By Father Fred Edlefsen

Pope Leo XIV asks everyone to say a daily rosary in October for world peace. He also asks us to say a rosary on this 63rd anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, which began in October 1962.

Saying the rosary, meditating on the Gospel, and fulfilling our Christian mission are all threads in the tapestry of our Catholic faith. There is a connection between the rosary, our holiness, and our mission. The Second Vatican council made this clear:

“[A]ll the faithful of Christ, of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity (Matthew 5:48). By this holiness…a more human manner of living is promoted in this earthly society. In order that the faithful may reach this perfection, they must use their strength accordingly as they have received it, as a gift from Christ” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium 39).

Peace – and “a more human manner of living” – begins in the human heart. While governments and organizations must do all they can to promote cooperation and goodwill among peoples and nations, there is only so much they can do. Governments do not have the ability to save a person's soul or to heal a wounded heart. They can promote policies conducive to human development, but they cannot – in and of themselves – ultimately deliver the holiness that brings peace and goodwill. It must come from somewhere else.

This is the Church’s mission. When I say “Church”, I mean You. Per the Second Vatican Council, “[T]he mission of the Church is…to penetrate and perfect the temporal order with the spirit of the Gospel. In fulfilling this mission…the Christian laity exercise their apostolate both in the Church and in the world….[T]he layperson, being simultaneously a believer and a citizen, should be continuously led by the same Christian conscience” (Second Vatican Council, Apostolicam Actuositatem 5).

This requires action. But Christian action must proceed from the grace of Baptism and Confirmation. Therefore, daily meditation on the life of Christ is key. Saying the rosary is an effective way to tune-in to the grace of our Baptism, as a member of the Body of Christ. Action must proceed from contemplating Christ. In so doing, we become active agents – protagonists – of God’s peace in our world.