October 7, 2026 // Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Read the Word // Open your Bible to the Gospel for today’s memorial: Luke 1:26-38

Reflect on the Word //

Crowded in a booth at a local brunch spot, I nodded along and pretended to know what they were talking about. My fellow summer missionaries were sharing what God had shown them as they meditated on the Mysteries of the Rosary. Apparently, I’d been doing it wrong. 

As a kid, I’d only ever learned the mechanics of the Rosary. I didn't know the mysteries or that we could prayerfully imagine the events of Jesus' life and contemplate Him. But in today’s Gospel for the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, we’re introduced to the spirituality of the Blessed Mother, who teaches us to treasure God’s Word, His Son, and the events of life in the quiet of our souls. 

When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to our Lady at the Annunciation, he greeted her with the words of our beloved prayer, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). But Mary “was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29). Rather than rushing in to respond, Mary pondered. After years of meditating on the Scriptures, Mary knew how to ascend to Heaven by descending into her soul. She went within, waiting and listening. 

Both in my life and in prayer, I often feel a pressure to do, to figure things out, or fix them. But on this Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, we're invited to imitate Mary's posture of pondering. As we meditate on the mysteries of Christ's life, we slowly open our own lives to Him—and there, in the silence, God speaks deeply within us.

And just in case, like me, you found out you were praying the Rosary all wrong, don't worry. Our Lady will teach you.

Relate to the Lord // Ask our Lady to teach you how to meditate on the Annunciation and pray the first decade of the Joyful Mysteries.