the convert's rosary

8/14/2019 The Convert's Rosary

1/76


2/76


3/76


4/76


5/76


6/76


7/76


8/76


9/76

THECONVERT'S ROSARY

X

ALICE-M/ GARDINER

P. J. KENEDY & SONS44 Barclay StreetNew York


10/76

THRPUBLIC654?66

ASTOR, Lt-f.CA .^WOTILO -N FO'"-'JA,ION8.4 . r 4 I

"IRibil UBtair,

Innocentius Apap. O.P.Censor .DgpiiUtus.

imprimaturEDM. CAN. SURMONT,Vic. Gen,

Westmonasterii,die 30 Decenibris, 191 2.

I


11/76

INTRODUCTION.

OF all the many devotions practised bythe Catholic Church, there is none souniversally popular as the recitation of theRosary. The. reason,jsoBylous.^ U appealsto all classes and conditions of people. Richand poor, learned and igjiorar';t alike, find init one of their greatest consolations andspiritual helps. , V/hereyev we' '^6, East orWest ; from the Pmmblest ' couAtry home-stead to the fashionable church in Mayfair;from the mysterious gloom of " Notre Dame'^'=0 Victoires " in Paris to the proud Basilicaof St. Peter at Rome, we see the familiarbeads in use. The Church tells us that thisdevotion originated about seven hundredyears ago, and was first made known to St.Dominic through a vision of our Lady.Whatever its antiquity may be, the factremains, that over two hundred millions ofChristians ,practise it, and thereby bearwitness to its worth.When we Converts " lay aside the old manand put on the new " we are expected, inmaking a profession of our faith, to makealso a general act of acquiescence in thedevotions sanctioned by the Church. The


12/76

vi INTRODUCTIONto expect us to learn all our lessons in a day.When, through storm and stress, we have atlast reached the fold, she allows us at first torest in her arms, and listens calmly and with-out reproof to our petulant declaration thatwe cannot practise what we do not under-stand. in her infinite wisdom she knowsthat we canftot dwell jong in her fold whilstremaining a' 'straii^^r 'to all that she holdssacred and' dear. ' So she gently soothes hertired child; and bides her lime. Little bylittle, sooner or later, however, she has herway, and the once waj'-ward one succumbsto the comfort of fingering the beads.Some Converts tell us that they practised

this devotion in their Anglican days, althoughthey own to having done so in a shamefaced,surreptitious manner, which robbed it of halfits charm. To most of us, however, it is atfirst strange and somewhat alarming. We arebound to retain at the outset some of ourProtestant prejudices. The habits of mindof many years are not cast aside in a day.The fear of " vain repetitions " makes itselffelt ; of a mechanical recitation of prayersby the lips, in which the heart and mind haveno part. It is highly probable, indeed, thatof the Rosary will have


13/76

INTRODUCTION viiFathers " and the " Hail Marys " will fallfrom our lips, the beads will ghde through ourfingers, while our hearts will remain untouch-ed by the great mysteries we are trying tocommemorate. The spirit of the devotionevades us, while we are engaged in studyingits outer form.The whole object of the Rosary is to keep

before our mind's eye and meditate upon thechief events in the Uves of Our dear Lordand of His Blessed Mother. By the use ofthe Rosary the Nativity, the Passion and theDeath of Christ (instead of being far-offoccurrences, which happened nearly twothousand years ago) become the daily actual-ities of our lives, far more real and tangibleto us, than the so-called realities whichsurround us. But at the beginning it requiresstudy and a determination to triumph overfirst difficulties. Most Converts who havebecome used to it can bear witness to the factthat their Rosary has given them a morepersonal intimate knowledge of Our Lord'sLife and Passion than any amount of sermons,church-going or Bible-reading did in theirProtestant days.Those who find it hard to concentrate their


14/76

viii INTRODUCTIONBlessed Sacrament, during some quiet hour,when the church is empty. Our Lord'spresence on the Altar will help them morethan any other means to realise what theyare doing. They will also probably find thattheir powers of meditating will vary greatlyaccording to their health, surroundings andmoods. Some days it will be comparativelyeasy to keep their minds fixed upon theirprayers, at other times almost impossible.Worldly thoughts will somehow obtrudethemselves and crowd out the spiritual ones.These are trials which must be put up with.Our Lord sees the intention to honour Him,and will no doubt judge us thereby.

1 have endeavoured in these pages to drawout a little plan of how the Rosary can be saidin such a way that each part should contain,not only a spiritual exercise, but a practicallesson, applicable to our daily lives. If anyConverts should find that it has helped themto understand and love their Rosaries better,I shall have attained my object in writing itfor those who, like myself, have left thestorm-tossed vessel and " entered the havenwhere they would be."


15/76

HOW TO SAY THE ROSARY.IT is customary to begin and end theRosary by making the sign of the Cross.Devout Catholics also kiss the crucifix.Holding the latter in our hands, we thenrecite (mentally or aloud) the credo or belief :" I believe in God the Father Almighty,Maker of Heaven and earth," etc. Going onto the first large bead we then say an " OurFather," etc., and on each of the threesucceeding smaller beads a " Hail Mary,"etc., winding up with a " Glory be to theFather," etc. to the large bead which follows.At this point the Rosary proper commences.

