OUR LADY OF VICTORIES September 27, 2026

On Thursday the month of October begins, the month of the Holy Rosary. Of course, the Rosary isn’t easy to pray! But that shouldn’t put us off. Here is a helpful thought: Thursday is the feast of St. Theresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower. It may surprise you to learn that she found prayer, and particularly the Rosary, very difficult. But she kept on trying. She once said: “The first thing I have to admit when asked how I pray, is that I am not good at it.” That should give us a bit of courage!

     If even a great saint who is a Doctor of the Church, should have found prayer difficult, then we need not be ashamed to admit that we do, too. Of the Rosary she even said, “It’s a terrible thing to admit, but saying the Rosary takes it out of me more than any hair shirt would; I say it so badly! Try as I will to force myself, I can’t meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, I just can’t fix my mind on them. For a long time, I was in despair about it. Now I don’t distress myself so much; it seems to me that the Queen of Heaven, being my Mother, must be aware of my good intentions, and that’s enough for her.”

     Note that, despite the fact that she found it difficult, she did not give up. So please keep on praying despite any difficulties you may find. The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact, we meditate the mysteries of joy, of light, of sorrow and of the glory of Jesus and Mary. It's a simple prayer, humble like Our Lady.                        

                                                                  ~ Fr. Paul Dobson