|
 Magnae
Dei Matris
(De
Rosario mariali)
1.
As often as the occasion arises to stimulate and
intensify the love and veneration of the Christian
people for Mary, the great Mother of God, We are filled
with wondrous satisfaction and joy, as by a subject
which is not only of prime importance in itself and
profitable in countless ways, but which also perfectly
accords with the inmost sentiments of Our heart. For the
holy reverence for Mary which We experienced from Our
tenderest years, has grown greater and has taken firmer
hold of Our soul with Our advancing age.
The
Holy Father's Devotion to Mary
2.
As time went on, it became more and more evident how
deserving of love and honor was she whom God Himself was
the first to love, and loved so much more than any other
that, after elevating her high above all the rest of His
creation and adorning her with His richest gifts, He
made her His Mother. The many and splendid proofs of her
bounty and beneficence toward us, which We remember with
deep gratitude and which move Us to tears, still further
encourage and strongly inflame Our filial reverence for
her. Throughout the many dreadful events of every kind
which the times have brought to pass, always with her
have We sought refuge, always to her have We lifted up
pleading and confident eyes. And in all the hopes and
fears, the joys and sorrows, that We confided to her,
the thought was constantly before Us to ask her to
assist Us at all times as Our gracious Mother and to
obtain this greatest of favors: that We might be able,
in return, to show her the heart of a most devoted son.
Filial
Trust in Mary
3.
When, then, it came to pass in the secret design of
God's providence that We were chosen to fill this Chair
of St. Peter and to take the place of the Person of
Christ Himself in the Church, worried by the enormous
burden of the office and finding no ground for reliance
upon Our own strength, We hastened with fervent zeal to
implore the divine aid through the maternal intercession
of the ever blessed Virgin. Never has Our hope, We are
happy to acknowledge, at any time of Our life but more
especially since We began to exercise the Supreme
Apostolate, failed in the course of events to bear fruit
or bring Us comfort. Thus encouraged, Our hope today
mounts more confidently than ever to beseech many more
and even greater blessings through her favor and
mediation, which will profit alike the salvation of
Christ's flock and the happy increase of His Church's
glory.
4.
It is, therefore, a fitting and opportune time,
Venerable Brethren, for Us to induce all Our children -
exhorting them through you - to plan on
celebrating the coming month of October, consecrated to
our Lady as the august Queen of the Rosary, with the
fervent and wholehearted devotion which the necessities
weighing upon Us demand.
5.
It is only too plain how many and of what nature are the
corrupting agencies by which the wickedness of the world
deceitfully strives to weaken and completely uproot from
souls their Christian faith and the respect for God's
law on which faith is fed and depends for its
effectiveness. Already the fields cultivated by our Lord
are everywhere turning into a wilderness abounding in
ignorance of the Faith, in error and vice, as though
blown upon by some hideous pest. And to add to the
anguish of this thought, so far from putting a check on
such insolent and destructive depravity, or imposing the
punishment deserved, they who can and should correct
matters seem in many cases, by their indifference or
open connivance, to increase the spirit of evil.
6.
We have good reason to deplore the public institutions
in which the teaching of the sciences and arts is
purposely so organized that the name of God is passed
over in silence or visited with vituperation; to deplore
the license - growing more shameless by the day - of the
press in publishing whatever it pleases, and the license
of speech in addressing any kind of insult to Christ our
God and His Church. And We deplore no less the
consequent laxity and apathy in the practice of the
Catholic religion which if not quite open apostasy from
the Faith, is certainly going to prove an easy road to
it, since it is a manner of life having nothing in
common with faith. Nobody who ponders this disorder and
the surrender of the most fundamental principles will be
astonished if afflicted nations everywhere are groaning
under the heavy hand of God's vengeance and stand
anxious and trembling in fear of worse calamities.
The
Remedy
7.
Now, to appease the might of an outraged God and to
bring that health of soul so needed by those who are
sorely afflicted, there is nothing better than devout
and persevering prayer, provided it be joined with a
love for and practice of Christian life. And both of
these, the spirit of prayer and the practice of
Christian life, are best attained through the devotion
of the Rosary of Mary.
8.
