Praised be Jesus Christ! October 7th is the feast of the Holy Rosary but it was once more widely known as “Our Lady Queen of Victory.” That’s because on this day in 1571 the Christian fleet not only held its own against the Turks, but even pulled out a most unexpected victory. Until that time the Turks had never been defeated by anyone in their many battles at sea. What hung in the balance was whether Jesus Christ would be worshipped or replaced by the Muslim god of Allah. Pope Saint Pius V was one of the few in Europe at the time who understood the ramifications of this battle and he called on all Christians to invoke the maternal intercession of Jesus’ mother by praying the Rosary for victory. Because we live in a time when our faith has rarely been seriously threatened by a power that would brook no compromise, we fail to get all that excited about how miraculous it is that we are Christians at all. Many times down through the centuries our faith was preserved by events that on a natural level are hard to explain without recourse to some divine power. On that fateful autumn day, Pope Pius V was in Rome and got up from a meeting at a certain point and walked to the window facing east. He felt in his soul that the Blessed Virgin Mary had interceded with clemency and had helped the servants of Her Son turn back the Turks. Recently a priest wrote about the events of that day: Centuries ago, the Venetian Senate wrote to the other states which had taken part in the Crusade: “It was not generals nor battalions nor arms that brought us victory; but it was Our Lady of the Rosary.” Holy Mary, Mother of God, and Our Victorious Lady of the Rosary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Do you pray the Rosary? As a family my parents asked that we pray the Rosary more regularly during the months of October and May. While we were not always very happy about it, someday in Heaven we’ll see how much good it did. Do you pray the Rosary? It’s one of the simplest ways to get to know Jesus better. Meditating on the birth, life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus brings much grace into our lives – Our Lady of Fatima told the world in 1917 that another war, worse than the first, would follow unless people prayed the Rosary every day. Sadly, too few paid heed and countless millions died in a war that continues to shake the world’s hope for a peace that will last. Do you pray the Rosary? You’re welcome to join the Rosary Rally at Saint John’s this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. as the Rosary is prayed all across America and Europe at the exact same time. Again, you’re welcome to come to the “Christ Guide Us On Our Way” statue also this Sunday, October 7th at 3:00 p.m. with the Knights of Columbus and October 13th (the anniversary of the miracle of the sun at Fatima) at noon for the Rosary. Or how about October 27th at 9:00 a.m. at the Memorial for the Unborn in Gate of Heaven cemetery? Do you pray the Rosary? My Uncle Arnie died in 2004 on the Feast of the Holy Rosary and his pastor wrote the following on that occasion: “Marcia (Arnie’s wife, my aunt), after returning on Tuesday to give Arnie our Savior in Holy Communion, my last memory of your husband is of him making a great effort of will to say ‘thank you’ with as much sincerity in his voice as strength of body would allow. For a priest, it is the most beautiful and heartening thing in the whole world to encounter such desire and appreciation for the Eucharist as the two of you possess. Arnie gave thanks on Tuesday because in the Eucharist, with eyes of living faith, with hopeful eyes guided by our Lady (and also by you, his beloved helpmate), Arnie continued to look lovingly to the East to see the Risen Son, to see Victory Himself in the midst of apparent certain defeat. “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day” (Jn. 6:40).”
Our Lady, Queen of Victory, pray for us! Your friend in Christ,
Father Martin
RSS Feed