本月是聖母「玫瑰月」，聖母「至聖玫瑰之后」乃我們總教區的主保。十月五日，教會紀念真福祿茂.朗高 —— 一位「玫瑰經」的聖僕。

他的生平

祿茂.朗高出生於一八四一年，在意大利拿玻里大學進修法律時喪失了信德，在損友的影響下，學習招魂術。幸好經一名富靈修生活的教授介紹，認識了一位聖善的「道明會」神父，他使祿茂重拾信德，並常常誦唸「玫瑰經」。

一八六四年畢業後，祿茂曾執業律師，後來放棄執業，在拿玻里全心專務傳教和慈善工作。一八八五年與年輕富裕的女伯爵瑪利亞.荻馥縞結婚。結婚前, 祿茂替她管理產業，因而在一八七二年，來到了龐庇山谷。

祿茂眼看龐庇居民靈性和物質的貧瘠，決定留下。他開始向佃農教授要理，在「玫瑰之后」聖相前帶領誦唸「玫瑰經」，且在當地建築了一座「聖母玫瑰」大殿，繼而創辦了「玫瑰經及新龐庇」的刋物；又建造孤兒院、兒童釋囚收容所，並創立「至聖玫瑰孝女會」修會。

一九零六年，祿茂捐贈全部財產給教廷，以受僱身份留在龐庇服務。一九二六年十月五日去世，死時右手握着耶穌苦像，左手拿着「玫瑰唸珠」。一九八零年十月，教宗若望保祿二世封他為「真福」，譽他為「瑪利亞的忠僕」。

有力的祈禱

「花地瑪聖母」要我們每天為世界和平唸「玫瑰經」；真福教宗庇約九世指出：「聖教會內眾多敬禮中，因〔至聖玫瑰〕的敬禮而見證到的聖蹟為最多。」教宗庇約十二世肯定「玫瑰經」是治療今日邪惡的有力祈禱。真福教宗若望二十三世稱「玫瑰經」是普天下為教會、為家國，甚至為全世界的需要而祈禱的偉大經文。

「玫瑰經」幫助我們發思耶穌聖容，當中複唸「聖母經」可幫助我們專注默想耶穌和聖母瑪利亞的一生。教宗庇約十二世和保祿六世均認為「玫瑰經」是「福音的概要」。教宗若望保祿二世說：「玫瑰經」能有效地培育信眾默觀基督的奧秘。

真福祿茂.朗高藉勤唸「玫瑰經」，增強了信德，服務了天主，修成了聖德。

實踐的方法

十八年來，「玫瑰經」是我最喜愛的敬禮，我順序、有系統地去默想當中的奧蹟，每遍「聖母經」都設特定默想，形成每端的「玫瑰經」奧蹟，都有其十個片段的默想。

歡迎從我的網誌fatheranthonyho.com下載個人「玫瑰經」的默想。假如你未能每天唸完一整串「玫瑰經」，我建議你以一星期七天的時間，每天唸兩端、第七天唸三端的方法，去完成十五端「玫瑰經」，旨在每天細膩地以赤子之愛的情操去祈禱，非追求以數量去達標；這樣，你會慣於每星期編織十五端芬芳花環，獻到聖母腳下。

效法真福祿茂.朗高，矢志實踐這美麗而又重要的祈禱。

This is the month of the Holy Rosary. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is the patron of our Archdiocese. On Oct. 5, the Church commemorates Blessed Bartolo Longo, a saint of the Holy Rosary.

His life

Bartolo Longo was born in 1841. He studied law at the University of Naples and lost his faith there. Through the influence of bad companions, he began to practice spiritualism. Fortunately through a deeply spiritual professor, he was introduced to a saintly Dominican priest. This priest helped Bartolo regain his faith and to practice the devotion of the Holy Rosary.

After graduation in 1864, Bartolo practiced law as an attorney. Eventually, he gave up his law practice and devoted himself wholeheartedly to apostolic and charitable works in Naples. He became acquainted with a wealthy young widow, the countess Marianna de Fusco, whom he eventually married in 1885. Bartolo became the administrator of her real estate, coming to the Valley of Pompeii in 1872.

The spiritual and material needs of the people in Pompeii prompted Bartolo to stay there. Bartolo started to catechize the peasants and led the Rosary before a picture of the Queen of the Holy Rosary. Bartolo built a Rosary basilica in Pompeii.

He also founded and edited the magazine, The Rosary and the New Pompeii. To meet the social needs of the people Bartolo also constructed an orphanage and a large home for children of the imprisoned. He was also the founder of an institution of sisters called, Daughters of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii.

In 1906, Bartolo turned over all his works and properties to the Holy See. He remained in Pompeii as a simple employee. Bartolo died on Oct. 5, 1926, holding a crucifix in his right hand and a rosary in his left. In October of 1980, Pope John Paul II beatified him and called him the “Man of Mary.”

A powerful prayer

Our Lady of Fatima asked us to pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world. Blessed Pius IX pointed out, “Among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been so favoured by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary.”

Pius XII did not hesitate to affirm his confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils in modern times.

Blessed John XXIII called the Rosary, “A magnificent and universal prayer for the needs of the Church, the nations, and the entire world.”

The Rosary helps us to contemplate the face of Christ. The repetition of the Hail Mary is a means to focus our attention to meditate on the life of Jesus and the life of Mary. Both Pius XII and Paul VI referred the Rosary as, “The compendium of the entire Gospel.”

According to John Paul II, the Rosary is “A most effective means of fostering among the faithful that commitment to the contemplation of the Christian mystery.” It is by constantly praying the Rosary that Bartolo deepened his faith, did great things for God, and attained holiness.

Some practical suggestions

The Rosary has been my favourite form of devotion for almost eighteen years. The method I use for meditation on the mysteries is quite systematic and detailed. I assigned a point of meditation to each of the Hail Mary’s. Hence, there are ten points of meditation for each mystery of the Rosary.

You may download my personal meditation from my personal blog: fatheranthonyho.com. If you are not able to say the entire Rosary every day, I suggest you to say at least fifteen decades of the Rosary a week. It is not so much the quantity as the quality that counts. Say two decades daily with childlike love for six days, with three decades on the seventh day, and you will have the satisfaction of placing week after week a garland of fifteen decades at the feet of Mary.

Following the example of Blessed Bartolo, please make a very definite resolution on this lovable and important point.