A parishioner asked me why we give so much importance to the recitation of the rosary? I said, “Praying the rosary is not just a devotion to the Blessed Mother. Praying the rosary is a way to get closer to Jesus because what we meditate on in the rosary, is His life, death and resurrection. More than that, praying the rosary is our weapon and our armor against our enemies.”
There is history as to why praying the rosary became so important. On Oct. 7, 1571, two years after the Vatican urged the rosary for universal use, an event took place that caused the devotion to gain widespread popularity. One of the most famous (and bloodiest) naval battles in history took place that day on the Bay of Lepanto, off the coast of Greece. The opposing forces were Christians, made up of an alliance of fleets from Spain and Italy, against a far superior Turkish navy. The Muslim force was threatening to take over the Mediterranean Sea and hence be in a position to attack European countries. Pope Pius V asked the Christian faithful to pray the Rosary and seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother to defeat the Muslim navy. Despite being outnumbered, the Christian fleet prevailed. Accordingly, Pope Pius established Oct. 7 as a feast day of Our Lady of Victory, thus perpetually bringing honor to the Blessed Mother for her assistance. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII (r. 1572-85) changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary, a feast the Church continues to celebrate. If it was not of that victory the history of Christian Europe would have been different one. If it was not for that victory in Rome, we would have another Mecca and Kaaba, where they would be throwing stones at Satan. We Catholics have won wars praying the rosary. We have won over smallpox, plague and other epidemic by praying the rosary. We have won over heresies and schemas against our faith. Praying the rosary is our weapon and still we can win battles against evil by praying it. ‘The rosary is our weapon’ as the elderly lady cried as St. John Paul II got shot on Wednesday, 13 May 1981, in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. The Pope was shot and wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca while he was entering the square. The Pope was struck four times. With the exhortation of that elderly lady and every one gathered there, people of different nationalities and language but of one faith, they started praying rosary. The doctors said it was a miracle that the bullets did not cut through the Pope’s heart.
Praying the rosary, you will learn what those in Lepanto have learned on October 7
th 1571; the rosary is the prayer of victory. Praying the rosary, you will learn what the Church had learned through St. Dominic (1170-1221), who defeated Albigensian heresy; the rosary is a prayer of perseverance and wisdom. Praying the rosary, you will learn what they have learned at Fatima; the rosary is a prayer of peace. Praying the rosary, you will learn what they have learned in Europe, Asia and other parts of world in time smallpox and plague and other epidemic; the rosary is a prayer for healing and protection. Praying the rosary, you will learn what they have learned at Guadalupe in Mexico; the rosary is a prayer of evangelization. Praying the rosary, you will learn what they have learned in Lourdes; the rosary is a prayer of healing. Praying the rosary, you will learn what Pope St. John Paul II said in Families in Modern World - Section 60, “The rosary is the most efficacious prayer for our family”; the rosary is the prayer of peace love and unity in the family.
Please come together as the families in the church. Let us pray this prayer loud and clear. Let us be proud of our heritage. Hold firm to our heavenly weapon in the trials of our daily life. Let us pray together and stay together in the unity of Jesus Christ.