October Surprises

Do you know the favorite prayer of Pope John Paul II? I’m asking because we celebrate his Feast day on October 22. Let’s let him tell the story. Because on October 29, 1978, just two weeks after his election as pope, he said:

The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth. … Against the background of the words Ave Maria the principal events of the life of Jesus Christ pass before the eyes of the soul. They take shape in the complete series of the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, and they put us in living communion with Jesus through – we might say – the heart of his Mother. At the same time our heart can embrace in the decades of the Rosary all the events that make up the lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind.

Pope John Paul II, The Rosary of the Virgin Mary 2.

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It was some twenty-five years later, as he entered into the Silver Jubilee of his pontificate, that the pope dedicated a whole year in our Church for the Rosary. This was during the year 2002 to 2003. On that occasion he said:

The Rosary of the Virgin Mary… is a prayer loved by countless Saints. Simple yet profound, it still remains, at the dawn of this third millennium, a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness.

With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty of the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.

Pope John Paul II, The Rosary of the Virgin Mary 1.

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While the first goal of the Rosary is to meet Christ and praise Christ, John Paul II recognized that there are many graces we need for the world in our times. It’s why he called for a revival of the Rosary. First on his list was a call to pray for peace.

At the start of a millennium which began with the terrifying attacks of 11 September 2001, a millennium which witnesses every day innumerous parts of the world fresh scenes of bloodshed and violence, to rediscover the Rosary means to immerse oneself in contemplation of the mystery of Christ who “is our peace”, since he made “the two of us one, and broke down the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14). Consequently, one cannot recite the Rosary without feeling caught up in a clear commitment to advancing peace, especially in the land of Jesus, still so sorely afflicted and so close to the heart of every Christian.

Pope John Paul II, The Rosary of the Virgin Mary 6.

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The land of Jesus and our own land are still in dire need of the peace that only Jesus can give. “A world at prayer is a world at peace.” Sadly, we put our trust in earthly weapons which can only destroy. May we take up the weapon of prayer which can create in us the peace of the kingdom of heaven.

Second on John Paul II’s list of graces we need is for our families.

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[The] family, the primary cell of society, [is] increasingly menaced by forces of disintegration on both the ideological and practical planes, so as to make us fear for the future of this fundamental and indispensable institution and, with it, for the future of society as a whole. The revival of the Rosary in Christian families, within the context of a broader pastoral ministry to the family, will be an effective aid to countering the devastating effects of this crisis typical of our age.

We can sum that up with a popular phrase of Fr. Patrick Peyton, “The family that prays together stays together.” This is true on so many levels. The parish family that prays together stays together. The diocesan family, the Church family, our national family, our world family: all these families will only stay together if they are grounded in prayer. We’d love to see that, wouldn’t we? People united together in prayer, finding refreshment from the troubles of this world and the strength to live as the children of God.

Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, so loved baseball that when a double-header came up he’d say, “Let’s play two today.” How much more should we love God’s game of life where we play out our eternal salvation. Big issues are at stake in the world around us that depend on our faithfulness and prayer. Give the Rosary a chance to become your favorite prayer, just like John Paul II. So please, pray the Rosary. Pray it every day. In fact, let’s pray two today.

With my prayers,

Fr. Jerome