LAETITIAE
SANCTAE
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII COMMENDING
DEVOTION TO THE ROSARY
To
Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates,
Archbishops, Bishops, and other Ordinaries,
having Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.
Venerable
Brethren, Greeting and Apostolic Benediction.
The
sacred joy which it has been given to Us to feel in attaining the fiftieth
anniversary of Our Episcopal Consecration has been deepened by the knowledge
that it was shared by the people of the whole Catholic world, and that
as a father in the midst of his children We have been consoled by the
touching testimonies of their loyalty and love. We gratefully accept it
and record it as a fresh proof of God's special providence, and one which
is markedly full of bounty to Ourselves, and of blessing to the Church.
2.
At the same time We love to offer Our thanks for this signal benefit to
the august Mother of God, whose powerful intercession We feel to have
been exercised in Our behalf. For hers is the loving kindness which, during
the length of years and the vicissitudes of life, has never failed Us,
and which day by day seems to draw nearer to Us than ever, filling Our
soul with gladness, and strengthening Us with a confidence of which the
surety is higher than the things of time. It is as if
the voice of the heavenly Queen made itself heard to Us, at one moment
graciously consoling Us in the midst of trials; at another guiding Us
by her counsel in directing the great work of the salvation of souls;
at another, urging Us to admonish the Christian people to advance in piety
and in the practice of every virtue. For Us it is once more a joy as well
as a duty to respond to her inspirations. Amongst the happy results which
have already rewarded Our exhortations which were due to her prompting,
We have to reckon the remarkable impulse given to the Devotion of the
Most Holy Rosary. This awakening has made itself felt in the increased
number of Confraternities instituted for the purpose, the voluminous literature
of pious and learned works written upon the subject, and the manifold
tributes which Christian art has not failed to bring to its service. And
now, as if for yet another time, listening to the voice of the same zealous
Mother, who calls upon Us to "cry out and cease not," We rejoice
once more to address you, Venerable Brethren, upon the subject of the
Rosary, standing as We do upon the eve of that month of October which,
by the award of special Indulgences, We have deemed it well to dedicate
to this most popular devotion. Our appeal to you, however, will not be
directed so much to add any further
recommendation of a method of prayer so praiseworthy in itself, nor yet
to press upon the faithful the necessity of practising it still more fervently,
but rather to point out how we may draw from this devotion certain advantages
which are especially valuable and needful at the present day.
The Rosary and
Society
3.
For We are convinced that the Rosary, if devoutly used, is bound to benefit
not only the individual but society at large. No
one will do Us the injustice to deny that in the discharge of the duties
of the Supreme Apostolate We have laboured - as, God helping, We shall
ever continue to labour - to promote the civil prosperity of mankind.
Repeatedly have We admonished those who are invested with sovereign power
that they should neither make nor execute laws except in conformity with
the equity of the Divine mind. On the other hand, we have constantly besought
citizens who were conspicuous by genius, industry, family, or fortune,
to join together in common counsel and action to safeguard and to promote
whatever would tend to the strength and well-being of the community. Only
too many causes are at work, in the present condition of things, to loosen
the bonds of public order, and to withdraw the people from sound principles
of life and conduct.
Dislike of Poverty
- The Joyful Mysteries
4.
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.
5.
We deplore - and those who judge of all things merely by the light and
according to the standard of nature join with Us in deploring that society
is threatened with a serious danger in the growing contempt of those homely
duties and virtues which make up the beauty of humble life. To this cause
we may trace in the home, the readiness of children to withdraw themselves
from the natural obligation of obedience to the parents, and their impatience
of any form of treatment which is not of the indulgent and effeminate
kind. In the workman, it evinces itself in a tendency to desert his trade,
to shrink from toil, to become discontented with his lot, to fix his
gaze on things that
are above him, and to look forward with unthinking hopefulness to some
future equalization of property. We may observe the same temper permeating
the masses in the eagerness to exchange the life of the rural districts
for the excitements and pleasures of the town. Thus the equilibrium between
the classes of the community is being destroyed, everything becomes unsettled,
men's minds become a prey to jealousy and heart-burnings, rights are openly
trampled under foot, and, finally, the people, betrayed in their expectations,
attack public order, and place themselves in conflict with those who are
charged to maintain it.
6.
For evils such as these let us seek a remedy in the Rosary, which consists
in a fixed order of prayer combined with devout meditation on the life
of Christ and His Blessed Mother. Here, if the joyful mysteries be but
clearly brought home to the minds of the people, an object lesson of the
chief virtues is placed before their eyes. Each one will thus be able
to see for himself how easy, how abundant, how sweetly attractive are
the lessons to be found therein for the leading of an honest life. Let
us take our stand in front of that earthly and divine home of holiness,
the House of Nazareth. How much we have to learn from the daily life which
was led within its walls! What an all-perfect model of domestic society!
Here 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. Here is the patient industry which provides what is required
for food and raiment; which does so "in the sweat of the brow,"
which is contented with little, and which seeks rather to diminish the
number of its wants than to multiply the sources of its wealth. Better
than all, we find there that supreme peace of mind and gladness of soul
which never fail to accompany the possession of a tranquil conscience.
