Feast of the Holy Rosary

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October 7, 1571 - Battle of Lepanto

Throughout the 1500s, the Muslim Ottoman Empire grew in strength, especially by means of its domination of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1571, their fleet of 300 ships was massed, just south of Greece, in the Gulf of Lepanto, poised to invade Europe and wipe out Christianity. Pope St. Pius V saw this danger looming on the horizon. In response, he begged the leaders of the West to stop fighting among themselves and unite against the force that was a threat to all. But they were too consumed with building their own kingdoms to come to the defense of the Kingdom of God. So he turned to the Christian people, asking them to take up the weapon of the Rosary and pray it daily.

Pope St. Pius V finally found support in Don Juan of Austria, who cobbled together a much smaller fleet of about 200 ships. Giovanni Andrea, a Genoese admiral, agreed to lead the Christian armada against the Islamic onslaught. He possessed one of only five copies of Our Lady of Guadalupe and had been touched to the original Tilma, a gift from the King of Spain, which he hung in his flagship. On October 6, 1571, the night before the battle, Don Juan required all his sailors and soldiers to pray the Rosary while St. Pius V himself led the rosary at the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome. He knew that if Europe was to be saved, it would only be through the intervention of the Mother of God and the Rosary.  

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On October 7, 1571, the Christian and Muslim fleets entered into Battle in the bay, south of the town of Lepanto (Greece).

The Muslim fleet, led by Ali Pasha, arranged in the formation of a massive quarter moon. The Christian fleet was arranged in the shape of a cross, divided into three squadrons: left, center, and right. The battle started badly for the Christians: the Muslim fleet broke through the left and center squadrons, heading right for Admiral Doria’s ship. Doria slipped down to his cabin, where he had hung the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, fell on his knees and began to pray the Rosary. At that moment, the winds shifted against the Islamic fleet and scattered it. The Christians regrouped and destroyed two-thirds of the Ottoman armada. It is said that the sea was red with blood for miles around by the end of the battle.

In Rome, Pope Pius V knew the Christians were victorious before a message could possibly have reached him. During a meeting in the Vatican the pope suddenly rose up and gazed out the window, saying “This is not a moment for business; make haste to thank God, because our fleet this moment has won a victory over the Turks.”

When the official news reached Rome, Pope Pius V gave credit to the Virgin Mary.

He declared October 7th the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, which we celebrate today as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, because the victory came through the Rosary.

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The enemy we face today is not so much Islam.

The enemy is thinking we don’t need God.

We have replaced God as the ultimate source of happiness with the pursuit of pleasures and personal achievement.

We don’t need God because we live in a world in which we think we have everything we need: wonderful homes set at 71 degrees year-round; Instacart and Grub Hub and Amazon Prime and the internet; and maids and lawn care and dogs – we have dogs – so who needs God?

And we think that if we work long enough and stay connected 24/7 by our phone we will succeed professionally and financially.

So we think we don’t need God and we never turn to Him to say, “Thank you, help me, and I love you.”

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But seeking our happiness through pleasure or achievements doesn’t work.

It doesn’t work because they don’t last, and they are never enough.

That’s the problem with any drug – we get used to the dose and it doesn’t give us the same effect, so we continually up the dosage, increase the amount, until it has no effect at all.

Then there is nothing left to assuage the pain or the boredom or the emptiness.

God made us to pursue the good things of life. But remember, they are just the cups. Jesus is the Living Water. And without a deep friendship with Him, all the cups are empty.

What we need is Jesus and the most immediate way to receive Him is by prayer

Talk to Jesus by set prayers – but even more, talk to Him from the Heart. Tell Him everything. Tell Him what your think and feel and desire – the good and the bad.

Then read or hear what He has to say to you.

You can find God’s Word to you in the Bible, in the writings of the Saints and in the teaching of the Church

Then think about what He said that struck you

And make the resolution to do what He said – to put it into practice.

This is precisely what we do in the Rosary

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The Battle of Lepanto shows us that prayer to Our Lady in the Rosary works – but, of course, it works best of all when you’re praying for God to win.

Because, after all, God always wins – at least in the long run.

There may be times when it looks like the other side is going to smash us (like it looked at Lepanto)

Which is wonderful, because when it looks and feels like we’re going to lose in God’s cause – but we keep fighting anyway – it gives us the chance to be heroes

And to be a hero, fighting on the side of the All-Powerful God whose victory is assured; well, that’s having the best of both worlds.