October for many Catholics is a focus on Our Lady and the Rosary. Prayer allows us to individually or collectively use words through ancient scripture that offer gratitude and praise or express our innermost thoughts. These words, whether based in scripture, or free form include the truth we hold and are Powerful, Purposeful, and Positive (the 3P’s) and offer a tone that enlightens us as human creatures formed in the image of God.
How we chose to live our life at one point can change based on our will; we can determine a better path that aligns with who we want to be (become) and how we imagine the path necessary to find that destination. As a woman who, through a multitude of life experiences, both good and bad, always seem to fall back to foundational framework in faith in God I find comfort and answers in scripture. Psalm 86 offers a simple concept, “Lord, you are good and forgiving…” (PS.86:6) can be difficult to embrace when we find ourselves in the midst of suffering, especially in grief. When we carve out time, we create a space for prayer and allow for a visualization in what the words, “love the gift more than the giver” (Lk.14:26) especially in the loss of a child. To say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord” in all situations we can realize what we call, “the love behind the wish” that expresses we accept God to allow us to be humbled, purified, and prepared.
In the Catholic tradition, October invites us to reflect deeply on the mysteries of the Rosary and the profound role of the Blessed Mother in God’s divine plan. Mary, a young Jewish girl, was prepared by grace and chosen to bear the Son of God, a calling that forever changed the course of history. Her humble and courageous “yes” to God’s invitation reveals the power of faith and the beauty of surrender.
Through the Rosary, we journey with Mary through the life of Christ. His joys, sorrows, glories, and luminous moments. Each mystery draws us closer to the Holy Family and reminds us that God works wonders through those who love Him. Mary’s life is a testament to trust, obedience, and maternal love, and in this sacred month, we honor her as our intercessor, our model, and our spiritual mother.
One concept in prayer we want to share speaks to a pilgrimage we attended at Our National Shrine in Washington, D.C. for the Third Annual Dominican Rosary Retreat. This day was filled with powerful prayers, fervent talks, and sacraments. The Dominican Rosary Confraternity and Center has a powerful gift for those who join, best described through their website; The Rosary Confraternity is a spiritual association, the members of which pray the entire rosary during the course of a week. They form a union of the faithful in heaven and on earth who, along with their own intentions, include the intentions and needs of all its members. As Pope Leo XIII said in his apostolic constitution on the Confraternity, “whenever a person fulfills his obligation of reciting the Rosary according to the rule of the Confraternity, he includes in his intentions all its members, and they in turn render him the same service many times over” (Ubi Primum, #1)
Peace be with you…
