Picture source
by Brother John M.
Samaha, S.M.
At Fatima, as at Lourdes before,
Our Lady prayed the rosary with the seers and taught them how to do so
devoutly.
Consider
the rosary as a catechetical tool. This
thought arises from many bishops and lay catechists and all the religious and
lay educator groups in between.
Religious
educators and parents often comment that many today – youth and adults – are
lacking in Christian formation. A
certain religious illiteracy has infiltrated the family, school, and society in
general. Children especially lack a
strong basic understanding of fundamentals of our faith and of how to
pray. The challenge is clear for
catechists at all age levels. In
addition, we must remember that faith and virtue are caught more than
taught. We must model what we
teach. We must echo Christ; resound
faith, hope, and charity by walking the talk.
Catechists
and parents often seek new methods, programs, and books of religious
instruction, and we are at a loss for knowing any. But one sure-fired and time-tested method is
centuries old, tried and true, and easy to handle – the rosary.
If
youngsters and adults learn the rosary, they are learning the basics of the
Christian faith as well as learning how to pray. They would know from memory the Apostles’
Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be
– the latter three lifted literally from the Gospel. By praying the rosary they would be reviewing
the fundamental truths handed on by Jesus and practicing the art of praying. By teaching the rosary we help others to
learn that prayer is simple, Biblical, done in union with our Mother Mary, and
leads us to become absorbed in the mysteries of the life of Christ and of
salvation history.
To
know how to pray the twenty mysteries of the rosary means that we know the
basics about the life of Jesus and his teachings – his life, passion, death,
resurrection, and ascension; the meaning of Jesus’ Incarnation and Redemption. This challenges us to ponder what these
mysteries mean for us today. In reality the rosary is a compendium of the
Gospel; it is the Gospel strung on beads.
The
rosary is not a panacea; it does not solve all the challenges of catechesis and
faith formation. But it is one effective
catechetical tool for teaching and praying.
In the past noted saints and teachers have utilized it
successfully. It worked for St. Dominic and
his companions in combating the Albigensian heresy in his day.
Let’s
try again.
