Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary

On Sunday, October 5, 2014 the Diocese of Duluth celebrated our 125th Anniversary as a diocese by celebrating our Patronal Feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary (normally celebrated on October 7) at all the Sunday liturgies.  The readings for that day were as follows:



Acts 1:12-14 http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/1
Psalm: Luke 1:46-55
Romans 8:28-30 http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/8
Luke 1:26-38 http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1

 

Imagine, if you will, a great naval battle of epic proportions. Not a modern day battle with destroyers and aircraft carriers and submarines, but with hundreds of galleys and other sailing and rowed ships. On one side of the battle was the much stronger armada of the Ottoman Turks. Thousands of warriors armed with scimitars and bows seeking to conquer Western Europe and convert the people to Islam. Their ships were powered by thousands of Christian slaves who were forced to row bellow deck on the ships. On the other side was a Holy League of Christian allies who had assembled with the blessing of Pope St. Pius V to stop this invasion. They also had fierce warriors: trained soldiers and knights, but they were a weaker force by comparison and severely outnumbered. But they one distinct advantage, for it can truthfully be said that their ships were powered by the prayers of Our Blessed Mother.

History books record this as The Battle of Lepanto, fought on October 7, 1571. Knowing that the Turks commanded a superior army and navy, St. Pius V sent out word to all the faithful in Europe to pray the Rosary and ask for Our Blessed Mother's intercession that the Christians might be victorious. One explanation I read said that on the Christian ships, Christian rowers held rosaries in their hands during the battle. As some descriptions of the battle say, the winds turned in the Christians' favor and they won the battle despite the odds. In thanksgiving for the victory, St. Pius V set up October 7^th as a feast day to honor Our Mother's intercession. At first it was called Our Lady of Victory. Eventually the feast day was changed to Our Lady of the Rosary and is still celebrated around the world every October 7^th.

The Battle of Lepanto marks the beginning of this particular feast day. Of course, we don't usually associate rosaries or the Blessed Virgin Mary with wars or bloody battles. We associate rosaries with prayer. Many of us have heard the story of St. Dominic who requested Our Lady's help in preaching the Gospels to so many people who did not understand. It is said that in response she gave him the rosary and told him to spread the devotion of praying it to the people. The idea of carrying a string of beads to keep track of the prayers can be traced back in further to early monks. They would wear a rope with 150 knots tied into it to keep track of the 150 Psalms that they would pray daily. Eventually the Psalms were shortened to 150 Our Fathers and eventually to 150 Hail Marys. When we pray the traditional rosary of the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries we still pray 150 Hail Marys.

So far I have been looking at this Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary from a very academic point of view. I've mentioned the history of the feast day itself, I've mentioned a couple of versions of how the rosary came about as a Marian devotion. However, anyone who has ever had a love for the rosary and to Mary will tell you that the rosary is so much more than a bloody battle that took place over 400 years ago, or a rope full of knots, or a string of beads, or a story about a saint having visions of Mary.

The rosary is about trusting in Our Blessed Mother's prayers for us. It is about putting faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ who hears His mother's prayers and responds to them by blessing us and pouring out His graces upon us. It is about having a deeper relationship with Jesus through these special prayers to Mary. St. Padre Pio is quoted as saying that the Rosary is a powerful weapon against the evils of Satan. This is not another reference to a physical battle, but a great spiritual battle that takes place between Heaven and Hell, with all of us in midst of it all. So whenever we pray the rosary, whether it is with our ten fingers, or a rosary ring, or a piece of cord with knots in it, or a rosary with wooden beads, or the finest rosary made with gold and silver and gem stones, we are engaged in a spiritual battle, praying that God's love and forgiveness will shine through the cold darkness of evil.

Our readings teach us about our relationship with Our Blessed Mother. In the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear about what the Apostles did right after seeing Jesus ascend into Heaven. They go back to Jerusalem and go to “the upper room” to pray. This reference to an “upper room” refers to the same upper room where Jesus gathered with the Twelve to celebrate the Passover meal. It will also be the place that tradition says they will receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost several days later. So in this room are the remaining Eleven Apostles as well as some other men and women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. Notice that from the very early days of the Church, Our Mother is already there, praying with her children, with the Church. Mary is there because she loves the Church. She is there because she loves God and wants to respond to His will for her.

The Second reading, St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, tells us about how God calls people to be His servants. God has a plan for people and He calls certain people to have a special role in that plan and He blesses those who respond to that call and plan. What all this means is that Mary has been called to a specific purpose, and big part of her calling is to pray for the Church: for all of us.

The Gospel covers that special calling. Usually we have to wait for Advent or Christmas to hear this special reading of the Annunciation. The Archangel Gabriel gives the message to a teenage girl from Galilee that she will become the Mother of God. His first words to her are also the beginning of the Hail Mary Prayer that is the basis for the rosary. “Hail Mary, full of Grace! The Lord is with you!” We honor her for her willingness to say, “Yes!” with our words of praise, and by honoring her we also honor The Father who created her and called her.

Blessed Mother, hear our prayers. Present them to your Son, Jesus, and pray for us, your children who cling to you for protection. Hail Mary... AMEN!