Here it might be well to pause and recall theday of the week, reminding ourselves ofwhich of the three sets of mysteries falls tothis particular day ; the joyful, sorrowful orglorious ones. Here, too, might the object,if any, be decided upon, for which thisparticular Rosary is being offered. (Offeringsare such frequent occurrences in the lives ofCatholics, that it should scarcely be necessaryto remind them that every prayer, every Mass,every Communion, every abnegation of selfcan be offered to Our Lord for some particular


16/76

2 THE CONVERT S ROSARYWe now finger the same bead on which we

said our " Glory be to God," and use it forthe first

" Our Father " Then we put asclearly as possible before our minds themystery we wish to commemorate, and medi-tate upon it, while sa\ang the ten " HailMarys,'' accompanying the fingering of theten small beads. This, repeated again andagain, is the whole of the body of the Rosary.The soul is our meditation. To the last largebead is said a " Glory be to the Father," etc.By meditation is meant a mental pictureof each of the mysteries in turn, a taking ofheart and mind back to those great and solemnevents, which revolutionised the world. Atthe same time a striving to fathom the lessonunder each mj^stery, a desire of growing ingrace by pondering the same.There is not a shadow of a doubt that the

recitation of the Rosar}^ can achieve greatresults ; that it has been employed time aftertime with success against all manner of foes ;that it will continue to record great victorieslong after we who sing its praises will bememories of a dim past.

All honour therefore to the most holyRosary and to her who gave it birth !


17/76

THE convert's ROSARY 3THE THREE PARTS OF THE ROSARY.

The Joyful Mysteries(said on Mondays and Thursdays)

The Annunciation.The Visitation.The Nativity.The Presentation of Our Lord.The Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

The Sorrowful Mysteries{said on Tuesdays and Fridays.)

The Agony in the Garden.The Scourging at the Pillar.The Crowning with Thorns.Jesus carrying the Cross.The Crucifixion.

The Glorious Mysteries{said on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays)The Resurrection.The Ascension.The Coming of the Holy Ghost.


18/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARYTHE ROSARY APPLIED TO OUR

DAILY LIVES.The Annunciation Accepting God's WilLThe Visitation Brotherly Kindness.The Nativity God's Love for us.The Presentation Self-Sacrifice.The Finding of Jesus Finding God.The Agony in the Mental Agony.

GardenThe Scourging at the Physical Pain.

PillarThe Crowning with

ThornsThe Carrjdng of the

CrossThe Crucifixion

HumiHation.Bearing our Burdens.

Death.

The ResurrectionTlie AscensionTlie Coming of the

Holy GhostThe Assumption of

Our LadyThe Coronation of

Our Lady.

Overcoming Evil.Ascending Godwards.Faith in the Church.

\'eneration of OurLady.

Eternal Happiness.


19/76

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES


20/76

THE ANNUNCIATIONor"ACCEPTING GOD'S WILL."

" Behold the handmaid of the Lord : he it doneunto me according to Thy word."

St. Luke I., 38.WHEN the Angel Gabriel appeared untoMary, and announced to her that sheshould become the Mother of Our Lord, shewas both croubled and perplexed. She wastroubled by the way the Angel addressed her :" Hail, thou that art highly favoured, theLord is with thee : blessed art thou amongwomen." She was frightened at receivingsuch honour from one so exalted, and in hermodesty she shrank from the homage heexpressed. But the angel reassures her" Fear not, Mar}', for thou hast found favourwith God. Thou shalt bring forth a son,and shalt call his name Jesus, and of hisKingdom there shall be no end." She cannotdoubt any longer that she has indeed beensingled out to be the instrument of unusualgrace, but she is still perplexed as to how this


21/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 7thee, and the power of the Highest shallovershadow thee : therefore also that holyone which shall be born of thee shall becalled the Son of God," ending with : " Forwith God nothing shall be impossible."Mary then lays aside her doubts and fears,and joyfully makes an act of such perfectsubmission to the Will of God, that it hasremained a model to the entire Christianworld ever since : " Behold the handmaid ofthe Lord, be it done unto me according toThy word."One of the hardest lessons life teaches us

is the need of renouncing our own small willsand of accepting the mighty will of God.Sooner or later we one and all have to learnit. We all start life with certain plans andideals. Love, position, wealth and fame aresome of the goals we strive for, and on whichwe concentrate our best energies and hopes.But the Master we serve is a jealous one :" Thou shalt have none other Gods but me."Gently, but firmly, he takes away our idols.When he does so, we do not always recognisethe working of the divine hand. We blamefate, deplore our ill-luck, wonder in whatway we have deserved these reverses, become


22/76

8 THE CONVERTS ROSARYwisdom of it, and the object for which acertain blow was dealt. But every freshtrouble finds us very much as before ;indignant, rebelhous, distressed. We cannotreally from our hearts say : " Thy will bedone."Every conversion is in itself an act of

submission to the will of God. If under-taken in the right spirit, it was preceded bymuch prayer. St. Paul's cry : " Lord,what wouldst thou have me to do ? " was everwrung from our hearts, and when the answercame in unmistakeable tones : " Leave all,and follow Me," there was but one courseopen to us^we laid aside our doubts and fearsand begged God to let it be unto us " Accord-ing to his word." If we could only now carrythat same spirit into our daily lives, all wouldbe well. With perfect conformity to God'swill in all things would come perfect peace.There are three ways of attaining it. Bywatching, by imitation, and by prayer. Wemust watch ourselves constantly, to see towhat extent we are resisting the will of God.We must imitate those who have fought thesame fight, and come out of it victorious.The Saints, with the Mother of Our Lord at


23/76

THE convert's ROSARY 9some day to share their reward. But aboveall we must pray, and learn to take every-thing, sorrow as well as joy, equally grate-fully from His fatherly hand. Then in timewe may learn to live by that most beautifulprayer : " O most merciful Jesus, grant tome Thy grace, that it may be with me, andcontinue with me even unto the end. Grantthat I may always desire and will that whichis to Thee most acceptable and most dear.Let Thy will be mine, and let my will everfollow Thine, and let me not be able to willor anything to forego, but what thou wiliestor dost not will." Imitation of Christ.

