Little Treatise of Sister Lucy about the Nature and Recitation of the Rosary

Taken from letters written by Sister Lucy

J.M.

Coimbra, Dec. 4, 1970

Dear Maria Teresa,
Pax Christi,

       Our Mother received your letter and I ask forgiveness on her behalf for not responding personally, but that is not possible at the moment with so much to be done with the upcoming foundation of the new Carmel in Braga. For this reason she gave me the letter, that I might respond. This is what I am going to do.

       Our Mother is not going to allow what you wish. But then again it is not necessary. I should not, nor am I able to give testimony. I should remain in silence, prayer and penance. This is the best way in which I can and should help. It is necessary that the entire apostolate have this principle as a basis; and this is the part that the Lord chose for me: to pray and sacrifice myself for those who fight and work in the vineyard of the Lord and for the extension of His Kingdom.

       It is for this reason that my name should not appear. Instead of that, it is much more efficacious for one to serve in the Name of Our Lady, putting forth the movement as the ‘Fulfilment’ of the Message, presenting as an argument the insistence with which,

Our Lady requested and recommended that the Rosary be prayed every day, having repeated this in all the Apparitions as if forewarning us that in these times of diabolical disorientation, we must not let ourselves be deceived by false doctrines that diminish the elevation of our soul to God by means of prayer.

       For certain, it is not necessary that during the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that one pray the Holy Rosary: besides time set aside for the Holy Mass, we must also put aside time for praying the Holy Rosary. We can and should take part in the one without forsaking the other. The Rosary is, for the majority of souls who live in the world, their daily spiritual bread; and to deprive them or draw them away from this prayer is to decrease in their minds the appreciation and good faith with which they pray, and in the spiritual realm the same or even more, so much more, considering the spiritual realm is superior to the material realm. If I can put it another way, it is as if in the material realm people were to be deprived of the bread necessary to sustain physical life.

       Unfortunately, the majority of people are ignorant in religious matters and let themselves be tossed wherever the wave carries them. Therefore the great responsibility lies with those who have the office to lead them; and all of us are each other’s leaders, because we all have the obligation to mutually help one another, and walk the good path.

       Beyond what I have said, it would be well if the prayer of the Rosary were given a more real meaning than that which it has been given, until now, of a simple "Marian" prayer. All the prayers that we say in the Rosary are prayers that form part of the Sacred Liturgy; and more than a prayer directed to Mary it is a prayer directed to God: — the Our Father was taught to us by Jesus Christ, Who said: "Pray thus, Our Father Who art in Heaven ..." — "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost ..." is the hymn that the Angels sang, who were sent by God to announce the birth of His Word, God made man. — The Hail Mary, well understood, is nothing less than a prayer directed to God: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee". I hail Thee, Mary, because the Lord is with Thee! These words were most certainly dictated by the Father to the Angel, when He sent him to earth, in order that with these words he should greet Mary.

       Yes! The Angel came to say to Mary that She was full of Grace, not by Herself but because the Lord was with Her! — "Blessed art Thou amongst women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus". These words, with which Elizabeth greeted Mary, were dictated to her by the Holy Ghost as the Evangelist tells us: "When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, ... she was filled with the Holy Ghost. Crying out in a loud voice she exclaimed, Blessed art Thou amongst women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb." Yes! Because that fruit is Jesus, true God and true Man!

       So this salutation is an act of praise addressed to God: Blessed art Thou amongst women because Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb; and because Thou art the Mother of God made Man, — in Thee we adore God as in the first Tabernacle in which the Father enclosed His Word; as on the first Altar, Thy lap; as in the first Monstrance, Thy arms, before which the Angels, shepherds and kings knelt to adore the Son of God made Man! And because Thou, O Mary, art the first living Temple of the Most Holy Trinity, wherein live the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, "The Spirit will come over Thee and the power of the Most High will overshadow Thee. Therefore the Holy One, which is to be born, will be called Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Since Thou art a Tabernacle, a Monstrance, a living Temple, permanent home of the Most Holy Trinity, Mother of God and our Mother — "pray for us poor sinners now and at the hour of our death."

