It is this Gospel text that I would like to comment and develop with you, because we must know how to deepen our understanding of the Gospel, interpret it and apply it in the details of Christian life. Certain authors interpret this mysterious number of one hundred fifty-three fish recorded in the Gospel as the symbol of the number of Hail Mary’s in the Rosary. In fact, the entire Rosary contains one hundred fifty-three Ave Marias: fifty in each crown and the three that begin the Rosary which are recited in honor of the Blessed Trinity. According to these authors, this mysterious number would conceal the devotion of the Holy Rosary in the Gospel. It is well hidden, but if we look closely we may think that it is part of what Jesus wanted to tell us in this Gospel episode. The Apostles had spent all night fishing without any results: they had caught nothing. From far off on the beach, Jesus calls to them: “Children, have you nothing to eat?” — “No!” — “Well, cast the net to the right of the boat! Don’t you see? There are one hundred fifty-three big fish just waiting for you! You don’t know it, but they are right there within reach. Cast the net and pull them in, they are yours!” The Apostles still do not know it is Jesus, but even so, they cast the net right away and caught the one hundred fifty-three fish. You can well imagine the scene! The slightest details in this Gospel are weighty with meaning. The night during which the Apostles fished represents the night of life, the spiritual night in which Christians often wend their way. We often walk in a kind of spiritual night. In that night, we look for spiritual food, but we do not find it. Sometimes we look for our food in all kinds of devotions, but without finding it. And Jesus, in a mysterious fashion — we still don’t know it is Jesus — says to us, “Cast your net! Here is the Rosary. Fish! Pull them in! You have only to say the Rosary and reap the profit.” The Rosary is there, always at hand, and it is given to us by Jesus Himself, but He is hidden. When you have been struggling all night like the Apostles and you are somewhat exhausted and depressed, take up your beads, start praying, say the Rosary. Pray to God and His Holy Mother as you know They should be prayed to. Perhaps because of the darkness you will not feel the fruits, but you have to say it anyway, obeying in faith, as the Apostles instantaneously obeyed a stranger. They obeyed with the simplicity of children. The Church has been recommending this prayer for centuries; this is no whim, no invention of churchmen, as we will see in the following pages. To extend this subject of night a little further, we might say that sometimes in these states of spiritual darkness, we do not feel like praying. And yet, prayer is what we need the most. At such moments let us take up our beads. It is so simple to take up the beads and slowly recite the Our Father and the Hail Mary. Who cannot do that? It is so simple! At the same time, let us try to think about the mysteries of the life of Jesus and Mary. Those who do this reap many fruits. And if it is true for this personal night of the soul that sometimes comes upon us, it is all the more true for this night of the times in which we live today. The earth is in darkness, in the night, for it is not the kingdom of God on the earth, we are living in a time of darkness. In our time, Jesus is well hidden on the earth, He is not put into light. We might say that precisely now more than ever, is the time to take out the Rosary and use it as a powerful arm to overcome this night. As Saint Louis Mary de Montfort says in his beautiful hymn: By the Ave Maria Sin will be destroyed, By the Ave Maria The Great Jesus will reign. Listen! by the Ave Sinners are changed, The demons are crushed And hell is routed. Is it not true that today, more than ever, sin rules on this poor earth, and perhaps sometimes even in our own life? Saint Louis Mary de Montfort, a Doctor of the Church, says that by the Ave Maria, sin will be destroyed in our life and in the world. But we have to employ this arm; even without seeing any results, we have to use it. Sin will be destroyed, the Great Jesus will reign. Jesus is not reigning today, but by the Ave Maria, Jesus will reign. Let us pursue the Gospel text. You will notice that this episode of the second miraculous catch of fish is situated towards the last moments of the visible presence of Jesus among us on this earth. He has already ended His public life. He has died and risen again, and He is on the point of going back up to His Father. It is as if He wanted to give us this supreme teaching, this symbol of the Holy Rosary, in the catch of the one hundred fifty-three fish. Jesus is on the point of returning to His Father. Now, the Church of Jesus Christ is the continuation of the Work of Christ on earth; that is the very definition of the Church. The Church was instituted to pursue the Work of Christ. So then, we could say that in a way, the life of Jesus is the model of what the life of the Church will be throughout its history. We see that this catch of fish, a symbol of the Holy Rosary, did not occur at the start of Jesus’ life. And we also see by the history of the Church that at the start of the Church, devotion to the Holy Rosary was unknown. It is a devotion that remained still hidden, reserved for the time of night near the end. And even now it remains hidden for many souls. Saint Louis Mary de Montfort says that the extraordinary role of Mary and the power of the Rosary will be revealed in the latter times — revealed especially to the Apostles of Jesus. And just as this second miraculous catch of fish occurs after Jesus’ death, this devotion to Mary and the Holy Rosary is more necessary than ever, when the Church appears to be dead and all seems lost. Notice also that the Apostles recognized Jesus only after they caught the one hundred fifty-three fish, that is, after they made the act of faith that had been asked of them, in all simplicity. Without any analyzing, they cast their net, and seeing it fill up, Saint John said, “It’s the Lord! It’s Jesus!” And if we continue the parallel, we could say that when the Apostles of our times will have really practiced the true devotion to Mary and the Rosary, they will recognize and discover Jesus. And that is when the Church of Jesus Christ will shine once again. People will say, “Oh, yes! That is the Church! Jesus is there!” Saint Louis Mary de Montfort also says in the hymn quoted above: God redeemed the world by the Ave Maria, by it He will renew both earth and sea. The Redemption started with the Hail Mary. An Angel presents himself to our Holy Mother and says to Her, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee... Mary pronounces Her Fiat, and the Redemption of the world begins. My brothers and sisters, the time has now come to renew the earth. Through the Rosary, God will renew His Church. Let us also point out — to continue to bring out the symbolism hidden in this Gospel — that at the time of the first miraculous catch of fish, the Gospel mentions that the Apostles sorted the fish: they kept the good ones and threw out the bad. Whereas in this second miraculous catch of fish, symbolizing the Holy Rosary, the Gospel does not mention any sorting; it tells us there were one hundred and fifty-three good big fish. It is a perfect catch! Isn’t this to show us that the Holy Rosary is, so to speak, an infallible formula for the salvation of souls, as much for those who recite it as for a multitude of other souls who benefit from it? There is no sorting out here. All the Ave Marias you say will be good if you say them with attention and devotion, uniting yourselves to Jesus and Mary.

