The Power of the Rosary
THE APOSTOLIC VOCATION
What cannot be forgotten by every Christian is that he has been entrusted with the mission of spreading the Gospel. For the layman this will involve a particular form of spreading the Gospel through interaction with the world. For the priest and religious this work is one of prayer and service to a large degree set apart from the world.
But whatever shape this apostolic mission takes, there can be no doubt about what our Blessed Lord expects of his followers, which He reveals in a passage from Matthew’s Gospel. There He defines their very being as Christians not in terms of keeping His divine gifts to themselves and avoiding exposure to others, but of letting loose those gifts as an outpouring of light: "You are the light of the world... No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house" (5:14-15). Once a person has been given through Baptism the brilliant light of the Divine Presence, he has acquired a new and supreme purpose in life.
In Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the Holy Father Pope John Paul II is clearly placing the Rosary among the greatest means available in the Church for achieving this identity with Our Lord. There he speaks of the Rosary's remarkable capacity to bring the Christian into intimate contact with the mystery of Christ presented in the Gospels:
THE APOSTOLIC VOCATION
What cannot be forgotten by every Christian is that he has been entrusted with the mission of spreading the Gospel. For the layman this will involve a particular form of spreading the Gospel through interaction with the world. For the priest and religious this work is one of prayer and service to a large degree set apart from the world.
But whatever shape this apostolic mission takes, there can be no doubt about what our Blessed Lord expects of his followers, which He reveals in a passage from Matthew’s Gospel. There He defines their very being as Christians not in terms of keeping His divine gifts to themselves and avoiding exposure to others, but of letting loose those gifts as an outpouring of light: "You are the light of the world... No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house" (5:14-15). Once a person has been given through Baptism the brilliant light of the Divine Presence, he has acquired a new and supreme purpose in life.
In Rosarium Virginis Mariae, the Holy Father Pope John Paul II is clearly placing the Rosary among the greatest means available in the Church for achieving this identity with Our Lord. There he speaks of the Rosary's remarkable capacity to bring the Christian into intimate contact with the mystery of Christ presented in the Gospels: