Natural disasters, pandemic waves, wars, and now rumors of World War III. Need we count the ways? More than ever before, we face our fallen nature face to face. Ever-visible, it bombards us every day. Yet, concerned by national and international issues, we turn to the comforting glow of our phones, not unlike men of old turned to candles and oil lamps for relief throughout human history.
It is the same darkness, the same creeping shadows, only with a slightly different shade of gloom. So why do we feel so hopeless? Are we moving too fast? Sensory overload? Too much information?
Historically, whenever Catholics have faced existential threats or immediate dangers, we turn to the one glorious Star of the Sea. As if right on cue, enter Pope Francis, who on Friday—united to all the Bishops and Catholic faithful around the world—consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the feast of the Annunciation. Without addressing Our Lady of Fatima directly, this consecration could not have come at a better time. Shivering, drenched in darkness, the Light of the Annunciation should always guide the way.
On November 21, 1964, at the close of the third session of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI proclaimed to the world’s Catholic Bishops “Mary Most Holy to be the Mother of the Church.” Through the grace and guidance of the Holy Spirit, Pope Paul VI pronounced the eighth chapter on the Theotokos as a headstone of the Constitution. The Council approved the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church in that session. The importance of this cannot be understated. For too long, the Church regarded devotion to Mary as something extra, a spoonful of sugar from the devotional spice rack. The Council ended this formally by putting devotion of Mary exactly where it belonged: inside the Church. Informally, it was arguably a different story.
As Pope Paul VI continued, “We decree also that the whole Christian people should make use of this attractive title to increase the honor of the Mother of God in the prayers they offer.” Whether such an increase took place in the aftermath of Vatican 2 is a matter of debate. Ecclesiastical politics are no different than any other type of politics when it comes to saying one thing and doing another. At times, the post-conciliar Church has seemed to de-emphasize and discourage devotion to Mary amongst the laity. Although it is easy to cast this as post-conciliar shenanigans, it is nothing new in the life of our Church. St. Louis de Montfort noted the phenomenon in The Secret of the Rosary: “Similarly, not a few clever people and learned scholars may occasionally try to dissuade you from saying the Rosary, proud and critical people, I mean. They would rather you said the seven penitential psalms or some other prayers.”
As the quintessential Marian devotion, the simplicity of the rosary is crucial. Nevertheless, unfortunately, its simplicity is the primary reason sophisticates hate it so much. It is easy to see why the enemies of Christ disdain Marian devotions. Reading into the Church’s historic vacillation on the subject may seem more challenging. I assure you it is not. As much as people relish in comforting lies, the unpleasant truth is the Church has never been immune to politics. Following the counter-reformation, the Church hierarchy essentially went through bouts of men who either agreed with protestant sensibilities on Mary or found devotions to her gouache.
Montfort rightly chides such learned men not just for finding the rosary crude and rudimentary but also for their lack of humility as Christians. “[The Word incarnate] humbled himself in this lowly fashion; the straw of the crib, to his throne in the heart of his Father; the might of God, to the weakness of a child; his wisdom, to his simplicity.” Through the humility and the passion of Jesus Christ, the devil was crushed. Our Lady’s humble “yes” at the Annunciation became the spark that lit the whole world on fire. So, too, through the simple, humble act of a rosary, “the works, the wonders, of all kinds of perfections, and of deep and sublime truths” of Our Blessed Lord are magnified.
The rosary is the Gospel on a string. Although it may seem strange to some to keep reciting the same prayers repeatedly, we think nothing of belting our favorite song on repeat. There is a quiet joy and comfort in the repeated clanking of beads amid the noisy and chaotic world. The same applies to many devotions to Mary, as they are often deceptively simple. Like Mary herself, the rosary, papal consecrations, the First Saturday devotion, etc., are gifts of peace. They alleviate the pressure of saying the right thing and allow us to focus on being close to God. Just as Jesus came to us through Mary, we must go to her as Christ asked when He hung from the Cross between heaven and earth.
As the Church reflects on Pope Francis’ Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let us humbly ask for peace in our days and not squander the gifts that lead to everlasting life. Leave your ego at the door. Be not broken-hearted. Remember, there is a light that shines on you. It is eternal. This Lent, hold onto hope steadfast and tenfold. Meditate on what Venerable Fulton Sheen called the second nativity, for it was through the labors of the Cross that millions of “Children of Mary” will continue to be born. We are born not by the blood of flesh but by the blood of her Immaculate Heart, and it is through her sorrow and the sacrifice of our Blessed Lord, Christ, redeemed the world.
In the words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, “If the winds of temptation arise; if you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary. If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.
