cross. –Learn from Him. –Jesus carries the Cross for you: you... carry it for Jesus.
But don't drag the Cross... Carry it squarely on your shoulder, because your Cross, if you carry it so, will not be just any Cross: it will be... the Holy Cross. Don't bear your Cross with resignation: resignation is not a generous word. Love the Cross. When you really love it, your Cross will be... a Cross, without a Cross.
And surely you, like Him, will find Mary on the way.
For Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, the throne of triumph is ready. You and I do not see Him writhe on being nailed: suffering all that can be suffered, He spreads His arms with the gesture of an Eternal Priest...
The soldiers take His holy garments and divide them into four parts. –In order not to tear the tunic, they cast lots to decide whose it shall be. –And so, once more, the words of the Scripture are fulfilled: They have parted my garments among them and for my robe they have cast lots (John 19:23-24).
Now He is on high... And close to her Son, at the foot of the Cross, stand Mary... and Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. And John, the disciple whom He loved. Ecce mater tua! –Behold thy mother! –He gives us His Mother for our own.
Earlier they had offered Him wine mingled with gall, and when He had tasted it, He would not drink (Matt 27:34).
Now He thirsts... for love, for souls.
Consummatum est. –It is consummated (John 19:30).
Foolish child, look: all this... He has suffered it all for you... and for me. –Can you keep from crying?
« Glorious mysteries »
When evening fell on the Sabbath, Mary Magdalen and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices that, going, they might anoint the dead body of Jesus. –Very early on the following day, when the sun has already risen, they come to the sepulchre (Mark 16:1-2). And upon entering they are dismayed, for they do not find the body of Our Lord. –A youth, clothed in white, says to them: Fear not. I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth: non est hic, surrexit enim sicut dixit, –He is not here, for He has risen, as He said (Matt 28:5).
He has risen! –Jesus has risen. He is not in the sepulchre. –Life has overcome death.
He appeared to His most Holy Mother. –He appeared to Mary of Magdala, who is carried away with love. –And to Peter and the rest of the Apostles. –And to you and me, who are His disciples and more in love than Magdalen: the things we say to Him!
May we never die through sin; may our spiritual resurrection be eternal. –And before this decade is over, you have kissed the wounds on His feet..., and I, more daring –because I am more a child–, have placed my lips upon His open side.
Now the Master is teaching His disciples: He has enlightened their minds that they may know the Scriptures, and He takes them as witnesses of His life and His miracles, of His passion and death, and of the glory of His resurrection (Luke 24:45 and 48).
Then, He leads them out along the road to Bethany, He lifts up His hands and blesses them. –And, as He does so, He slowly departs from them and ascends to heaven (Luke 24:51) until a cloud receives Him out of their sight (Acts 1:9).
Jesus has gone to the Father. –Two Angels in white garments approach us and say: Men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? (Acts 1:11)
Peter and the others go back to Jerusalem –cum gaudio magno– with great joy (Luke 24:52). –It is fitting that the Sacred Humanity of Christ should receive the homage, the praise and adoration of all the hierarchies of the Angels and of all the legions of the blessed in Heaven.
But, you and I feel like orphans: we are sad, and we go to Mary for consolation.
Our Lord had said: I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete, another Consoler, to abide with you forever (John 14:16). When the disciples were gathered together in one place, suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were. –At the same time, parted tongues of fire appeared and rested upon each one of them (Acts 2:1-2).
Filled with the Holy Ghost, the Apostles seemed as though drunk (Acts 2:13).
And Peter, around whom the other eleven gathered, raised his voice and spoke. –We, people from a hundred nations, hear Him. –Each of us hears him in his own language. –You and I in ours. –He speaks to us of Christ Jesus and of the Holy Ghost and of the Father.
He is not stoned nor thrown in prison: of those who have heard him, three thousand are converted and baptized.
You and I, after helping the Apostles administer baptism, bless God the Father, for His Son Jesus, and we too feel drunk with the Holy Ghost.
Assumpta est Maria in coelum: gaudent angeli! –God has taken Mary –body and soul– to Heaven: and the Angels rejoice!
