Honouring Mary in the Month of October

Will you pray the Rosary with your BEC members and families daily in this month of October? The month of October is devoted to Mary and praying the Rosary. It is a month during which we need to increase our Marian spirituality. It is good to get a statue or Holy picture of Our Lady and place it at a prominent place in your home. You can decorate it with a bouquet of flowers or in your own creative way. In our Church we have placed the statue of Our Lady and St Joseph side by side at the sanctuary. You can always bring your kids and your elderly or sick members of your family to pray the Rosary at the Church. You can light up candles at the grotto and pray inside the Church.

Some Protestants have asked me, “What is the purpose of having the rosary devotion in the month of October?” We, Catholics have great respect and great love for Mary, the Mother of God. Many of us have our personal experiences or favorite memories with Mother Mary and those experiences or memories have kept our families and us closer to Her.

Everything the Church teaches about Mother Mary is meant to teach us something about Jesus Christ. She always points us to Jesus, her Son. Only mothers know much about their children, thus Mother Mary too knows Her Son well. She will help us to increase our love for Jesus day by day. Just as our earthly mothers will not let their sons and daughters down, our Heavenly Mother too will never let us down and she will continue to guide us towards the heavenly path.

How did Mother Mary grow so significantly in my spiritual life? During my younger days I didn't have much affection towards her. It all started since 1995 during my seminary days. Every day after dinner we seminarians would gather together either as a class or community to pray the Rosary. We would walk at least 20-30 minutes around our College compound reciting the rosary and end it at the grotto. That is how the Rosary became an important part of my prayer life. I urge all of you to teach your children and others to love the Rosary and to develop a habit of praying it through your example and encouragement.

“The Mother of Christ and of the Church is always with us. She walks with us always, She is with us.” Particularly, in the month of Rosary, we Catholics should honour her. As we begin praying our rosary daily this whole month, we will be able to feel that she is on our side and we shall gain many rewards through her intercession to her Son, Jesus Christ.  As we give honour to her in this month, let us ask her to pray for our needs and the need of others. May she help us in our faith as we treasuring Jesus in our hearts and in our homes ultimately bringing peace to our lives.