       Who could deny that this is a prayer and act of praise addressed to God?! Would it be better for us to direct our praise, adoration and supplications kneeling before inanimate altars of wood, stone or metal, or insensible golden monstrances incapable of praying for us?!

       It is certain that Saint Paul said there is only one Mediator with the Father. Yes! As God, there is only one, who is Jesus Christ. But the same Apostle asks that we pray for him and recommends that we pray for each other. Therefore, could the Apostle believe that Mary’s prayer was not as pleasing to God as is our prayer?! It is the diabolical disorientation that is invading the world and deceiving souls! It is necessary to confront it; and for this end what I say here can be of use to you. But as your own thing, without saying my name; as something that comes forth from you, running off your pen. And, in truth, it is yours, because in the quality of members of the Mystical Body of Christ which we are, everything is ours, because everything is from the Head, Christ Jesus.

       And I remain in my place, praying for you, and for all those with whom you are going to work, that it may be a battle which gives much glory to God and brings much light and grace to souls, peace to Holy Mother the Church and peace to a world stained by the blood of wars.

       Perhaps it would also be well to present the campaign, not only as the fulfillment of the Message, but also as a campaign of prayer and penance for peace in the world, in the Church and in the Portuguese overseas provinces. And may it be that Portugal, so devoted to the Eucharist and to Mary, becomes the first nation to recognize that the prayer of the Rosary is not only a Marian prayer, but also a Eucharistic prayer. And therefore, nothing should prevent one from praying before the Blessed Sacrament. As proof of this, the Holy Father Pope Pius XI had granted a plenary indulgence to those who pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament; and recently, His Holiness Pope Paul VI again granted the same indulgence.

       Therefore, it is necessary to pray the Rosary in cities, in towns and in villages, in the streets, on the road, while traveling or at home, in churches and in chapels! It is a prayer that is accessible to all, and everyone can and should pray. There are many who do not attend the liturgical prayer of the Holy Mass on a daily basis. If they do not pray the Rosary, what praying do they do?! And without prayer who can be saved?! — "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation."

       It is necessary then to pray and pray always. This means that all our activities and labors should be accompanied by a great spirit of prayer, because it is in prayer that the soul meets with God, and in this meeting grace and strength are received, even when one’s prayers are accompanied by distractions. Prayer always brings an increase of Faith to souls, even if it be no more than a momentary remembrance of the mysteries of our Redemption, recalling the Birth, Death and Resurrection of our Savior; and God will dismiss and pardon those distractions attributed to human weakness, ignorance and littleness.

       Concerning the repetition of the Hail Mary’s, it is not as they would have you believe, that it is an outdated practice. All the things that exist and were created by God are maintained and preserved by means of repetition, continued always from the same acts. And nobody thinks to call the sun, moon, stars, birds, plants, etc. outdated because they revolve, live and sprout always in the same way! And they are much older than the prayer of the Rosary! For God nothing is old. Saint John says that the Blessed in Heaven sing a new song, repeating always: Holy Holy Holy is the Lord, God of Hosts! And it is new, because in the light of God everything appears with new brilliance.

       I embrace you as always in union of prayers.

Sr. Lucy, o.c.d.

***

J.M.

Coimbra, May 29, 1970

Dear Mary Theresa,
Pax Christi

       I am responding to your letters on the anniversary of the ordination of the Holy Father. Today all is for His Holiness. May Our Lady take away with Her our poor and humble prayers.

       I thank you for your letters and newspaper clippings ... I really enjoyed seeing how they are already retreating ... Blessed be God! And we continue to pray that all will normalize.

The list concerning the "cancer" is horrible! How the partisans of the devil work for evil, and they are not afraid of anything! Neither of being in an awkward position, nor of losing! They march ever forward with intrepid audacity! And have we only to become cowards?! Is it that maybe God can do less than the devil?! Or do we have less Faith in God and in His power?! — It is necessary to march forward without fear and without dread. God is with us, and He must conquer.

