Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On the afternoon of Sunday, October 19, after having venerated the remains of Blessed Bartolo Longo, the Holy Father Benedict XVI went to the Pontifical Shrine of Pompeii, where he led the recitation of the Rosary. At the end of the prayer, he gave those present a meditation on the meaning of the Rosary and offered a “Golden Rose” to the Blessed Mother.
In speaking on the Apostolic Letter of John Paul II, entitled “Rosarium Virginis Mariae,” the Holy Father exhorted all those who work and live in Pompeii to adopt “the charism of Blessed Bartolo Longo and become, in the degree and manner that God would grant each one of them, authentic apostles of the Rosary.” The saints' experiences teach us that “this popular Marian prayer is a very valuable means to grow in intimacy with Jesus and to learn, in the school of Mary, how to always fulfill the divine will.” However, “Yet in order to be apostles of the Rosary, it is necessary to gain a personal experience of the beauty and profundity of this prayer, so simple and universally accessible. We must let ourselves be guided by the hand of Out Lady in contemplating Christ's face: a face that is joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious. The person who like Mary, and with Her, treasures and assiduously meditates on the mysteries of Jesus, will be able to take on his sentiments and be conformed with Him.”
Continuing with the meditation, the Pope recalled that “the Rosary is a school of contemplation and of silence. At first sight it may seem like a prayerful accumulation of words and hence not easily compatible with the silence which is rightly recommended for meditation and contemplation. In reality though, this regular repetition of the Ave Maria does not disturb inner silence, rather it ... nourishes it. Thus, in reciting the Ave Maria, we should be attentive so that our voices do not 'muffle' that of God, who always speaks through silence...Even when it is prayed, as it is today, in large assemblies...the Rosary should be a contemplative prayer, and this cannot occur if there is not an interior silence.”
A second reflection made by the Pope was dedicated to the relationship between the Rosary and the Word of God: “The Rosary is interwoven with elements from Holy Scripture. First, there is the annunciation of the mystery, preferably announced using the words of the Bible, as we have done today. Then there is the Our Father: with its 'vertical' dimension, it opens the soul of the one praying the Rosary, in an upright filial attitude, as the Lord encouraged us: 'When you pray, say: Father...” (Lk 11:2). The first part of the Ave Maria is also taken from the Gospel, and makes us hear once more the words with which God spoke to the Virgin through the angel and in the blessing proclaimed by Her cousin, Elizabeth. The second part of the Ave Maria rings out like the response of children who, addressing themselves imploringly to their mother, express their own adherence to the plan of salvation, revealed by God. Thus the minds of those who pray remain anchored in Scripture and in the mysteries it contains."
The final aspect that the Holy Father reflected on was its “apostolic” dimension, which he wished to address, as it was World Mission Sunday. It was “a dimension that Blessed Bartolo Longo lived out in an intense manner, being inspired to carry out many works of charity and human and social promotion. He wished the shrine of Pompeii to be open to the whole world as a center whence to irradiate the prayer of the Rosary and a place of intercession for peace among peoples. Dear friends, I wish to confirm both these goals - the apostolate of charity and the prayer of peace - and entrust them once more to your spiritual and pastoral efforts." (SL) (Agenzia Fides 21/10/2008)
