Today we celebrate the External Solemnity of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This solemnity falls on October 7th which is the anniversary of the battle at Lepanto in 1571 where Christian forces overtook Turkish invaders. In this battle Christians were greatly outnumbered, but through the encouragement of Pope Pius V the faithful took up the praying of the rosary and victory was won.
At Fatima the Blessed Mother came to the three shepherd children and said, “Pray the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.” We can see that the rosary is a most powerful of devotions. Through the faithful praying of the rosary victory was won at Lepanto and victory is daily won in the life of the faithful. The rosary is sometimes refereed to as being a sword for through the praying of it we enter into spiritual battle to slay demons, covert sinners, and to conquer hearts.
Saint Dominic attests to this for through the promotion of the rosary he was able to slay a heretical sect known as the Albigensians. The Albigensians saw the universe as a constant struggle between good and evil. It was upon failing to convert them through his words that he retreated to prayer. Here Mary came to him and said, “Wonder not that until now you have obtained so little fruit by your labors; you have spent them on a barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of divine grace. When God willed to renew the face of the earth, he began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation. Therefore, preach my Psalter.”
Through the faithful preaching of Mary’s Psalter Saint Dominic was able to win victory of the Albigensians. Due to a battle which was won in September 12, 1213 a chapel was dedicated to the rosary. From here many battles were won and attributed to the rosary. Again through the rosary one is able to slay demons, covert sinners, and conquer hearts. We may not be in the midst of a battle when it pertains to country versus country, but we daily find ourself in the midst of a spiritual battle. No greater prayer reminds us of this then the Saint Michael prayer, “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.”
As the Blessed Mother stated to Sister Lucia: “There is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families… that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.”
For this reason let us take up the Psalter of the Rosary and pray it each day. Such devotion will lead us onto the Lord and allow our heart to dwell with Him always.
