Gospel in Art: Our Lady of the Rosary

Rosary bead, Flemish, ca. 1525-50, Boxwood, gilded silver © Metropolitan Museum, New York

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 7 October 2024
Luke 10: 25-37

There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What do you read there?' He replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.' 'You have answered right,' said Jesus 'do this and life is yours.'

But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?' Jesus replied, 'A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. "Look after him," he said "and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have." Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands' hands?' 'The one who took pity on him' he replied. Jesus said to him, 'Go, and do the same yourself.'

Reflection on the Rosary Bead

Today we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 2682, expresses this devotion beautifully: 'Because of Mary's singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her.' The Rosary invites us to reflect deeply on the central mysteries of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, in a spirit of prayer and meditation.

The precise origins of the Rosary as a form of prayer are somewhat unclear, and remain the subject of scholarly debate. The use of knotted prayer ropes dates back to the Desert Fathers in the 3rd and 4th centuries, who used such ropes to aid in prayer as part of early Christian monasticism. Following the First Council of Ephesus in 431, which declared Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God), Marian devotion grew, and knotted ropes began to assist the faithful in meditative prayer, including prayers directed to the Blessed Virgin.

There is also a meaningful link between the Rosary and the 150 psalms. In early Christian monasticism, monks would use prayer ropes to recite all 150 psalms. Laypeople, many of whom were unable to read or write, sought to replicate this devotion by repeating the Our Father and Hail Mary prayers in place of the psalms. This practice eventually evolved into the Rosary as we know it today, with the 150 Hail Marys reflecting the psalms through the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries. Though the history of the Rosary remains speculative in parts, this explanation seems both plausible and spiritually rich.

The large boxwood rosary illustrated here opens up to give us two delightful scenes, about life and death. The boxwood bead opens to reveal Death appearing unannounced at a meal beneath an image of the Last Judgment in the upper hemisphere. The Latin inscription reads, "Stay awake, for you do now know at which hour your Lord will come" (Matthew 24:42). Dinner guests are stunned as Death flies in to spoil the party. A jug on the table is overturned in the confusion, and one man breathes his last. Above, angels sound the trumpets of the Last Judgment.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-10-25-37-2024/