Pope Leo XIII was consecrated a bishop on Feb. 19, 1843. In 1893, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his episcopal consecration. The Holy Father wrote two Rosary encyclicals in 1892 (Magnae Dei Matris) and 1893 (Laetitiae Sanctae) with special references to the anniversary and emphasized the Rosary as meditation.

In Magnae Dei Matris, Leo XIII expressed his concern over the situation of the world: “Already the fields cultivated by our Lord are everywhere turning into a wilderness abounding in ignorance of the Faith, in error and vice, as though blown upon by some hideous pest.” 

The Holy Father proposed the remedy: “Now, to appease the might of an outraged God and to bring that health of soul so needed by those who are sorely afflicted, there is nothing better than devout and persevering prayer, provided it be joined with a love for, and practice of, Christian life. And both of these, the spirit of prayer and the practice of Christian life, are best attained through the devotion of the Rosary of Mary.”

Leo XIII emphasized the Rosary as meditation. He wrote, “The Rosary offers an easy way to present the chief mysteries of the Christian religion and to impress them upon the mind… God gave us a most precious blessing when He gave us faith… The Christian is kept so busy by the various affairs of life and wanders so easily into matters of little importance, that unless he be helped with frequent reminders, the truths which are of first importance and necessity are little by little forgotten; and then faith begins to grow weak and may even perish… It would be utterly impossible for anyone to meditate on and attentively consider these most precious memorials of our loving Redeemer and not have a heart on fire with gratitude to Him.”

In Laetitiae Sanctae, Leo XIII stated: “We are convinced that the Rosary, if devoutly used, is bound to benefit not only the individual but society at large… 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.”

The remedy of the first influence—dislike of poverty—is to bring to mind the Joyful Mysteries. In the House of Nazareth, “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.”

The remedy of the second influence—repugnance to suffering—is to dwell upon the Sorrowful Mysteries. Leo XIII wrote, “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.”

The remedy of the third influence—forgetfulness of the future—is to keep before our mind the Glorious Mysteries. Leo XIII wrote, “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… 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 13:14).”

In our world today, we can sadly add a fourth evil influence—the lack of faith. The meditation on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary can serve as a remedy against it.


玫瑰經默想作為療方

教宗良十三（Pope Leo XIII）於1843年2月19日祝聖為主教。在1893年，他慶祝主教祝聖五十週年。教宗在1892年「至高天主之母」（Magnae Dei Matris）及1893年「神聖的喜樂」（Laetitiae Sanctae）撰寫了兩篇玫瑰經通諭，特別提及該週年紀念，並強調玫瑰經作為默想的重要性。

在「至高天主之母」通諭中，良十三表達了對世界局勢的關切：「吾主所耕耘的田地，如今在各地幾乎已成荒蕪，到處都是對信德的無知、錯謬和罪惡，彷彿有一種恐怖的瘟疫吹拂其上。」教宗提出療方：「如今，為了平息天主的震怒，並為那些苦難中的人帶來靈魂所需的康復，沒有比虔誠和持久的祈禱 – 若是這祈禱能與愛德和基督徒生活的實踐結合起來 – 為更有效的方法了。而這兩者 – 祈禱的精神與基督徒生活的實踐 – 最能透過瑪利亞的玫瑰經培養出來。」

良十三強調玫瑰經的默想意義。他寫道：「玫瑰經提供一種簡易的方式，讓人呈現並銘刻基督的奧蹟於心中…。天主賜給我們信德，乃最寶貴的祝福…。然而基督徒生活繁忙，容易被瑣事纏擾，若沒有頻繁的提醒，那些最重要、最需要的真理便會逐漸被遺忘，信德也將逐漸衰退，甚至消亡…。一個人若能默想並細心思量我們慈愛救主的這些寶貴紀念，是絕不可能不因此而對祂心懷感恩之情的。」

在「神聖的喜樂」通諭中，良十三指出：「我們確信，若能虔誠地誦念玫瑰經，不僅能使個人受益，更可造福整個社會…。我們認為導致社會道德滑坡的三大因素如下：第一，對簡樸辛勞生活的反感；第二，對一切痛苦的抗拒；第三，對來世的遺忘。」

第一項影響 – 對貧困與勞碌生活的厭惡 – 其療方是默想歡喜奧蹟。在納匝肋的聖家中，「我們看見的是行為的簡樸與純潔、完美的一致與和諧、彼此的尊重與愛 – 不是虛假短暫的愛，而是源自於為對方服務而生的愛。」

第二項影響 – 對痛苦的抗拒 – 其療方是默想痛苦奧蹟。良十三寫道：「無論是出於人之嫉妒或魔鬼之怒的任何邪惡，或降臨於個人或社會的災難，只要有耐心承受痛苦，我們都必能勝過。」

第三項影響 – 對來世的遺忘 – 其療方是常常默想光榮奧蹟。良十三寫道：「過去世代的人，即使過度地愛世界，卻很少像今日人一般，既愛世界，又輕視天國…。但今日的人，儘管接受過基督的教導，卻仍一味追求今世的虛幻福樂，竟將永恆幸福的真正家園拋諸腦後，甚至將其從記憶中完全抹去，可恥的是，這正違背了聖保祿宗徒的警告：『因為我們在此沒有常存的城邑，而是尋求那將來的城邑。』（希13:14）」

而在我們今日的世界中，遺憾地還要加上一個第四項惡性影響 – 信德的缺失。對此，默想玫瑰經的光明奧蹟可作為療方。

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