       God willing, the meeting with the Archbishop of Mitilene will have gone well, and His Excellency will not be one of the chicken-hearted ... I think the best course would be that things be done with the bishops’ full knowledge, but without them taking responsibility (as if they did not know), this is to say, to avoid the inconvenience of fears ... Afterwards, when success comes, they can then declare that they took part in it.

       It is certain that laywomen can initiate many things that His Excellency, at the start, would hesitate to do. But we know that God and Our Lady are with us, and therefore we are not afraid. If we encounter difficulties I think one could say this, or present the problem from this point of view, as if they did not know about it and as if it were merely women’s initiatives. It was also in this way that the Worldwide Pilgrimage of the Pilgrim Statue was able to be started. Beginnings are always very difficult because of fears ... Later on, these apprehensions disappear. Everyone helps out and takes part.

       Concerning what you say to me about the priest who is in Fatima, I think he should not be afraid. We should put our confidence in God and in the protection of Our Lady. We are only very weak instruments in Their Hands, which They use for Their glory; but fear should not prevent us from serving Them in the way that Our Lord and Our Lady wish us to.

       I think that it should not be difficult at all to get the Holy Father to pray the Rosary, with the world, on television. Once all is well organized, that goes without saying. And might it be in Fatima?! — Let’s work, and I here, in my convent, will pray!

       A warm embrace for you who are always so dedicated, in union of prayer.

Sister Lucy, o.c.d.

       P.S. — Maybe that priest of whom you speak in your letter, could start promoting the Rosary in Russia, writing to the Patriarch of Moscow.

***

J.M.J.T.

Coimbra, Sept. 16, 1970

Dear Mother Martins,
Pax Christi

       I received your letter, for which I greatly thank you. It has been a long time since I heard any news from you, and I didn’t even know about your state of health, nor how you were feeling after the operation. By what you say to me, I see that you must have suffered a lot! This is the penance that Our Lord now asks of you, and these sufferings that He sometimes sends us are the hardest to take. But they are also that which most unite us to Him, Who was the Martyr of Sorrows.

       I also have not been feeling very well in my heart, in my eyes, etc. but it is necessary to complete in one’s self what is wanting in the Passion of Christ. It is necessary that Our Lord’s members be one with Him, by physical pain and by moral anguish ... Our poor Lord, Who saved us with such love, and how little understood He is! How little loved! How badly served! It is painful to see such disorientation, and in so many people who occupy positions of responsibility! ...

       As much as possible, we have to seek to make reparation by a union with the Lord that is ever more intimate, identifying ourselves with Him, so that He may be, in us, the light of this world which is immersed in the darkness of error, immorality and pride. It hurts me to learn about what you say, of what already is also happening there!

... It is because the devil has been able to infiltrate evil under the guise of good, and they act as the blind leading the blind, as Our Lord tells us in His Gospel; and souls go on allowing themselves to be deceived.

       Voluntarily I sacrifice myself and offer my life to God, for peace in His Church, for priests and for all consecrated souls, above all for those who carry on so erroneously and so deceived! For our separated Brothers: May God give light to all of them and put them on the right path — the path of Truth, which is Jesus Christ.

       Regarding what you tell me about the recitation of the Rosary, how sad! Because the prayer of the Rosary or five decades of it, after the Liturgy of the Most Holy Eucharist, is what most unites us to God by the richness of the prayers with which it is composed, all of them coming from Heaven, dictated by the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

       The Glory Be that we pray in all the mysteries was dictated by the Father to the Angels when He sent them to sing it to His Word as a newborn babe, and it is a hymn to the Trinity.

       The Our Father was dictated to us by the Son, and it is a prayer addressed to the Father.

       The Hail Mary is, all of it, impregnated with meaning both with regard to the Trinity and to the Eucharist. The first words were dictated by the Father to the Angel when He sent him to announce the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word.

       "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee": Thou art full of grace, because in Thee resides the source of the same Grace. And it is by Thy union with the Most Holy Trinity that Thou art full of grace.