Definition of the Rosary

But we must define the Rosary and understand what it is. What is the Rosary? Is it merely the recitation of one hundred fifty-three Ave Marias as we tell our beads? It is certainly that, but it is far more than that. The Rosary consists in the recitation of the Our Father and of Hail Mary’s, but also in meditation on the life and mysteries of Jesus and Mary. It is not an automatic recitation of prayer formulas, it is also contemplation, union with God. Truly a prayer! Prayer is a supplication, a contemplation, a union of our soul with God. And the Rosary is the union of our soul with the mysteries of the life of Jesus and Mary as we recite these Hail Mary’s. When a Christian accomplishes this act of reciting Hail Mary’s while thinking of and uniting himself with the mysteries of the life of Jesus and Mary, then little by little the life of Jesus and Mary is engraved in his heart, his soul, we might even say his entire being. The soul identifies itself with Jesus and Mary and conforms its life to Theirs. This is where the great value of the Holy Rosary lies. For when a Christian comes into conformity with Jesus and Mary in his heart, his thought, his behavior — in a word, all his life — not only is he sanctified, but he becomes a channel of grace for his brothers and sisters in the world who need it, a channel of grace for the entire Church. We might say that this Christian is “another Jesus, another Mary living on the earth,” who radiates Christ and continues His Work. By the Ave Maria, all grace will come to us, says Montfort. Every Christian must know Jesus and imitate Him. Do we want to know Him? The Rosary is a great means for doing so. The recitation of the Hail Mary in a way that is pious and devout, not automatic, puts heaven into motion. But application is necessary. Prayers said routinely, without recollection, are a little like playing a tape recorder; that is not prayer! The Rosary well recited combines verbal prayer and contemplation. It is the recitation of formulas sent by God Himself: the Hail Mary, and the Our Father, the prayer taught by Jesus. We may look for other formulas but there are no better ones, for these two were dictated to us by Heaven. When the Hail Mary was spoken for the first time by the Angel by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it engendered in Mary the Incarnate Word, the Son of God. Do we want Jesus to come and live in us? Do we want the thought of God to truly dwell in us? Let us say the Hail Mary with devotion and fervor. God redeemed the world by the Ave Maria, by it He will renew both earth and sea, says Montfort. There is a grace of fortitude attached to the slow, pious recitation of the Hail Mary. I strongly recommend, my brothers and sisters, please never go too fast when reciting this prayer. We abuse it, we waste it, and we lose our taste for it when we say it too quickly. We destroy this prayer. I don’t think you can imagine the Archangel Gabriel presenting himself to the Blessed Virgin and spouting off the Hail Mary all in one breath, as unfortunately we sometimes hear it being said. The Angel greeted Mary with profound respect and gravity, and that is how we must recite the Angelical Salutation. In the narrative of this Gospel, we see Saint Peter’s reaction as soon as Saint John says to him, “It’s the Lord!” Full of holy zeal, without a moment’s hesitation, he jumps into the water to rush to Jesus. That night of exhaustion, the suffering of having fished all night without catching anything — all of that is forgotten: he has recognized Jesus. Likewise, those who apply themselves to the devotion of the Holy Rosary recover their ardor. That is the testimony of many Saints. Sometimes our zeal wears thin: we have lost it, we are not getting anywhere, we are in despair. Let us have recourse to Mary with the pious recitation of the Rosary, and God will transform us. At His hour, Jesus will manifest Himself, we will recognize Him, and then zeal will conduct us to Him.

