Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Tuesday the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a day that highlights the power of prayer and the maternal intercession of Mary. The origins of this feast go back to October 7, 1571, when a Christian fleet won a decisive victory over the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto. Pope St. Pius V had called upon all of Christendom to pray the Rosary for victory.  When the battle was won against overwhelming odds, the Pope attributed the triumph to Our Lady’s intercession. In thanksgiving, he established the feast of Our Lady of Victory, which was later renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  This feast reminds us of Mary’s intercession and the power of prayer in defending the faith and guiding the Church.

On the cover of today’s bulletin, you see Anthony van Dyck’s painting Our Lady of the Rosary (1623–1624). The work depicts Mary holding the Child Jesus while presenting the Rosary to the faithful, emphasizing her role as both intercessor and guide in Christian prayer. Van Dyck’s artistry captures the warmth of Mary’s maternal love, while also pointing us toward the central truth: that the Rosary is ultimately a Christ-centered prayer. The Catechism affirms this when it teaches that “meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire” in prayer (CCC 2708), which is precisely what the Rosary helps us to do.  More than a repetition of prayers, the Rosary is a school of contemplation, leading us to meditate on the life of Christ through the eyes of His Mother.

The history of the Rosary is deeply tied to the Dominican Order, who spread devotion to it as a means of combating heresy and deepening the faithful’s love for Christ. Pope St. John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (2002), called the Rosary a “compendium of the Gospel” because it gathers together the mysteries of Christ’s life into a simple, profound form of prayer. By praying the Rosary, the faithful are invited to walk with Mary through the key events of salvation history, from the Annunciation to the Resurrection and beyond.

The Catechism reminds us that “Mary’s prayer cooperates in a unique way with the Father’s plan of loving kindness” (CCC 2617). In turning to her through the Rosary, we join our prayers to hers, confident that she intercedes for us as a mother for her children. The Church’s long tradition of Marian devotion underscores Mary’s ongoing maternal role in leading us to her Son. The Rosary embodies this truth by uniting us with both Mary’s intercession and the mysteries of Christ’s life.

As we pray the Rosary, we enter into the rhythm of Christ’s life, His joys, His sorrows, His glory, and the light He brings to the world. Each mystery not only recalls a past event but also sheds light on our own walk of faith. Pope Francis has encouraged us to rediscover this devotion as a way to “contemplate the face of Christ with Mary.”

May this feast of Our Lady of the Rosary inspire us to renew our trust in Mary’s intercession. Just as the Christians at Lepanto turned to her in their hour of need, so too can we. With the Rosary in our hands, we are never alone. Through this prayer, we are drawn ever closer to Christ, who is both the goal and the heart of all true devotion.

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