Continue to say the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, to obtain the peace of the world and the end of the war, because only she can obtain it — Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal, July 13, 1917.
By Chris Sparks
Saint Dominic, whose feast is Aug. 8, gave to the Church one of her greatest treasures: the Holy Rosary. Father Donald Calloway, MIC, has described the power and the history of the Rosary in powerful brevity in 10 Wonders of the Rosary, and in great detail in his bestselling book Champions of the Rosary. For now, let me just say — Our Lady has given us a "rope" with which to bear any burden, to make them light and easy to carry.
She has given us a means of transforming our minds and hearts through prayerful meditation on the Mysteries of the Rosary, key events from the lives of Mary and her Son, moments that abide in eternity in a special way. They are powerful sources of grace, and will shape us in their image, if we let them.
Our Lady has given us a path to peace, to changing the world around us, to ending enmity between brethren, to making foes into friends.
Gift, blessing, responsibility
Our Lady has given us a gift and a blessing, but also a responsibility. We have been given the extraordinary treasure of the Most Holy Rosary — so are we using it, or neglecting it? “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Lk 12:48).
The Church and the world are facing innumerable crises. So much is in shambles around us. Are we using one of our most powerful tools to address the problems of the present moment? Are we praying the Rosary daily? Are we answering more problems with more prayers?
The longest-lived Fatima visionary, the Servant of God Sr. Lucia dos Santos, once said, “There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” Let us trust, and take up our beads, and fix the impossible problems confronting us today.
One of the rules I like to share with people is to use your frustration, worry, anger, or anxiety as a fuel for prayer. Can’t stand someone? Take that passion and pour it into your prayers for them. Worried by the words or actions of some public figure? Make sure that worry drives you on in your prayers for them, bead by bead, Rosary after Rosary. Think someone is evil, or taking the side of evil? Take up the spiritual sword of the Rosary, and fight evil with it in a way that will make an eternal difference.
The Rosary has brought down invading armies, redirected civilizations, and changed the course of human history before, as Fr. Don has documented so carefully in his books. The Rosary can do so again.
Remember Lepanto!
We commemorate one of those great victories of the Rosary on Oct. 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, recalling how Don Juan of Austria’s fleets defeated the invading armies of the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto, a victory attributed by St. Pius V to the Rosary being prayed across Europe for that intention.
In a gift from Providence to the Church on earth, Saint Faustina’s funeral was held on Oct. 7, 1938. The great Secretary and Apostle of Divine Mercy was buried on a day honoring the victories of Our Lady — a fitting coincidence, since St. Faustina was devoted to Mary, prayed the Rosary often, and had visits from the Blessed Mother during her lifetime. You could very well say that St. Faustina’s sanctity was yet another victory of Our Lady over the evil one, and St. Faustina’s fidelity to the charge of promoting the Divine Mercy message and devotion, a tremendous triumph over sin, death, and hell.
Our Lady will make you great and holy children of hers, as well, if you open the door to her intercession and assistance.
Take up the Rosary. Obey Our Lady’s call!
Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash
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