Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Tradition informs us that Mary appeared to Dominic Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order, and gave him the rosary as a means of evangelization. Tradition also notes that the rosary gained popularity as it became for lay persons a vicarious way of praying the monastic 150 psalms.
Today’s feast originates in the Battle of Lepanto in 1531, in which the Papal navy defeated the more powerful navy of the Ottoman Empire. The victors’ joy was attributed to praying the rosary and seeking Mary’s intervention. The feast was originally called Our Lady of Victory but was later changed to Our Lady of the Rosary.
Besides the Eucharist, the rosary is the most popular prayer in Catholic spirituality. Pope John Paul II called it a school of contemplation and, while it is often seen as a Marian devotion, the Mysteries of the rosary- Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous lead us to contemplate the mystery of our redemption in Jesus.
Father Eymard had an intense devotion to Mary, claiming her as his mother after the death of his own mother. He saw her as leading and guiding him to her Son. For Eymard, the fullest expression and realization of her Son was in the Eucharist, framing her as Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.
In Mary’s appearances at Lourdes in 1858 and at Fatima in 1917, she asked that the world pray for peace using the rosary. For Father Eymard, the rosary was an integral part of a Eucharistic spirituality, and traditionally every community of Blessed Sacrament religious would gather daily for a community prayer of the rosary. May we find in this daily recitation of the rosary our advocacy for world peace.
It is interesting to note that in 1981 the United Nations proclaimed October 7 as the International Day of Peace. Coincidence or Divine grace?
Let Us Pray:
Creator God, you chose to most fully reveal yourself in the person of Jesus, born of Mary. As she helped Jesus to grow in wisdom, age, and grace, pour out an abundance of grace on us who seek to make you known and loved in our little corner of your creation. Amen.
