This month of October is the month of the rosary. Catholics honor Mary throughout this month by a concentration on that special prayer that has proven to be so powerful and so consoling for many.

 

On Oct. 7, the faithful celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. That celebration was established by Pope Pius V following the victory of the Catholic forces of the Holy League against the Islamic incursion of the Ottoman Empire in 1571. 

 

The pope had asked for the widespread recitation of the rosary to counter that danger, and the faithful saw the intercession of Mary in the resulting protection of Christian Europe.

 

The month of the rosary is an excellent time to think about the place of the rosary and, more widely, the role of Mary in our faith lives. Both are important.

 

What might first occur to us about the rosary is the enduring nature of that devotion. 

 

According to Catholic tradition, Mary herself appeared to Saint Dominic in the 13th century asking for this devotion. In any case, unlike many other devotions that have had high or low points historically, the recitation of the rosary endures. 

 

It is also remarkable that the rosary is not limited to certain cultures or geographic areas. Instead, it is a devotion shared by the faithful worldwide.

 

The very nature of the rosary has also strengthened the faith of the Church for centuries. It has been found to be a source of grace in times of joy and of sorrows. When Mary appeared at both Lourdes and at Fatima, she asked for the recitation of the rosary for the sinners, in reparation for sin, and for peace in the world. 

‘When Mary appeared at both Lourdes and at Fatima, she asked for the recitation of the rosary for the sinners, in reparation for sin, and for peace in the world. Those intentions have a deeply spiritual basis. Even with our cooperation, they go beyond any element of our human effort and are related to God’s mercy and love.’

 

Those intentions have a deeply spiritual basis. Even with our cooperation, they go beyond any element of our human effort and are related to God’s mercy and love.

The rosary also serves as a catechesis for our faith. The five decades of the rosary are dedicated on different days to the joyful, the sorrowful, the glorious and the luminous mysteries. Those mysteries reflect the story of salvation and the heavenly realities that have already resulted from the Son of God coming among us.

 

We are especially reminded of these events from the perspective and the life of Mary. Consider for example the annunciation. Mary is asked by the Archangel Gabriel to be the mother of Jesus. We are given the reason to reflect on Mary’s spiritual response which mirrors our own reply to the gift 

of faith. 

 

But for all who have been or will be mothers, this is a reason to reflect on the joys and challenges of conception and carrying a child. How important this is as the life of the unborn is given so little respect in our time.

 

The mysteries remind us of the charity of Mary in the visitation. We recall her anxiety like any good parent looking for the lost child Jesus. The sorrowful mysteries recall for us all that Jesus suffered for our sins. But in the background is faithful Mary, suffering with her son in her own way, but giving a mother’s support and consolation.

 

In short, October is a time to renew our dedication to this magnificent prayer. Spouses should pray it together, families as well. Even if one is pressed for time, recite a decade. 

 

Mary has long asked this of the faithful. She promises her own help. And its grounding in the Scriptures and the faith strengthen our resolve to follow Christ, the goal of our faith.