| rdfs:comment | - Rosarium Virginis Mariae is the title of an Apostolic Letter by Pope John Paul II, issued on October 16, 2002. This Apostlic Letter deals with the Holy Rosary and views it as compendium of the Gospel message: The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. The letter reaffirms the Roman Catholic beliefs on the power of the rosary and states:
|
| abstract | - Rosarium Virginis Mariae is the title of an Apostolic Letter by Pope John Paul II, issued on October 16, 2002. This Apostlic Letter deals with the Holy Rosary and views it as compendium of the Gospel message: The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. The letter reaffirms the Roman Catholic beliefs on the power of the rosary and states: Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer. The letter also emphasizes total devotion to the Virgin Mary, as promoted by Saint Louis de Montfort, which the pontiff quoted: “Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ." This letter introduces the "Mysteries of Light" into the cycle of the mysteries of Christ that are to be contemplated while praying the rosary (nos. 19, 21, 38, 40). These five "luminous mysteries" focus devotion on the events of the public ministry of Jesus Christ: (1) his Baptism in the Jordan, (2) his self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, (3) his proclamation of the Kingdom of God, (4) his Transfiguration, and (5) his institution of the Eucharist. The document states that each mystery "is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus" (no. 21). This letter builds on the Roman Catholic philosophy for the study and veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary via the field of Mariology, which in recent years has been further emphasized with Pontifical schools such as the Marianum specifically devoted to this task.
|
