Dominican Friars

Jun 24 2024

The Rosary’s Essential Element: Contemplation

In the decades following the Second Vatican Council, Venerable Patrick Peyton wanted to increase devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. To foster this devotion, he would lead Family Rosary Crusades where he coined the phrase: “The family that prays together stays together.” Eventually, in 1971, he wrote a letter to Pope Saint Paul VI asking the Rosary to be elevated to a liturgical prayer like the Liturgy of the Hours. Many similar requests that were received by the Holy See prompted Paul VI to promulgate the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus (On Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary) which was issued on February 2, 1974, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is an intrinsic element of Christian worship.
Pope Saint Paul VI, Marialis Cultus

This Apostolic Exhortation is split into three sections: the liturgy and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the renewal of devotion to Mary, and reflections on the Angelus and the Rosary. In his reflection on the Rosary, Paul VI reminds us that the Rosary is “the compendium of the entire Gospel.” It is a “Gospel prayer” with a rich history that the popes have written numerous times such as Pope Saint Pius V, who “established the traditional form of the Rosary.” According to Paul VI, the Rosary makes us oriented to Christ, by its structure. “The litany-like succession of Hail Mary’s becomes in itself an unceasing praise of Christ…” In the Hail Mary, we call to mind the Savior of the world who is the fruit of Mary’s womb. Paul VI suggests that the name of Jesus was inserted into the Hail Mary to “help contemplation and to make the mind and the voice act in unison.”

Many will argue that the Rosary is not a commandment of God, nor is it found anywhere in Scripture. Why then pray the Rosary when you can go to God directly? Paul VI provides a good response to this argument both from the Rosary being a “Gospel prayer” (as stated above), but he also discusses, what he calls, the “essential element in the Rosary.” Contemplation. The Rosary without contemplation is “a body without a soul, and its recitation is in danger of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas and of going counter to the warning of Christ: ‘And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words’ (Mt. 6:7).” By its nature the Rosary invites us, through the intercession of Our Lady, to contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s life. Starting with the angelic greeting of Gabriel to Mary to the Nativity of the Lord, to his public ministry, to his sufferings in the last days of his earthly life, to finally “the glory of the Risen Lord which fills the Church.” Paul VI beautifully says that “this contemplation by its very nature encourages practical reflection and provides stimulating norms for living.”

Paul VI invites us into three ways the Rosary could be recited. The first is private where there is an “intimate recollection with the Lord.” The second is in community, whether that be among family or in groups, “to ensure the special presence of the Lord.” The third is publicly where “the ecclesial community is invited.” Paul VI gives special consideration to the second way, specifically the Family Rosary. He says that after the Liturgy of the Hours “the Rosary should be considered as one of the best and most efficacious prayers in common that the Christian family is invited to recite.” As the Second Vatican Council calls the family “the domestic church” so Paul VI invites all families, as Patrick Peyton did, to pray the Rosary as a family. “Families which want to live in full measure of the vocation and spirituality proper to the Christian family must therefore devote all their energies to overcoming the pressures that hinder family gatherings and prayer in common.”

Although Pope Saint Paul VI did not give Venerable Patrick Peyton exactly what he asked for in making the Rosary a liturgical prayer, he provided a wonderful reflection on how “the Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is an intrinsic element of Christian worship.” Because she points us to her son, who is both her savior and our savior. I recommend reading Marialis Cultus in its entirety and reflecting on how your devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has led you to Christ through her intercession.

This article was written by Br. Jerome Masters, O.P..

Photo by Fr. Lawerence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)

Jun 21 2024

Progressive Solemnity

June may be the greatest month of the year. School is getting out, temperatures are going up, and the Church celebrates a whopping five solemnities. That’s right, five of the holiest days of the year happen in June: Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, the Nativity of John the Baptist, and Saints Peter and Paul. With all these wonderfully important days in the month of June, it’s a good time to talk about progressive solemnity—a liturgical system ordering our whole hearts and minds to God.

