HAVING a strong devotion to the holy rosary will lead Catholics to an experience of love, hope, and peace, the parish priest of the Santisimo Rosario Parish said during the Misa Mayor for the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of UST on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Fr. Glen Mar Gamboa, O.P. urged the devotees to use the rosary as a weapon and source of strength against the “silent battles” they endure every day.
“When we pray the rosary, sinasabi ng ating ina, may kasama ka. Nandoon ang ating ina sa bawat misteryo at yugto ng buhay ng ating Panginoon. Hindi niya iniwan. Hindi niya pinabayaan. And so when we pray the rosary, Mary’s presence is always there,” he said in his homily at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.
Gamboa said the love of the Virgin Mary can be experienced through the rosary, especially in times of financial hardship, defeat or setback, and loneliness.
Likening Mary to hope, he told the laity that all trials in life, no matter how big or small, can be surpassed because Mary is there to guide them through.
The UST parish priest said devotees can find peace and comfort in the Virgin Mary through his son, Jesus Christ.
“Sa inyong pagdarasal ng rosaryo, sana makita ninyo ‘yung supling na tangan-tangan ng ating mahal na ina. Kapag kayo’y nagdarasal, hindi lang si Maria ang inyong tinitignan, kundi ‘yung bata na kanyang daladala,” he said.
Gamboa also urged the devotees to revive the habit of praying the rosary as a family, so that they may experience peace within their homes and among their loved ones.
In the Misa Mayor in the afternoon, UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P., urged the faithful to live the lessons of the rosary’s mysteries.
“Sa Joyful Mysteries, tinuturuan tayo na magpasalamat sa mga biyaya. Sa Sorrowful Mysteries, tinuturuan tayong magtiis at magpatawad. Sa Glorious, tinuturuan tayo na umasa. At sa Luminous Mysteries, tinuturuan tayong maliwanagan sa gitna ng kadiliman,” Coronel, former parish priest of Santisimo Rosario Parish, said in his homily.
The Fiesta Mass was followed by a solemn procession of the image of Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario in the streets within the parish.
The procession included 14 images of Dominican saints and Thomasian martyrs.
This year’s celebration marks the 83rd Fiesta del Santísimo Rosario since the establishment of the parish in 1942. With reports from Alexandra Gabrielle C. Mansineros
