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LAETITIAE
SANCTAE
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII
COMMENDING DEVOTION TO THE ROSARY
T o Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops,
Bishops, and other Ordinaries, having Peace and Communion with the Apostolic
See.
Venerable Brethren, Greeting and Apostolic Benediction.
The sacred joy which it has been given to Us to feel in attaining the
fiftieth anniversary of Our Episcopal Consecration has been deepened by
the knowledge that it was shared by the people of the whole Catholic world,
and that as a father in the midst of his children We have been consoled
by the touching testimonies of their loyalty and love. We gratefully accept
it and record it as a fresh proof of God's special providence, and one
which is markedly full of bounty to Ourselves, and of blessing to the
Church.
2. At the same time We love to offer Our thanks for this signal benefit
to the august Mother of God, whose powerful intercession We feel to have
been exercised in Our behalf. For hers is the loving kindness which, during
the length of years and the vicissitudes of life, has never failed Us,
and which day by day seems to draw nearer to Us than ever, filling Our
soul with gladness, and strengthening Us with a confidence of which the
surety is higher than the things of time. It is as if the voice of the
heavenly Queen made itself heard to Us, at one moment graciously consoling
Us in the midst of trials; at another guiding Us by her counsel in directing
the great work of the salvation of souls; at another, urging Us to admonish
the Christian people to advance in piety and in the practice of every
virtue. For Us it is once more a joy as well as a duty to respond to her
inspirations. Amongst the happy results which have already rewarded Our
exhortations which were due to her prompting, We have to reckon the remarkable
impulse given to the Devotion of the Most Holy Rosary. This awakening
has made itself felt in the increased number of Confraternities instituted
for the purpose, the voluminous literature of pious and learned works
written upon the subject, and the manifold tributes which Christian art
has not failed to bring to its service. And now, as if for yet another
time, listening to the voice of the same zealous Mother, who calls upon
Us to "cry out and cease not," We rejoice once more to address
you, Venerable Brethren, upon the subject of the Rosary, standing as We
do upon the eve of that month of October which, by the award of special
Indulgences, We have deemed it well to dedicate to this most popular devotion.
Our appeal to you, however, will not be directed so much to add any further
recommendation of a method of prayer so praiseworthy in itself, nor yet
to press upon the faithful the necessity of practising it still more fervently,
but rather to point out how we may draw from this devotion certain advantages
which are especially valuable and needful at the present day.
The
Rosary and Society
3. For
We are convinced that the Rosary, if devoutly used, is bound to benefit
not only the individual but society at large. No one will do Us the injustice
to deny that in the discharge of the duties of the Supreme Apostolate
We have laboured - as, God helping, We shall ever continue to labour -
to promote the civil prosperity of mankind. Repeatedly have We admonished
those who are invested with sovereign power that they should neither make
nor execute laws except in conformity with the equity of the Divine mind.
On the other hand, we have constantly besought citizens who were conspicuous
by genius, industry, family, or fortune, to join together in common counsel
and action to safeguard and to promote whatever would tend to the strength
and well-being of the community. Only too many causes are at work, in
the present condition of things, to loosen the bonds of public order,
and to withdraw the people from sound principles of life and conduct.
Dislike
of Poverty - The Joyful Mysteries
4. There
are three influences which appear to Us to have the chief place in effecting
this downgrade movement of society. These are-first, the distaste for
a simple and labourious life; secondly, repugnance to suffering of any
kind; thirdly, the forgetfulness of the future life.
5. We deplore - and those who judge of all things merely by the light
and according to the standard of nature join with Us in deploring that
society is threatened with a serious danger in the growing contempt of
those homely duties and virtues which make up the beauty of humble life.
To this cause we may trace in the home, the readiness of children to withdraw
themselves from the natural obligation of obedience to the parents, and
their impatience of any form of treatment which is not of the indulgent
and effeminate kind. In the workman, it evinces itself in a tendency to
desert his trade, to shrink from toil, to become discontented with his
lot, to fix his gaze on things that are above him, and to look forward
with unthinking hopefulness to some future equalization of property. We
may observe the same temper permeating the masses in the eagerness to
exchange the life of the rural districts for the excitements and pleasures
of the town. Thus the equilibrium between the classes of the community
is being destroyed, everything becomes unsettled, men's minds become a
prey to jealousy and heart-burnings, rights are openly trampled under
foot, and, finally, the people, betrayed in their expectations, attack
public order, and place themselves in conflict with those who are charged
to maintain it.