The well-known origin of the Rosary, illustrated in
celebrated monuments of which we have made frequent
mention, bears witness to its remarkable efficacy. For,
in the days when the Albigensian sect, posing as the
champion of pure faith and morals, but in reality
introducing the worst kind of anarchy and corruption,
brought many a nation to its utter ruin, the Church
fought against it and the other infamous factions
associated with it, not with troops and arms, but
chiefly with the power of the most holy Rosary, the
devotion which the Mother of God taught to our Father
Dominic in order that he might propagate it. By this
means the Church triumphed magnificently over every
obstacle and provided for the salvation of her children
not only in that trial but in others like it afterward,
always with the same glorious success. For this reason,
now, when human affairs have taken the course which We
deplore, bringing affection to the Church and ruin to
the State, all of us have the duty to unite our voice in
prayer, with like devotion, to the holy Mother of God,
beseeching her that we too may rejoice, as we ardently
desire, in experiencing the same power of her Rosary.
The
Mother of Mercy
9.
When we have recourse to Mary in prayer, we are having
recourse to the Mother of mercy, who is so well disposed
toward us that, whatever the necessity that presses upon
us especially in attaining eternal life, she is
instantly at our side of her own accord, even though she
has not been invoked. She dispenses grace with a
generous hand from that treasure with which from the
beginning she was divinely endowed in fullest abundance
that she might be worthy to be the Mother of God. By the
fullness of grace which confers on her the most
illustrious of her many titles, the Blessed Virgin is
infinitely superior to all the hierarchies of men and
angels, the one creature who is closest of all to
Christ. "It is a great thing in any saint to have
grace sufficient for the salvation of many souls; but to
have enough to suffice for the salvation of everybody in
the world, is the greatest of all; and this is found in
Christ and in the Blessed Virgin" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Super Salut. Angelica).
Jesus
and Mary
10.
It is impossible to say how pleasing and gratifying to
her it is when we greet her with the Angelic Salutation,
"full of grace"; and in repeating it, fashion
these words of praise into ritual crowns for her. For
every time we say them, we recall the memory of her
exalted dignity and of the Redemption of the human race
which God began through her. We likewise bring to mind
the divine and everlasting bond which links her with the
joys and sorrows, the humiliations and triumphs of
Christ in directing and helping mankind to eternal life.
11.
It pleased Christ to take upon Himself the Son of Man,
and to become thereby our Brother, in order that His
mercy to us might be shown most openly; for "it
behooved him in all things to be made like unto his
brethren that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest before God" (Heb 2:17). Likewise because Mary
was chosen to be the Mother of Christ, our Lord and our
Brother, the unique prerogative was given her above all
other mothers to show her mercy to us and to pour it out
upon us. Besides, as we are indebted to Christ for
sharing in some way with us the right, which is
peculiarly His own, of calling God our Father and
possessing Him as such, we are in like manner indebted
to Him for His loving generosity in sharing with us the
right to call Mary our Mother and to cherish her as
such.
Our
Mother in Christ
12.
While nature itself made the name of mother the sweetest
of all names and has made motherhood the very model of
tender and solicitous love, no tongue is eloquent enough
to put in words what every devout soul feels, namely how
intense is the flame of affectionate and active charity
which glows in Mary, in her who is truly our mother not
in a human way but through Christ. Nobody knows and
comprehends so well as she everything that concerns us:
what helps we need in life; what dangers, public or
private, threaten our welfare; what difficulties and
evils surround us; above all, how fierce is the fight we
wage with ruthless enemies of our salvation. In these
and in all other troubles of life her power is most
far-reaching. Her desire to use it is most ardent to
bring consolation, strength, and help of every kind to
children who are dear to her.
13.
Accordingly, let us approach Mary confidently,
wholeheartedly beseeching her by the bonds of her
motherhood which unite her so closely to Jesus and at
the same time to us. Let us with deepest devotion invoke
her constant aid in the prayer which she herself has
indicated and which is most acceptable to her. Then with
good reason shall we rest with an easy and joyous mind
under the protection of the best of mothers.
The
Rosary as Meditation
14.
To this commendation of the Rosary which follows from
the very nature of the prayer, We may add that the
Rosary offers an easy way to present the chief mysteries
of the Christian religion and to impress them upon the
mind; and this commendation is one of the most beautiful
of all. For it is mainly by faith that a man sets out on
the straight and sure path to God and learns to revere
in mind and heart His supreme majesty, His sovereignty
over the whole of creation, His unsounded power, wisdom,
and providence. "For he who comes to God must believe
that God exists and is a rewarder to those who seek Him"
(Heb 11:6).