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may learn to accept God'swill, now and at the hour of our death.Amen."


24/76

THE VISITATIONorBROTHERLY KINDNESS."

" Add to Godliness brotherly kindness."2 St. Peter I., 7.

WHEN Mary heard that her cousin Eliza-beth was with child, she arose and wentto her with haste, and abode with her aboutthree months. Mary had only just heardthe great news of her own destiny ; she mightwell have been wrapped up in that thoughtto the exclusion of all others ; but she whowas to become the Mother of Our Saviourgave but httle thought to herself. Her heartwas moved with compassion towards theelder woman, and she started off immediatelyon that long and wearisome journey, in orderto bring her cousin the comfort of her presenceand sympathy.What a lesson for us ! How seldom do weput ourselves out to obhge any one, howcarefully do we watch over our own comfortand convenience ! Self-love looms very largein the composition of most of us. That is


25/76

THE CONVERTS ROSARY II" love thy neighbour as thyself." He knewhow very few of us would attain such astandard, but He also knew that it was notan impossibility, so he has left us this goalto strive for. He Himself is our suprememodel in this respect, as in all others, for Hehas given His very life for His neighbours." Greater love hath no man than this, thathe lay down his Ufe for his friend." Life,however, does not always consist of great andheroic deeds. It is often the small actswhich matter. In our intercourse with ourneighbour it is the small acts of kindnesswhich count, the prompt word of sympathywhen needed, the ready ear with which welisten to their troubles, the interest we areprepared to take in all that concerns them.St. Peter urges us to let it be " brotherly "kindness. We are to treat our neighboursas so many brothers and sisters, all belongingto one great family, owning the same Father.We should be ready to defend their honour,be slow in judging or condemning them.Even when appearances are against them, weshould find excuses for them, and overlooktheir faults. We should strive to show themlittle kindnesses ; we should delight in being


26/76

12 THE CONVERT S ROSARYpractising brotherly kindness. " Do goodunto all men, especially unto them who areof the household of faith." There is muchneed for help in all Catholic charities, muchdanger of loss of faith if that help is notforthcoming. We must all give in proportionto our means, remembering that even acup of cold water given in His name willbring its reward.

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, now and at the hour of our death,that we may always practise brotherlykindness. Amen."


27/76

THE NATIVITYor"GODS LOVE FOR US."

" / have loved thee with an everlasting love."-Jeremiah XXXI., 3.

Zj^T homo factus est. The human mindfails to grasp the enormity of this

thought. God made man. He, who existedfrom all eternity, and Whose kingdom shallhave no end, born into this world for love ofus. The Almighty Creator of these myriadsof planets, before Whom the angels tremble,and Whom the seraphims adore, becoming alittle helpless child for our sakes. For oursakes living for thirty years a hidden life,meekly subject to men, taking up with everyfresh dawn His daily round of humble toil.For love of us bearing suffering, humiliationand contempt. For our sakes facing thoseterrible hours of agony on the cross . . . Hiswhole life a continual proof of His love for us.And as then, so now. As once at Bethlehem,Nazareth, Golgotha, so now in every placewhere He is present in the Blessed Sacrament.


28/76

14 THE CONVERT S ROSARYinfinite love of God for us ! Fountain whichnever runs dry, which cannot be exhausted !^^^hat are we to have deserved such love ?

The Christ Child in the MangerHow hard it must have been to believe that

that little helpless infant was the Maker of allthings, " Very God of very God " ! How hardit is at times to grasp that, in receiving thesacred Host, we truly and certainly receive ourGod ! In either case we must learn to distrustour natural senses, and to be guided alone byour supernatural faith. God become man ;God become bread. " With God nothing shallbe impossible." " Lord, I believe ; help Thoumine unbelief ! "When Christmas comes again, that dear

festival of the Nativity, to whose real meaiiingso little thought is given in this busy world,let us newly-found children of the Churchkneel before the Crib with greater reverenceand gratitude than all others. Let us steepourselves in the thought of His love, and let itsink deep into our tepid hearts. Let us joinOur Blessed Lady and the shepherds in ador-ing Him, not at the Crib alone, but at everyCatholic altar in the world. Let us adore


29/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 15every time we hear the Sanctus bell atMass.Oh, sacred Heart which beats for us, andnever ceases loving us, let us try to fathom

the depths of Thy love ! Let us makereparation to Thee for all who reject Thee.Let us adore Thee in the most Holy Sacramentof Thy love, where Thou liest helpless to-day,as once in the manger, where now, as then,human hands tend Thee, and Thou art toall appearances subject to men ! Oh, Thouwho hast loved us with an everlasting love,teach us to make Thee some worthy returnfor Thy love !

