Mary, the Ladder to Christ
We look up at the Divine Child, because Mother Mary holds him for us to see. With the rosary we can climb to embrace the Little Savior.
An Ancient Title for Mary
Calling Mary a “ladder” is not a new idea. In the ancient Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God, sung by the Church since at least the sixth century, the angel Gabriel greets her with the words, “Rejoice, heavenly ladder by which God came down!” Just as Mary was the ladder by which Christ came down to us at the Incarnation, the rosary — prayed bead by bead in her company — is our ladder to heaven, climbing back up to Him one Hail Mary at a time.
The rosary is our ladder to Christ.