Moreover, because God's eternal Son assumed our humanity
and shone before us as the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
our faith must include the lofty mysteries of the august
Trinity of divine Persons and of the Father's
only-begotten Son made Man: "This is eternal life:
that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent" (Jn 17:3).
15.
God gave us a most precious blessing when He gave us
faith. By this gift we are not only raised above the
level of human things, to contemplate and share in the
divine nature, but are also furnished with the means of
meriting the rewards of heaven; and therefore the hope
is encouraged and strengthened that we shall one day
look upon God, not in the shadowy images of His
creatures, but in the fullest light, and shall enjoy Him
forever as the Supreme Goodness. But the Christian is
kept so busy by the various affairs of life and wanders
so easily into matters of little importance, that unless
he be helped with frequent reminders, the truths which
are of first importance and necessity are little by
little forgotten; and then faith begins to grow weak and
may even perish.
Our
Faith and the Mysteries of the Rosary
16.
To ward off these exceedingly great dangers of ignorance
from her children, the Church, which never relaxes her
vigilant and diligent care, has been in the habit of
looking for the stanchest support of faith in the Rosary
of Mary. And indeed in the Rosary, along with the most
beautiful and efficacious prayer arranged in an orderly
pattern, the chief mysteries of our religion follow one
another, as they are brought before our mind for
contemplation: first of all the mysteries in which the
Word was made flesh and Mary, the inviolate Virgin and
Mother, performed her maternal duties for Him with a
holy joy; there come then the sorrows, the agony and
death of the suffering Christ, the price at which the
salvation of our race was accomplished; then follow the
mysteries full of His glory; His triumph over death, the
Ascension into heaven, the sending of the Holy Spirit,
the resplendent brightness of Mary received among the
stars, and finally the everlasting glory of all the
saints in heaven united with the glory of the Mother and
her Son.
17.
This uninterrupted sequence of wonderful events the
Rosary frequently and perseveringly recalls to the minds
of the faithful and presents almost as though they were
unfolding before our eyes: and this, flooding the souls
of those who devoutly recite it with a sweetness of
piety that never grows weary, impresses and stirs them
as though they were listening to the very voice of the
Blessed Mother explaining the mysteries and conversing
with them at length about their salvation.
18.
It will not, then, seem too much to say that in places,
families, and nations in which the Rosary of Mary
retains its ancient honor, the loss of faith through
ignorance and vicious error need not be feared.
True
Christian Living
19.
There is still another and not lesser advantage which
the Church earnestly seeks for her children from the
Rosary, and that is the faithful regulation of their
lives and their conduct in keeping with the rules and
precepts of their holy religion. For if, as we all know
from Holy Scripture, "faith without works is
dead" (Jm 2:20) because faith draws its life from charity
and charity flowers forth in a profusion of holy actions
- then the Christian will gain nothing for eternal
life from his faith unless his life be ordered in
accordance with what faith prescribes. "What shall
it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but
hath not works? Shall faith be able to save
him?" (Jm 2:14). A man of this sort will incur a much
heavier rebuke from Christ the Judge than those who are,
unfortunately, ignorant of Christian faith and its
teaching: they, unlike the former, who believes one
thing and practices another, have some excuse or at
least are less blameworthy, because they lack the light
of the Gospel.
"And
Dwelt Among Us"
20.
In order therefore that the faith we profess may the
better bring forth a harvest of fruits in keeping with
its nature, while the mind is dwelling on mysteries of
the Rosary the heart is wonderfully enkindled by them to
make virtuous resolutions. What an example we have set
before us! This shines forth everywhere in our Lord's
work of salvation. Almighty God, in the excess of His
love for us, takes upon Himself the form of lowly man.
He dwells in our midst as one of the multitude,
converses with us as a friend, instructs and teaches the
way of justice to individuals and to multitudes. In His
discourse He is the teacher unexcelled; in the authority
of His teaching He is God. To all He shows Himself a
doer of good; He relieves the sick of the ills of their
bodies and, with paternal compassion, heals the most
serious sickness of their souls. Those above all whom
sorrow troubles or whom the weight of worry crushes, He
comforts with the gentle invitation: "Come to me,
all you that labor, and are burdened, and I will refresh
you" (Mt 11:28). Then into us, at rest in His embrace, He
breathes that mystic fire which He has brought to all
men, and benignly imbues us with the meekness and
humility of His own heart, with the hope that, by the
practice of these virtues, we may share the true and
solid peace of which He is the Author: "Learn of
me, because I am meek, and humble of heart; and you
shall find rest to your souls" (Mt 11:29). For Himself, in
return for that light of heavenly wisdom and that
stupendous abundance of blessings which only He could
merit for mankind, He suffers the hatred of men and
their most atrocious insults; and, nailed to the cross,
He pours out His blood and yields up His soul, holding
it to be the highest glory to beget life in men by His
death.
