Today's Rosary | Holy Rosary University

Friends of the Rosary, Happy New Year in Christ! Today, January 6, is in many places the day of the Epiphany, according to the traditional liturgical calendar. This feast emphasizes Christ’s manifestation to all nations and calls us to make the Kingdom known through words and actions. As the light of Christ shines brightly in our lives, we celebrate this day of Christmas, renewing our commitment t...

Friends of the Rosary, Happy New Year in Christ! Today, January 5, we observe the Epiphany of the Lord. It’s the feast of Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles — to all nations. Guided by a start, the Magi journeyed to Bethlehem to adore the Child God. Like the Magi, may bow in adoration before the King of Kings and share the joy of His presence with the world. The Magi brought gifts of gold, fra...

Friends of the Rosary, Happy New Year in Christ! Today, January 4, the first Saturday of the month, we celebrate the memorial day of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), the first citizen of the U.S. to be canonized a saint. She is the patron saint of Catholic schools, widows, loss of parents and children, and people ridiculed for their piety. In Maryland, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Mother Seton, foun...

Friends of the Rosary, Happy New Year in Christ! Today, January 3, Christmas Weekday, the Gospel of John (John 1:29-34) contains the first biblical presentation of the Holy Trinity. It happened during Jesus’ baptism. The sky opened, and John the Baptist saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and remain upon him. With that, a voice from the heavens said,  “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am...

Friends of the Rosary, Happy New Year in Christ! Today, January 2, the Catholic Church celebrates two great Doctors of the Church who defended the truth of Christ’s divinity and humanity. Saints Basil and Gregory’s theological writings and pastoral care strengthened the early Church during times of division. Basil and Gregory were key figures in the foundations of monastic spirituality and defende...

Friends of the Rosary, Happy New Year in Christ! Today, New Year’s Day, we sanctify the day by celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, a feast day since early times. This title of “Mother of God,” Theotokos , in Greek The God-bearer, underscores her unique role in salvation history. Her “yes” to God’s plan made the Incarnation possible. Today's Gospel recounts the shepherds visi...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! Today, the Seventh Day of the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord, we reprise the prologue of St. John’s Gospel, which we read on Christmas Day (Jn 1:1-18). The Word became flesh, "and we saw his glory."  At the end of the year, the Gospel proclaims "in the beginning." "In the beginning was the Word,     and the Word was with God,     and the Word wa...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! The family is a domestic church, a place where faith is nurtured, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes. Parents are primarily responsible for educating their children in faith, morality, and love. As we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family yesterday, the Christmas season is an opportunity to examine our family dynamics, foster deepe...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! Today, December 29, the Sunday following Christmas Day, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This celebration emphasizes the importance of family life following the role model and virtues of the holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. With its challenges and joys, family life becomes a path to holiness as long as it...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! Today, the Fourth Day of Christmas, the Church honors, through the Feast of Holy Innocents, Martyrs, the memory of small children of the neighborhood of Bethlehem put to death by the wicked King Herod. Our Christmas joy is tempered today by a feeling of sadness. These innocent victims bear witness to Christ, who was persecuted from the time of His b...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! Today, December 27, is the feast day of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." He was the apostle who remained at the foot of the Cross. He was also in the Transfiguration and was one of the first witnesses to the Resurrection. To him, Jesus entrusted his Mother. John was honored as one of the three pillars of the Churc...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! Today, December 26, the Second Day in the Octave of Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr and witness to the Lord. St. Stephen was stoned outside Jerusalem two years after the death of Christ. He died praying for his executioners. In imitation of Christ unto the complete gift of self, he was one of the deacons...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! Today, December 25, we celebrate with joy the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas, and the Birth of Jesus Christ, January 12. It’s also the First Day in the Octave of Christmas. The Christmas season begins on the Vespers of December 24 and ends on the feast of the Baptism of Christ. Throughout Advent, the faithful have longed for the co...