6. For evils such as these let us seek a remedy in the Rosary, which consists
in a fixed order of prayer combined with devout meditation on the life
of Christ and His Blessed Mother. Here, if the joyful mysteries be but
clearly brought home to the minds of the people, an object lesson of the
chief virtues is placed before their eyes. Each one will thus be able
to see for himself how easy, how abundant, how sweetly attractive are
the lessons to be found therein for the leading of an honest life. Let
us take our stand in front of that earthly and divine home of holiness,
the House of Nazareth. How much we have to learn from the daily life which
was led within its walls! What an all-perfect model of domestic society!
Here we behold simplicity and purity of conduct, perfect agreement and
unbroken harmony, mutual respect and love-not of the false and fleeting
kind-but that which finds both its life and its charm in devotedness of
service. Here is the patient industry which provides what is required
for food and raiment; which does so "in the sweat of the brow,"
which is contented with little, and which seeks rather to diminish the
number of its wants than to multiply the sources of its wealth. Better
than all, we find there that supreme peace of mind and gladness of soul
which never fail to accompany the possession of a tranquil conscience.
These are precious examples of goodness, of modesty, of humility, of hard-working
endurance, of kindness to others, of diligence in the small duties of
daily life, and of other virtues, and once they have made their influence
felt they gradually take root in the soul, and in course of time fail
not to bring about a happy change of mind and conduct. Then will each
one begin to feel his work to be no longer lowly and irksome, but grateful
and lightsome, and clothed with a certain joyousness by his sense of duty
in discharging it conscientiously. Then will gentler manners everywhere
prevail; home-life will be loved and esteemed, and the relations of man
with man will be loved and esteemed, and the relations of man with man
will be hallowed by a larger infusion of respect and charity. And if this
betterment should go forth from the individual to the family and to the
communities, and thence to the people at large so that human life should
be lifted up to this standard, no one will fail to feel how great and
lasting indeed would be the gain which would be achieved for society.
Repugnance
to Suffering-The Sorrowful Mysteries
7. A
second evil, one which is specially pernicious, and one which, owing to
the increasing mischief which it works among souls, we can never sufficiently
deplore, is to be found in repugnance to suffering and eagerness to escape
whatever is hard or painful to endure. The greater number are thus robbed
of that peace and freedom of mind which remains the reward of those who
do what is right undismayed by the perils or troubles to be met with in
doing so. Rather do they dream of a chimeric civilization in which all
that is unpleasant shall be removed, and all that is pleasant shall be
supplied. By this passionate and unbridled desire of living a life of
pleasure, the minds of men are weakened, and if they do not entirely succumb,
they become demoralized and miserably cower and sink under the hardships
of the battle of life.
8. In such a contest example is everything, and a powerful means of renewing
our courage will undoubtedly be found in the Holy Rosary, if from our
earliest years our minds have been trained to dwell upon the sorrowful
mysteries of Our Lord's life, and to drink in their meaning by sweet and
silent meditation. In them we shall learn how Christ, "the Author
and Finisher of Our faith," began "to do and teach," in
order that we might see written in His example all the lessons that He
Himself had taught us for the bearing of our burden of labour and sorrow,
and mark how the sufferings which were hardest to bear were those which
He embraced with the greatest measure of generosity and good will. We
behold Him overwhelmed with sadness, so that drops of blood ooze like
sweat from His veins. We see Him bound like a malefactor, subjected to
the judgment of the unrighteous, laden with insults, covered with shame,
assailed with false accusations, torn with scourges, crowned with thorns,
nailed to the cross, accounted unworthy to live, and condemned by the
voice of the multitude as deserving of death. Here, too, we contemplate
the grief of the most Holy Mother, whose soul was not merely wounded but
"pierced" by the sword of sorrow, so that she might be named
and become in truth "the Mother of Sorrows." Witnessing these
examples of fortitude, not with sight but by faith, who is there who will
not feel his heart grow warm with the desire of imitating them?