21.
It would be utterly impossible for anyone to meditate on
and attentively consider these most precious memorials
of our loving Redeemer and not have a heart on fire with
gratitude to Him. Such is the power of a faith sincerely
practiced that, through the light it brings to man's
mind and the vigor with which it moves his heart, he
will straightway set out in the footsteps of Christ and
follow them through every obstacle, making his own a
protestation worthy of a St. Paul: "Who then shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?
or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or
persecution? or the sword?" (Rm 8:35). "I live, now
not I; but Christ liveth in me" (Ga 2:20).
The
Life of Mary
22.
But lest we be dismayed by the consciousness of our
native weakness and grow faint when confronted with the
unattainable example which Christ, who is Man and at the
same time God, has given, along with mysteries which
portray Him, we have before our eyes for contemplation
the mysteries of His most holy Mother.
23.
She was born, it is true, of the royal family of David,
but she fell heir to none of the wealth and grandeur of
her ancestors. She passed her life in obscurity, in a
humble town, in a home humbler still, the more content
with her retirement and the poverty of her home because
they left her freer to lift up her heart to God and to
cling to Him closely as the supreme Goodness for which
her heart yearned.
24.
The Lord is with her whom He has filled with His grace
and made blessed. She is designated by the heavenly
messenger sent to her as the Virgin from whom, by the
power of the Holy Ghost, the expected Saviour of nations
is to come forth clothed in our humanity. The more she
wonders at the sublime dignity and gives thanks to the
power and mercy of God, the more does she, conscious of
no merit in herself, grow in humility, promptly
proclaiming and consecrating herself the handmaid of God
even while she becomes His Mother.
25.
Her sacred promise was as sacredly kept with a joyous
heart; henceforth she leads a life in perpetual union
with her son Jesus, sharing with Him His joys and
sorrows. It is thus that she will reach a height of
glory granted to no other creature, whether human or
angelic, because no one will receive a reward for virtue
to be compared with hers; it is thus that the crown of
the kingdoms of heaven and of earth will await her
because she will be the invincible Queen of Martyrs. It
is thus that she will be seated in the heavenly city of
God by the side of her Son, crowned for all eternity,
because she will drink with Him the cup overflowing with
sorrow, faithfully through all her life, most faithfully
on Calvary.
Mary,
Our Model
26.
In Mary we see how a truly good and provident God has
established for us a most suitable example of every
virtue. As we look upon her and think about her we are
nor cast down as though stricken by the overpowering
splendor of God's power; but, on the contrary, attracted
by the closeness of the common nature we share with her,
we strive with greater confidence to imitate her. If we,
with her powerful help, should dedicate ourselves wholly
and entirely to this undertaking, we can portray at
least an outline of such great virtue and sanctity, and
reproducing that perfect conformity of our lives to all
God's designs which she possessed in so marvelous a
degree, we shall follow her into heaven.
27.
Undaunted and full of courage, let us go on with the
pilgrimage we have undertaken even though the way be
rough and full of obstacles. Amid the vexation and toil
let us not cease to hold out suppliant hands to Mary
with the words of the Church: "To thee do we send
up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of
tears; turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of
mercy toward us. . . Keep our lives all spotless, make
our ways secure, till we find in Jesus joys that will
endure" (Sacred Liturgy).
28.
Although she was never subject to the frailty and
perversity of our nature, Mary well knows its condition
and is the best and most solicitous of mothers. How
willingly will she hasten to our aid when we need her;
with what love will she refresh us, and with what
strength sustain us. For those of us who follow the
journey hallowed by the blood of Christ and by the tears
of Mary, our entrance into their company and the
enjoyment of their most blessed glory will be certain
and easy.
Devout
and Frequent Recitation of the Rosary
29.
Therefore the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
combining in a convenient and practical form an
unexcelled form of prayer, an instrument well adapted to
preserve the faith and an illustrious example of perfect
virtue, should be often in the hands of the true
Christian and be devoutly recited and meditated upon. We
address this commendation especially to the
Confraternity of the Holy Family which We recently
praised and approved. Since the mystery of the hidden
life which Christ our Lord long led within the walls of
the house in Nazareth is the reason for the existence of
this association, that its members may constantly
conform themselves to Christian life on the model of the
Holy Family established by God Himself, its intimate
connection with the Rosary is plain.
