PRAYERS TO OUR LADY

Excellent Sermon~Fr. Renee Trincado~We Must Have Confidence!

“Give me an army saying the Rosary, and it will conquer the world” (St. Pius X)

I will speak about the battle of Lepanto. This triumph gave rise to the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, whose solemnity we celebrate today.

In 1571 Turkish Muslims, who had conquered North Africa and the Middle East controlled the Mediterranean, and threatened Europe. Spain and Portugal were able to rid themselves of Muslims after eight centuries of struggle. The Turks were preparing themselves to invade Europe and it would have meant the end of the Christianity.

The situation was desperate. Pope St. Pius V sought to unify Christians for the military defense of the continent, but had little support. He finally managed to gather an army of 20,000 troops and a fleet of 101 galleons and other smaller boats. The Turks, meanwhile, had the most powerful fleet in the world, with 300 galleys in which there were thousands of Christian slaves who were used as oarsmen.

Christians were in a great disadvantage being smaller in their fleet, but had an invincible weapon: the Holy Rosary. On the flag of the ship of the Christian squad leader was the Holy Cross and the Holy Rosary.

Knowing the power of the Rosary, St. Pius V asked all Christendom to pray it and to fast, beseeching the Blessed Virgin Her aid before that danger. The Pope also ordered that before entering combat, any soldier whose behavior could offend God should be removed from the Catholic armada.

Shortly before dawn on October 7, the Christian fleet found the Turkish fleet anchored in Lepanto's port, Greece. The Catholic fleet ordered itself cross-shaped and the Turkish fleet in a crescent-shaped, while the faithful around the world addressed their prayer to the Blessed Virgin, with rosaries in their hands, to help Christians in that decisive battle.

In our fleet, the battle’s signal was given raising the banner sent by the Pope, which had images of Christ crucified and of the Blessed Virgin. The Christians generals encouraged the troops and ordered them to pray and the soldiers fell to their knees before the crucifix and continued in earnest prayer until the fleet approached. Admiral Don Juan de Austria spoke in these terms to the Spanish fighters: “My children, we are here to conquer or to die as heaven may determine. Do not let our impious foe ask of us ‘Where is your God?’ Fight in his holy name, and in death or victory you will win immortality.”

The Turks pounced on the Christians very quickly, as a strong wind was favorable to them. But it happened that it calmed down just as the battle began, and soon it changed direction, favoring Catholics. The battle was frightening and bloody. It lasted from about 6 in the morning until dark.

Pope Pius V, from the Vatican, did not cease to pray to God. During the battle, a procession of the Rosary was made to ask for the victory. The pope was talking to some Cardinals when suddenly he stopped, stood some time with his eyes fixed on the Heaven, and said: "It is not now a time to talk anymore; but to give thanks to God for the victory he has granted to the arms of the Christians”. Heaven had revealed to him the victory, confirmed by the messengers who arrived several days later.

The miraculous character of the victory of Lepanto is corroborated by the testimonies of prisoners captured in battle: they testified that they had seen Our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Peter, St. Paul and a great multitude of angels, sword in hand, fighting the Turks and blinding them with smoke.

In Lepanto's battle, about 30.000 Turks died and 5.000 prisoners were taken. Some 15,000 Christian slaves were found chained in the galleys and were released. The Muslims lost more than 200 ships. The Christian fleet suffered 7,600 casualties and the loss of 12 galleys. God, who in His justice had allowed part of the Christian nations to fell under Turkish oppression, imposed that day a limit on the Islam and did not allow the Christianity to disappear.

Catholics achieved a miraculous victory on October 7th which changed the course of history. With this victory the Holy Rosary devotion was greatly strengthened. In 1569 (two years before the battle) the same St. Pius V had fixed the traditional form of the Rosary, which remained intact until modernist John Paul II dared to modify it.

In thanksgiving to God for victory, Pope Pius V instituted the feast of Our Lady of the Victory, the first Sunday of October. In the litany of our Lady inserted those words, "Help of Christians”. Pope Pius V died on May first 1572 and was canonized in 1712. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of the Feast to "Our Lady of the Rosary". St. Pius X set the feast for October 7 and stated: “Give me an army saying the Rosary, and it will conquer the world”.

What happened in Lepanto through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the Rosary was repeated in other battles with the Turks, as the battle of Vienna on September 12, 1683. In thanksgiving to Our Lady for this victory, the Feast of the Sweet Name of Mary was established. The victory in the Battle of Temesvar in Romania, on August 5, 1716, is also due to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, etc.

At present, we Catholics are in a similar situation as the time of Lepanto. The enemy seems far superior and the triumphant modernist cancer in the Church since Vatican II spreads increasingly. Europe is ready for the biggest bloodbath in history because of the Muslims who are invading it "peacefully". On January 29, 1975, Paul VI, faithful to the pacifist and ecumenist dreams of the liberals, returned to the Turks the banner that the enemies of Christ hoisted in their main ship at Lepanto. This celebrated trophy had been preserved almost 400 years in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, as a votive offering of eternal gratitude to the Blessed Virgin, Protectress of the Christendom.

Dear faithful, although the situation is terrible, we must have absolute confidence because the absolute victory of Christ is true, undoubted, inevitable: It is a truth revealed by God Himself. Let’s do our part: "In God's name the soldiers will fight and God will give the victory", said St. Joan of Arc: our duty is to fight until the end, and for that we have the invincible armor of God: the full faith, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Rosary.

“Give me an army saying the Rosary, and it will conquer the world” (St. Pius X)

Fr. Renee Trincado

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