COMMENDING DEVOTION TO THE ROSARY

LAETITIAE SANCTAE

Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII promulgated on September 8, 1893.

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 practicing 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.

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 labored--as, God helping, We shall ever 
continue to labor--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.

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 laborious 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.

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 labor-- 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!

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 splendor and beauty of our earthly habitation, by 
which human society is ennobled, may mirror the splendor 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.

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 laboring 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 splendor 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 enroll themselves in the Confraternity, and who 
will earnestly endeavor 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.

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 fulfillment. 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 favor, 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.