October 7th is a lovely autumn day here in Da Brook. This date, however, carries some heavy historical overtones.
Consider that on Oct. 7, 1571, a fierce naval battle was waged at Lepanto for control of the Mediterranean Sea. The Christian forces of Western Europe overcame the incursion of the Ottoman Turks. The Pope at the time, believing that the Blessed Virgin Mary interceded for Western Europe, set this date as "Our Lady of Victory."
Two years later, it was renamed as the "Feast of the Holy Rosary."
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Flash forward to Oct. 7, 2011, which marks the 10-year anniversary of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban terrorists.
Today, we continue to mark the Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. The irony, however, is not to be missed. As we pray to Mary, asking her to intercede for us and for many needs, we call her: "Queen of Peace."
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Yes, that's right, Queen of Peace. Even as troops are deployed, supplies sent, battle plans and operations continue and precious lives are lost on all sides, we call on our Lady to grant peace in a world that is weary of war.
440 years later, let us continue to pray for peace in our hearts, our homes, our community, our country and most especially, our world. In the Catholic tradition, our instrument of peace is the Most Holy Rosary, which quiets our minds, hearts and the sound of gunfire in a most profound way. Bottom line: We can cooperate with God, but we can't do it ourselves. Only God can grant the peace we all need.
Thank you, Kevin Trudo, our Patch bard for singing quite simply:
"There's love and there's luck and there's lessons and loss
There's heavy blessings and there's heavy cost
I guess given the choice between hope and despair
I'll take hope, make memories and, if you're into it,
Say a prayer."
