07/10/2025
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๐๐๐๐๐๐ | One Bead, One Step Closer to Salvation
โGive me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.โ This message from Pope Pius IX reminds us of the great and immense power of the rosary. At first glance, it seems like the rosary is nothing more than just a string of beads used in prayers or liturgical practice, but it is far more than that. The Holy Rosary is a prayer in itself that helps us strengthen our spiritual life and draws closer to God through Mary, the loving mother of Christ. The Church dedicates the month of October to celebrate the Holy Rosary, highlighting its significance in our lives as Catholics. Also, Pope Pius IX emphasized that praying the Rosary can conquer the world. However, the said prayer does not have any sharp edges or violence laced in its beads. Although a simple prayer that anyone can learn in a few minutes, the Rosary carries a profound history and meaning that makes it one of the most enduring and transformative devotions of the Church.
The Holy Rosary is a traditional prayer dedicated to meditating on the lives of Jesus and Mary, dating back to the beginning of the 13th century. It started as a legend of Mary giving the Rosary to St. Dominic to use against the Albigensian heresy. Then, during the Middle Ages, illiterate monks and laypeople kept track of the 150 โOur Fathersโ being recited using a string of beads. As time went by, the โOur Fathersโ were replaced with โHail Mary prayersโ as this tradition grew. The 150 prayers were then divided into 15 decades, followed by them being divided again into the four mysteries. Finally, Pope Pius V in 1569 approved the present form of the Rosary in the Papal Bull, Consueverunt Romani Pontifices. Its rich history aside, in the present time, the prayers being recited in the Rosary are mainly from the Sacred Scriptureโprimarily the Our Father and Hail Maryโmaking it a Scripture-based prayer. This affirms its power and efficacy in honoring Mary, the mother of Christ. Through the four mysteriesโthe Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous, and Gloriousโthe Rosary guides the faithful in recalling and reflecting on the key moments of Jesusโ life and Maryโs role in salvation. Not only do we preserve the sacred events in memory, but we also deepen our relationship with Christ, allowing us to grow in holiness, faith, and reflection.
The Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary is commemorated every October 7, the anniversary of the triumph of the Catholic naval forces against the mighty Turkish fleet. In remembrance, the faithful gather as one in praying the Rosary, embodying the โarmyโ Pope Pius IX once described. Special masses and novena prayers are offered in honor of Our Lady, usually being done on the first days before the feast. Another cherished tradition is the Block Rosary, a tradition in which the image of Our Lady is moved from one household to another, with families and neighbors gathering to pray the Rosary together. In our own university, we start our mornings with the Rosary, praying together as one, reflecting and becoming closer to Jesus hand-in-hand. We pray the Rosary not out of obligation, but out of a sincere desire to grow closer to Christ. With every prayer bead we hold and every prayer we recite, we wholeheartedly remember Jesus, the path He set for us, the teachings He gave out, and how He initiated the first stepsโthe steps we find difficult to takeโin following God. Through Maryโs intercession, the Rosary recalls salvation history. When we recite every prayer assigned to each bead, we take one step closer to our own salvation as well.
As a timeless devotion, the Rosary remains a powerful aid for us individuals in deepening our relationship with God while also strengthening us against the forces of evil. In todayโs fast-paced and distracting world, its simplicity offers a much-needed moment of peace and reflection amidst the noise. The importance of the Rosary lies not only in its rich history and centuries of practice, but also in its enduring ability to bring us closer to Christ. Praying it together as one allows us to manifest the โarmyโ Pope Pius IX envisioned. An army not of violence, but of faith, thus conquering the world by leading souls to salvation. One bead does not make up the Rosary, but many, so let us continue to carry on this sacred tradition together, not just in October but as part of our daily lives, with every bead as one step closer to salvation.
โ: Loraynne Sadsad
๐ป: Kiara Garcia