These are precious examples of goodness, of modesty, of humility, of hard-working
endurance, of kindness to others, of diligence in the small duties of
daily life, and of other virtues, and once they have made their influence
felt they gradually take root in the soul, and in course of time fail
not to bring about a happy change of mind and conduct. Then will each
one begin to feel his work to be no longer lowly and irksome, but grateful
and lightsome, and clothed with a certain
joyousness by his sense of duty in discharging it conscientiously. Then
will gentler manners everywhere prevail; home-life will be loved and esteemed,
and the relations of man with man will be loved and esteemed, and the
relations of man with man will be hallowed by a larger infusion of respect
and charity. And if this betterment should go forth from the individual
to the family and to the communities, and thence to the people at large
so that human life should be lifted up to this standard, no one will fail
to feel how great and lasting indeed would be the gain which would be
achieved for society.
Repugnance
to Suffering-The Sorrowful Mysteries
7.
A second evil, one which is specially pernicious, and one which, owing
to the increasing mischief which it works among souls, we can never sufficiently
deplore, is to be found in repugnance to suffering and eagerness to escape
whatever is hard or painful to endure. The greater number are thus robbed
of that peace and freedom of mind which remains the reward of those who
do what is right undismayed by the perils or troubles to be met with in
doing so. Rather do they dream of a chimeric civilization in which all
that is unpleasant shall be removed, and all that is pleasant shall be
supplied. By this passionate and unbridled desire of living a life of
pleasure, the minds of men are weakened, and if they do not entirely succumb,
they become demoralized and miserably cower and sink under the hardships
of the battle of life.
8.
In such a contest example is everything, and a powerful means of renewing
our courage will undoubtedly be found in the Holy Rosary, if from our
earliest years our minds have been trained to dwell upon the sorrowful
mysteries of Our Lord's life, and to drink in their meaning by sweet and
silent meditation. In them we shall learn how Christ, "the Author
and Finisher of Our faith," began "to do and teach," in
order that we might see written in His example all the lessons that He
Himself had taught us for the bearing of our burden of labour and sorrow,
and mark how the sufferings which were hardest to bear were those which
He embraced with the greatest measure of generosity and good will. We
behold Him overwhelmed with sadness, so that drops of blood ooze like
sweat from His veins. We see Him bound like a malefactor, subjected to
the judgment of the unrighteous,
laden with insults, covered with shame, assailed with false accusations,
torn with scourges, crowned with thorns, nailed to the cross, accounted
unworthy to live, and condemned by the voice of the multitude as deserving
of death. Here, too, we contemplate the grief of the most Holy Mother,
whose soul was not merely wounded but "pierced" by the sword
of sorrow, so that she might be named and become in truth "the Mother
of Sorrows." Witnessing these examples of fortitude, not with sight
but by faith, who is there who will not feel his heart grow warm with
the desire of imitating them?
9.
Then, be it that the "earth is accursed" and brings forth "thistles
and thorns,"- be it that the soul is saddened with grief and the
body with sickness; even so, 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. For this reason it has been truly said that "it belongs
to the Christian to do and to endure great things," for he who deserves
to be called a Christian must not shrink from following in the footsteps
of Christ. But by this patience, We do not mean that empty stoicism in
the enduring of pain which was the ideal of some of the philosophers of
old, but rather do We mean that patience which is learned from the example
of Him, who "having joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising
the shame" (Heb. xvi., 2). It is the patience which is obtained
by the help of His grace; which shirks not a trial because it is painful,
but which accepts it and esteems it as a gain, however hard it may be
to undergo. The Catholic Church has always had, and happily still has,
multitudes of men and women, in every rank and condition of life, who
are glorious disciples of this teaching, and who, following faithfully
in the path of Christ, suffer injury and hardship for the cause of virtue
and religion. They re-echo, not with their lips, but with their life,
the words of St. Thomas: "Let us also go, that we may die with him"
(John xi., 16).
10.
May such types of admirable constancy be more and more splendidly multiplied
in our midst to the weal of society and to the glory and edification of
the Church of God!
Forgetfulness
of the Future - The Glorious Mysteries
11.
The third evil for which a remedy is needed
is one which is chiefly characteristic of the times
in which we live. 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. Even the
right-thinking portion of the pagan world recognized that this life was
not a home but a dwelling-place, not our destination, but a stage in the
journey. 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.
xiii., 4).
12.
When We seek out the causes of this forgetfulness, We are met in the first
place by the fact that many allow themselves to believe that the thought
of a future life goes in some way to sap the love of our country, and
thus militates against the prosperity of the commonwealth. No illusion
could be more foolish or hateful. Our future hope is not of a kind which
so monopolizes the minds of men as to withdraw their attention from the
interests of this life. Christ commands us, it is true, to seek the Kingdom
of God, and in the first place, but not in such a manner as to neglect
all things else. For, the use of the goods of the present life, and the
righteous enjoyment which they furnish, may serve both to strengthen virtue
and to reward it. The splendour and beauty of our earthly habitation,
by which human society is ennobled, may mirror the splendour and beauty
of our dwelling which is above. Therein we see nothing that is not worthy
of the reason of man and of the wisdom of God. For the same God who is
the Author of Nature is the Author of Grace, and He willed not that one
should collide or conflict with the other, but that they should act in
friendly alliance, so that under the leadership of both we may the more
easily arrive at that immortal happiness for which we mortal men were
created.