In the Church’s liturgical calendar, certain days are designated to be celebrated in a special way. The greatest of these days are given the title solemnity, in proportion with what they celebrate. These include the Annunciation, Corpus Christi, and Easter, the highest solemnity of the year. Then come feasts, which are reserved for special saints and events, but do not quite reach the level of a solemnity. An example of a feast is the Conversion of Saint Paul, celebrated on January 25. While feasts and solemnities are fairly rare throughout the year, memorials are much more common, recognizing many saints and events. The great month of June begins with a memorial: Saint Justin Martyr. Finally, there are ferial days which do not have a particular celebration (the root feria comes from Latin and signifies “day of the week”). They encourage us to enter more deeply into the current liturgical season, whether it is Lent, Christmas, or Ordinary Time.

Progressive solemnity demands higher celebration for higher occasions, and this is given concrete expression in the liturgy. For example, on feasts, a Gloria is sung at Mass, and on solemnities we recite the Creed as well. Not only that, but the music is often more beautiful, the prayers more distinctive, and the vestments more ornate. Outside of the liturgy, a community or family might enjoy a nice dinner or host an event to commemorate the occasion. Many parishes exemplify this by having a big celebration on their patronal feast day. In fact, when a parish celebrates its patron, that memorial or feast is elevated to the level of solemnity. These elements show that the day being celebrated is for all the people of God—liturgical feasts are not just for clergy or inside the walls of a church, but they add festivity to our whole lives.

Progressive solemnity is quite familiar to us if we think about it. To give an example, a couple’s preparation for their wedding may be painstaking, but the day of the wedding is all the sweeter for it. In the same way, when we prepare for and celebrate holy days with greater care and attention, we actually enter more deeply into the spirit and prayer of the Church on those days. Practices, such as attending Daily Mass and praying the divine office, are great ways to become more familiar with different saints and occasions throughout the year. Following a liturgical calendar online or a publication like Magnificat is also helpful. One way to put this into practice is to pick an upcoming solemnity, and try doing something special to prepare for it: extra prayers leading up to the day, a work of charity, or even fasting the day before. Then, when the day arrives, do something to celebrate: go to Mass, say a rosary, eat some ice cream, or call a friend. These external practices actually help focus our heart on what is being celebrated and enhance our prayer life.

It’s not always easy to feel connected to the holy days throughout the year. Thankfully, progressive solemnity is an easy starting point for anyone interested in living more closely to the Church’s prayer. By practicing progressive solemnity we can better attune ourselves to the rhythm of the Church and so offer our whole minds and hearts to God.

✠

Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)

This article was originally published in the d ominicanajournal.org and was written by Br. Roland Wakefield, O.P..

Jun 17 2024

Little Devotion, Large Graces

Further, our Order observes more spiritual exercises in honor of the Blessed Virgin than many other Orders . . . the daily Office begins with her and ends with her, hence her Compline is said last . . . again her daily Office is always and everywhere said standing, while in the other Offices the brothers are sometimes seated.
Bl. Humbert of Romans, Commentary of the Constitutions of the Order of Preachers

When I was in college, I began praying the Divine Office (also called the Liturgy of the Hours), a tremendous devotion that helped me discover my vocation to be a friar. But when I opened a breviary for the first time, it was certainly intimidating. The amount of page-flips were so numerous that I was left dizzied. I had no idea where the psalms were, or how to pray with them, and it was discouraging to pray because of how confused I was. However, once I had a grasp on the layout of the breviary, I was much more comfortable with praying it. But a new problem arose once I was out of college: I had no time to pray the entirety of the Divine Office. Thankfully, that Christmas I was gifted with a wonderful devotional, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a devotional that resembles the Liturgy of the Hours. However, it is much more abbreviated and focuses more on the Blessed Mother, with the psalms, antiphons, and hymns taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the larger Divine Office.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a long history. It is unclear when exactly it was devised, but tradition has it that, in 1095, Pope Urban II made this small office required for all clergy, in addition to their requirement to pray the Divine Office. Later, it was inserted into the back of breviaries for religious orders and clerics. This included those of the Dominican Order, and if you look in the back of the Dominican Breviary you’ll find it there. The obligation was then lifted by Pope Pius V at the Council of Trent. Most recently, the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed this devotion as a public prayer of the Church by stating “They, too, perform the public prayer of the Church who . . . recite any short office, provided this is drawn up after the pattern of the divine office and is duly approved.” To look at what brothers have said in the past about the Little Office, I encourage you to check out Fr. John Sica’s article.

