The Twenty Mysteries of the Rosary?

The Apostolic Letter opens the door for a "pastoral approach" to the Rosary that is "positive, impassioned and creative - as shown by World Youth Days". In other words, a nod is given to a jazzed-up Rosary for the "youth".

"When one lives by novelty, there will always have to be a new novelty." - Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

On October 16, 2002, Pope John Paul II marked the 24th Anniversary of his papacy with the release of the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in which he proclaimed a "Year of the Rosary" from October 2002 to October 2003. The document also contained a major innovation from a Pope whose Pontificate has been marked by a steady stream of novelties. He announced that he would add five new mysteries to the Rosary.

Word of the new mysteries was reported first on October 14 by various news agencies claiming that information was leaked from Vatican sources.

Father Richard John Neuhaus from First Things magazine found these early reports hard to believe, and told The Chicago Tribune that the Pope was not likely to alter the Rosary. "That he would suggest," said Neuhaus "or even declare some kind of official change to the Rosary is totally atypical, totally out of character." Neuhaus then said that the Pope does not have the authority to mandate changes in such a prayer.1

Father Neuhaus is correct that a Pope cannot mandate such changes, but he is mistaken to claim that the Pope's change of the Rosary would be "out of character" for this Pontiff of post-Conciliar aggiornamento. Even the secular press recognizes John Paul II as a man with a passion for setting papal precedents.

The New York Times' Frank Bruni wrote on October 15: "Time and again, Pope John Paul II has boldly gone where other Popes have not: a synagogue, a ski slope, distant countries with tiny populations. Tomorrow, he will apparently cross another frontier, making a significant change in the Rosary, a signature method of Catholic prayer for many centuries." 2

Bruni failed to mention that John Paul is also the first Pope to kiss the Koran,3 participate in rock'n'roll liturgies,4 allow Altar Girls, permit "lay ministers" to distribute Communion at his Papal Mass,5 suggest a "common martyrology" that contains Catholics and non- Catholics, praise documents that call the need for non- Catholics to convert to the Catholic Church an "outdated ecclesiology," 6 take part in "inculturated" ceremonies that includes pagan ritual,7 and convoke pan-religious prayer meetings that include Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Snake-worshipers.8

On the same theme, Rueters said, "Changing one of Christianity's most fundamental prayers after nearly a millennium will be a typical way for the 82- year-old Pope to crown 24 years of a pontificate marked by bold initiatives sometimes taken against the advice of aides." 9

The "new mysteries" of the Rosary took everyone by surprise. Thus I have postponed publication of Part III of my World Youth Day series10 in order to comment on this latest "bold initiative".

Two weeks previously, the pontiff announced he was preparing a document to stress the value of the Rosary. He urged the faithful to recite the Rosary, including together as families. John Paul said then that he wanted people to "rediscover the beauty and depth of this prayer".

The Pope, for a good part of the Apostolic Letter was true to his word. Much of Rosarium Virginis Mariae is praiseworthy, even edifying. How can one argue with the promulgation of a "Year of the Rosary" in order to revitalize practice of this Holy devotion? How can one find fault with the Pope's call to pray the Rosary for peace? How can one complain when the Pope laments that families are fragmented, that they often get together only to watch television, and that they should set some time aside to pray the Rosary together instead?

Also of interest was the Pope's frequent references to Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) who was baptized Catholic, left the faith to become a satanic priest, and then repented, converted back to Catholicism and became an apostle of the Rosary. This is a beautiful lesson that conversion is possible even in apparently hopeless cases.

It is probable that the Letter will do much good in revitalizing Rosary devotion. Tens-of-thousands of Catholics who do not follow the details of Vatican events, will simply learn through the press, or from parish priests, that the Pope wants a renewed devotion to the Rosary and they will comply. I have little doubt that this Letter will produce its desired goal to inspire more Catholics in this holy exercise.

Yet at the same time, countless Catholics are baffled at the unnecessary addition of five new mysteries. What is this strange post-conciliar belief among today's Church leaders that Catholics will not find a traditional devotion interesting unless John Paul updates it? Why is it thought necessary to disfigure our devotions in order to capture a Catholic's attention? Why was it requisite for the Pope to put his personal stamp on the Rosary, rather than simply promote it as is: as did all the Popes before him, as did countless saints, and as did the Mother of God at Fatima?

The addition proposed by the Pope, called the Five Luminous Mysteries, also called the "Mysteries of Light," center on the public life of Christ. They are:

the Baptism of Christ in Jordan, the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Announcement of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration, the Institution of the Eucharist as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. These new mysteries, according to John Paul, are to be placed between the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries.

