More a Mother than Queen
By Bro. Gabriel Antonio Madrid
October 8, 2017
October 8, 2017
Normally, a feast or solemnity dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary is set on a specific date in the liturgical calendar to mark an event in her lifetime and role in salvation history, a venerated title, an apparition, and many other reasons. But what is quite curious is that the title of the Blessed Mother as “Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary” began from an apparition. Yet, it is not celebrated on the day she appeared. It is said that sometime in the 13th century, Our Lady replied to the prayer of her servant, St. Dominic de Guzman. Dominic, who was preoccupied on combatting Albigensian heresy, sought the aid of Our Lady in order to win souls back to the light of the true faith. So as her response, Our Lady gave a psalter composed of 150 Angelic Salutations (Hail Mary) combined with other prayers and mysteries and is now known today as the Holy Rosary.
There is no specific date mentioned, however, to mark her apparition. So why celebrate on October 7? Do you know why we celebrate it today? Many people are already familiar with the story. But for the benefit of those who don’t know, here is the reason why. In the year 1571, there had a great battle at sea known as the Battle of Lepanto. Pope Pius V gathered forces in order to suppress the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. Setting aside differences, the states responded to the Holy Father’s call and formed a collaboration known as the Holy League. On October 7 the Christian armadas led by Don Juan of Austria, brother of Philip II of Spain, met with the Turkish armadas led by Ali Pasha. Pope Pius V asked the faithful to pray the Holy Rosary in the duration of the battle. The Christians succeeded and the Holy Father established October 7 as the feast of Our Lady of Victories and later added it as the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary in order to commemorate this triumph at sea which was made possible through the intercession of the Blessed Mother.The Battle of Lepanto took place in the past and this miracle is part of our magnificent history as are the numerous miracles attributed to the power of prayer in the rosary. But we are living in the present.
A good question for us Christians, can be, how steadfast is our faith in God and our devotion to the Blessed Mother today? Are we still faithfully and religiously living out the message of praying the rosary? We Christian Catholics are currently battling with religious, socio-political or economic challenges that test the solidity of our faith. We look elsewhere for meaning that sometimes we fail to acknowledge that the answers we seek are already within our reach. The events of today call for a deeper understanding of our faith. More than understanding the faith, practice is very much needed in order to justify how much of a Christian we are. One good practice is praying the rosary and using it as weapon against sin and as guide through the paths of life. Don’t think that God or the Blessed Mother doesn’t know or understand the burdens we feel. They do. Our Lady even as mother of our Redeemer was not spared the difficulties we experience. In fact, her pain was much more. For a mother to see the most agonizing sight of her son being tortured and murdered was enough to wipe out her sanity. Yet she remained as strong as ever, for even in the toughest of times, even in the very end she still believes that the Lord’s word shall be fulfilled. Her faith was not left unrewarded. She was also one of the first witnessed of the resurrection of our Lord.
We can learn so much from the Blessed Mother on how to be victorious against the world’s trials and temptations. More than a queen, more than patroness, more than anything, she was by heart, proud to be, A MOTHER. The title of this article comes from the words of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. As mother, she teaches and loves her children very dearly as she loves her Son Jesus. She continues to intercede for us to her Son in hope that she may gather her children back home one day in the house of the Father. She extends her aid even until today through the Holy Rosary, her gift of love and peace. If you fear that you might love her more than Our Lord, never fear. In the words of St. Maximilian Kolbe, we must not be afraid of loving Our Lady too much; we can never love her as much as Jesus did. Today as we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, we are reminded to make it a habit of praying, especially through our mother’s rosary. For those who haven’t prayed it yet or are still doubtful about it or neglect it due to many activities, it’s not too late you know. Try to pray it and in meditating on the mysteries of our faith incorporated in it, there is the hope of finding refuge and solace. One will see that in every joy, sorrow and glory we obtain, we are never alone. God is always with us. He deemed Our Lady as our guide, our teacher and our mother who will help lead us to Him. All these splendours are gifts from Our Lord through Mama Mary. To obtain them, you need only ask. After all, mothers never refuse their children love.
There is no specific date mentioned, however, to mark her apparition. So why celebrate on October 7? Do you know why we celebrate it today? Many people are already familiar with the story. But for the benefit of those who don’t know, here is the reason why. In the year 1571, there had a great battle at sea known as the Battle of Lepanto. Pope Pius V gathered forces in order to suppress the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. Setting aside differences, the states responded to the Holy Father’s call and formed a collaboration known as the Holy League. On October 7 the Christian armadas led by Don Juan of Austria, brother of Philip II of Spain, met with the Turkish armadas led by Ali Pasha. Pope Pius V asked the faithful to pray the Holy Rosary in the duration of the battle. The Christians succeeded and the Holy Father established October 7 as the feast of Our Lady of Victories and later added it as the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary in order to commemorate this triumph at sea which was made possible through the intercession of the Blessed Mother.The Battle of Lepanto took place in the past and this miracle is part of our magnificent history as are the numerous miracles attributed to the power of prayer in the rosary. But we are living in the present.
A good question for us Christians, can be, how steadfast is our faith in God and our devotion to the Blessed Mother today? Are we still faithfully and religiously living out the message of praying the rosary? We Christian Catholics are currently battling with religious, socio-political or economic challenges that test the solidity of our faith. We look elsewhere for meaning that sometimes we fail to acknowledge that the answers we seek are already within our reach. The events of today call for a deeper understanding of our faith. More than understanding the faith, practice is very much needed in order to justify how much of a Christian we are. One good practice is praying the rosary and using it as weapon against sin and as guide through the paths of life. Don’t think that God or the Blessed Mother doesn’t know or understand the burdens we feel. They do. Our Lady even as mother of our Redeemer was not spared the difficulties we experience. In fact, her pain was much more. For a mother to see the most agonizing sight of her son being tortured and murdered was enough to wipe out her sanity. Yet she remained as strong as ever, for even in the toughest of times, even in the very end she still believes that the Lord’s word shall be fulfilled. Her faith was not left unrewarded. She was also one of the first witnessed of the resurrection of our Lord.
We can learn so much from the Blessed Mother on how to be victorious against the world’s trials and temptations. More than a queen, more than patroness, more than anything, she was by heart, proud to be, A MOTHER. The title of this article comes from the words of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. As mother, she teaches and loves her children very dearly as she loves her Son Jesus. She continues to intercede for us to her Son in hope that she may gather her children back home one day in the house of the Father. She extends her aid even until today through the Holy Rosary, her gift of love and peace. If you fear that you might love her more than Our Lord, never fear. In the words of St. Maximilian Kolbe, we must not be afraid of loving Our Lady too much; we can never love her as much as Jesus did. Today as we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, we are reminded to make it a habit of praying, especially through our mother’s rosary. For those who haven’t prayed it yet or are still doubtful about it or neglect it due to many activities, it’s not too late you know. Try to pray it and in meditating on the mysteries of our faith incorporated in it, there is the hope of finding refuge and solace. One will see that in every joy, sorrow and glory we obtain, we are never alone. God is always with us. He deemed Our Lady as our guide, our teacher and our mother who will help lead us to Him. All these splendours are gifts from Our Lord through Mama Mary. To obtain them, you need only ask. After all, mothers never refuse their children love.