Saint John Paul II and his devotion for the prayer of the Holy Rosary

What did Saint John Paul II say about the prayer of the Rosary? During the month of October, all the Catholics of the world are united in a special devotion to the prayer of the Holy Rosary, a Marian prayer that raises to God our most humble petitions through our beloved Mary.

One of our beloved Popes, Saint John Paul II, in his speeches, spoke a lot about the prayer of the Rosary, about his great devotion to it and how it could help us to be united as one people.

Here is a reflection made by Pope John Paul II during the prayer of the Angelus on October 2, 1983:

Saint John Paul II and the prayer of the Rosary.

Consecrated by tradition to the Holy Rosary, I would like to dedicate the Angelus address to this prayer so dear to the hearts of Catholics, so loved by me and so recommended by my predecessor Popes. 

In this extraordinary Holy Year of Redemption, the Rosary too is taking on new perspectives and is being filled with stronger and more extensive intentions than in the past.

What can we ask from the prayer of the Rosary?

Today it is not a matter of asking for great victories, as in Lepanto and Vienna, but rather, it is a matter of asking Mary to make us courageous fighters against the spirit of error and evil, with the weapons of the Gospel, which are the cross and the word of God. 

The prayer of the Rosary is man´s prayer for man: 

The Rosary is the prayer of human solidarity, the collegial prayer of the redeemed, which reflects the spirit and the intentions of the first redeemed, Mary, Mother and image of the Church: prayer on behalf of all men and women of the world and of history, living or dead, called to form with us the Body of Christ and to be, with Him, co-heirs of the glory of the Father. 

When we consider the spiritual orientations suggested by the Rosary, a simple and evangelical prayer (cf. Marialis cultus, 46), we find again the intentions that St. Cyprian pointed out in the Our Father. He wrote:

"The Lord, master of peace and unity, did not want us to pray individually and alone. Indeed, we do not say: "My Father, who art in heaven," nor "Give me my daily bread. Our prayer is for all; therefore, when we pray, we do not pray for one person alone, but for all the people, for with all the people we are one" (De Dominica oratione, 8).

The Holy Rosary is addressed to the one who is the highest expression of humanity in prayer, the model of the Church who prays and who begs, in Christ, the mercy of God the Father.

Mary´s intercession.

Just as Christ always lives to intercede for us, so Mary continues in heaven her mission as Mother and becomes the voice of every man and for every man, until the perfect consummation of the number of the elect (cf. Lumen Gentium, 62).

In praying to Mary, we ask her to assist us throughout our present life and especially at the decisive moment for our eternal destiny, which will be the hour of our death. The Rosary is a prayer that indicates the perspective of the kingdom of God and that guides men to receive the fruits of redemption.

In the month of October traditionally dedicated to the Holy Rosary, I would like to remind everyone that this is a prayer of man for man; it is the prayer of human solidarity which reflects the spirit of Mary, mother and image of the Church. The Rosary is addressed to her (Mary) who is the highest expression of humanity.

The Rosary is a powerful form of prayer with which we can meditate on God´s life and work of salvation for mankind, walking beside Mary. This prayer uses a certain number of specific prayers that come directly from the Bible. Through the Rosary, we ask Mary to intercede for us before Jesus. For many, praying the Rosary is a daily necessity. We invite you to pray the Rosary whenever you can and make it a powerful weapon of daily devotion for you and your family. Saint John Paul II knew the immense power of this devotion, so he prayed it daily.