October, the Month of the Holy Rosary
October 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary; the month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. No other private prayer is honored in this way; no other popular devotion has a feast day, much less an entire month, devoted to its honor. Why is the Rosary so highly celebrated?
Contemplating the Mysteries
Like many popular subjects, this beloved prayer is often misunderstood. Cardinal Burke recalls hearing confusion even among seminarians to the effect “that this was the type of prayer Our Lord condemned as ‘rattling on’” (from the Shrine guide book, p. 21). But the essence of the Rosary is not speaking many words, but contemplating the mysteries of Christ’s life, the heart of our faith. With the help of His Mother, who knows him best, the one praying comes to know Him better too. In the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, “To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, §3).
Prayer & Reflection
For many throughout the centuries, the Rosary has been a kind of spiritual lifeline or anchor. The anchor is also an image for the Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope; that year is approaching its end, but the pilgrimage of hope is not. Understanding the riches in the Rosary is one way to keep that pilgrimage ongoing throughout our lives.
Because it offers a simple, accessible way to come to know Our Lord better, to absorb more and more the truths of His life and so come closer to Him, the Rosary is a powerful source of grace. Prayed with a loving, humble heart, it can thus bring about transformations in lives and even in the world. The Rosary first visibly influenced the world in the thirteenth century, through the preaching of Saint Dominic. In his work among those who had fallen into heresy, he turned to Our Lady for help, and popularized the Rosary in approximately its present form. According to a traditional story, Our Lady appeared to him and instructed him to pray and promote her Rosary.
Battle of Lepanto
Over three centuries later, as an invading armada from the Ottoman Empire sailed toward western Europe, Pope Saint Pius V, who belonged to Saint Dominic’s order, called on all his flock to ask Our Lady’s help through the Rosary. The Catholic fleet that set out to meet the attack was outnumbered; but when they met in the Battle of Lepanto, on October 7, 1571, the Catholic forces won a stunning victory, crushing the invasion. In gratitude, Pope Pius established October 7 as the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
These dramatic instances of grace received through the Rosary illustrate a truth that applies in all our more everyday circumstances: Our Mother is always with us, greater than any evil we face, to help and guide us through everything into her Son’s Heart. Those who actively seek her help through the Rosary have good reason for hope.