The Pope says that these additions are not mandatory, and explains his reason for the change. "I believe" he writes, "that to bring out fully the Christological depth of the Rosary, it would be suitable to make an addition to the traditional pattern which, while left to the freedom of individuals and communities, could broaden it to include the mysteries of Christ's public ministry between His Baptism and His Passion." 11

Do you know of any Catholic, any saint, any Pope who ever considered the Rosary "lacking" in Christological depth? Did not the saints and the Popes constantly speak of the excellence of the Rosary? Did they ever suggest a radical addition to alter the structure of the Rosary in order to "improve" what was already excellent?

Reaction to the new mysteries has been predictable: everything from traditional Catholics who call it an "outrage," to Medjugorje followers who claim it "bears all the hallmarks of Divine inspiration". Once again, the much-vaunted "Pope of unity" has launched a novelty that divides Catholics.

A constant characteristic of the pre-Vatican II Popes was to abhor novelty and to safeguard tradition, including traditional devotions.

Thus, if one could go back in time and ask any of the pre-Vatican II Popes why they never added "new mysteries" to the Rosary, the answer is easy to presume. "Because," the pre-conciliar Pope would say, "if I add 5 new mysteries, I will have to add 5 new decades. If I add five new decades, then the Rosary can no longer be called 'Our Lady's Psalter'. Now Catholic tradition, my holy predecessors and Our Blessed Mother referred to the Rosary as Her 'Psalter', because the 150 Hail Mary's of the 15-decade Rosary correspond to the 150 Psalms of David. It would be audacious of me to add 5 decades. This would be the decimation of the entire concept of Mary's 'Psalter', a term hallowed by centuries of usage, a term that explains the origin and essence of the Rosary, a term used by the Queen of Heaven Herself. Further, if I make this radical change to the Rosary, then what is to prevent more radical changes in the future?"

The entire history of the Rosary is bound up with the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament, otherwise known as the Psalter of David. From the dawn of Catholic history, monks and hermits prayed these Psalms as part of their daily liturgical life.

Saint Benedict, in his Holy Rule, explains that the monks of the desert recited the 150 Psalms every day. Saint Benedict arranged the Psalms for his monks so that all 150 would be recited in one week.12 This became the Divine Office (Breviary) that priests and religious recited every day until the post-conciliar aggiornamento revolutionized both Breviary and Mass.

The story of "Mary's Psalter" reportedly begins with the Irish monks in the 7th Century. These monks divided the 150 Psalms of David into a Na tri coicat format of three groups of fifty. Arranged in such a way, the "fifties" served both as reflective and corporal/penitential prayer.13

The people of the Middle Ages in their great love of Our Lady set to fashioning "Rosariums" in Her honor. They composed Psalms in praise of Mary to match the 150 Psalms of David. St. Anselm of Canterbury (1109) made such a Rosary. In the 13th Century, St. Bonaventure divided his 150 Marian Psalms into three groups. The first group commenced with the word Ave, the next with Salve, and the final fifty Psalms each commented with the word Gaude. Such Rosaries of praise took the name of Our Lady's Psalter.14

It was not long before the custom of reciting Hail Mary's became the substitute of reciting the Psalms in praise of Our Lady. "By the 13th Century" writes the Redemptorist Father James Galvin, "the number of Aves was set at one hundred and fifty to equal the number of the Psalms of David." 15

Saint Thomas Aquinas explains that the Psalter of David, composed as it is of one hundred and fifty Psalms, is divided into three equal parts of fifty Psalms each. These three equal parts represent figuratively the three stages in which the faithful find themselves: the state of penance, the state of justice, the state of glory. Likewise, explains Father Anthony Fuerst, "the Rosary of Mary is divided into three parts of fifty Hail Mary's each in order to express fully the phrases of the life of the faithful: penance, justice and glory." 16

Heaven itself declared the immeasurable value of this Psalter. In 1214, Our Blessed Mother told Saint Dominic to "preach My Psalter" in order to rekindle faith, to convert sinners and to crush stubborn heresy. Saint Louis de Montfort tells the story in his magnificent work, The Secret of the Rosary.

"Saint Dominic," writes Saint Louis, "seeing that the gravity of the peoples' sin was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew to a forest near Toulouse where he prayed unceasingly for three days and three nights. During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of Almighty God. He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated, and finally he fell into a coma."

Our Lady then appeared to him, accompanied by three angels. She said, "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?"

"I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Angelic Psalter which is the foundation stone of the New Testament. Therefore if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach My Psalter." 17

She uses the language of the Church militant. She does not speak of the Rosary in a sentimental manner in order to achieve good feelings or pan-religious unity. No, She refers to it as battering ram against heresy.