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may love God in return forHis love of us, now, and at the hour of ourdeath. Amen."


30/76

THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORDIN THE TEMPLE

or"SELF-SACRIFICE."

" If any man will come after Me, let himdeny himself."

St. Matthew XVI., 24.

WHEN the time came for Our Lord to bepresented at the Temple, His BlessedMother took her divine Child there in obedienceto the law. This presentation, however, has adeeper significance than a mere adherence tocustom, for in it we may surely read Mary'swilhngness to offer her Child to God. It wason this occasion that she learned for the firsttime how much suffering would be hers.Simeon's prophecy " a sword shall piercethy soul " must have sunk deep into thatvirgin heart, consecrating it still more toGod's service. The greatest of all sacrificeswas demanded from her : that she shouldgive her own beloved Son to die on the cross.Therefore, at the Presentation, the Christ-


31/76

THE CONVERTS ROSARY I7shares in her Son's sacrifice by giving lierdearest possession to God.

Sacrifice is the very keynote of our rehgion.In the Holy Mass the Church reminds usdaily of that greatest of all sacrifices, teachingus that as Our dear Lord offered Himself forus, so must we be prepared to offer ourselvesto Him. Our bodies to be " living sacrifices,"our souls to be His for ever. There exists notruly Christian life without sacrifice. As Godtested Abraham to find out whether he wouldbe ready to sacrifice even his own son atGod's command, so does He test each oneof us, taking from us, or withholding, justwhatever we most love and desire, in orderto leave us free to give our whole hearts toHim. Unless we are willing to empty our-selves of " Self," we are no true disciples ofJesus Christ. " If any man will come afterme, let him deny himself " were Our Lord'sown words, and no one ever lived a moreselfless life than He.Converts soon learn that self-sacrifice isexpected of them. There are no conversionswhich are not preceded or followed by crosses.God demands a penalty for all the spiritualhelp he has showered on us in making us"


32/76

l8 THE convert's ROSARYAdmittance into Christ's Church means

to many a parting, or, at least, anestrangement, from all whom they lovemost on earth ; the sorrow of not beingunderstood ; the pain of being alone inthe midst of their joy. As time goes onthese sorrows may even go on increasing,but there can be no going back forthose who have once stood under thebanner of Christ. Converts have to choosebetween their duty to God and to man,remembering always that " he who lovethfather or mother more than Me is not worthyof Me." Let our self-sacrifice, therefore, bemade joyfully, in full confidence that, in Hisown good time, God will give us those soulsso dear to Him, from whom we are temporarilyseparated. His ways are incomprehensible,because the end of his workings is hidden ininfinity. " Now we see through a glassdarkly, but then face to face." The daymust come when the sacrifices He lias de-manded from us here below will meet withtheir reward. May we therefore go forwardwith ever-increasing readiness to sacrificeourselves in His service, looking for guidanceto that Lamb of God, from whom we would


33/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY I9" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us

sinners, that we maj^ be ever wiUing tosacrifice ourselves for God, now and at thehour of our death. Amen."


34/76

THE FINDING OF JESUS IN THETEMPLEor

' FINDING GOD."" And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye

shall search for me with all your heart."Jeremiah XXIX., 13.

WHEN Joseph and Mary returned homeafter the feast of the Passover, Our Lord

dehberately remained behind in Jerusalem,giving His parents three days and nights ofthe most intense anxiety and sorrow on Hisbehalf. Their relief and joy on finding Him,therefore, were indescribable, for it was thefirst time in their lives they had experiencedthe dread of losing Him, and the emptinessleft by His absence.

Just as Jesus withdrew His beloved pre-sence from those nearest and dearest to Him,on earth, so He deals at times with us. Thereare moments in our lives, when we seem tolose the sense of God's nearness, of HisJustice, of His Mercy ; when we cry out intothe night which surrounds us, and not the


35/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 21blind beggar, we can only pray for light" Lord, that I may see ! "Converts are essentially seekers after God,

after the truth. Many have sacrificed muchto obtain it, and cannot therefore value thegift of faith too highly. There is no deeperor truer joy on earth, than when a soul, afteran earnest search, at last finds its God. Allits past difficulties and doubts, as well as theroughness of the road, are forgotten, in thesublime certainty of having found the truth.Something similar may perhaps be said ofevery one who finds satisfaction in his parti-cular belief, but to those who have beenadmitted into the Catholic Church it comes ina measure only to be vaguely guessed at bythose outside. To the former it is indeed a" finding of Jesus " in the truest sense of theword. No longer a stretching out of heartsand hands into the great unknown, but adeep and abiding certainty of having foundHim. No convert can ever be sufficientlygrateful for this precious gift of faith. Theirwhole lives should be acts of thanksgiving,for has not the prophecy been realised inthem : " Ye shall seek me and find me, whenye shall search for me with all your hearts ? "


36/76

22 THE CONVERT S ROSARYwhom the angels adore in Heaven ; but I,for the present by faith : they, by sight, andwithout a veil. I ought to be content withthe light of true faith, and to walk thereinuntil the day of everlasting brightness dawns,and the shadows of figures pass away."Imitation of Christ.

" Holy Mar}^ Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may be thankful for the giftof the faith, now and at the hour of ourdeath. Amen."


37/76

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES


38/76

THE AGONY IN THE GARDENor'* MENTAL AGONY."