30.
Especially is this so in the joyful mysteries, which end
with the one in which Jesus, after manifesting His
wisdom in the temple, came with Mary and Joseph to
Nazareth and was subject to them, preparing, as it were,
for the other mysteries which are more closely connected
with the instruction and the Redemption of mankind. From
this all the members may understand that it is their
duty to be devotees of the Rosary themselves and to be
diligent in propagating devotion to it among others.
31.
For Our part, We confirm and ratify the grants of sacred
indulgences made in years past in favor of the faithful
who spend the month of October in the manner We have
prescribed. Because of your authority and zeal,
Venerable Brethren, We know that the Catholic people
will be fired with devotion and holy emulation in
venerating through the Rosary, the Blessed Virgin, Help
of Christians.
The
Holy Father's Source of Consolation
32.
And now let Us bring Our exhortation to a close in the
way it began, proclaiming once more and even more openly
the devotion we cherish toward the great Mother of God,
a devotion both mindful of past blessings and full of
joyous hope. We ask the prayers of the Christian people
in devout supplication before her altars on behalf of
the Church, tormented by such adverse and turbulent
times, and on behalf of Ourself as well. Advanced in
age, worn out with labors, fettered by distressingly
difficult events with no human help to rely upon, We
must yet carry on the government of the Church. Our hope
in Mary, powerful and benign Mother, is daily more
confirmed and more sweetly consoling. To her
intercession We attribute the many and remarkable gifts
We have obtained from God; with thanks still more
profuse do we attribute the fact that it has been given
Us to reach the fiftieth anniversary of Our episcopal
consecration.
33.
It is, indeed, a great comfort to us, looking back over
the long years of Our pastoral charge, troubled as they
have been by daily worry, that We are still engaged in
ruling the whole Christian flock. During that time We
have had, as happens in men's lives and as the mysteries
of Christ and Mary illustrate, reasons for joy mixed
with reasons for many and bitter sorrows, as well as
occasions to glory in gains won for Christ. All of this
We, with a mind submissive to God and with a grateful
heart, have tried to turn to the good and the honor of
the Church. And now - for the rest of Our life will run a
course not unlike the past - should new joys come to
gladden Our heart, or sorrow to threaten Us, or honors
to glory in, We, steadfast in the same heart and mind,
yearning only for the heavenly glory which God confers,
say with David: "Blessed be the name of the
Lord" (Ps 112:2); Not to us, but to thy name give
glory" (Ps 113:1).
The
Shepherd's Plea to His Flock
34.
From Our devoted children, whose filial and affectionate
concern for us We know burns bright, We look for
heartfelt thanks to God, prayers, and holy aspirations,
rather than for congratulations and honors. It will be a
special joy to Us if they ask for Us this grace, that
all the strength and life that remain to Us, all the
authority and grace with which We are invested, may
profit the Church, and in the first place bring back
into her fold her enemies and those who have wandered
from the right way, to whom our voice has this long time
been appealing for reconciliation.
35.
Upon all of Our dearly beloved children may there flow,
from the happiness and joy of Our coming Jubilee, God
granting, gifts of justice, peace, prosperity, holiness,
and all good things. This, with paternal love, We beg
God; this do We exhort in the words of His Holy
Scriptures: "Hear me. . . and bud forth as the rose
planted by the brooks of waters: Give ye a sweet odor as
frankincense. . . Send forth flowers, as the lily, and
yield a smell, and bring forth leaves in grace and
praise with canticles and bless the Lord in his works.
Magnify his name, and give glory to him with the voice
of your lips, and with the canticles of your mouths, and
with harps. . . With the whole heart and mouth praise ye
him, and bless the name of the Lord" (Si
39:13-15,35).
36.
If these plans, so ardently desired, be scoffed at by
the wicked who blaspheme that of which they are
ignorant, may God mercifully spare them. But that He may
give Our hopes His propitious aid through the prayers of
the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, take as a token of
divine favor and at the same time as a pledge of Our
affection, Venerable Brethren, the Apostolic
Benediction, which We, lovingly in the Lord, bestow on
each of you, on your clergy, and on your people.
Given
at Rome, at St. Peter's, the eighth of September, 1892,
in the fifteenth year of Our Pontificate.
LEO XIII
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