13.
But men of carnal mind, who love nothing but themselves, allow their thoughts
to grovel upon things of earth until they are unable to lift them to that
which is higher. For, far from using the goods of time as a help towards
securing those which are eternal, they lose sight altogether of the world
which is to come, and sink to the lowest depths of degradation. We may
doubt if God
could inflict upon man a more terrible punishment than to allow him to
waste his whole life in the pursuit of earthly pleasures, and in forgetfulness
of the happiness which alone lasts for ever.
14.
It is from this danger that they will be happily rescued, who, in the
pious practice of the Rosary, are wont, by frequent and fervent prayer,
to keep before their minds the glorious mysteries. These mysteries are
the means by which in the soul of a Christian a most clear light is shed
upon the good things, hidden to sense, but visible to faith, "which
God has prepared for those who love Him." From them we learn that
death is not an annihilation which ends all things, but merely a migration
and passage from life to life. By them we are taught that the path to
Heaven lies open to all men, and as we behold Christ ascending thither,
we recall the sweet words of His promise, "I go to prepare a place
for you." By them we are reminded that a time will come when "God
will wipe away every tear from our eyes," and that "neither
mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow, shall be any more," and that "We
shall be always with the Lord," and "like to the Lord, for we
shall see Him as He is," and "drink of the torrent of His delight,"
as "fellow-citizens of the saints," in the blessed companionship
of our glorious Queen and Mother. Dwelling upon such a prospect, our hearts
are kindled with desire, and we exclaim, in the words of a great saint,
"How vile grows the earth when I look up to heaven!" Then, too,
shall we feel the solace of the assurance "that which is at present
momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly
an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. iv., 17).
15.
Here alone we discover the true relation between time and eternity, between
our life on earth and our life in heaven; and it is thus alone that are
formed strong and noble characters. When such characters can be counted
in large numbers, the dignity and well-being of society are assured. All
that is beautiful, good, and true will flourish in the measure of its
conformity to Him who is of all beauty, goodness, and truth the first
Principle and the Eternal Source.
Confraternities
of the Rosary
16.
These considerations will explain what We have already laid down concerning
the fruitful advantages which are to be derived from the use of the Rosary,
and the healing power which this devotion possesses for the evils of the
age and the fatal
sores of society. These advantages, as we may readily conceive, will be
secured in a higher and fuller measure by those who band themselves together
in the sacred Confraternity of the Rosary, and who are thus more than
others united by a special and brotherly bond of devotion to the Most
Holy Virgin. In this Confraternity, approved by the Roman Pontiffs, and
enriched by them with indulgences and privileges, they possess their own
rule and government, hold their meetings at stated times, and are provided
with ample means of leading a holy life and of labouring for the good
of the community. They are, are so to speak, the battalions who fight
the battle of Christ, armed with His Sacred Mysteries, and under the banner
and guidance of the Heavenly queen. How faithfully her intercession is
exercised in response to their prayers, processions, and solemnities is
written in the whole experience of the Church not less than in the splendour
of the victory of Lepanto.
17.
It is, therefore, to be desired that renewed zeal should be called forth
in the founding, enlarging, and directing of these confraternities, and
that not only by the sons of St. Dominic, to whom by virtue of their Order
a leading part in this Apostolate belongs, but by all who are charged
with the care of souls, and notable in those places in which the Confraternity
has not yet been canonically established. We have it especially at heart
that those who are engaged in the sacred field of the missions, whether
in carrying the Gospel to barbarous nations abroad, or in spreading it
amongst the Christian nations at home, should look upon this work as especially
their own. If they will make it the subject of their preaching, We cannot
doubt that there will be large numbers of the faithful of Christ who will
readily enrol themselves in the Confraternity, and who will earnestly
endeavour to avail themselves of those spiritual advantages of which We
have spoken, and in which consist the very meaning and motive of the Rosary.
From the Confraternities, the rest of the faithful will receive the example
of greater esteem and reverence for the practice of the Rosary, and they
will be thus encouraged to reap from it, as We heartily desire that they
may, the same abundant fruits for their souls' salvation.
Conclusion
18. This then is the hope, which, amid the manifold evils which beset
society, brightens, consoles, and supports Us. May Mary, the Mother of
God and of men, herself the authoress and teacher of the Rosary, procure
for Us its happy fulfilment. It will be your part, Venerable Brethren,
to provide that by your efforts Our words and Our wishes may go forth
on their mission of good for the prosperity of families and the peace
of peoples.
19.
And as a pledge of the Divine favour, and of Our own affection, We lovingly
bestow upon you, your clergy, and your people, the Apostolic Benediction.
Given at St. Peter's, Rome, this 8th day of September, in the year
of Our Lord 1893, and the 16th of Our Pontificate.
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