The Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

Mal. 3:13-4:2, Lk. 11:5-13. Today, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, a highlight of this month of October, which is also the month of the Holy Rosary. A time when we are encouraged to pray the Rosary daily and to rediscover that love and relationship we have for God through Mary, His loving Mother and our beloved Mother. Mary has always interceded and prayed for us on our behalf and her thoughts are always ever focused on us, her wayward children still living in this dark and sinful world. Today, we mark the occasion of the four hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, a great and decisive battle, a triumphant victory for the forces of Christendom and the champions of the Lord in the struggle against the forces of heathens of the Ottoman Empire and its allies, who sought the domination of the world, the subjugation of Christians and the Christian kingdoms and states of that time.

At that time, Christendom was beset not only with these external pressures but also with many internal divisions, having suffered from the effects of the reformation that led to many leaving the Church and many in rebellion against the true faith. Therefore, at that time, the Church, the faithful and the entire Christendom itself were under great threat of destruction and that would have happened if not for the great intercession of the Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, by the actions of the Pope then, Pope Pius V, who exhorted Christendom to stand together and asked the faithful to pray the Rosary as he gathered together forces from the various kingdoms and realms, establishing a great Holy Alliance aimed at standing up against the great Turkish invasion forces. In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us the need for prayer as effective tool to come into the presence of God. When our prayer is persistent, consistent, earnest and sincere, God cannot remain deaf to us. Genuine asking, sincere seeking and confident knocking will bring us the ultimate gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us entrust ourselves to our beloved Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, so that we may grow ever deeper in our love for God through His Mother.

May the Lord, our loving God and Saviour deliver us from those who seek our destruction and strengthen us always, to strive and persevere through the challenges of our lives, at all times! Amen!! Good morning and have a glorious day!!!