By Father Fred Edlefsen

The Catholic Church has traditionally dedicated October to praying the rosary. "I invite everyone to pray the rosary every day during [October] – for peace – personally, with your families and in your communities," said Pope Leo XIV. He also invited everyone to St. Peter's Square on October 11th to pray a rosary commemorating the anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s opening in 1962. I personally invite every Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner to read the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) – which is most pertinent to our world’s current situation. You can find it on the Vatican website or order a hard copy on Amazon.

The Pope made this request on September 24th after speaking with the Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City, which is sheltering and feeding Gazan residents. He lamented the impossibility of dialogue when no one listens to the other. The Pope also lamented Russia's continued escalation of deadly conflict in Ukraine.

In the US, we should pray a daily rosary for peace in the minds and hearts of our own people, who have been relentlessly grieved by a litany of bloodshed and lethal attacks at churches, schools, and public places. Invoke the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary for an end to inflammatory words and postings on social media – and all affronts against human dignity in our nation – that harden hearts and enslave the innate beauty and goodness of human freedom.

The rosary is a mini-Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descends upon us and Mary in the upper room of our hearts. Mary intercedes for us when we say the rosary’s Hail Marys. As we say these Hail Marys, we meditate on the mysteries of the Gospel. The joyful mysteries open our hearts and minds to the peaceful beauty of Christ’s Incarnation. In the luminous mysteries, we meditate on the divine light that begins to shine through Christ at his baptism. In the sorrowful mysteries, we contemplate Jesus and Mary’s closeness to all who suffer from the sins of violence, hatred, and hardness of heart. In the glorious mysteries, we meditate on the resurrection – the cause of our hope. Christ is risen. Mary is risen. We shall be risen. When Christ renders the Final Judgment, all things will be resolved in himself.