" My soul is exceeding sorrowful even untodeath." St. Matthew XXVI., 38.IN the garden of Gethsemane was enactedthat most heart-rending scene of OurLord's passion, when He, who was ready tobear all things for our sakes, was overcomeby human weakness, and His human naturerebelled against the sufferings which wereawaiting Him. " Father, if Thou wilt,remove this chalice from Me," is the prayerof agany which is wrung from His lips, andHis sweat becomes as drops of blood,trickling down on the ground.There are those who hold that Our Lord,

being God, could not have felt human painand sorrow to the extent that we mortals do,that the strength of His divine nature upheldHim and lessened His pain. This is untrue.No human being can ever have suffered whatJesus did. He went through the bitterest


39/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 25passion, every detail of which He was ableto foresee, came that bitter certainty of themultitude of souls who deliberately refusedto be ministered to, souls who would denyHim in all ages, souls who, having knownHim, would abandon Him in the end. Itwas in this hour that He uttered those sadwords : " My soul is exceeding sorrowful,even unto death." Truly there was no sorrowlike unto His sorrow ; no depths of miseryunknown to Our SaviourHis own friendsand most loved disciples deserted and be-trayed Him ; He was despised, forsaken,alone. The cup which seemed too bitter todrink was at His lips, and even He could notrepress a cry of anguish at what lay beforeHim. " Yet not My will, but Thine be done."

There are times when we too may be calledupon to endure such agony of mind that wecry out in despair, and fall, bruised andhelpless, at God's feetHe alone knowswhat we endure in such moments. We, too,pray that the chalice may be removed fromus, but in His infinite wisdom, our heavenlyFather does not always grant our prayer.Whatever our sorrow may be, the death ofone whom we love, the unfaitlifulness of onewhom we trusted, disappointments in our


40/76

26 THE convert's ROSARYis best for us, so we must learn to say, likeOur Lord " Thy vdll be done."

Converts have nearly all drunk of the cupof mental agony ; if they had not, they wouldprobably not have " come home." It isprobably their very sorrows that hsivebrought them into the arms of the Church,for where else can a soul find the same balmfor its wounds ? In contemplating theAgony in the Garden, in following the Wayof the Cross, surely every Christian heartmust be strengthened, every soul must behelped. That He should have been wilhngto face such agony of mind for us can butincrease our love for Him, and in every freshtrial we can but repeat His prayer : " Notmy will but Thine be done."

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may endure mental agonypatiently, now, and at the hour of our death.Amen "


41/76

THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLARor"PHYSICAL PAIN."

" For we know that the whole creationgroaneth and travaileth in pain together untilnoiv." Romans \"III . 22.NO sooner had Our Blessed Lord passedtlirough those terrible hours of agonyof mind in the Garden of Gethsemane, than Hewas called upon to suffer the most cruel ofbodily tortures. He was taken and scourged.His sacred flesh was torn again and again,as the lashes descended on Him in greatmerciless blows. It was for our sins that Heendured that terrible chastisement, for" with His stripes we are healed." Oh,patient suffering of Jesus ! "He was op-pressed and He was afflicted, yet He openednot His mouth : He is brought as a lamb tothe slaughter, and as a sheep before hershearers is dumb, so He openeth not Hismouth." Oh, Lamb of God, teach us to bepatient in suffering !Physical pain appears to be inseparable


42/76

28 THE convert's ROSARYworld, visits us again and again throughlife ; it is present at our passage into eternity.There are those who would deny the veryexistence of pain, who say that God ^an neverhave intended His creatures to suffer thus,who beg us to wean our thoughts from itand to believe that from the all-loving Creatorcan come nothing e\n]. Let us refer them tothe passion and death of Christ, to thesufferings of His Blessed Mother, to theagonising pains endured by the martyrs.We have Our Lord's distinct command tofollow Him. How can we expect to be ex-empt from pain ? There are others who admitthat the sight of all the sufferings in the worldhas led them to doubt the very existence ofa Creator, or at least to question His goodnessand mercy.To the Catholic the thought presents no

difficulties. The Church has always taughtthe Gospel of the necessity of pain. Sheblesses and sanctifies those who have enduredit manfulty, she eases their burden by biddingthem unite their sufferings to the sufferingsof Christ. Slie strengthens us by her sacra-ments, teaches us how to gain merit bybearing all patiently, she forbids us despair.


43/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 29imitation of Our Lord ; secondly, to prove tothose outside the Church that by our in-corporation into that mystical body of His,His strength is made perfect in our weakness,and we are enabled to bear all things in Himalthough we look forward with longing tothat blessed land, where there shall be "nomore sorrow, nor pain " and where GodHimself " shall wipe away all tears " fromour eyes.

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may learn to bear painpatiently, now and at the hour of our death.Amen."


44/76

THE CROWNING WITH THORNSor

"HUMILIATION."" Learn of Me, Joy I am humble and meek.''

St. Matthew XI., 29.

THE crowning with the crown of thornswas the note of mockery in our BlessedLord's passion. Those who treated Him thuswished in their liatred to punish Him fordaring to call Himself a King. They weredetermined to add the bitter cup of humilia-tion to His mental and bodily sufferings.They crowned Him a King of sorrows. Sothe cruel thorns pressed into His sacred brow,and once again His precious blood gushedforth for our redemption. It was thus thatHe was presented to the people, with thewords : " Behold the Man ! " Can anyfailure have been more complete from anearthly point of view ? Despised, rejected,mocked, forsaken, denied ; was there any-thing still wanting in the bitterness of OurLord's humiliation ?