You will find the Little Office much simpler to pray and much less intimidating. As opposed to the current four-week psalter of the Divine Office, the Little Office has either a daily psalter or a one-week psalter depending on the edition you pray with. This translates into much less page-flipping between sections of the book and allows it to be read straight through.

In my own experience, Mary gives us many graces through praying her psalter. There are even indulgences attached to pious recitation of the Little Office. It is a simple way for the psalms to enter your life in a way that makes them accessible. The psalms are not meant just for priests and religious to pray, but also for the laity. This is a gift of Holy Mother Church, and one that can bring about some incredible graces.

This article was originally published in the dominicanajournal.org and was written by Br. Jerome Masters, O.P..

Jun 07 2024

The Reasons We Go On Pilgrimage

What happens when one goes on pilgrimage? Hear some of the inspiring stories from Pilgrims who attended last year’s inaugural Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage. Learn the reasons why they went; how far they traveled; and the many graces they received by making pilgrimage. As Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., noted, “when we make a pilgrimage, we experience windfall graces.”

Prayerfully consider joining us for the second Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage. It will be held Saturday, September 28th at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. You will hear inspiring talks on the Rosary; celebrate Mass with the friars; have the opportunity for Adoration and to make a good confession; and of course, pray the Rosary!

May 27 2024

The Luminous Mysteries

Throughout his extensive pontificate, Pope Saint John Paul II held a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Most Holy Rosary. In 2002, he introduced the Luminous Mysteries to the rosary, explaining their significance in his apostolic letter, “Rosarium Virginis Mariae.” ”Moving on from the infancy and the hidden life in Nazareth to the public life of Jesus, our contemplation brings us to those mysteries which may be called in a special way “mysteries of light”. Certainly the whole mystery of Christ is a mystery of light. He is the “light of the world” (Jn 8:12). Yet this truth emerges in a special way during the years of his public life, when he proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom. In proposing to the Christian community five significant moments – “luminous” mysteries – during this phase of Christ’s life, I think that the following can be fittingly singled out: (1) his Baptism in the Jordan, (2) his self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, (3) his proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion, (4) his Transfiguration, and finally, (5) his institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery.”

The Apostolic Letter of St. Pope John Paul II entitled Rosarium Virginis Mariae.

The Luminous Mysteries

First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of the Lord
“In Those Days Came John The Baptist, Preaching In The Wilderness Of Judea, ‘Repent, For The Kingdom Of Heaven Is At Hand.’” Matthew 3:1-2

Second Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast At Cana
“There Was A Marriage At Cana Of Galilee, And The Mother Of Jesus Was There; Jesus Also Was Invited With His Disciples.” John 2:1-2

Third Luminous Mystery: The Preaching Of The Kingdom Of God
“Crowds, [Jesus] Went Up On The Mountain, And When He Sat Down His Disciples Came To Him. And He Opened His Mouth And Taught Them.” Mathhew 5:1-2

Fourth Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration
“Peter And James And John, And Led Them Up A High Mountain Apart By Themselves.” Mark 9:2

Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution Of The Most Holy Eucharist
“Disciples Had Prepared The Passover, When The Hour Came, Jesus Sat At Table And The Apostles With Him. And He Said To Them: ‘I Have Earnestly Desired To Eat This Passover With You Before I Suffer; For I Tell You I Shall Not Eat It Until It Is Fulfilled In The Kingdom Of God.’” Luke 22:14-16

We Invite You to Pray the Joyful Mysteries with Us