Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear friends in Christ
October is traditionally known as the month of the Holy Rosary. It is a beautiful devotion, simple enough for a child and yet profound enough to sustain a lifetime of prayer. With the Rosary in our hands, we place ourselves beside Mary and allow her to lead us once again to her Son. How fitting, then, that Pope Leo XIV has recently been at Lourdes, where the Rosary is so deeply woven into the life of the shrine. During his pilgrimage, the Holy Father joined thousands of pilgrims in the candlelit Rosary procession. With the light of candles shining in the darkness, the Hail Marys rose from the crowd in many languages, reminding us that the Church is truly a family gathered around Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
At Lourdes, Pope Leo invited us to persevere in our journey of faith. He spoke of the light of hope which accompanies us even through the trials of life, and urged us to bring our most important and urgent intentions to Our Lady. At the conclusion of his Mass in Lourdes, the Holy Father made a particular appeal for this month of October. He asked Christians to pray the Rosary especially “with the particular intention that wars may cease and that peace may be established among peoples in conflict.” He also reminded us that our prayer should be accompanied by “concrete acts of penance and mercy”, and by a commitment to dialogue and reconciliation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 2682, expresses this devotion beautifully: ‘Because of Mary’s singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her.’ That is really what happens when we pray the Rosary. We are not simply repeating prayers to Mary; we are praying with Mary, allowing her to lead us through the great mysteries of the life of her Son. Bead by bead, decade by decade, we contemplate Christ. As we move through the mysteries of Christ's life, we can place before Our Lady the needs of our families, our parish, those who are sick or lonely, those who have died, and those whose lives are marked by war, poverty or uncertainty.
Pope Leo has reminded us that prayer and good works belong together. Earlier this year, praying the Rosary for peace at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens, he said that peace becomes possible when we listen to the cry of those who suffer. The Rosary teaches us precisely this attentiveness. We listen to the mysteries of the life of Jesus. We look at the world through the eyes of Mary. And then, having prayed, we are sent back into ordinary life to love a little more generously, forgive a little more readily, speak a little more gently, and serve those whom God places before us.
October is therefore an invitation. Perhaps some of us could return to a daily Rosary. Perhaps families could pray even one decade together. Perhaps we could come to the parish Rosary when it is offered, or simply take the beads from our pocket during a quiet moment in the day. The Rosary does not require perfect circumstances. Mary meets us where we are. As we pray, let us especially remember Pope Leo's intention for peace. Let us entrust to Our Lady those who live amid violence and war, and ask that the peace of Christ may take root in human hearts and communities. May Our Lady of Lourdes pray for us. May she lead us ever more deeply into the life of her Son. And may the light of hope which shines from Christ never be extinguished in our hearts.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. And may God bless you all!
Msgr Kevin Hale