Acts 1:12-14 / Luke 1:26-38
One of the reasons why the month of October is dedicated to the Rosary is because of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary which is celebrated today.
This Feast was originally called the Feast of Our Lady of the Victory.
It commemorates the naval victory of Lepanto in 1571, where the smaller and outnumbered Christian fleet defeated the might Ottoman armada.
It was deemed as a miraculous victory that was brought about through the intercession of the Bless Virgin Mary.
At that time, Christian Europe was divided because of the Protestant Reformation and the Ottoman empire took the opportunity to launch an attack on Europe with a naval assault.
The Pope then, Pope Pius V tried to gather a Christian fleet to stop the Ottoman invasion but the Christian fleet was weak and outnumbered.
Pope Pius V then called on the Church to support the Christian fleet by praying the Rosary and invoking the intercession of Our Lady.
The outcome was indeed a miraculous naval victory for the Christian fleet.
Over time, the Feast was renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary as the Church continued to received many miracles and deliverance from danger and crises through the powerful intercession of Our Lady.
And more so in our day, we need to invoke God's blessings and miracles through the prayer of the Rosary.
The battle is now in the heart of every Christian, every home and every Church, and it is a battle that can only be won through prayer and the Church urges us to pray the Rosary.
Our Lady also urges us to pray the Rosary every day for the peace and salvation of the world.
Yes, let us pray the Rosary every day so that there will be a bountiful harvest of blessings and miracles.