       Moved by the Holy Ghost, St. Elizabeth said: "Blessed art Thou amongst all women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus": If Thou art blessed, it is because Jesus, the fruit of Thy womb, is blessed.

       The Church also moved by the Holy Ghost, added the words: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death": This is also a prayer addressed to God through Mary: Because Thou art the Mother of God, pray for us.

       It is indeed a Trinitarian prayer because Mary was the first living Temple of the Most Holy Trinity: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon Thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow Thee; — and the Son which shall be born of Thee shall be called the Son of the Most High."

       Mary is the first living Tabernacle where the Father enclosed His Word. Her Immaculate Heart is the first Monstrance that sheltered Him. Her lap and Her arms were the first altar and the first throne upon which the Son of God made man was adored. There the Angels, the Shepherds and the wise men of the earth adored Him. Mary is the first Who took the Son of God in Her pure and Immaculate hands and brought Him to the Temple to offer Him to the Father as a victim for the salvation of the world.

       So the prayer of the Rosary, after the Liturgy of the Most Holy Eucharist, is what most introduces us to the intimate mystery of the Most Holy Trinity and the Eucharist; what most brings us to the spirit of the mysteries of Faith, Hope and Charity.

       The prayer of the Rosary is the spiritual bread of souls: Whoever does not pray, wastes away and dies. It is by prayer that we find ourselves with God, and in this meeting with Him, He communicates to us Faith, Hope and Charity: virtues without which we cannot be saved.

       The Rosary is the prayer of the rich and the poor, of the educated and the simple. Take this devotion away from souls, and you take away their spiritual daily bread.

       The Rosary is what sustains the little flame of Faith that still has not been extinguished in many consciences. Even for those souls who pray without meditating, the very act of taking up the Rosary to pray is already a remembrance of God, of the Supernatural. A simple recollection of the mysteries of each decade is one more ray of light to sustain in souls the still smoldering wick.

This is why the devil has made such war against it. And what is worse is that he has succeeded in deluding and deceiving souls who have much responsibility because of the positions they occupy!

       … They are the blind leading the blind! ... And they would want to base themselves on the Council! They do not see that the Council ordered that all the practices be preserved which down through the ages have been done in honor of the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God; and that the prayer of the Holy Rosary, or five decades of it, is one of the principal practices that by order of the Holy Council and the Supreme Pontiff, we are under obligation to preserve, that is to say, we must preserve. I have great hope that the day will not be long in coming in which the prayer of the Holy Rosary will be declared liturgical prayer. Yes, because all of it forms part of the Liturgy of the Most Holy Eucharist. We pray, work, sacrifice ourselves and trust tha t—

"In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!"

       Adieu, my dear Sister. The Statue of the Child Jesus that is to go to the Church of the Holy Name of God is still here. Whenever you want, you can come and get it.

       A warm embrace for the beloved Mother Cunha Matos and for you, in union of prayers as always.

       I don’t know the book of which you speak.

Sr. Lucy, o.c.d.

***

(Two Excerpts from Two Letters)

... "That which some disorientated people have published against the prayer of the Rosary is false.

       More ancient than the prayer of the Rosary is the light of the sun, and they do not want to lose the benefit of its brilliance and heat. More ancient are the Psalms, and they, as with the prayers that constitute the Rosary, form part of the Sacred Liturgy.

       The repetition of the Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be is the chain that elevates us to God and takes us to Him, giving us participation in His divine Life in us, — like the repetition of the morsels of bread with which we feed ourselves and sustain natural life; and we don’t call that outdated!

       The disorientation is diabolical! Don’t let yourself be deceived (Dec. 20, 1969).

       "... May your apostolate, as well as the apostolate of all our Missionary Brothers and Sisters be the light of Faith for souls, may it guide them by the path of Truth, Hope and Love! — That light of which Our Lord speaks in His Gospel: "You are the light of the world and the salt of the earth."