45/76


46/76

32 THE CONVERTS ROSARYmore opposed to our innate love of, andrespect for, ourselves.

Converts are often humiliated on accountof their beliefs. Many are treated as weak-minded, as aliens ; they are mocked andjeered at for adhering to the rules of theChurch ; they are taunted by the world, anddescribed as ignorant, idolatrous, narrow-minded, pedantic. Truly, every convert,however kindly and indulgently his conver-sion has been treated, has plenty of oppor-tunity of practising the virtue of humihty.When humiliations come, and come they will,let us look at a picture of Jesus wearing Hiscrown of thorns, and let us learn of Him tobe humble and meek.

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may learn to bear humilia-tion, now, and at the hour of our death.Amen."


47/76


48/76

34 THE convert's rosarySooner or later it comes to all of us, in oneshape or another. We are very apt to lookaround us. and to envy this person or theother for having blessings which we do notpossess. If we could but read their hearts,we should learn to see that Our HeavenlyFather is not unjust, treating one child withindulgence and another with harshness.The Convert's cross is necessarily a heavyone. They have stood at the cross-roads,and have had to make their choice betweentheir conscience on the one side and all theyheld mosl dear in this world on the other.They have had to face the possibilities ofestrangements, dissensions, contempt. Atthe best they have to face the burden ofloneliness ; the daily cross of being alone intheir deepest and most sacred beliefs ; theinabihty of opening out their hearts to thosewhom they love most dearly ; the sadness oftrying to bridge over the inevitable gulfwhich must arise between them and thosewho do not share their faith. How then areour burdens to be borne ? There must aboveall be no trying to shift them, to lay themdown. Our Lord says : " Take My yokeupon you and learn of Me." We are then to


49/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 35and try to follow Him on that painful" Way of the Cross." We must learn tocarry our cross patiently, without complaint,and when it appears to crush us we must doas He bids us, Who invites us to cast ourburden on Him and He will sustain us.

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may learn to bear our burdenspatiently, now and at the hour of our death.Amen."


50/76

THE CRUCIFIXIONor"DEATH."

" The Wages of sin is death."Romans VI., 23.WITH Our Lord's death on the Crossended the great tragedy of His passion.He was crucified for our sins ; He died thatwe might have hfe. It was our sins thatnailed Him to that cruel Cross, that causedthe blood to flow from those five mvstprecious wounds, that made Him endurethat agony until the bitter end.There is not one of us who has not at sometime or another of our lives crucified OurLord. By anger ; by neglect ; by evilwords ; by forbidden actions ; by want oflove. The sacrifice on the Cross was offeredfor each one of us. \\q could never haveattained pardon without it. When we thinkof His unspeakable love for us, we cannotcommit sin. But we are apt to forget. Thereare times when He is far from us ; when we


51/76

THE CONVERTS ROSARY 37Almighty. We forget that death may takeus unawares, that we have been told that" nothing defiled can enter Heaven/' Whilewe have the bitter consciousness of unfor-given sin in our soul, we cannot hope foreternal happiness. There is no man, how-ever holy, who has not at one time or anothercommitted grievous sin. His soul is stainedby that sin, until the blood of Christ haswashed that stain away ; in other words,unless Our Lord, through His Church, hasforgiven that sin, it remains in the soul. Ininstituting the Sacrament of Penance, Hehas given us the means of cleansing ourselvesof our sins. " Whosoever sins ye shall remitthey are remitted." Christ's priests havereceived from Him the power of absolvingus from our sins, and thereby cleansing oursouls.

Converts soon learn to realise the blessedcomfort and lightness of heart which followson receiving the priest's absolution. Itenables us to put aside the past and to beginafresh. Each visit to the confessional is astepping-stone to heaven. The advice re-ceived there, the encouragement which isnever sought in vain, keeps up our courage


52/76


53/76

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES


54/76

THE RESURRECTIONor"OVERCOMING EVIL."

"Like as Christ was raised up from the deadhy the glory of the Father ; even so we alsoshould walk in newness of life."Romans VI., 4.OUR Blessed Lord's glorious Resurrectionfrom the dead is the surest proof of HisDivinity, and the very root and foundationof our belief. Without it His Godhead couldnot have been proved. It was by HisResurrection that was fulfilled the prophecyHe had made : " Destroy this Temple "(His Body) " and in three days I will raise itup again." Death had no dominion overHim, because He was Himself Master overlife and death. " Death is swallowed up invictory." When, on that first glad Eastermorn, St. Mary Magdalen and the disciplesstood before that empty tomb, how greatmust have been their joy, for now were theyconvinced that He whom they worshipped


55/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 4Ijoyous of all feasts, because it never fails toremind us of the great victory of Christ ourLord.This glorious mystery is typical of theresurrection of our souls from sin. St. Paulreminds us that " like as Christ was raised upfrom the dead by the glory of the Fathereven so we also should walk in newness otlife," also that " our old man is crucified withHim, that the body of sin might be destroyedthat henceforth we should not serve sin."

