The Excellence of the Rosary | Page 7

These last words, which I have made the text for my address to-day, we
may fitly apply to the holy rosary. For the rosary has ever since its
origin proven itself a conquering weapon for the Church, as also well as
for the individual Christian, against the most powerful enemies of God
and of His Church. Let us consider the fact for the greater glory of God
and of the Queen of the rosary.
Since the introduction of the rosary by St. Dominic, for more than six
hundred years therefore, the great victories of Christianity against the
many and ferocious enemies of the Church are ascribed to the devotion

of the rosary. The Church has at all times had enemies, who with all
their power and in all their evil ways have opposed and persecuted her.
Nor is this surprising. Ever since Satan succeeded in beguiling our first
parents into sin, he has continued to sow dissention among mankind.
Beginning with Cain and Abel, there have been children of God who
obeyed God's commandments, and, on the other hand, children of Satan,
as holy Scripture calls them, who seek their salvation in the pleasures
of this life. Since the time of Cain and Abel, mankind has been split
into two divisions, one seeking the kingdom of God, the other the
kingdom of the world, the kingdom of Satan.
When our Saviour conquered Satan He left him power over those who
make themselves slaves to the sensual pleasures, and thus there exists
an evil force against the Church, and it will exist to the end of time.
This is a fact that we must keep in view in order to fully understand and
judge the conditions. The realm of darkness, Satan's realm, stands
opposed to the realm of Christ. Satan and his adherents carry on the
warfare against the Church of Christ, as they assaulted Christ Himself.
"As they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you," so did
Christ prophecy.
The Church of Christ demands the subjection of the flesh; she preaches
against luxury, pride and selfishness. She preaches chastity and
submission to the commandments of God; she preaches penance alike
to those of high and low station in life. This angers all those who would
indulge in the evil things of this world. They cry: "Let us break her
bonds asunder; and let us cast away her yoke from us." But as Christ
foretold the persecution of His Church, so He also foretold that the
gates of hell would not prevail against her. The Church of God will in
due time conquer all her enemies, some will be converted, while others
who are obstinate will perish in the battle. In all these battles and
victories of the Church, Mary, blessed mother of her divine Founder,
co-operates with the Church through her intercession. Mary was
already spoken of in paradise as the one who would come to tread upon
the head of the serpent, the spirit of darkness. This she has done by
becoming the mother of God, by bringing forth the Redeemer. And as
Jesus through Mary's co-operation came into this world, so He desires

her co-operation in ruling the world. The history of the contests and
Victories of the Church verify this throughout the centuries.
The evil spirit has a twofold weapon with which he assails and combats
God's Church; namely, the godless rulers of the world and heresy.
Through the godless authorities of the world Satan has endeavored
since the beginning to crush the Church; through heresy he attempts to
destroy the Church by internal dissension. Both weapons are used
together, for heresy and calumny can not prevail without substantial
support, and heretics seek worldly power and assistance. On every page
of Church history we find recorded the clashes planned by these evil
forces, from which the Church always came out not conquered, but a
conqueror.
The history of the veneration of Mary tells us that the Blessed Virgin
Mary helped to win these victories. During the early times, when fierce
battles against the Church were raging, bishops and priests knew of no
more efficacious means to avert these dangers than to exhort the
faithful to pray to the Blessed Virgin. Thus we read in history that the
holy bishops and martyrs Ignatius and Irenaeus did this in the second
century, and in the third century it was Pope Calixtus who advised the
faithful to take refuge with the Blessed Virgin in time of persecution of
the Church. And so on through all Christian times.
Since the introduction of the rosary by St. Dominic all great victories
have been credited to the devotion of the rosary. The first great
conquest of the Church effected by the rosary was the victory over the
Albigenses, who had spread heresy in southern