The Rosary is a mediation on the mysteries of Christ's life. But the Virgin Mary is the most perfect disciple and the most perfect imitator of Christ, and her life, from its very beginning, was a reflection of the mystery of Christ. Therefore, in meditating also on the life of the Virgin Mary, we learn about Christ ever more deeply. For Mary is nothing without Christ. Her whole life and her whole self is patterned after Christ. Because of this, and in order to bring out the full Christological depth of the Rosary, I suggest that it would be suitable to make an addition to the traditional pattern which would include significant events in salvation history prior to the Incarnation of Christ, including those related to the early life of the Virgin Mary (Cf. Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, n. 19).
The events described within the traditional mysteries of the Rosary each include some participation by the Virgin Mary, whether explicitly, as in the mystery of the Incarnation, or implicitly, as in the mystery of the Resurrection. Mary's essential role in our salvation is also apparent in the prayers of the Rosary, which in the traditional pattern include 153 Hail Marys. Therefore, it is entirely fitting for these additional mysteries to include a meditation on the deeds of God in salvation history prior to the Incarnation, beginning with the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
I suggest to the faithful the following 5 mysteries of the Rosary, to be prayed in the usual way, as frequently or infrequently as the faithful see fit, and according to the Providence and Grace of God. These 5 mysteries are called the Hidden Mysteries because they meditate upon events that were mostly hidden from the world.
1. The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary
This mystery is well-known to all the Roman Catholic faithful. After the faithful had believed this doctrine for many centuries, it was finally taught infallibly by Pope Pius IX in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, when he defined “that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”
In my speculative theology about the Virgin Mary, I firmly believe and clearly understand that Mary's Immaculate Conception was also an entirely miraculous and entirely virginal conception. For God desired that the Virginity of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, be so perfect, complete, and all-encompassing that even the manner of her Immaculate Conception and her Holy Birth were required by God to be entirely Virginal, occurring solely and entirely by a miracle of God, and not in the usual way. It is a part of the total and constant Virginity of Mary, the Mother of God, that even the manner of her Immaculate Conception was completely Virginal, occurring solely and entirely by means of a miracle from the Mercy of God, and not by means of human will or action.
2. The Birth of the Virgin Mary
Mary's birth is similar to Christ's birth because Mary's life is a perfect imitation of Christ's life. Her birth from the womb of St. Ann foreshadowed Christ's birth from her own womb. And although Mary's life began before Christ's life, it is only by the life of Christ and the graces that flow from His death that Mary was able to be conceived and born, and later become the Mother of Christ.
In my speculative theology about the Virgin Mary, I firmly believe and clearly understand that the Birth of the Virgin Mary occurred in a manner which was entirely miraculous and entirely virginal, not in the usual manner. The Virgin Mary went directly from her mother's womb to the outside world solely by a miracle of God and without any part of the usual process of delivery. The Virgin Mother of God was born solely by a miracle of God, in a true perfect Virgin Birth, like the true perfect Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.
3. The Service of the Virgin Mary in the Temple
The Gospel of Matthew calls Mary a virgin, not only because she was a true and perfect Virgin, but also because she was one of the virgins dedicated to the service of the Temple of Jerusalem. According to the private revelations to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, this service began at a very young age and continued until shortly before her virginal marriage to Saint Joseph.
Mary's service as a Temple Virgin was a foreshadowing of that later time when she would serve God and all humanity by allowing God Incarnate to dwell within her womb from the time of the Incarnation to the time of the Birth of our Savior. In her early days as a child, Mary served God in the Temple in Jerusalem because that Temple itself was a figure and a symbol of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Mary's complete dedication to God drew her to the service of God in the Temple, to that same Temple which itself was a foreshadowing of her Son Jesus Christ.
4. The Virginal Marriage of Joseph and Mary
God so values perfect virginity, even above perfect marriage, that He willed his handmaid Mary to remain a virgin, even though she was called by God to be married and to bear a son. The marriage of Joseph and Mary shows us that the teachings of Christ on purity, and the graces that come from chastity and virginity, are greater than all that a natural marriage has to offer. The marriage of Joseph and Mary preceded Christ's Incarnation, so that Christ could truly be the Son of David, not only according to the flesh, through Mary who was of the house of David, but also according to the Law, through Joseph who was the lawful husband of Mary, his betrothed virgin, and who was also of the house of David.
5. The Annunciation to Zechariah
The Annunciation to Zechariah foreshadowed the Annunciation to Mary, just as the preaching of John the Baptist prepared for the preaching of Jesus the Christ. At the time of the Annunciation to Zechariah, he and his wife Elizabeth were miraculously made able to conceive a child, despite their advanced age. The Annunciation to Zechariah thus prepared for later events: the conception of John the Baptist, the Annunciation to Mary, the Visitation of Mary with Elizabeth, and the Ministries of John and of Jesus. Therefore, the mystery of this event contains, prepares for, and points to several other important events in salvation history.
Conclusion
The Rosary is not set in stone; it can grow and change, like the mustard seed, like the Church herself. For the Rosary, as a reflection of the Virgin Mary, is certainly also a figure of the Church, just as Mary herself is a figure of the Church. The growth and change of the Rosary foreshadows, and assists in, the growth and change of the Church and of all her members.
Let any of the faithful who may find it edifying to meditate through the Rosary on these mysteries do so with true devotion and sincerity. For the events of these five mysteries have an important place in salvation history. And their frequent consideration can provide profound insights into the life of the Son of God.
But if anyone is determined to be contentious, complaining that this new pattern of the Rosary is not given or approved by proper authority, may God have mercy on them. For they live by rules and authority and contention, not by faith and grace and mercy.
by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
December 8, 2006