9. Then, be it that the "earth is accursed" and brings forth
"thistles and thorns,"- be it that the soul is saddened with
grief and the body with sickness; even so, there will be no evil which
the envy of man or the rage of devils can invent, nor calamity which can
fall upon the individual or the community, over which we shall not triumph
by the patience of suffering. For this reason it has been truly said that
"it belongs to the Christian to do and to endure great things,"
for he who deserves to be called a Christian must not shrink from following
in the footsteps of Christ. But by this patience, We do not mean that
empty stoicism in the enduring of pain which was the ideal of some of
the philosophers of old, but rather do We mean that patience which is
learned from the example of Him, who "having joy set before Him,
endured the cross, despising the shame" (Heb. xvi., 2). It is the
patience which is obtained by the help of His grace; which shirks not
a trial because it is painful, but which accepts it and esteems it as
a gain, however hard it may be to undergo. The Catholic Church has always
had, and happily still has, multitudes of men and women, in every rank
and condition of life, who are glorious disciples of this teaching, and
who, following faithfully in the path of Christ, suffer injury and hardship
for the cause of virtue and religion. They re-echo, not with their lips,
but with their life, the words of St. Thomas: "Let us also go, that
we may die with him" (John xi., 16).
10. May such types of admirable constancy be more and more splendidly
multiplied in our midst to the weal of society and to the glory and edification
of the Church of God!
Forgetfulness
of the Future - The Glorious Mysteries
11.
The third evil for which a remedy is needed is one which is chiefly characteristic
of the times in which we live. Men in former ages, although they loved
the world, and loved it far too well, did not usually aggravate their
sinful attachment to the things of earth by a contempt of the things of
heaven. Even the right-thinking portion of the pagan world recognized
that this life was not a home but a dwelling-place, not our destination,
but a stage in the journey. But men of our day, albeit they have had the
advantages of Christian instruction, pursue the false goods of this world
in such wise that the thought of their true Fatherland of enduring happiness
is not only set aside, but, to their shame be it said, banished and entirely
erased from their memory, notwithstanding the warning of St. Paul, "We
have not here a lasting city, but we seek one which is to come" (Heb.
xiii., 4).
12. When We seek out the causes of this forgetfulness, We are met in the
first place by the fact that many allow themselves to believe that the
thought of a future life goes in some way to sap the love of our country,
and thus militates against the prosperity of the commonwealth. No illusion
could be more foolish or hateful. Our future hope is not of a kind which
so monopolizes the minds of men as to withdraw their attention from the
interests of this life. Christ commands us, it is true, to seek the Kingdom
of God, and in the first place, but not in such a manner as to neglect
all things else. For, the use of the goods of the present life, and the
righteous enjoyment which they furnish, may serve both to strengthen virtue
and to reward it. The splendour and beauty of our earthly habitation,
by which human society is ennobled, may mirror the splendour and beauty
of our dwelling which is above. Therein we see nothing that is not worthy
of the reason of man and of the wisdom of God. For the same God who is
the Author of Nature is the Author of Grace, and He willed not that one
should collide or conflict with the other, but that they should act in
friendly alliance, so that under the leadership of both we may the more
easily arrive at that immortal happiness for which we mortal men were
created.
13. But men of carnal mind, who love nothing but themselves, allow their
thoughts to grovel upon things of earth until they are unable to lift
them to that which is higher. For, far from using the goods of time as
a help towards securing those which are eternal, they lose sight altogether
of the world which is to come, and sink to the lowest depths of degradation.
We may doubt if God could inflict upon man a more terrible punishment
than to allow him to waste his whole life in the pursuit of earthly pleasures,
and in forgetfulness of the happiness which alone lasts for ever.
