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Magnae
Dei Matris (Leo XIII) On the Rosary
Encyclical of
Pope Leo XIII promulgated on September 8, 1892.
To Our Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and other
Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.
As often as the occasion arises to stimulate and intensify the love and
veneration of the Christian people for Mary, the great Mother of God, We are
filled with wondrous satisfaction and joy, as by a subject which is not only of
prime importance in itself and profitable in countless ways, but which also
perfectly accords with the inmost sentiments of Our heart. For the holy
reverence for Mary which We experienced from Our tenderest years, has grown
greater and has taken firmer hold of Our soul with Our advancing age.
2. As time went on, it became more and more evident how deserving of love and
honor was she whom God Himself was the first to love, and loved so much more
than any other that, after elevating her high above all the rest of His creation
and adorning her with His richest gifts, He made her His Mother. The many and
splendid proofs of her bounty and beneficence toward us, which We remember with
deep gratitude and which move Us to tears, still further encourage and strongly
inflame Our filial reverence for her. Throughout the many dreadful events of
every kind which the times have brought to pass, always with her have We sought
refuge, always to her have We lifted up pleading and confident eyes. And in all
the hopes and fears, the joys and sorrows, that We confided to her, the thought
was constantly before Us to ask her to assist Us at all times as Our gracious
Mother and to obtain this greatest of favors: that We might be able, in return,
to show her the heart of a most devoted son.
3. When, then, it came to pass in the secret design of God's providence that We
were chosen to fill this Chair of St. Peter and to take the place of the Person
of Christ Himself in the Church, worried by the enormous burden of the office
and finding no ground for reliance upon Our own strength, We hastened with
fervent zeal to implore the divine aid through the maternal intercession of the
ever blessed Virgin. Never has Our hope, We are happy to acknowledge, at any
time of Our life but more especially since We began to exercise the Supreme
Apostolate, failed in the course of events to bear fruit or bring Us comfort.
Thus encouraged, Our hope today mounts more confidently than ever to beseech
many more and even greater blessings through her favor and mediation, which will
profit alike the salvation of Christ's flock and the happy increase of His
Church's glory.
4. It is, therefore, a fitting and opportune time, Venerable Brethren, for Us to
induce all Our children--exhorting them through you--to plan on celebrating the
coming month of October, consecrated to our Lady as the august Queen of the
Rosary, with the fervent and wholehearted devotion which the necessities
weighing upon Us demand.
5. It is only too plain how many and of what nature are the corrupting agencies
by
which the wickedness of the world deceitfully strives to weaken and completely
uproot from souls their Christian faith and the respect for God's law on which
faith is fed and depends for its effectiveness. Already the fields cultivated by
our Lord are everywhere turning into a wilderness abounding in ignorance of the
Faith, in error and vice, as though blown upon by some hideous pest. And to add
to the anguish of this thought, so far from putting a check on such insolent and
destructive depravity, or imposing the punishment deserved, they who can and
should correct matters seem in many cases, by their indifference or open
connivance, to increase the spirit of evil.
6. We have good reason to deplore the public institutions in which the teaching
of the sciences and arts is purposely so organized that the name of God is
passed over in silence or visited with vituperation; to deplore the
license--growing more shameless by the day--of the press in publishing whatever
it pleases, and the license of speech in addressing any kind of insult to Christ
our God and His Church. And We deplore no less the consequent laxity and apathy
in the practice of the Catholic religion which if not quite open apostasy from
the Faith, is certainly going to prove an easy road to it, since it is a manner
of life having nothing in common with faith. Nobody who ponders this disorder
and the surrender of the most fundamental principles will be astonished if
afflicted nations everywhere are groaning under the heavy hand of God's
vengeance and stand anxious and trembling in fear of worse calamities.
7. Now, to appease the might of an outraged God and to bring that health of soul
so needed by those who are sorely afflicted, there is nothing better than devout
and persevering prayer, provided it be joined with a love for and practice of
Christian life. And both of these, the spirit of prayer and the practice of
Christian life, are best attained through the devotion of the Rosary of Mary.
8. The well-known origin of the Rosary, illustrated in celebrated monuments of
which we have made frequent mention, bears witness to its remarkable efficacy.
