October – the month of the Holy Rosary.

We have begun the month of October, the month that the Holy Church has dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. While throughout the year we pray to her and ask for her help and protection, this month, the Church invites us to take the rosary in our hands and honor her in this way: by praying the Holy Rosary. A beautiful entry into this month is the Feast of the Protection (the Lid) of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the Eastern Church celebrates on October 1. It is an ancient, beautiful, and very symbolic feast. It is also a remembrance of all the mediations and protection she has shown us, as the Mother of God, sinners, over these twenty centuries.

St. Bernard said these words about her protection: “Remember, O most beneficent Virgin, that from all eternity it has not been heard that thou hast forsaken anyone who has taken refuge under thy protection.”

A medieval legend tells of a pious monk who knelt every evening before the image of the Sorrowful Mother of God and meditated on her love for us sinners. In these thoughts, he was so absorbed in the sufferings of the Mother of the Lord that, in his enthusiasm, he stood up and wiped away the tears from her face, which had been painted there by a painter. However, he did not wipe the tears because they were only painted on and therefore remained further on the painting. Legend further tells us that when the monk died, he saw the Virgin Mary wiping the sweat from his brow and the tears from his bloodshot eyes. That is the legend, the pious tale. But there is a healthy kernel of truth in it. Whoever has faithfully honored the Mother of God during his lifetime will grant him a happy death and a blissful eternity. She will wipe away the tears from his fading eyes.

Whoever has been to Lourdes must be moved by the sight of the Eucharistic procession. It takes place every day before evening. The sick in wheelchairs and the pilgrims present wander in front of the Basilica, where the Bishop celebrates the Eucharistic devotion, after which he passes by the ill and blesses them. During the French National Pilgrimage in 1926, a thrilling story happened. A young man was sick, so before he was brought to the cave, the sacrament of the anointing of the sick was conferred on him. In a solemn procession, he was in front of the Basilica, where the Cardinal blessed the sick with the Eucharist. When he came to the young man, he groaned aloud:

▪ Jesus, Son of Mary, give me back my health! The Cardinal blessed him and went on. The young man, however, felt no relief. Then he shouted once more:

▪ Jesus, Son of Mary, you have not healed me. I will tell your mother! The young man’s confidence touched the Cardinal, so he returned and blessed him again. A miracle happened. The dying young man got to his feet as if struck by a mysterious force. To the excited shouts of the others present, he began to walk and cry out:

▪ Jesus, Son of Mary, you have healed me! I will tell your Mother! I will say to her to thank you for me!

Indeed, since the beginning of time, it has not been heard that anyone who has taken refuge in her and asked for help has left her… Let us take shelter under her protection. This month we have a new opportunity and a new chance to show that we are her faithful children and that we have not forgotten her. And let us trust that she will not fail us, either. And not only in this life but also after death – in eternity – that she will be an excellent Heavenly Mother to us because, as St. Alphonsus says, a true admirer of Our Lady will not perish.