So sings the Church. –And so, with that same outburst of joy, do we begin our contemplation in this decade of the Holy Rosary:
The Mother of God has fallen asleep. –Around her bed are the twelve Apostles. –Matthias in the place of Judas.
And we, through a grace respected by all, are also at her side.
But Jesus wants to have His Mother, body and soul, in Heaven. –And the heavenly Court, arrayed in all its splendour, hails Our Lady. –You and I –children after all– take the train of Mary's magnificent blue cloak, and so we can watch the marvellous scene.
The most Blessed Trinity receives and showers honours on the Daughter, Mother, and Spouse of God... –And so great is Our Lady's majesty that the Angels exclaim: Who is she?
Thou art all fair and in thee there is no stain. –Thou art a garden enclosed, my sister, Spouse, an enclosed garden, a sealed fountain. –Veni: coronaberis. –Come: thou shalt be crowned (Cant 4:7, 12 and 8).
If you and I had had the power, we too would have made her Queen and Lady of all creation.
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman with a crown of twelve stars upon her head. –Clothed with the sun. –The moon at her feet (Apoc 12:1). Mary, Virgin without stain, has repaired the fall of Eve: and she crushed the head of the infernal serpent with her immaculate heel. Daughter of God, Mother of God, Spouse of God.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost crown her as the rightful Empress of the Universe.
And the Angels render homage unto her as her subjects... and the patriarchs and the prophets and the Apostles... and the martyrs and the confessors and the virgins and all the saints... and all sinners and you and I.
« Luminous mysteries »
In his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the Holy Father John Paul II has indicated that, in order to highlight the Christological content of this Marian devotion, five new mysteries, the "mysteries of light," should be added to the fifteen traditional mysteries.
The Holy Rosary, written in 1931, naturally contains no reference to these new mysteries. But St. Josemaría often contemplated and preached on these Gospel scenes as an expression of his great love for all that Christ did and said. Therefore we have included here some texts from the writings of the Founder of Opus Dei that make reference to the luminous mysteries, to help readers meditate on the complete Rosary.
We can show our fidelity to the spirit of the author of Holy Rosary when we pray the joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious mysteries by uniting ourselves to the intentions of the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome. Omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam!
Rome, 14 February 2003
+ Javier Echevarria
Prelate of Opus Dei
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him ... and lo, a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3:13,17).
In Baptism, our Father God has taken possession of our lives. He has made us sharers in Christ ‘s life and sent us the Holy Spirit.
The strength and the power of God light up the face of the earth.
We will set the world ablaze, with the flames of the fire that you came to enkindle on earth! And the light of your truth, our Jesus, will enlighten men ‘s minds in an endless day.
I can hear you crying out, my King, in your strong and ardent voice: ignem veni mittere in terram, et quid volo nisi ut accendatur? I have come to bring fire to the earth, and would that it were already enkindled! And I answer, with my entire being, with all my senses and faculties: ecce ego: quia vocasti me! Here I am, because you have called me!
God has placed an indelible mark on your soul through Baptism: you are a child of God. Child, are you not aflame with the desire to bring all men to love Him?
Our Lady was a guest at one of those noisy country weddings attended by people from many different villages. Mary was the only one who noticed the wine was running out. Don’t these scenes from Christ’s life seem familiar to us? The greatness of God lives at the level of ordinary things. It is natural for a woman, a homemaker, to notice an oversight, to look after the little things that make life pleasant. And that is how Mary acted. Do whatever he tells you.
Implete hydrias (Jn 2:7), fill the jars. And the miracle takes place. Everything is so simple and ordinary. The servants carry out their job. The water is easy to find. And this is the first manifestation of our Lord ‘s divinity. What is commonplace becomes something extraordinary, something supernatural, when we have the good will to heed what God is asking of us.
Lord, I want to abandon all my concerns into your generous hands. Our Mother –your Mother –will have let you hear those words, now as in Cana: "They have no wine!"
If our faith is weak, we should turn to Mary. Because of the miracle at the marriage feast at Cana, which Christ performed at his Mother ‘s request, his disciples learned to believe in him (Jn 2:11). Our Mother is always interceding with her Son so that he may attend to our needs and show himself to us, so that we can cry out, "You are the Son of God."
