The Wisdom of the Cross Lenten Mission: The Holy Rosaries and Meditations
Fr. Hugh Gillespie, SMM
The Wisdom of the Cross Lenten Mission: The Holy Rosaries and Meditations
St. Louis de Montfort, before preaching a Mission, would not begin his preaching without leading the community in the Holy Rosary.
Fr. de Montfort did not do this as part of a devotional practice. Rather, it served a very important purpose for him. He took to heart the Gospel that the Lord tells us when the Sower plants his seeds, he does so on various types of soil . . . fertile, or hard, or on rocks. Most of the seeds falling on the hardened soil and on the rocks does not have a chance to take root. Montfort use to say that unless the ground is prepared, the preaching has very little purpose. Montfort believed the saying of the Holy Rosary is at the service of preparing the heart. The Rosary is like rain fall. Each Hail Mary is like a rain drop falling upon the heart of the community.
So, at the beginning of each night of the Mission, a Holy Rosary is said . . . The Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. Each Rosary contains Lenten Meditations on the Cross and each of the Mysteries.
We encourage those that listen to the Virtual Mission on The Wisdom of The Cross, before each day’s audio, listen to and say a Holy Rosary corresponding to that night’s Mission. We pray that you also contemplate each of the Mysteries’ Meditations and that this Mission assists you in your own Preparation for Holy Week.
The Madonna della Pietà: Informally Known as La Pietà: Italian Renaissance Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti or simply, Michelangelo: 1499
The original sculpture, carved by Michelangelo, now resides within Saint Peter’s in the Vatican. This copy greets visitors at The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island. The picture was taken on the third night of the Mission.
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