As we turn the page on the calendar, we see now the October pictures. Leaves are turning fabulous colors to remind us of God’s joy in the beauty that presents itself each year. By the end of the month, one of those cold fall rains usually strips the trees bare, and we shudder that another cold winter is about to arrive.

But throughout October we celebrate the great gift of prayer, the rosary. I hope that you have a rosary. Even more, I hope that you use it regularly, even daily.

If not, October is the month to remind us of what saint after saint and pope after pope have made a central part of their prayer life. Even Pope Francis recently told the story of “borrowing” the rosary from his deceased spiritual director’s casket in order to share more deeply in that priest’s prayer life.

This history of the rosary goes back some 1,200 years, by some accounts. It is said to have evolved from the prayerful repetitions of monks that the faithful were attracted to and wished to share in. It is largely thanks to St. Dominic in the early 1200’s that we have the rosary that we know and love today.

The rosary, of course, is composed of a brief introduction (the Apostles’ Creed followed by the Lord’s Prayer, three Hail Mary’s and a Glory Be) followed by five sets of 10 Hail Mary’s called the decades of the rosary. Those decades begin again with the Lord’s Prayer and end with a Glory Be.

Each decade is traditionally associated with a moment in the life of Christ, or the life of Mary as she followed Jesus. And so the praying or recitation of the rosary involves reciting those prayers while either meditating on the life of Jesus and Mary, or perhaps substituting one’s own need or intention.

That leaves us with two questions: why has the rosary always been so popular and enduring in history, and why should it be useful for us today? To both questions, there is a single answer: the rosary meets a human spiritual and psychological need as it draws us closer to Christ.

Pope Benedict once said that he treasured the rosary and its quiet but constant repetition of those familiar prayers because they helped him to step away for a few moments from the noise, confusion and distractions of the world.

Those challenges didn’t disappear, of course. He wasn’t talking of some sort of flight from reality. But he was noting that we are better prepared to face our challenges, both earthly and spiritual, when we have even brief moments of quiet, of reorienting ourselves to our spiritual north star of faith, which is Christ. There is a spiritual and even mental calm that comes from joining Mary in meditating on all these things in our hearts.

Even more, the rosary helps us to remember the life of Jesus and to let Him enter our hearts.

When we recite the joyful mysteries, for example, we begin by thinking about the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel conveying God’s request that Mary agree to become the mother of Christ. We don’t need years of study of theology to find our own reflections about the Son of God becoming one of us, or the humble Virgin of Nazareth generously saying yes to her special role in God’s eternal plan of salvation.

Each of us can add our own spiritual thought for that and for each decade of the rosary, dedicated to another moment of Christ’s life.

Don’t worry if you become distracted during the repetition of the rosary. Likewise, don’t worry if sometimes the rosary seems more meaningful or fulfilling than at other times. God often works that way with us, testing our faith and building up our perseverance in prayer.

In any case, pray the rosary, often if not daily. Even if you cannot finish the five decades, pray just one. Pray the rosary for a special intention, perhaps in your own spiritual life or in your family. Pray the rosary for the Church, for the Holy Father, for sinners.

October reminds us to join with Mary, through the rosary, in following Jesus ever more closely. To Jesus through Mary, the rosary is one of the great helps of our faith.