Grant me, dear Jesus, the faith I truly desire. My Mother, sweet Lady, Mary most holy, make me really believe!
The kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel (Mk 1:15).
And all the crowd gathered about him, and he taught them (Mk 2:13).
Jesus sees the boats on the shore and gets into one of them. How naturally Jesus steps into the boat of each and every one of us!
When you seek to draw close to our Lord, remember that he is always very close to you, that he is in you: regnum Dei intra vos est (Lk 17:21). The kingdom of God is within you. You will find him in your heart.
Christ should reign first and foremost in our soul. But in order for him to reign in me, I need his abundant grace. Only in that way can my every heartbeat and breath, my least intense look, my most ordinary word, my most basic feeling be transformed into a hosanna to Christ my king.
Duc in altum. Put out into deep water! Throw aside the pessimism that makes a coward of you. Et laxate retia vestra in capturam. And pay out your nets for a catch!
We have to place our trust in our Lord ‘s words: get into the boat, take the oars, hoist the sails and launch out into this sea of the world which Christ gives us as an inheritance.
Et regni eius non erit finis. His kingdom will have no end.
Doesn’t it fill you with joy to work for such a kingdom?
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light (Mt 17:2).
Jesus, we want to see you, to speak to you! We want to contemplate you, immersed in the immensity of your beauty, in a contemplation that will never cease! It must be wonderful to see you, Jesus! It must be wonderful to see you and be wounded by your love!
And a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him " (Mt 17:5).
Lord, we are ready to heed whatever you want to tell us. Speak to us: we are attentive to your voice. May your words enkindle our will so that we launch out fervently to obey you.
Vultum tuum, Domine, requiram (Ps 26:8). Lord, I long to see your face. I like to close my eyes and think that, when God wills, the moment will come when I will be able to see him, not as in a mirror dimly, but …face to face (1 Cor 13:12). Yes, my heart yearns for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?
(Ps 41:3).
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (Jn 13:1).
When our Lord instituted the Eucharist during the Last Supper, night had already fallen. The world had fallen into darkness, for the old rites, the old signs of God ‘s infinite mercy to mankind, were going to be brought to fulfillment. The way was opening to a new dawn –the new Passover. The Eucharist was instituted during that night, preparing in advance for the morning of the resurrection.
Jesus has remained in the Eucharist for love ... for you.
He has remained, knowing how men would treat him ... and how you would treat him. He has remained so that you could eat him, and visit him and tell him your concerns; and so that, by your prayer beside the tabernacle and by receiving him sacramentally, you could fall more in love each day, and help other souls, many souls, to follow the same path.
Good child: see how lovers on earth kiss the flowers, the letters, the mementos of those they love …
Then you, how could you ever forget that you have him always at your side –yes, Him? How could you forget ...that you can eat him?
Lord, may I never again flutter along close to the ground. Illumined by the rays of the divine Sun –Christ –in the Eucharist, may my flight never be interrupted until I find repose in your Heart.
« Litany »
Now the litany of praise bursts forth in an eternal splendour of new light, renewed colour and meaning.
Invocations to Our Lord, to Christ; petitions to each one of the divine Persons, and to the Holy Trinity; burning words of love to Mary: Mother of Christ, Mother Inviolate, Mother of Good Counsel, Mother of Our Creator, Mother of Our Saviour... Virgin most Prudent... Seat of Wisdom, Mystical Rose, Tower of David, Ark of the Covenant, Morning Star... Refuge of sinners, Comfort of the afflicted, Help of Christians...
And the recognition of her reign –Regina! –Queen!– and of her mediation: Sub tuum praesidium confugimus –We fly to thy patronage, O Holy Mother of God... deliver us from all dangers, O ever glorious and blessed Virgin.
Pray for us, Queen of the most Holy Rosary, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
« Author's note »
My friend: I have disclosed to you just a part of my secret. It is up to you, with God's help, to discover the rest. Take courage. Be faithful.
Become little. Our Lord hides Himself from the proud and reveals the treasures of His grace to the humble.
Never fear if, when thinking on your own, daring and childish words and affections escape from you. Jesus wants this. Mary encourages you. If you say the Rosary in this way, you will learn to pray well.