She twice uses the term "Psalter", which is the Rosary designated as 150 Aves that link it to the Psalms of David. Regarding the Rosary's traditional structure, Msgr. George Shea writes, "Because its 150 Hail Mary's correspond to the 150 Psalms of the Psalter, the complete Rosary is sometimes called Our Lady's Psalter. In fact, the latter was its common designation down to the end of the 15th Century, while 'Rosary' was reserved for a part, i.e., a third, of Our Lady's Psalter." 18

As late as the last quarter of the 15th Century, Blessed Alaus de Rupe protested vigorously against the use of the terms "Rosario," "Chapelet" or "Corono," and insisted that the title of Our Lady's Psalter be retained.19 Msgr. Shea points out that the first indication from a Pope that the Psalter of Mary is commonly called "Rosary" is found in the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Leo X, Pastor Aeterni dated October 6, 1520, over three hundred years after Our Lady spoke to Saint Dominic.

The term "Psalter" of Mary, as a link to the 150 Psalms of David, is what we find consistently from the Popes throughout the centuries.

The Apostolic Constitution of Pope Leo X, Pastor Aeterni October 6, 1520, uses the term "Psalter of Mary" in connection to the Rosary.20

Pope Saint Pius V wrote in Consueverunt Romani of September 17, 1569, "And so Dominic looked to that simple way of praying and beseeching God, accessible to all and wholly pious, which is called the Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the same most Blessed Virgin is venerated by the angelic greeting repeated one hundred and fifty times, that is, according to the number of the Davidic Psalter, and by the Lord's Prayer with each decade." 21

Pope Leo XIII wrote "Just as by the recitation of the Divine Office, priests offer a public, constant, and most efficacious supplication; so the supplication offered by the members of this Sodality in the recitation of the Rosary, or 'Psalter of Our Lady' ..." 22

Pope Leo XIII later said, "The formula of the Rosary, too, is excellently adapted to prayer in common, so that it has been styled, not without reason, the 'Psalter of Mary'." 23

Pope Pius XI wrote in his Encyclical Ingravescentibus Malis. "Among the various supplications with which we successfully appeal to the Virgin Mother of God, the Holy Rosary without doubt occupies a special and distinct place. This prayer, which some call the Psalter of the Virgin or Breviary of the Gospel and of Christian life, was described and recommended by Our Predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII ..." 24

Sadly, Pope John Paul II has made the term "Psalter of Mary" with its rightful connection to the Psalter of David, as obsolete as fund drives for Pagan Babies. Anyone who accepts the twenty-decade Rosary, and still refers to the Rosary as Mary's Psalter, will use the term divested of meaning. Why introduce this destabilization? Would not Pope John Paul show more respect to the pious sentiments of Catholics worldwide, to his predecessors and to the Mother of God by leaving Her Psalter at peace?

Don't be so hard on yourself. You're probably doing a better job in faith than you think.

Overall, I think BlackElk in post 130 makes some very good points about the laity needing to take the lead in restoring the Catholic culture. I doubt there is any sort of "silver bullet" that will restore the church to the 1950's - and frankly, there are many people who will resist that with every fiber of their being (I happen to live with a few).

I honestly believe that the biggest obstacle is the popular culture. Too many people are emursed in it. Black Elk describes a home atmosphere routinely labelled "anal-retentive" in the circles with which I have a lot of contact. I had a grade-school friend who's parents were that way and they were not appreciated by everybody else's parents. If my own family, it never would have worked. Now, in my own extended family, popular culture has more influence in lives than the church does - even among the people who regularly attend Mass. Everything has to be done the easy way. Well, the hard way usually yields better results.

Even without religious education a return to old-fashioned manners would be nice. In Catholic school we were required to have manners. For a variety of reasons, mostly academic, my parents DID put us all in public school for a time. There was no thought for anyone other than self among those kids. No manners. None whatsoever. The cliques were ruthless. Due to where we were at the time, most of them were Catholic, too.

IMO, after Mass and life in the home, education is a big part of Catholic life and honestly the schools are WAY too homogenious. Kids like me and my sibs in school either made straight A's with no homework or B's which stood for bored (which is why we went to public school for a time). High school was a little better, but when your best grades are in math and science, you get pushed in that direction, and many times, that's a disservice to the kid. At 18, I no idea I'd be on the opera audition circuit. Well, now I am and I'm playing catch-up educationally. If we're going to maintain schools, there's going to have to be a few accelerated ones and learning disabilities have to be addressed. Some of us didn't know we really couldn't read until we were 22 and and found out we have nasty visual perception disorders. The other thing that happens is that non-Catholics use the schools as cheap private schools, which just creates chaos. That's got to stop.

