" Hear me, ye divine offspring, and bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters. Give ye a sweet odor as frankincense. Send forth flowers, as the lily...and bring forth leaves in grace, and praise with canticles, and bless the Lord in his works." Ecclesiasticus 39:17-19
Carmel means "garden of God." Mt Carmel in ancient times was covered with flowers, and so became a figure of feminine beauty (Canticle of Canticles 7:5.) The rose has become a symbol of the beauty, love, joy, and sacrifice of the Blessed Virgin, just as the lily is the symbol of her purity. "Mystical Rose" is one of her titles in the Litany of Loreto. The rosary, the favored prayer of Heaven's Queen, comes from the Latin word rosarium or "rose garden." The glory of God's creation is only a shadow of the spiritual realities which we cannot see, but which we can mystically possess even in the present darkness.
In 1947 the apparitions of Our Lady to Pierina Gilli began, from which came the miraculous "Rosa Mystica" statue. The core of Our Lady's messages to Pierina was that through the devotion to "the Mystical Rose" many souls who had fallen away from the practice of the faith would be converted. Pierina was shown three swords and three roses. The swords represented: (1) loss of a vocation of a priest or monk, (2) priests monks and nuns who live in deadly sin, (3) priests and monks who commit the treason of Judas." While giving up their vocation, they often lose their eternal beatitude, and become enemies of the church."
The roses are white, red, and gold. The white rose means the spirit of prayer. The red rose symbolizes the spirit of expiation and sacrifice. The gold rose represents the spirit of penitence. The "roses" are the mystical means by which souls, particularly the souls of priests will be saved, vocations will be renewed and restored, and new vocations fostered and nourished.
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