Friends of the Rosary, Merry and Holy Christmas! Today, December 24, is Christmas Eve. We read in the Gospel (Luke 1:57-79) the Prayer of Zechariah at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. This prayer, precious to priests and all those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours, is called the “Canticle of Zechariah” or the “Benedictus.” It sums up the whole history of salvation, with the God of Israel, a...

Friends of the Rosary, We read today (Luke 1:57-66) about the birth of John the Baptist, with his mother, St. Elizabeth, saying with conviction: "He will be called John." The four Evangelists tell the divine destiny of John. John was born to be the forerunner, the prophet who would prepare the way of the Lord. He is the one who showed the sinners the way. And John said about the Messiah, “He must...

Friends of the Rosary, This Fourth Sunday of Advent, so close to Christmas, the Catholic Church invites us to focus our attention on Mary. She, the Ark of the Covenant, visits St. Elizabeth (Luke 1:38-45) in the hill country of Judah, near Jerusalem. The Church Fathers saw the parallels between the Old Testament wooden Ark containing the divine presence and the Virgin about to give birth to the Go...

Friends of the Rosary, Today’s reading (Luke 1:39-45) describes the story of the Visitation, the second Joyful mystery after the Annunciation when Mary gave her fiat. The Blessed Mother set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth in “the hill country of Judah.” That was precisely where David found the Ark. Mary, the definitive Ark of the Covenant, came to that same hill country. Elizabeth is the first t...

Friends of the Rosary, During Advent, the example of Mary and Joseph shows us how to listen with an open heart and discern the will of God. In the act of listening to the Angel Gabriel — as we are reading this week in the Gospel — Mary and Joseph became a model of humility and obedience to the Divinity. Therefore, we are invited to reflect on the profound meaning of listening in a world full of no...

Friends of the Rosary, In today’s reading (Luke 1:5-25), Luke the Evangelist tells us about the parents of John the Baptist: Zechariah was a temple priest, and her mother Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron the first priest. John the Baptist would be the priest out in the desert, who'd be in charge of purifying the temple. The baptism of John would be a cleansing of the temple through repentance....

Friends of the Rosary, Today’s Gospel narrates how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. It also explains how Joseph, the husband of Mary received the visit of an angel in a dream. He said: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.  For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, b...

Friends of the Rosary, This Advent, as we await the coming of the Messiah, we reflect upon the significance of our union with God. Regardless of how good this world is, in the end, the soul has to purify and become free from its attachments to finite things to seek communion with the Divinity. St. John of the Cross, the Spanish mystic and Doctor of the Church whose memorial we celebrated this Satu...

Friends of the Rosary, This Advent, as we await the coming of the Messiah, we reflect upon the significance of our union with God. Regardless of how good this world is, in the end, the soul has to purify and become free from its attachments to finite things to seek communion with the Divinity. St. John of the Cross, the Spanish mystic and Doctor of the Church whose memorial we celebrated this Satu...

Friends of the Rosary, Today is the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete   Sunday . The term  Gaudete refers to "Rejoice." We also light the rose candle on our Advent wreath. Gaudete   Sunday emphasizes the joy that should be in our hearts at Christmas, as the nativity of Our Lord is near. We also see the day when the Lord will come again in His glory to lead the faithful into His kingdom...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, December 14, we celebrate the Memorial of St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), a Spanish priest, mystic, and Doctor of the Church. St. John of the Cross, co-founder with Teresa of Avila of the Discalced Carmelites, is the father of mystical theology. He was a great contemplative and spiritual writer. He is the patron of contemplative life, mystical theology, mystics, an...

Friends of the Rosary, Today, December 13, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Lucy (283-304), the famous Sicilian martyr venerated since ancient times. Born and died in Syracuse, Sicily, Lucy (or Lucia) made a vow of virginity and distributed her wealth to the poor. With the help of the Holy Spirit, she stood immovable in her virginity. After torture, which included taking out her eye...