玫瑰聖母（紀念）

真福若望保祿二世曾在2002年撰寫過一封名為《童貞瑪利亞玫瑰經》的牧函，解釋誦唸玫瑰經的意義：

玫瑰經的靈修旅程是在瑪利亞的陪伴下，時時默觀基督的面容；在這個旅程中，我們蒙召透過一種可稱之為「友誼」的密切來往，而得以達到「相似基督」的崇高理想。這樣很自然地使我們能進入基督的生命內，好似讓我們分享他最深處的感受。關於這點，真福龍果寫過：「就像兩個朋友，如果常在一起，彼此的生活習慣會變得很相似，因此，我們如果與耶穌及童貞瑪利亞常親密的交談、默想玫瑰經的奧跡，藉著領聖體活出同一個生命，我們雖然卑微，也能與他們相似，從他們的崇高典範中學習謙遜、貧窮、退隱、耐心和完美的生活。 」

玫瑰經很奧妙地把我們領到瑪利亞的身邊，她在納匝肋的家中忙著照顧基督人性的成長。她以同樣的心思來教導我們、塑造我們，直到基督在我們內「完全形成」(參迦四 19)。瑪利亞的慈母角色，完全以基督為本，且徹底隸屬於基督，「絲毫不遮掩或減削基督為唯一中保的意義，反而顯出其力量」。這是梵二大公會議所表達的光輝原理，而我自己也有過這種強烈的體驗，因此我以「全屬於妳」(Totus Tuus)做為我牧徽的格言。這句格言當然是得自聖格里尼翁‧蒙福的教導，他曾以下面的話來說明，瑪利亞在我們仿效基督的過程中所扮演的角色：「我們的成全在於相似、結合及奉獻於耶穌基督，因此在所有敬禮中，最完美的無疑是那能使我們全然地與基督相似，與他結合並為他而奉獻的敬禮。由於瑪利亞是一切受造物中最相似耶穌基督的一位，所以在各種敬禮中，最能使人聖化並相似吾主的，就是敬禮瑪利亞，他的至聖母親，人愈是把自己奉獻給她，就愈能把自己奉獻給耶穌基督」。從未有像玫瑰經一樣，把耶穌的生命與瑪利亞的生命如此密切結合在一起。瑪利亞只生活在基督內，也只為基督而生活！

Blessed John Paul II had written an apostolic letter named "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" which explains the value of saying the Rosary:

In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary's company – of the face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ's life and as it were to share his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”.

The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary's side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is “fully formed” in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, “in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power”.(20) This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my episcopal motto: Totus Tuus. The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary's role in the process of our configuration to Christ: “Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ”. Never as in the Rosary do the life of Jesus and that of Mary appear so deeply joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!

資料來源 Source:
宗座牧函: 童貞瑪利亞玫瑰經
Apostolic Letter: Rosarium Virginis Mariae