Pray the Rosary for Peace in our Day:Special Recipe for the month of October

The Apostolic Exhortation Recurrens Mensis  of Pope Paul VI to the Bishops, Clergy and People of the Catholic Church urged the use of Rosary to implore the aid of the Blessed Virgin Mary in reconciling minds and hearts so that true peace may shine in the world

In the Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, (the Rosary of the Virgin Mary), John Paul II teaches that the Rosary "is also a prayer for peace because of the fruits of charity which it produces" (n. 40).

The Marian mystery illumines the message of peace that the Church's social doctrine conveys, and embeds it more firmly in her origins, in Christ. In various perspectives, the Marian theological dimension of the Church is still waiting to be explored and deepened.

·         The joyful mysteries contemplate the hidden life of the Child Jesus and induce one to accept and promote life.

·         In the mysteries of light we contemplate the proclamation of the Kingdom of Christ and this impels us to live in daily life the beatitudes.

·         In the sorrowful mysteries, we fix our gaze on the crucified Christ and, like Simon of Cyrene, this involves bending over suffering man.

·         In the glorious mysteries we contemplate the risen Christ, but this means our dedication to making all things new.

Undoubtedly, peace is the concern of men and a good common to all. As such, it must be the constant care of everyone, but especially of those who carry the responsibility of states and of the community of peoples. Peace is also the concern of God. He has placed in our hearts the ardent desire for peace. He urges us to work toward it, each doing his share, and for that purpose he sustains our feeble energies and our vacillating wills. He alone can give us a peace and confirm in depth and solidity our efforts for peace.

How does it make us love peace work for peace, by focusing our eyes on Christ, it makes us peacemakers in the world.

The recurrence of the month of October provides Us with an occasion for inviting the entire Christian people once more to the practice of a form of prayer which is rightly dear to Catholic piety, and which has lost none of its importance amid the difficulties of the present day. We are speaking of the rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Reasons for confidence

 It is the humble Virgin of Nazareth who became mother of “the Prince of Peace,” of him who was born under the sign of peace, and who proclaimed to the whole world: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”. The Gospel teaches us that Mary is sensitive to the needs of men. At Cana, she did not hesitate to intervene, to the joy of the villagers invited to a wedding feast. How, then, would she not intervene in favor of peace, that precious possession, if we only pray to her with a sincere heart? The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council reminds us most opportunely that Mary continues to intercede with her son in favor of her children on earth.(8) When she quite simply told him, “They have no wine,” Christ responded most generously. How, then, would he not show the same generosity to her when she says, “They have no peace”?

PRAYER INTENTIONS

We shall pray for all who perform the tasks of peace in the world, from the humblest village to the greatest international organizations.

We shall pray that everywhere there may be vocations to become doers of peace, workers for concord and for reconciliation between men and among peoples. We shall pray that in every heart, starting with our own, sectarianism and racism, hatred and wickedness, may be rooted out, since they are the ever recurring source of wars and divisions. For if evil is strong, grace is even stronger.

We shall pray that among all the sons and daughters of the Church there may be a climate of mutual respect and confidence, of dialogue and reciprocal benevolence. We shall pray that all, while recognizing their differences, may realize that they complement one another, in the truth and love of Christ, according to the recommendation of the great Apostle St. Paul: “So far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. … Let us no more pass judgment on one another. … The kingdom of God …[means] righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. … Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

Adopted from sources

Pope Paul VI, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Vol LXI, November 10, 1969, 649-654.

Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, no. 62: AAS 57 (1965), 63 [TPS X, 397-398]



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