In 1571, in preparation for battle against the Turkish navy, Pope Saint Pius V ordered all of the churches in the world to begin the Forty Hours Devotion, with public processions and recitation of the Rosary. As we look to our own day, there is no question whatsoever that the Rosary must be the weapon of choice in our spiritual battle for purity and holiness. With the Rosary in hand—as the chief servants of our wives and children, as well as the Church and the culture (see Ephesians 5:21-30)—we must protect and defend the dignity of marriage and family life against an ever-advancing culture of death. We live in a world of eclipse, in a world consumed by a darkness whose far-reaching shadows are cast across the threshold of family life. Our only hope for salvation is in God’s mercy and infinite love. By reflecting on the mysteries of our salvation with the heart of the Blessed Mother in the Rosary, we bear witness in a convincing manner to the victory of God’s love over the power of evil in ourselves and in the world.
The rosary is not just “what we do” but expresses “who we are” as we reflect deeply on the mysteries of Christ’s life, death and resurrection through the heart of the Blessed Mother. Let us implore the Lord that through the prayers of the rosary, we may be obedient in faith so that we can be free to love God with our whole being. As the Word filled Mary’s womb, may the precious body and blood of her Son fill us with the Holy Spirit and unite us with God the Father in an intimate, personal, and life-giving bond of love here on earth until we are united with Him forever in heaven.
Deacon Harold Burke Sivers
Catholic Speaker and Author
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