While it would be really nice to recreate this coccoon which we all had growing up, we all have to learn to live in the larger world, too. Once out of the coccoon, we have to be ready for bombardment and I don't care what anyone says about sticks and stones, words do hurt.

You write, "A lot of this stuff is offended taste." No. It is Catholics not wanting to become Protestants.

"Catholics in Red China have it worse than we do." No, they are led by men willing to suffer for the faith instead of for gay rights.

"The Faith is intact." No. A new faith is being systematically imposed.

"Many hate it [the faith] and this pope." Not if you are referring to traditionalists. They are people like yourself. They homeschool their kids and attend the old Mass. What they hate is the modernist assault on traditional Catholicism, led by this Pope.

"Bellyaching is no substitute for acting on what we believe." No. Bellyaching IS acting on what we believe. It is time to speak out and name the source of the deepening crisis. It is no longer possible to excuse this Pope for his inattentiveness and indifference to the corruption in his Church. Heads should have rolled long ago and reforms should have been instituted. Small kids in parochial schools should not have to have their innocence destroyed because some bishops think sado-masochism and oral and anal sex are appropriate subjects for the classroom. Rome should have applied some muscle long ago to side with parents who object. Catholics should not have to listen to homilies that undermine Catholic doctrines. But Catholics routinely put up with this all across America and all the lighting of "little candles" in the world will not make a damn bit of difference. Only loud bellyaching gets results, the louder the better. That is the way the game is played in the big leagues--in Rome and everywhere else. It is the game of power politics Our Lord advised us to learn. He said the children of the light had to learn from the children of darkness. We have to learn to be as sharp and as tough as the opposition. So you can stash your little candles, not to mention your smug complacency. I myself will continue to complain loudly whereever I can find a forum.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You're probably doing a better job in faith than you think.

Thank you much for your encouraging words. You don't know how much they mean to me, after the discussion we had recently.

Kids like me and my sibs in school either made straight A's with no homework or B's which stood for bored (which is why we went to public school for a time). High school was a little better, but when your best grades are in math and science, you get pushed in that direction, and many times, that's a disservice to the kid.

Man, do I know about that! From a very early age, I had many interests, but above all, astronomy/space travel, current events, and history. Since I was really good at arithmetic too and read a lot about science, I did really well in science and math, and because that is really empathesized in aerospace fields, that's what I focused on until very late (my freshman year of college). But when I reached high school, I struggled in alegbra because I was put into a honors level class (due to my high scores on the entrance test). I also did poorly in my first semester of physics. Still, I clinged to my original goal to become an astronaut. It wasn't until my second year of college that I decided to go into political science and history, which is basically my other major interest since an early age. I'm due to graduate at end of this semester.

...because that is really empathesized in aerospace fields, that's what I focused on until very late (my freshman year of college).

Really? Cool. My dad is a retired aerospace engineer, brother J is a mechanical engineer who is currently a Marine helicopter pilot (waiting for orders at the moment), brother M is a computer/electrical engineer working on missle guidance (and a master's in EE).

Still, I clinged to my original goal to become an astronaut.

Not a bad goal, but defitely not the easiest. For a time, my dad was working at the Navy's Air Test Center (where the test pilot school is). Oh my.... I was in class with the test pilots' kids. A friend who drove us to swimming practice for a year, left there to go to astronaut training. He's been on CNN a lot. We went down to the Cape to see his first launch (Discovery, when they launched the Ulysses probe). Pretty cool (all those aligators).

For what it is worth, I thought about changing Rites, but concluded God wanted me to grow where he placed me - in the Latin Rite.

After thinking about where my spirituality is (it is very Salesian in character, and I'm fond of the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Divine Mercy message), I think I'm probably going to remain in the Latin Rite too. This current fascination I have may not turn into a real commitment to the Eastern Rite. But since "Latin Rite" Catholics are welcome to worship at Eastern Rite Catholics, I think if I had a choice, I would go to Mass, or in this case "Divine Liturgy," at a Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic Church. I like the mysticism and tradition of their service and I love their sacred art tradition.

My son married a Byzantine-Ruthenian rite woman (a total gem!), and they are raising their children in the Byzantine-Ruthenian rite. When I go to visit, I feel I have stepped into a most beautiful and exotic part of heaven. Because I speak Arabic, I find the Maronite rite a place where I am very much at home even if I am the redheaded stranger.

I also have great love for the Chaldean rite and their parish of St. Joseph in Detroit which I have visited in the past. They are almost all Catholic people who fled Iraq, and their devotion to Our Lord and Our Lady always astounds me. Their music like the Anglican Use Catholics' music makes me weep. They are so different from each other but they share in the same holiness of the same Living Lord.

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