Converts should therefore examine them-selves carefully, as to whether the graceswhich they have received have led them toshun sin and to crucify the old man. Theymust remember that their responsibility isnow far greater than ever before, for in futurewhen they are tempted to commit sin, itwill not be they alone who will suffer, butthat mystical Body of Christ, to which theynow belong, and from which they havealready received so many blessings. Everysin of theirs will be laid at her door, ^vill beascribed to her influence. As they love andhonour the Church, they must strive to keeppure and walk in newness of life, shunningevil, refusing to serve sin.


56/76

42 THE CONVERT S ROSARYnever wished us to perish, but gave His ownSon, in order that we should have everlastinglife. In Christ's own words : "He thatbelieveth in Me, though he were dead, yetshall he live." For those who live in thefaith, the thought of death should not be ter-rible, for it can but be a passing moment, forthey shall have " passed from death unto life."

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may overcome evil, now andat the hour of our death. Amen."


57/76

THE ASCENSIONorOBEYING GOD'S CALL."

" Called to be saints."Cor. I., 2.

OUR Blessed Saviour, having finishedHis work on earth, ascended to heaven,and became reunited with His divine Father.God calls every human soul to Himself.

Those who refuse to hear His call, and de-Uberately close their hearts to it in this lifewill be shut out from His presence in alleternity. Those who follow His call and livein accordance with His commands, may,through the infinite merits of His passion,hope to enter some day into their reward.Every convert has received a very special

call from God. A call which had to befollowed, ai whatever cost to self. A callto follow Jesus ; to " enter into His gateswith thanksgiving, and into His courts withpraise " ; a call to approach nearer to HisDivine presence, and to be made one with


58/76

44 THE CONVERT S ROSARVmust render ourselves worthy of it. Wemust consecrate ourselves to His service inwhatever way He seems to desire. We mustplace ourselves entirely at His disposal,asking Him for guidance in every occurrenceof our daily lives, however trivial they mayseem. He will not refuse to direct us,provided we ask Him with sufficient confi-dence.When St. Paul spoke of those who were" called to be saints," he alluded to all thoseinhabitants of Rome, who had embracedChristianity, and the word " saint " in thosedays was another term for a Christian, ascontrasted with those who rejected or hadnot heard of Our Lord. The word " called "shows that St. Paul held that every conver-sion was the work of God, not of man. Hespeaks also of his own " call " to be anapostle. In another sense we may take itthat we are all " called to be saints." Thatis, having been made Christians and membersof His Church, we are called to lead " saintly "lives, to imitate the saints of God, to besaints as well as Christians. There are manydifferent calls from God. There are thosewhom He wishes to retain in the world ; to


59/76

THE CONVERTS ROSARY 45things which are God's," that is, " Live yourlives in the world, giving the world its due,but keep your hearts and minds fixed on Me/'There are others whom He calls more closelyto His service. Such is the call to thepriesthood : " If ye love Me, feed My sheep ;feed My lambs " ; or the call to foreignmissions : " Go ye into the whole world andpreach the Gospel." But the highest call ofall is given to those purest and holiest ofsouls, who embrace the religious life. To themHe says : " Leave all and follow Me." Andso they leave all the world thinks worthliving for, not only home and kindred, butevery natural and harmless human pleasureand comfort, in order to give themselvescompletely to Him. And so, having re-nounced all to follow Him, and " resting notday or night praising God," " the Lambwhich is in their midst feeds them " and" gives them to drink of living waters."

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, that we may always obey His call,now, and at the hour of our death. Amen."


60/76

THE COMING OF THE HOLY GHOSTor"FAITH IN THE CHURCH."

" Receive ye the Holy Ghost*'St. John XX., 27.

THE descent of the Holy Ghost upon theApostles was the final seal set by OurLord on His Church. From henceforth shewould be animated by His spirit, and hadreceived His authority to teach and to preach.He also promised her the Comforter, thespirit of truth, who was to abide with her forever, and He promised to be with her Himselfin His most holy Sacrament even unto theend of the world.By being incorporated into that Church,which is in very truth the mystical bodyof Christ Our Lord, that Holy Spiritwhich descended on the disciples at Pente-cost, must also dwell in us. Through her,the " One, Holy, Catholic and ApostolicChurch " we have our share in the " Commu-nion of Saints." That is, we are in commu-


61/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 47with the suffering souls in Purgatory byoffering our prayers on their behalf. Welearn the true meaning of the " forgivenessof sins " every time we kneel with truecontrition in the confessional. We have anactual share in the merits of Our Blessed Lordand of His saints. Through the Church weare fed with that promised bread from heaven,which is the food of our souls, and our strengthand comfort in the daily battle of life.Every Convert should therefore be ready

ever to uphold the Church's dignity, to defendher honour, to witness to her holiness andher beauty. As " Christ loved the Church,and gave Himself for Her," so He wishes usto love her, and to spend ourselves for herbenefit. For we are citizens of no mean city." Her bulwarks are strong, and salvationdwelleth within her walls." We shouldhonour her priests, follow her precepts, obeyher teaching, abide by her laws. We shouldgo to her in our troubles and difficulties, forshe heals all wounds, and has a balm forevery pain. We can be certain that herteaching is the true one because Our Lordsaid : "He who heareth you heareth Me."She, like her Divine Master, " teaches as onehaving authority, not as the scribes." " She


62/76

48 THE convert's rosarybuilder and maker is God." And so we lookto her for the salvation of our souls. WebeHeve in her divine mission and power,because she has received both straight fromGod. In her we find a foretaste of thatgreater glory which is to come ; within herwalls dwells His Almighty Presence, guardingher from all evil, and leading her Himselfinto all truth. " Blessed are they that dwellin Thy house."p." Holy MdiTy, Mother of God, pray for ussinners that we may ever have faith in theChurch now, and at the hour of our death.Amen."