For, in the days when the Albigensian sect, posing as the champion of pure faith
and morals, but in reality introducing the worst kind of anarchy and corruption,
brought many a nation to its utter ruin, the Church fought against it and the
other infamous factions associated with it, not with troops and arms, but
chiefly with the power of the most holy Rosary, the devotion which the Mother of
God taught to our Father Dominic in order that he might propagate it. By this
means the Church triumphed magnificently over every obstacle and provided for
the salvation of her children not only in that trial but in others like it
afterward, always with the same glorious success. For this reason, now, when
human affairs have taken the course which We deplore, bringing affection to the
Church and ruin to the State, all of us have the duty to unite our voice in
prayer, with like devotion, to the holy Mother of God, beseeching her that we
too may rejoice, as we ardently desire, in experiencing the same power of her
Rosary.
9. When we have recourse to Mary in prayer, we are having recourse to the Mother
of mercy, who is so well disposed toward us that, whatever the necessity that
presses upon us especially in attaining eternal life, she is instantly at our
side of her own accord, even though she has not been invoked. She dispenses
grace with a generous hand from that treasure with which from the beginning she
was divinely endowed in fullest abundance that she might be worthy to be the
Mother of God. By the fullness of grace which confers on her the most
illustrious of her many titles, the Blessed Virgin is infinitely superior to all
the hierarchies of men and angels, the one creature who is closest of all to
Christ. "It is a great thing in any saint to have grace sufficient for the
salvation of many souls; but to have enough to suffice for the salvation of
everybody in the world. is the greatest of all; and this is found in Christ and
in the Blessed Virgin."[1]
10. It is impossible to say how pleasing and gratifying to her it is when we
greet her with the Angelic Salutation, "full of grace"; and in repeating it,
fashion these words of praise into ritual crowns for her. For every time we say
them, we recall the memory of her exalted dignity and of the Redemption of the
human race which God began through her. We likewise bring to mind the divine and
everlasting bond which links her with the joys and sorrows, the humiliations and
triumphs of Christ in directing and helping mankind to eternal life.
11. It pleased Christ to take upon Himself the Son of Man, and to become thereby
our Brother, in order that His mercy to us might be shown most openly; for "it
behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren that he might
become a merciful and faithful high priest before God."[2] Likewise because Mary
was chosen to be the Mother of Christ, our Lord and our Brother, the unique
prerogative was given her above all other mothers to show her mercy to us and to
pour it out upon us. Besides, as we are indebted to Christ for sharing in some
way with us the right, which is peculiarly His own, of calling God our Father
and possessing Him as such, we are in like manner indebted to Him for His loving
generosity in sharing with us the right to call Mary our Mother and to cherish
her as such.
12. While nature itself made the name of mother the sweetest of all names and
has
made motherhood the very model of tender and solicitous love, no tongue is
eloquent enough to put in words what every devout soul feels, namely how intense
is the flame of affectionate and active charity which glows in Mary, in her who
is truly our mother not in a human way but through Christ. Nobody knows and
comprehends so well as she everything that concerns us: what helps we need in
life; what dangers, public or private, threaten our welfare; what difficulties
and evils surround us; above all, how fierce is the fight we wage with ruthless
enemies of our salvation. In these and in all other troubles of life her power
is most far-reaching. Her desire to use it is most ardent to bring consolation,
strength, and help of every kind to children who are dear to her.
13. Accordingly, let us approach Mary confidently, wholeheartedly beseeching her
by the bonds of her motherhood which unite her so closely to Jesus and at the
same time to us. Let us with deepest devotion invoke her constant aid in the
prayer which she herself has indicated and which is most acceptable to her. Then
with good reason shall we rest with an easy and joyous mind under the protection
of the best of mothers.
