Dear Friends,
Last weekend’s column highlighted Saint Francis of Assisi and the weekend before the Holy Angels. This week I want to highlight the feast of our Lady of the Rosary and Respect Life. October is the month dedicated to the praying of the rosary and Respect Life.
The rosary is Scripture based helping us to ponder the major mysteries of our Lord’s and Mary’s life. The rosary beads allow us to count through the Hail Marys, Our Fathers, Glory Bes which form a backdrop to our meditation. The repetition of these memorized prayers allows the mind freedom to reflect and embrace the realities of the mysteries being pondered.
The rosary has a long and rich history. While the word “rosary” only appears in 1597, it has roots back into the third century in several very early prayer traditions in the Church. For an informative and short history of this rich and powerful prayer, check out Dynamic Catholic at https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/rosary/history-of-the-rosary.html. The rosary is truly one of the most powerful prayers you will ever pray.
This month is also dedicated to respecting human life. We do so from conception to natural death because God is the author of life, not us. In this Church year dedicated to Saint Joseph, the Bishops offer us a specific petition to pray, “St. Joseph, defender of life, pray for us!”
The Bishops also offer us a Respect Life Reflection: Saint Joseph Defender of Life to guide our prayers, thoughts and actions during this month and each day of life ~
“During this Year of St. Joseph, each of us can find in him “an intercessor, a support, and a guide in times of trouble” (PC, Intro). Joseph shows us how to say “yes” to life, despite our own fears, frailties, and weaknesses. For it is Joseph who was “chosen by God to guide the beginnings of the history of redemption. He was the true ‘miracle’ by which God saves the child and his mother” (PC 5).
May we, too, be miracles in the lives of those who are most in need, especially at the beginning and end of life. Dear St. Joseph, you who were “able to turn a problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence” (PC 5), help us to imitate your faithful trust and courage.” “PC” refers to Patris corde, the Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis on Saint Joseph.
During this month especially but each day of the year, may we pick up “the beads,” the rosary, so as to be formed and renewed in mind, heart, and soul with our Lady’s intercession as we meditate on each of the mysteries of the rosary. Doing so will help us to be disciples, to defend and protect human life, especially in its most vulnerable stages, and strengthen us in hope to work for a full blossoming of a “culture of life” in our day.
God bless you, God love you,
Monsignor McCulken