Secret revealed to the humble

I would like to bring up, in order to emphasize it, a statement with which our Father John Gregory concluded his exposition on the Holy Rosary one day: “The Rosary is a powerful arm, but an arm that only the humble are able to recognize and employ.” Only the humble. The more we analyze, the more we dissect, the more we scrutinize, the more confused we get. The Apostles cast the net very simply, as children would have done, without any reasoning, without anything in the back of their minds, and they caught those one hundred and fifty-three fish. That is how we must go about this devotion to the Holy Rosary, without wanting to reason it all out. Those who do so with simplicity and humility will reap the fruits that are attached to it. When we want to understand everything before we act, we never do anything. The ways of God are mysterious, and they are revealed to those who take the first steps. We take a few steps and God confirms for us in our conscience, in our heart, that this is really what He wants. And sometimes in a miraculous way as for the Apostles, He confirms that it is truly what He wanted them to do: cast the net and make that catch. The ways of God are like that; we must take the steps that are asked of us, very simply. Devotion to the Holy Rosary is a will of God; although it is hidden, although it is secret, it is a will of God. A host of Saints have understood and taught it. Those who make the act of faith, who make the effort and adhere to this devotion, experience that it is indeed a will of God and a source of abundant grace. It is not an accessory devotion, it is an express will of Jesus, but manifested in a mysterious, hidden way. Certainly, the first great prayer is Holy Mass, but we cannot always be saying it or attending it, whereas the Rosary is accessible all the time. We can say it simply in our comings and goings, and even without holding the beads in our hand we can say Ave Marias while thinking about the mysteries of Jesus and Mary. I encourage you to meditate on this beautiful Montfort hymn, The Triumph of the Ave. Together, let us ask the Blessed Virgin to give us a strong conviction and confidence in the power of the Hail Mary and the Holy Rosary. But even before we have the grace of this conviction, let us start doing it spontaneously like the Apostles, as cordially and as well as possible, and we will see the results. There’s nothing like experience. And there’s nothing like a good experience! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and of the Mother of God. Amen.

The Secret of the Rosary

by Father Mathurin of the Mother of God The month of October is particularly consecrated to devotion to the Holy Rosary, especially October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. I would like to make use of a page from the Gospel to stimulate and encourage you in this devotion. It is situated a little before the Ascension of Jesus into heaven; so it is after His public life and sorrowful death, after He had already manifested Himself several times to the holy women and then the Apostles. We are talking about the second miraculous catch of fish. The Apostles had left Judea and returned to Galilee, and they did not know when Jesus would manifest Himself to them again. Here is the text from the Gospel that I would like to comment with you in parallel with the devotion of the Holy Rosary.

Second miraculous catch of fish

The Eleven had returned to Galilee. Jesus appeared to them again at the Sea of Tiberias in the following manner: Simon Peter and Thomas, called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee and two other Disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them: “I’m going fishing.” “We will go with you,” replied the others. They went out and got into a boat, but they caught nothing that night. At daybreak Jesus appeared on the beach, but the Disciples did not recognize Him. He asked them from a distance: “Children, have you nothing to eat?” “No,” they answered. “Cast the net to the right of your boat, and you will find something.” So they cast the net, and it filled up with so many fish that they could not pull it up. Then the Disciple Jesus loved said to Peter: “It’s the Lord!” Hearing that it was the Lord, Simon Peter put on his tunic (because he had removed it) and jumped into the water. The boat was not far off, only about two hundred cubits from shore, so the other Disciples rowed in, dragging the net full of fish. Upon landing, they saw a charcoal fire with fish laid on it, and some bread. And Jesus said to them: “Bring some of the fish you have just now caught.” Simon Peter ran to the boat and pulled the net onto land. It was full of one hundred and fifty-three big fish. But despite this enormous weight, the net was not torn. Jesus then said, “Come and eat.” They sat down, but not one of them dared to ask Him, “Who are You?” Indeed, they knew very well that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and also the fish.

Let Us Pray! – To be souls filled with God Renounce all things Be attentive to God Lovers of the Cross Docility to the Holy Spirit – So that all things may be renewed Prayer – To be true servants of God Fidelity in the little things – May the designs of God be fulfilled Faith in the action of Providence Prayer and Penance Adoration of Jesus Host – To live in intimacy with God The reading of the Gospel – May God’s Kingdom come! Prayer – To hasten the hour of salvation for the Church and the world Invitation to fight – May God find these generous souls Be true – With grace and truth Patience – Graciously! Do violence to ourselves – To attain holiness The summit of Adoration No one can serve two masters The anguish of God What is most pleasing to God Aging is a Grace Secret of Happiness – The Beatitudes The true essence of the Holy Church of Jesus Christ ADVENT Prepare the Way of the Lord ADVENT Prepare the Coming of Jesus ADVENT Awaken Thy Power, O Lord, and come! CHRISTMAS Beside the manger CHRISTMAS He came unto His own and His own received Him not… EASTER Jesus, Light of the World Purgatory, an instrument of Divine Mercy A page from the Gospel – Jesus lost and found in the Temple The Feast of the Visitation and of the Magnificat The Assumption of the Virgin Mary The Secret of the Rosary Mary, Mother of God and our Mother Glorious Saint Joseph, our Model Saint Michael the Archangel, Champion of Humility