October 10, 20212

The month of October is known as the month of the Rosary. We actually celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. This celebration has gone on for over 450 years. The Rosary was prayed by many in earnest, led by St. Pius V, to bring a successful end to a war at that time. By the way – it worked!
Today, we can use the prayer of the Rosary for so many different reasons: In thanksgiving for prayers granted, in petitioning for healing of someone, for our country, our state, our parish...I could go on and on. There are countless reasons to pray the Rosary, yet many of us do not take advantage of this wonderful prayer. Why? For many, my guess is that it is too long (not enough time), too repetitive (boring) and that we are not able to focus enough to really be “praying”.
If you don’t have enough time, pray just one decade (10 Hail Marys), which would take at most 2-3 minutes. If you do not have enough time to do that, you obviously don’t want to pray. If you think it’s repetitive, you are correct! But this gives you a chance to reflect on the mystery of the Rosary you are praying or the petition you are praying for. And if you think you are not really “praying” because your mind is wandering during the Rosary, that’s perfectly fine! Jesus and his mother are so pleased you are coming to them, even if your mind is not totally there; just the fact you decided to say these prayers is great!
The Rosary is a very powerful weapon that Satan hates almost more than anything or anyone! He even hates people who carry the Rosary around in their pockets! So, if the Rosary is in your car, your home, your purse, your pocket, you already have a powerful defense against Satan. There’s only one other thing to do – pray the Rosary as often as you can!

- Deacon Jeff