“[T]he faithful would conclude that ‘the Pope has changed the Rosary,’ and the psychological effect would be disastrous.
Any change in it cannot but lessen the confidence of the simple and the poor.”…Pope Paul VI
Posted 6/23/10 www.RemnantNewspaper.com) In the May 15th issue of The Remnant I noticed an advertisement placed by the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius promoting “The Traditional Rosary” and recommending that one pray “the Psaltery of Our Lady—150 Hail Mary’s.” The reference to the Psaltery is telling, for the traditional Rosary is modeled on the ancient Psalter of 150 Psalms: 150 songs to Mary; fifty Aves for each of the triad of mysteries—the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious; a triune prayer addressed to the Mother of the triune God.
The reference to the Psaltery is telling for another reason: It is indirectly an unfavorable comment on the “new” Rosary of John Paul II, which added five “luminous” mysteries, and thus 50 more Aves, to the traditional Rosary. That makes a total of 200 Aves, which would destroy the Rosary’s ancient correspondence to the 150 Psalms of the Psalter; the Rosary would no longer be “the Psaltery of Our Lady.” Then, of course, the “new” Rosary would no be longer triune, but rather would have four parts involving 50 Aves each: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and “Luminous.”
That the “new” Rosary was an improvident innovation is demonstrated by the approval it received from the New York Times, that relentless foe of traditional Roman Catholicism: “Time and again,” wrote Frank Bruni, “Pope John Paul II has boldly gone where other popes had not: a synagogue, a ski slope, distant countries with tiny populations. On Wednesday, he will apparently cross another frontier, making a significant change in the Rosary, a signature method of Catholic prayer for centuries now.” The article quotes a “senior Vatican official” to the effect that this change in the Rosary was in keeping with “his [the Pope’s] creativity and his courage.” (“Pope is Adding New Mysteries to the Rosary,” Frank Bruni, The New York Times, October 14, 2002) Click here to read more
Well, I don’t know any Catholics who accept the “Luminous” mysteries – I’ve made a point of not even finding out what they are. Haven’t a clue. It is so incredible that any pope would take it upon himself to change the rosary – what a nerve! Especially when you remember that the very same modernists who attacked the rosary as “boring, repetitive and too lengthy” are now singing the praises of this newer, longer rosary and attending retreats on the subject delivered by priests who very likely haven’t said a rosary in years.
So, what do you think - is it time to say goodbye to the new “mysteries of light” as Christopher Ferrara suggests? Or what?
