Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Mystic Post

Home
More Voices
Religion News
THE ROSE: A MARIAN SYMBOL

THE ROSE: A MARIAN SYMBOL

Last updated on: March 12, 2016 at 8:56 am by Mystic Post

THE ROSE: A MARIAN SYMBOL 2016-03-12T08:56:33-05:00 Mystic Post

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

“Say it with flowers!” From the beginning Christians often

expressed their religious spirit and belief with flowers. The rose was a popular religious symbol from earliest times.

And in 2002 St. John Paul II renewed this interest with his

Apostolic Letter, The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, and declared 2003 the Year of the Rosary.

Why did the rose become an important symbol through the

Christian ages? Is there a biblical foundation? Although wild roses

grew in Palestine at the time of Jesus, the rose is mentioned neither

in the Hebrew Scriptures nor in the New Testament.

In the Greco-Roman culture the rose represented beauty, the

season of spring, and love. It also spoke of the fleetness of time, and therefore, inferred death and the next world. In Rome the feast called rosalia was a celebration of the dead. In western Christian iconography, the first use of the rose appears in scenes representing the next world, paradise, together with the lily and other flowers. These flowers also became symbols of virtues and of categories of the elect; for example, the red rose for martyrs and the lily for virgins.

The rose as the queen of flowers was evidently a privileged symbol for Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth. The rose is a symbol of Christ, too, as we see in the German Christmas song from a poem by Goethe, Es ist ein’ Ros’entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming).

The Marian symbolism is well illustrated by Dante in his description of paradise. His guide, Beatrice, invites him to contemplate among the heavenly inhabitants the beauty of Mary, the Mother of God: “Why are you so enamored of my face that you do not turn your gaze to the beautiful garden which blossoms under the radiance of Christ? There is the Rose in which the Divine Word became flesh; here are the lilies whose perfume guides you in the right ways” (Paradiso, 23 71-75).

But Dante uses also a more general symbolism of the rose, that of the universe (Paradiso, 31, 1-3), like the lotus in Asia. Indeed, with its multiple petals the rose is a beautiful image of our expanding cosmos. Wonderful examples of this symbolism are found in the gothic cathedrals and their rose windows, the circular, stained glass windows that enhance the three entrances of these churches.

These immense roses symbolize the world of salvation offered and revealed by God to our lost human race through the Old and New Testaments. Christ is at the center of these rose windows, where he appears usually as judge or in the mystery of his Incarnation. In the later example, we see Mary presenting the Child Jesus. All around are figures and scenes of the Bible illustrating the history of our salvation.

In this artistic creation the universal symbolism of the rose found one of its most exalted expressions. The symbolism of the rose assumed a Marian association in a privileged manner through two themes: the rose garden and the devotion of the rosary. During the Middle Ages the theme of the rose garden developed from the symbolism of the rose in the literature of courtly love, using the rose as the symbol of the beloved lady.

Later the influence of the Song of Songs led to the rose symbolizing the mystical union between Christ and his Church, or between God and each member of his people. Because Mary was honored as the model of our union with God, the rose became a privileged symbol of the union between Christ and Mary. The Litany of Loreto includes the title, “Mystical Rose.” Mary holding a rose (and not a scepter) appears in the art of the 13th century. The theme of Mary in a rose garden or under a rose arbor or before a tapestry of roses inspired many artists of theRhineland.

During the Renaissance the rose garden theme came to represent human love and lovers. But at the same time the religious, Marian symbolism of the rose was popularized by the devotion of the rosary. The structured prayer form of 150 Hail Marys was termed a “rosary.” This expression came from the Latin rosarium or rosaries, a name given to works collecting the best of some teaching. For example, Arnold of Villanova wrote a Rosarius Philosophorum, explaining that it was a compendium, a thesaurus, a treasury of philosophy. Here the symbolism of the rosary ended in abstract use.

In contrast, the rosary stands as a precious anthology of spirituality. Our Lady of the Rosary is Our Lady of the roses, because the flowers are the symbols of greeting offered to the Mother of God. We greet her with spiritual flowers. In a different perspective, Mary and the Child Jesus offer the rosary to their devotees. In his Feast of the Rosary (1506), artist Albrecht Dürer represents Jesus and Mary handing out crowns of roses.

The internationally renowned Marian Library at the University of Dayton (the world’s largest assemblage of Marian publications and materials), possesses a number of artistic portrayals of the rosary. Some contain a circle of fifteen medallions depicting the main events of the lives of Jesus and Mary, which constitute the rosary prayer. Ten roses representing the ten Hail Marys that accompany the contemplation of each mystery of the Christian faith separate each medallion from the others.

Another use of the rose as a spiritual symbol is emblematic. The rose became a moral emblem to illustrate various adages or maxims. For example, “Life is a rose. Its beauty fades rapidly.” Or,

“As the rose blossoms under the sun, I shall blossom under the eyes of God.” In another emblem, the rose of our life blossoms among the thorns: pain, hard work, wickedness, disappointment. But God brings good out of our miseries.

The late, revered Mariologist, Father Theodore A. Koehler, S. M., summarized the universal symbolism of the rose in Christian practice in this brief prayer: May God look with favor upon our world, the rose he created, that it may more expand its petals and so glorify him, our Creator and Father, in imitation of the rose of Nazareth, Mary, the servant of the Lord.

Spirituality

Previous Post

March 11, 2016

The Madonna Files - An Amazon Best Selling Vatican Thriller

Next Post

March 14, 2016 When Medjugorje Visionary Saw her Mother in Heaven

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Medjugorje Miracles and Apparitions Politics and World News Russia Spirituality

Select a Month February 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 June 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 July 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the primary form of greeting in Biblical times?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Kiss Wave Handshake Bow