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Contemplating the Mysteries of the Rosary In his little classic, The Rosary of Our Lady,
Fr. Romano Guardini tells about the use of "Jesus, who" clauses to
contemplate the mysteries of the Rosary.
In each Hail Mary, just
after the name of Jesus, a
clause is inserted to reference the mystery being contemplated. In his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis
Mariae (2002) Pope John
Paul II again highlights this way to make the name of Jesus the "hinge" of the Hail Mary, and thus to concretely "contemplate the face of Jesus" when saying the Rosary: The center of gravity in the Hail
Mary, the hinge as it were, that joins its two parts, is the name of
Jesus. Sometimes, in hurried recitation, this center of gravity can be
overlooked, and with it the connection to the mystery of Christ being
contemplated. Yet it is precisely the emphasis given to the name of Jesus and
to His mystery that is the sign of a meaningful and fruitful recitation of
the Rosary. Pope Paul VI drew attention, in his Apostolic Exhortation
Marialis Cultus, to the custom in certain regions of highlighting the
name of Christ by the addition of a clause referring to the mystery being
contemplated. This is a praise-worthy custom, especially during public
recitation. It gives forceful expression to our faith in Christ, directed to
the different moments of the Redeemer's life. It is at once a profession of faith and an
aid in concentrating our meditation, since it facilitates the process of
assimilation to the mystery of Christ inherent in the repetition of the
Hail Mary. For
instance, in the three preliminary Hail
Mary's we pray for the three theological virtues, so you can insert
"Jesus, whom . . ." clauses referencing the individual virtues, as
follows. For Faith Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus, whom I beg to increase my faith
in God. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen For Hope Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus, whom I beg to strengthen my
hope for union with God in heaven. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen For Charity Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus, whom I beg to fill me with
greater love of God. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Then, in
each Hail Mary of the succeeding
decades of the rosary you insert such a clause pertaining specifically to its
particular mystery. Selecting and phrasing these reflections provides a
tangible and concrete way to actually meditate on each mystery as you pray
its ten Hail Mary's. In this way,
the oft-mentioned goal of a truly Christ-centered scriptural rosary can be
met. One
frequently uses one clause for the first five Hail Mary's in a decade, and another for the last five. However,
mining the Gospels for additional reflections referencing the incarnation,
life, passion, and resurrection of Christ can provide a wholesome focus for
scriptural devotion, and over time one may develop of repertoire of numerous
reflections for each mystery of the rosary. The pages
linked below provide a couple of illustrative scriptural reflections for each
mystery. Return to Knoxville
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