A New Battle

Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, a feast dedicated to Mary under this title after the miraculous victory over the Ottoman Turks in a naval battle (more HERE) through her powerful intercession in answer to a rosary crusade. Because of the prayers of so many, the battle was won and Catholicism preserved.

Today there is a new battle, and fittingly on this great feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Today the Body of Christ, the Church, is wounded by division and the culture seeks to perpetuate that. Pope Benedict XVI has been striving to preserve Christian unity and draw other back into the fold who have left - specifically Anglican and Orthodox Churches. He has also sought to bring back groups such as the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist group that has not been in full communion with the Church for some 20+ years now. Today that group is meeting to consider a proposal by the Holy See on the issue of being re-unified and brought back into the fold of the Church. They have asked their parishioners and Church members to pray for the Spirit's guidance in this effort and the Church has asked the same. So today, for the good of Christian unity and the mending of wounds, why not offer a prayer for these efforts and the Spirit's hand to be in the midst. A decade or set of mysteries from the rosary would be rather appropriate on this feast of Our Lady of the Rosary - please join in the prayer for healing from division.