14. To this commendation of the Rosary which follows from the very nature of the
prayer, We may add that the Rosary offers an easy way to present the chief
mysteries of the Christian religion and to impress them upon the mind; and this
commendation is one of the most beautiful of all. For it is mainly by faith that
a man sets out on the straight and sure path to God and learns to revere in mind
and heart His supreme majesty, His sovereignty over the whole of creation, His
unsounded power, wisdom, and providence. For he who comes to God must believe
that God exists and is a rewarder to those who seek Him. Moreover, because God's
eternal Son assumed our humanity and shone before us as the Way, the Truth, and
the Life, our faith must include the lofty mysteries of the august Trinity of
divine Persons and of the Father's only-begotten Son made Man: "This is eternal
life: that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou
hast sent."[3]
15. God gave us a most precious blessing when He gave us faith. By this gift we
are not only raised above the level of human things, to contemplate and share in
the divine nature, but are also furnished with the means of meriting the rewards
of heaven; and therefore the hope is encouraged and strengthened that we shall
one day look upon God, not in the shadowy images of His creatures, but in the
fullest light, and shall enjoy Him forever as the Supreme Goodness. But the
Christian is kept so busy by the various affairs of life and wanders so easily
into matters of little importance, that unless he be helped with frequent
reminders, the truths which are of first importance and necessity are little by
little forgotten; and then faith begins to grow weak and may even perish.
16. To ward off these exceedingly great dangers of ignorance from her children,
the Church, which never relaxes her vigilant and diligent care, has been in the
habit of looking for the staunchest support of faith in the Rosary of Mary. And
indeed in the Rosary, along with the most beautiful and efficacious prayer
arranged in an orderly pattern, the chief mysteries of our religion follow one
another, as they are brought before our mind for contemplation: first of all the
mysteries in which the Word was made flesh and Mary, the inviolate Virgin and
Mother, performed her maternal duties for Him with a holy joy; there come then
the sorrows, the agony and death of the suffering Christ, the price at which the
salvation of our race was accomplished; then follow the mysteries full of His
glory; His triumph over death, the Ascension into heaven, the sending of the
Holy Spirit, the resplendent brightness of Mary received among the stars, and
finally the everlasting glory of all the saints in heaven united with the glory
of the Mother and her Son.
17. This uninterrupted sequence of wonderful events the Rosary frequently and
perseveringly recalls to the minds of the faithful and presents almost as though
they
were unfolding before our eyes: and this, flooding the souls of those who
devoutly
recite it with a sweetness of piety that never grows weary, impresses and stirs
them as though they were listening to the very voice of the Blessed Mother
explaining the mysteries and conversing with them at length about their
salvation.
18. It will not, then, seem too much to say that in places, families, and
nations in which the Rosary of Mary retains its ancient honor, the loss of faith
through ignorance and vicious error need not be feared.
19. There is still another and not lesser advantage which the Church earnestly
seeks for her children from the Rosary, and that is the faithful regulation of
their lives and their conduct in keeping with the rules and precepts of their
holy religion. For if, as we all know from Holy Scripture, "faith without works
is dead."[4] --because faith draws its life from charity and charity flowers
forth in a profusion of holy actions--then the Christian will gain nothing for
eternal life from his faith unless his life be ordered in accordance with what
faith prescribes. "What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath
faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?"[5] A man of this
sort will incur a much heavier rebuke from Christ the Judge than those who are,
unfortunately, ignorant of Christian faith and its teaching: they, unlike the
former, who believes one thing and practices another, have some excuse or at
least are less blameworthy, because they lack the light of the Gospel.
20. In order therefore that the faith we profess may the better bring forth a
harvest of fruits in keeping with its nature, while the mind is dwelling on
mysteries of the Rosary the heart is wonderfully enkindled by them to make
virtuous resolutions. What an example we have set before us! This shines forth
everywhere in our Lord's work of salvation. Almighty God, in the excess of His
love for us, takes upon Himself the form of lowly man. He dwells in our midst as
one of the multitude, converses with us as a friend, instructs and teaches the
way of justice to individuals and to multitudes. In His discourse He is the
teacher unexcelled; in the authority of His teaching He is God. To all He shows
Himself a doer of good; He relieves the sick of the ills of their bodies and,
with paternal compassion, heals the most serious sickness of their souls. Those
above all whom sorrow troubles or whom the weight of worry crushes, He comforts
with the gentle invitation: "Come to me, all you that labor, and are burdened,
and I will refresh you."[6] Then into us, at rest in His embrace, He breathes
that mystic fire which He has brought to all men, and benignly imbues us with
the meekness and humility of His own heart, with the hope that, by the practice
of these virtues, we may share the true and solid peace of which He is the
Author: "Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart; and you shall find
rest to your souls."[7] For Himself, in return for
that light of heavenly wisdom and that stupendous abundance of blessings which
only He could merit for mankind, He suffers the hatred of men and their most
atrocious insults; and, nailed to the cross, He pours out His blood and yields
up His soul, holding it to be the highest glory to beget life in men by His
death.
