Cardinal Tobin: Holy Rosary our greatest weapon in struggle for peace

If you are faithful to your morning and evening prayers, and make your morning offering, and carry your rosary in your pocket so that you will remember to say even a part of it every day, you will be getting along fine…. The very times when you think that no progress is being made are usually the best (Servant of God Dorothy Day).

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Next Wednesday, October 7, the Church invites us to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of the Rosary. The Rosary is a distinctly Marian prayer. Through Mary’s eyes, we meditate on the key moments in the history of our redemption, including the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost.

When we pray the Rosary, we are invited to enter the mystery of our salvation and to walk with Jesus in the company of Mary, Mother of the Church. The repetition of the “Hail Mary” recalls the events of the Gospel and asks for Mary’s loving intercession, while meditation on the sacred mysteries of Christ’s life directs the mind and heart to Jesus.

According to our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, “The Rosary is one of the most powerful devotions entrusted to us by Our Lady, and in these turbulent times, it remains a sure path to peace, conversion, and deeper love of Christ.” The Rosary is a nonviolent weapon in the struggle for peace. It helps us remain focused on the teaching and example of Jesus, who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God” (Mt 5:9). This profound meditative prayer encourages us to be active in peacemaking, as Jesus was, and to turn to Mary, the Queen of Peace, for guidance and support in our efforts to be faithful children of God and brothers and sisters to one another.

Pope Leo teaches us that the Rosary is the “daily antidote to the poison of noise, despair, and spiritual indifference.” He recommends praying the Rosary slowly and deliberately “thought by thought, bead by bead,” and he emphasizes that the Rosary is the path to peace. He also underscores that the Rosary is a “chain that binds Satan,” offering a way to confront spiritual danger and restore peace.

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