An “Act of love towards the Virgin" For Respect Life Sunday 2010

Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii

Today is 1 of 2 days that The Petition to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii is solmenly prayed at Il Santuario della Beata Vergine del Santo Rosario di Pompei. Today is also Respect Life Sunday.

The Petition was composed by Blessed Bartolo Longo in 1883. He did so in response to Pope Leo XIII's 1st encyclical on the Rosary, Supremi Apostolatus Officio , that had been issued on 1 September 1883. That encyclical was a call to Catholics for a greater spiritual engagement to face up to society’s evils. The Pope pointed out the prayer of the Rosary as a very efficacious means for the achievement of the spiritual good of society & of the Church, which was tormented by “grave adversities”.

Blessed Bartolo was seeing to the building of the original Temple of the Shrine at that time & saw this encyclical as a Papal imprimatur for his whole work. On 23 September he sent a telegram to the Holy Father to thank him for having published the Encyclical on the Rosary. In part he promised to continue with a greater alacrity the construction of the Shrine of the Rosary, which was accompanied by the incessant wonders the Virgin.

As I said, today has been declared Respect Life Sunday in the USA by the USCCB. IMHO, I do not think the 2 being on the same day are a coincidence. In fact, I think this is all a part of God's Divine Providence. The Petition is a powerful prayer for the needs of the Catholic Church, esp for its protection in times of attack on it, as well as for the conversion of people & nations who have rejected God's love & Gospel message.

Part of that message is the call to defend life from the 1st monent of existance.

I think most of you can see where I am heading by now.

Pope Leo was Pope from 1878 to 1903. & while he was writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit about the struggles the Catholic Church was undergoing at the end of the 19th Century, I honestly think God knew we would need that same message at the start of the 21st Century. & the same weapons to protect the Catholic Church from attacks from within & without. & evn though abortion wasn't the issue then it is now, God knew it would be & thus laid the groundwork back then through Pope Leo.

Like I have said before, the Rosary is a powerful weapon God has given us in the battle to defend life. I have also pointed out before in some of my posts on San Giuseppe that Pope Leo also called for us to add the October Prayer at the end of the Rosary for the same reasons mentioned in this encyclical that led Blessed Bartolo to write the Petition. (Some Good Advice From Fr. Corapi) I have also challenged us to call on St. Joseph to protect the Catholic Church at other times as well. As I have also pointed out, San Giuseppe should also be called on to help us in our Pro-life efforts. (St. Joseph - A Needed Pro-Life Padrone)

Now I am calling on us to use 1 more weapon today. That weapon is the Petition that Blessed Partolo wrote. It is prayed solemnly on 8 May (Our Lady of Pompeii) & the 1st Sunday in October. Today is 1 of those 2 days. While it is prayed at Noon at the Shrine as well as many other places, it can be prayed any time today. It can also be prayed on more than these 2 days simply by excluding the parts for the solemn praying of the Petition.

We are clearly in a time of great spiritual warfare. & it is clear to me that God knows what we need to fight the battles each of us are called to fight. Again & again I repeat the most important weapon is prayer. We MUST begin, end & undergird all we do with prayer & seeking God's guidance. We must NOT do it under our own power. We MUST let the Holy Spirit lead us. That comes about as we spend that time in prayer because it is only through prayer & the study of Scripture that we will be equiped to hear & discern God's voice speaking to us.

We are not alone in this battle. God has given us many things to aide our efforts. They Holy Spirit to empower us, prayer, Scripture, the Body of Christ (Church Millitant) here on Earth. The Church Triumphant is also at work in Heaven aiding us in our efforts. & chief among those are Mary & Joseph. They are given this role by their saying "Yes" to their call here on Earth. Mary by her saying yes to the Lord of Life. & San Giuseppe by his saying yes to guarding & protecting Jesus from those who would harm Him. Let us use those tools (prayers) God has given us to call upon their aide.

Not only that, bet us use all the weapons God has given us as we battle to defend life as well as spread the Gospel & live our lives as members of the Church Jesus founded & appointed Papa Benedetto to lead in these days we are in. So, please, pray the Petition today.

& while you are at it, don't forget that today is Life Chain Sunday as well. Across the USA & Canada groups will be gathering at a designated spot to provide a public witness to people about the sanctity of life. The gatherings will last for about an hour to hour & 1/2 depending on the location. They are not a time to talk but to pray & offer witness to those who will be driving buy. Here in DBQ we will be gathering at 2PM at the corner of Bluff & Dodge (Highway 20) right off the Julien Dubuque Bridge. You can go here for a list of sites where they are being held in the USA & Canada to see if there is a site near you. If not & you can set some time aside, please pray for the success of this year's Chain.