21. It would be utterly impossible for anyone to meditate on and attentively
consider these most precious memorials of our loving Redeemer and not have a
heart on fire with gratitude to Him. Such is the power of a faith sincerely
practiced that, through the light it brings to man's mind and the vigor with
which it moves his heart, he will straightway set out in the footsteps of Christ
and follow them through every obstacle, making his own a protestation worthy of
a St. Paul: "Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or
the sword?"[8] "I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me."[9]
22. But lest we be dismayed by the consciousness of our native weakness and grow
faint when confronted with the unattainable example which Christ, who is Man and
at the same time God, has given, along with mysteries which portray Him, we have
before our eyes for contemplation the mysteries of His most holy Mother.
23. She was born, it is true, of the royal family of David, but she fell heir to
none of the wealth and grandeur of her ancestors. She passed her life in
obscurity, in a humble town, in a home humbler still, the more content with her
retirement and the poverty of her home because they left her freer to lift up
her heart to God and to cling to Him closely as the supreme Goodness for which
her heart yearned.
24. The Lord is with her whom He has filled with His grace and made blessed. She
is designated by the heavenly messenger sent to her as the Virgin from whom, by
the power of the Holy Ghost, the expected Savior of nations is to come forth
clothed in our humanity. The more she wonders at the sublime dignity and gives
thanks to the power and mercy of God, the more does she, conscious of no merit
in herself, grow in humility, promptly proclaiming and consecrating herself the
handmaid of God even while she becomes His Mother.
25. Her sacred promise was as sacredly kept with a joyous heart; henceforth she
leads a life in perpetual union with her son Jesus, sharing with Him His joys
and sorrows. It is thus that she will reach a height of glory granted to no
other creature, whether human or angelic, because no one will receive a reward
for virtue to be compared with hers; it is thus that the crown of the kingdoms
of heaven and of earth will await her because she will be the invincible Queen
of Martyrs. It is thus that she will be seated in the heavenly city of God by
the side of her Son, crowned for all eternity, because she will drink with Him
the cup overflowing with sorrow faithfully through all her life, most faithfully
on Calvary.
26. In Mary we see how a truly good and provident God has established for us a
most suitable example of every virtue. As we look upon her and think about her
we are not cast down as though stricken by the overpowering splendor of God's
power; but, on the contrary, attracted by the closeness of the common nature we
share with her, we strive with greater confidence to imitate her. If we, with
her powerful help, should dedicate ourselves wholly and entirely to the
undertaking, we can portray at least an outline of such great virtue and
sanctity, and reproducing that perfect conformity of our lives to all God's
designs which she possessed in so marvelous a degree, we shall follow her into
heaven.
27. Undaunted and full of courage, let us go on with the pilgrimage we have
undertaken even though the way be rough and full of obstacle Amid the vexation
and toil let us not cease to hold out suppliant hands to Mary with the words of
the Church: "To thee do we send up our sigh mourning and weeping in this valley
of tears; turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. . .
Keep our lives all spotless, make our ways secure, till we find in Jesus joys
that will endure."[10]
28. Although she was never subject to the frailty and perversity of our nature,
Mary we knows its condition and is the best and most solicitous of mothers. How
willingly will she hasten to our aid when we need her; with what love will she
refresh us, and with what strength sustain us. For those of us who follow the
journey hallowed by the blood of Christ and by the tears of Mary, our entrance
into their company and the enjoyment of their most blessed glory will be certain
and easy.
29. Therefore the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, combining in a convenient
and
practical form an unexcelled form of prayer, an instrument well adapted to
preserve the faith and an illustrious example of perfect virtue, should be often
in the hands of the true Christian and be devoutly recited and meditated upon.
We address this commendation especially to the Confraternity of the Holy Family
which We recently praised and approved. Since the mystery of the hidden life
which Christ our Lord long led within the walls of the house in Nazareth is the
reason for the existence of this association, that its members may constantly
conform themselves to Christian life on the model of the Holy Family established
by God Himself, its intimate connection with the Rosary is plain.
