Our Lady of Fatima holy card
The feast day for Our Lady of the Rosary is coming up on Sunday, October 7. Last night I participated in a "living rosary" with my child's religious education class. All of the kids from the 1st through 8th grades, their teachers, and some parents prayed the Joyful Mysteries together. Before we started, one teacher told how the Virgin Mary visited three children in Fatima, Poland in 1917 and asked them to pray the rosary daily for peace and the end of the war, which of course was WWI. Our Lady also gave the children a prayer to add after the Glory Be:
Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell,
lead all souls to heaven, especially
those most in need of thy mercy. Amen.
Right now many Catholics in the United States are praying a novena to Our Lady for our nation, which will culminate on Oct. 7. You can find the information for this novena at www.ewtn.com/novena. Prayer is powerful, and the rosary grants us innumerable graces. Some Catholics today think the rosary is too old-fashioned, a relic of past, less modern times. But Our Lady tells us it is a weapon against the devil, and there is no better meditation to keep us focused on the life of our Lord, as seen through the eyes, and with the guidance, of his Blessed Mother.
My daughter's religious education teacher told us about her grandmother, who used to have rosaries placed in every room of her home, so that as she went about her daily round she could pray and meditate on them. This is an example of religion being a way of life, not merely a side note practiced on Sundays. The Rosary of Our Lady is simple but profoundly deep. I would go so far as to say it is life altering. Do not forget Mary on Sunday, and for the entire month of October dedicate some time in devotion to her and see how this enriches your spiritual being. Honor her request to the children of Fatima, and make praying the rosary a priority for each and every day.
