The month of October is traditionally dedicated to Respect Life and to the Most Holy Rosary. We Catholics see an essential connection between honoring Our Most Blessed Mother, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, and praying for an end to the intrinsic evils of abortion, euthanasia, artificial contraception and racism. Of course, it is always and everywhere a spiritual and temporal good to
The month of October is traditionally dedicated to Respect Life and to the Most Holy Rosary. We Catholics see an essential connection between honoring Our Most Blessed Mother, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, and praying for an end to the intrinsic evils of abortion, euthanasia, artificial contraception and racism. Of course, it is always and everywhere a spiritual and temporal good to pray for an end to these terrible evils by asking Our Blessed Mother’s fruitful intercession before the throne of her Divine Son. Jesus listens to His Most Beloved Mother.
When we pray the Holy Rosary, whether we pray the Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous or Glorious Mysteries, we are accompanying Our Blessed Mother as she follows Jesus through His earthly life fulfilling the will of Our Father. It is said that the Rosary is the “poor man’s Bible.” This means that to know and pray the mysteries of the Rosary is to enter into the life and times of the Incarnate Son of God.
It is no wonder that the Holy Rosary is one of the most popular and frequently offered prayers that Catholics use to increase and strengthen their faith. It is such a powerful and efficacious prayer that we can offer either in private or in public, and while having a month in the year dedicated to it is a very good thing, we should make praying the Holy Rosary a regular and, if possible, a daily part of our prayers.
Since this month of October has been designated as Respect Life month, there is no better way to support the true Respect Life cause than to pray the Holy Rosary. When we seek in all sincerity and truth the intercession of Our Blessed Lady, the Mother of God, to truly change the hearts and minds of all who see these intrinsic evils as goods and even human rights, we are doing a very good work of mercy and charity.
When we pray the Holy Rosary, seeking Our Blessed Lady’s assistance in the cause of life, we need to ask Her to obtain for us the actual graces of courage and charity as we pray and work for the restoration in our nation of that essential respect for all human life from its first moment of conception to its natural death.
We see that Our Blessed Mother’s intercession with Her Beloved and Divine Son is having the desired outcome. More and more abortion mills are closing, more and more Americans are concluding that abortion is a true evil, those who promote the ideology and the culture of death through abortion, euthanasia, and other artificial means of degrading human life and human dignity are being exposed and marginalized. However, as encouraging as these developments are, we need to persevere in our prayers and to act with courage and charity on what we pray for.
Please keep this month of October special in your personal daily life and in your family lives by praying the Holy Rosary, by praying for a return to the objective truth of the inherent dignity and worth of every human being living inside and outside of the womb. To respect and protect human life, we must first give love and respect to the Author of all human life.
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This article originally appeared in the Oct. 3 issue of the Dakota Catholic Action, official newspaper of the Diocese of Bismarck, ND.
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Bishop David D. Kagan in the Bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck, ND.