       It is necessary, therefore, to not let yourself be drawn away by the doctrines of disorientated contradictors ... The campaign is diabolical. We need to confront it, without getting into conflicts: Say, to souls, that now more than ever we need to pray for ourselves and for those who are against us!

       We need to pray the Rosary every day. It is the prayer Our Lady most recommended, as if forewarning us of these days of diabolical battle against it. The devil knows it is by prayer that we have to save ourselves and he takes up arms against it to try to send us to hell. Now that the month of May is not far off, pray the Rosary with the people every day. Don’t be afraid to expose the Blessed Sacrament and pray the Rosary in Our Lord’s presence.

       It is false what they say, that it is not liturgical: The prayers of the Rosary, all of them, form part of the Sacred Liturgy; and if it does not displease God when we pray them celebrating the Holy Sacrifice, neither will He be displeased if we pray them in His presence, when He is exposed for our adoration. On the contrary, it is the prayer that pleases Him better, because it is a manner in which He is better praised.

       "Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Ghost" — is the prayer dictated by the Father to the Angels for them to sing at the manger of the Word made flesh: "Glory to God..." "Our Father Who art in Heaven...": the prayer taught to mankind by Jesus Christ: "When you pray say, Our Father Who art in Heaven ..." And the Hail Mary, isn’t it nothing less than an act of praise and a prayer addressed to God? — "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee." It is as if we were saying: I greet Thee Mary, not so much for Thee but for the Lord Who is with Thee, for the Lord Who lives in Thee and chose Thee for a living Tabernacle where He enclosed His Word, true God and true Man! I genuflect in Thy presence, because Thou art the first living Temple where dwelt the Most Holy Trinity! Blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, because that Fruit is Jesus, Son of God. In Thee I adore Him as in the Tabernacle; I praise Him as in the Host, for which Thou art the Monstrance! And since Thou art a living Monstrance, Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us poor sinners now and at the hour of our death.

       What more Eucharistic prayer can we pray, once we give you the true meaning? It is not an aimless prayer, nor do we repeat the same words in vain. The Evangelist tells us that Jesus Christ, in the Garden of Olives, prayed to the Father for three hours, always repeating the same words: "Father! If Thou wilt, remove this chalice from Me, but yet not My will, but Thine be done."

       Now during the recitation of the Rosary, we are not three hours repeating the same words. And after all, God, Creator of all that exists, commanded that all creatures be preserved by means of a continual repetition of the same acts, movements and tones: the planets always turn in the same way; the earth around the same axis; the sun gives forth its light and its rays in the same way; the plants sprout, bloom and bear fruit each according to its kind, every year in the same way, etc.; and in the same way all the other beings that exist. We ourselves live, inhale and exhale, always repeating the same organic function. And everything else in the same way. And nobody ever thinks to say that this is an outdated way to live! Why then does it have to be this way with the prayer that God taught us and so often recommended to us?!

       It is easy to see here the cunning of the devil and his followers who want to drag souls away from God, separating them from prayer. It is by prayer that souls meet with God, and it is in this meeting that God gives Himself to souls, communicating to them His graces, lights and gifts. This is why they make such war against it! Don’t let yourself be deceived. Explain this to the souls who are entrusted to you and pray the Rosary with them every day: pray it in church, in the streets, on the highways and in the squares. If it is possible for you, have processions in the streets, praying and singing the Rosary with the people; and finish in the church with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Do this in a spirit of prayer and penance, begging for peace in the Church, for our overseas provinces and for the world.

       I am certain that, if an appeal is made in this spirit, souls will follow you and will come willingly, because the sheep follow their shepherd when he knows how to guide and lead them by the good path.

       P.S. — I suppose that you know that a short time ago the Holy Father granted a plenary indulgence to all who pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament.

Sister Lucy of the Immaculate Heart

(April 4, 1970)

Sister Lucy Speaks to Father Fuentes on the Rosary

       Regarding the Holy Rosary, Sister Lucy, speaking to Father Fuentes in the authentic December 26, 1957, interview, said:

       "Look, Father, the Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.

"With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls."

Return to
Table of Contents