14. It is from this danger that they will be happily rescued, who, in
the pious practice of the Rosary, are wont, by frequent and fervent prayer,
to keep before their minds the glorious mysteries. These mysteries are
the means by which in the soul of a Christian a most clear light is shed
upon the good things, hidden to sense, but visible to faith, "which
God has prepared for those who love Him." From them we learn that
death is not an annihilation which ends all things, but merely a migration
and passage from life to life. By them we are taught that the path to
Heaven lies open to all men, and as we behold Christ ascending thither,
we recall the sweet words of His promise, "I go to prepare a place
for you." By them we are reminded that a time will come when "God
will wipe away every tear from our eyes," and that "neither
mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow, shall be any more," and that "We
shall be always with the Lord," and "like to the Lord, for we
shall see Him as He is," and "drink of the torrent of His delight,"
as "fellow-citizens of the saints," in the blessed companionship
of our glorious Queen and Mother. Dwelling upon such a prospect, our hearts
are kindled with desire, and we exclaim, in the words of a great saint,
"How vile grows the earth when I look up to heaven!" Then, too,
shall we feel the solace of the assurance "that which is at present
momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly
an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. iv., 17).
15. Here alone we discover the true relation between time and eternity,
between our life on earth and our life in heaven; and it is thus alone
that are formed strong and noble characters. When such characters can
be counted in large numbers, the dignity and well-being of society are
assured. All that is beautiful, good, and true will flourish in the measure
of its conformity to Him who is of all beauty, goodness, and truth the
first Principle and the Eternal Source.
Confraternities
of the Rosary
16.
These considerations will explain what We have already laid down concerning
the fruitful advantages which are to be derived from the use of the Rosary,
and the healing power which this devotion possesses for the evils of the
age and the fatal sores of society. These advantages, as we may readily
conceive, will be secured in a higher and fuller measure by those who
band themselves together in the sacred Confraternity of the Rosary, and
who are thus more than others united by a special and brotherly bond of
devotion to the Most Holy Virgin. In this Confraternity, approved by the
Roman Pontiffs, and enriched by them with indulgences and privileges,
they possess their own rule and government, hold their meetings at stated
times, and are provided with ample means of leading a holy life and of
labouring for the good of the community. They are, are so to speak, the
battalions who fight the battle of Christ, armed with His Sacred Mysteries,
and under the banner and guidance of the Heavenly queen. How faithfully
her intercession is exercised in response to their prayers, processions,
and solemnities is written in the whole experience of the Church not less
than in the splendour of the victory of Lepanto.
17. It is, therefore, to be desired that renewed zeal should be called
forth in the founding, enlarging, and directing of these confraternities,
and that not only by the sons of St. Dominic, to whom by virtue of their
Order a leading part in this Apostolate belongs, but by all who are charged
with the care of souls, and notable in those places in which the Confraternity
has not yet been canonically established. We have it especially at heart
that those who are engaged in the sacred field of the missions, whether
in carrying the Gospel to barbarous nations abroad, or in spreading it
amongst the Christian nations at home, should look upon this work as especially
their own. If they will make it the subject of their preaching, We cannot
doubt that there will be large numbers of the faithful of Christ who will
readily enrol themselves in the Confraternity, and who will earnestly
endeavour to avail themselves of those spiritual advantages of which We
have spoken, and in which consist the very meaning and motive of the Rosary.
From the Confraternities, the rest of the faithful will receive the example
of greater esteem and reverence for the practice of the Rosary, and they
will be thus encouraged to reap from it, as We heartily desire that they
may, the same abundant fruits for their souls' salvation.
Conclusion
18.
This then is the hope, which, amid the manifold evils which beset society,
brightens, consoles, and supports Us. May Mary, the Mother of God and
of men, herself the authoress and teacher of the Rosary, procure for Us
its happy fulfilment. It will be your part, Venerable Brethren, to provide
that by your efforts Our words and Our wishes may go forth on their mission
of good for the prosperity of families and the peace of peoples.
19. And as a pledge of the Divine favour, and of Our own affection, We
lovingly bestow upon you, your clergy, and your people, the Apostolic
Benediction.
Given at St. Peter's, Rome, this 8th day of September, in the year
of Our Lord 1893, and the 16th of Our Pontificate.
LEO XIII
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