63/76

THE ASSUMPTIONor"VENERATION OF OUR LADY.""All generations shall call me blessed."

St. Luke L, 48.THE Church teaches that twelve yearsafter the Crucifixion, Mary gave up her

sorrowful soul to God. We believe that Heof whom it has been said that He would not" let this Holy One see corruption," did notallow Our Lady's body to remain in the grave,but admitted her at once into Heaven, whereever since she has pleaded powerfully on ourbehalf.

Non-Catholic Christians honestly behevethat the worship they owe to Christ wouldbe minimised by veneration of His BlessedMother. In their desire to honour HisGodhead, they forget His Manhood. Theyforget that no human being among thecountless millions who throughout the ageshave inhabited this earth, has ever stoodin a more intimate relation to their Creatorthan Mary, the Mother of Our Saviour.


64/76

50 THE CONVERTS ROSARYher out for the greatest honour ever conferredupon a created being. Through her it wasthat our Blessed Lord was given to us, toher care He was entrusted in childhood,she never ceased in her pure and selflessworship of Him, she kept all His sayings inher heart. For thirty years she was Hisdaily companion ; she, unlike the disciples,never betrayed Him, but remained withHim until the end at the foot of the Cross.Can we for one moment imagine that shecan have been anything but most pure, mostchaste, most patient, most lovable, mostadmirable ?We often judge the moral worth of menand women by their devotion to their mothers.If human children are capable of the mostintense love and devotion to their mothers,what must not the love and devotion of Jesushave been for His ? Can we believe Him tohave been less loving, less obedient, lessdevoted, than the most perfect son on earth ?We take it for granted that nothing couldhave exceeded Our Lord's love and respectfor His mother. Almost His last thought onthe Cross was to provide for her, in leavingher in the care of His beloved disciple, St."


65/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 5mother. Hear Mary herself : " All genera-tions shall call me blessed." Hear theArchangel from heaven, God's own messenger," Thou art highly favoured, thou hast foundfavour with God." Hear St. Elizabeth" Blessed art thou among women ! "From the earliest times the Church has

always given to Mary the most whole-hearted devotion, the most profound respect,the most filial love. We believe her to bevery powerful with God, and therefore haverecourse to her in our troubles. She is ourintercessor with God, our " Mother of goodCounsel," the " Comforter of the afflicted,"the " Refuge of sinners."

Converts should therefore strive to acquirea very special devotion for Our Lady, forthe Church bids us to go to her, and if we doso, she will in time become most dear to us,and in very truth a Mother.

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners that we may learn to love and vene-rate thee as we should, now, and at the hourof our death. Amen."


66/76

THE CORONATION OF OUR LADYor"ETERNAL HAPPhNESS."

" There appeared a great wonder in heaven ;a woman clothed with the sun, and the moonunder her feet, and upon her head a crown oftwelve stars."

Rev. XIL, I.

THE \ision of St. John can have referredto no other than to the Mother of OurLord. To her alone can have been due suchhonour, such marks of royalty. Of royaldescent, royal through the Kingship of herdivine Son, the Church teaches that on herAssumption, God rewarded her for herpatient faith and her sufferings by crowningher Queen of Heaven ; that there she reignsfor evermore. Queen of Apostles and ofMartyrs, of Saints and of our souls. Andso it is that we pray to her thus : " HailHoly Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail our life,our sweetness and our hope ! To thee do wecr}^ poor banished children of Eve. To thee


67/76

THE CONVERT S ROSARY 53most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercytowards us ; and after this our exile, showunto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.Pray for us, holy Mother of God, that wemay be made worthy of the promises ofChrist."

St. Paul tells us that " eye hath not seen,nor ear heard, neither have entered into theheart of man, the things which God hathprepared for them that love Him." Itwould therefore be an utter impossibilityfor us to try and picture even for a momentthe crowning happiness which awaits thosewho will be found worthy to enter into thejoy of the Lord. The pleasures and beautiesof this world will fade into nothing as com-pared with the blessings which are preparedfor God's chosen ones in heaven. There willbe found once again our lost ideals, the friendsfrom whom we were parted, the work whichwe failed to do here below ; there shall oursouls find that promised peace, which passethall understanding, that eternal rest we cravefor, that perpetual light which is denied tous here. There shall our sorrows be drownedin joy, all hidden things be made clear to us,all discord cease. There shall (cleansed


68/76

54 THE CONVERT S ROSARYjoin those countless multitudes, whom noman can number, of all nations and kin-dred, and people, and tongues, who standbefore the throne and the Lamb, singing :" Holy, Holy, Holy " to the living God.There shall we behold Him at last in Hisbeauty, whom we worship here beneath aveil, no longer seeing " as through a glassdarkly, but face to face." " In my fleshshall I see God." Mine eyes shall feast onthe King's beauty and I shall praise andadore Him in all eternity.

" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners, now, and at the hour of our death,that we may be deemed worthy of eternalhappiness. Amen."


69/76


70/76

Printed byThe Westminster Press41 lA, Harrow Road.

London.W.


71/76


72/76


73/76


74/76


75/76


76/76

the convert's rosary

Documents