Pope Francis: 'Families and homes must rediscover the Rosary's beauty'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"The Rosary, a simple tool accessible to everyone, can support the renewed evangelization to which the Church is called today."

Pope Francis acknowledged this in his message to Archbishop Tommaso Caputo of Pompeii, the papal delegate for the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The ecclesial community in Pompeii is preparing to celebrate a Jubilee Year with various pastoral initiatives, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the revered image, of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Pope Francis began his message noting he spiritually unites with all those who will celebrate this significant occasion and will pause in prayerful recollection at the Marian temple of Pompeii, to find comfort and hope in the sweet face of the Heavenly Mother.

When that painting arrived on November 13, 1875, only a few years had passed since lawyer Bartolo Longo, the Founder of the Shrine, had rediscovered his faith, which had been lost during his university years. A voice heard deep in his soul was like a flash in the night, saving him from a bitter struggle and resonating anew in his heart with a saying linked to the devout tradition of the Rosary: “If you seek salvation, propagate the Rosary.”

The Pope called it "providential" that the jubilee of the painting of Our Lady of Pompeii coincides with the imminent Jubilee Year, centered on Jesus our hope, and with the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which gave particular emphasis to the divine-human mystery of Christ in the light of the Trinity. 

Rediscovering the Rosary

"It is wonderful," the Pope said, "to rediscover the Rosary in this perspective, to assimilate the mysteries of the life of the Savior, contemplating them with the eyes of Mary."

"The Rosary, a simple tool accessible to everyone," he continued, "can support the renewed evangelization to which the Church is called today.

The Pope stressed how important it is to rediscover the beauty of the Rosary within families and homes.

Not only does this prayer aid in building peace, the Pope stressed how essential it is to propose to young people "so they may not perceive it as repetitive and monotonous," but as "an act of love that never tires of pouring itself out."

Source of consolation and love

Moreover, the Rosary, he marveled, is also a source of consolation for the sick and suffering, a “sweet chain that binds us to God,” but also "a chain of love that becomes an embrace for the least and the marginalized, as Bartolo Longo saw especially in the orphans and children of prisoners."

With this in mind, the Pope encouraged those commemorating the anniversary "to continue with renewed commitment, through the many initiatives of the Shrine, the great history of charity that he began."

"It is the most beautiful spiritual legacy," Pope Francis observed, "that the Blessed Founder left behind."

Speaking to today's humanity

Pope Francis went on to pray that the Lord, through the message of Our Lady of Pompeii, "continue to speak to today's humanity in need of rediscovering the path of concord and fraternity."

He also expressed his hope that her numerous devotees scattered around the world will always adhere more faithfully to the Lord, bearing witness to closeness to their brothers and sisters, especially the most needy.