Hi Friends! Happy October!
This feast day was established during the pontificate of Pope Pius V after an astounding victory of Christian forces against the Ottoman Turks on October 7th, 1571. The Battle of Lepanto!
The Christian forces by all accounts shouldn’t have won… They were outnumbered and fairly inexperienced with naval battles.
But the leader, Don Juan of Austria, issued a weapon to each of his soldiers upon the eve of battle: a Rosary.
And all the soldiers knelt and prayed it together before heading into battle and Our Lady came to their aide.
Our Lady has been clear: over and over she has asked us to pray the rosary daily for peace in the world.
She never said it had to be prayed all in one ‘sitting’ or while sitting in a chair with candles lit. We need to pray it as we CAN not as we CAN’T.
A decade here, another decade there, maybe even a decade or two as a family or with your spouse. And as evidenced by our miracle stories today, Mary honors our efforts.
“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces are given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”–St. Padre Pio
“Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!”-St. Josemaria Escriva
“You always leave the Rosary for later, and you end up not saying it at all because you are sleepy. If there is no other time, say it in the street without letting anybody notice it. It will, moreover, help you to have the presence of God.”– St. Josemaria Escriva
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the age, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.”– Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Have you experienced a miracle through the rosary? How do you get your rosary in every day? Share your tips in the comments!
Your sisters in the Small Things,
Nancy and Katie
In this episode:
Nancy’s new Rosary Board Books
Fr. Calloway’s lecture at Steubenville
Fr. Calloway’s book Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon
Chesterton’s poem Lepanto
This image of Mary wrapping the infant Christ in her mantle
The Rosary empowered me to quit a 25 plus year addiction to tobacco, coffee and soft drinks. All at once without looking back. I try to pray the rosary daily and never fell off the wagon. If not for Mary I would still be a prisoner to these devices.
Hello from England! Just thought I would share a little Rosary story here. A couple of months ago, I was visiting my parents at home and my Mum happened to give me a Rosary that belongs to my grandmother. My grandmother has a habit of holding a Rosary while she is in bed at night, and so they often end up broken or tied up in knots… This one had many knots in it, and my Mum suggested that I might try to untangle them when I had some spare time. I took it upstairs with me, and tried to undo a few of the knots on the way up, but realised it was going to take a lot of work. I put it on my desk and didn’t touch it again for a while, but the next time I happened to pick it up, every single knot just came undone straight away. I excitedly told my sister-in-law about this, who happened to remind me that it was the Feast of the Assumption that day… I had forgotten (oops) but thanks to being reminded just in time, my family and I were able to go to our local Mass. I had a strong feeling that this Mass would be particularly special because Mary so clearly hadn’t wanted me to miss it!
As a side note, I am currently pregnant with my second child. I’d been praying about names and had a few ideas, but had a growing feeling that a new name would be revealed to me at some point and I would feel called to consider it. Anyway, while at Mass that day, the priest mentioned a particular name in his sermon, and I had the strongest feeling that that should be my baby’s name.
Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, pray for us!
Our heavenly Mother is most beautiful.
I experienced the Mother of God, in a dream.
I was on my knees praying the night before.
She came to me in the dream and expressed her love and words of wisdom to ease my pain. Pray the rosary. Mary mother of God is listening. She is incredibly real.
I love her so much.
Thank you Mother of God