30. Especially is this so in the joyful mysteries, which end with the one in
which Jesus, after manifesting His wisdom in the temple, came with Mary and
Joseph to Nazareth and was subject to them, preparing, as it were, for the other
mysteries which are more closely connected with the instruction and the
Redemption of mankind. From this all the members may understand that it is their
duty to be devotees of the Rosary themselves and to be diligent in propagating
devotion to it among others.
31. For Our part, We confirm and ratify the grants of sacred indulgences made in
years past in favor of the faithful who spend the month of October in the manner
We have prescribed. Because of your authority and zeal, Venerable Brethren, We
know that the Catholic people will be fired with devotion and holy emulation in
venerating through the Rosary, the Blessed Virgin, Help of Christians.
32. And now let Us bring Our exhortation to a close in the way it began,
proclaiming once more and even more openly the devotion we cherish toward the
great Mother of God, a devotion both mindful of past blessings and full of
joyous hope. We ask the prayers of the Christian people in devout supplication
before her altars on behalf of the Church, tormented by such adverse and
turbulent times, and on behalf of Our-self as well.
Advanced in age, worn out with labors, fettered by distressingly difficult
events with no human help to rely upon, We must yet carry on the government of
the Church. Our hope in Mary, powerful and benign Mother, is daily more
confirmed and more sweetly consoling. To her intercession We attribute the many
and remarkable gifts We have obtained from God; with thanks still more profuse
do we attribute the fact that it has been given Us to reach the fiftieth
anniversary of Our episcopal consecration.
33. It is, indeed, a great comfort to us, looking back over the long years of
Our pastoral charge, troubled as they have been by daily worry, that We are
still engaged in ruling the whole Christian flock. During that time We have had,
as happens in men's lives and as the mysteries of Christ and Mary illustrate,
reasons for joy mixed with reasons for many and bitter sorrows, as well as
occasions to glory in gains won for Christ. All of this We, with a mind
submissive to God and with a grateful heart, have tried to turn to the good and
the honor of the Church. And now--for the rest of Our life will run a course not
unlike the past--should new joys come to gladden Our heart, or sorrow to
threaten Us, or honors to glory in, We, steadfast in the same heart and mind,
yearning only for the heavenly glory which God confers, say with David: "Blessed
be the name of the Lord";[11] Not to us, but to thy name give glory."[12]
34. From Our devoted children, whose filial and affectionate concern for us We
know burns bright, We look for heartfelt thanks to God, prayers, and holy
aspirations, rather than for congratulations and honors. It will be a special
joy to Us if they ask for Us this grace, that all the strength and life that
remain to Us, all the authority and grace with which We are invested, may profit
the Church, and in the first place bring back into her fold her enemies and
those who have wandered from the right way, to whom our voice has this long time
been appealing for reconciliation.
35. Upon all of Our dearly beloved children may there flow, from the happiness
and joy of Our coming Jubilee, God granting, gifts of justice, peace,
prosperity, holiness, and all good things. This, with paternal love, We beg God;
this do We exhort in the words of His Holy Scriptures: "Hear me. . . and bud
forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters: Give ye a sweet odor as
frankincense. . . Send forth flowers, as the lily, and yield a smell, and bring
forth leaves in grace and praise with canticles and bless the Lord in his works.
Magnify his name, and give glory to him with the voice of your lips, and with
the canticles of your mouths. and with harps. . . With the whole heart and mouth
praise ye him, and bless the name of the Lord."[13]
36. If these plans, so ardently desired, be scoffed at by the wicked who
blaspheme that of which they are ignorant, may God mercifully spare them. But
that He may give Our hopes His propitious aid through the prayers of the Queen
of the Most Holy Rosary, take as a token of divine favor and at the same time as
a pledge of Our affection, Venerable Brethren, the Apostolic Benediction, which
We, lovingly in the Lord, bestow on each of you, on your clergy, and on your
people.
Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, the eighth of September, 1892, in the fifteenth
year of Our Pontificate.
ENDNOTES:
1. St. Thomas Aquinas, Super Salut. Ang.
2. Hebr. 2:17.
3. Jn. 17:3.
4. James 2:20.
5. James 2:14.
6. Mt. 11:28.
7. Mt. 11:29.
8. Rom. 8:35.
9. Gal. 2:20.
10. Sacred Liturgy.
11. Ps. 112:2.
12. Ps. 113:1.
13. Ecclus. 39:17-20, 41.