In 1571 Christian Europe was in chaos. The Protestant Reformation had broken the unity of the Church and the remaining Catholic kings fought amongst themselves for political advantage. In the midst of this confusion the Muslim empire of the Turks was once again threatening Europe. Their superior forces coupled with the infighting among Christians seemed to assure their victory and control over the Mediterranean lands.
The pope at the time, Pius V, was a man of great faith. He formed a coalition of the three greatest European navies to meet the advancing Turkish fleet. The battle took place on October 7, 1571, in the Gulf of Lepanto near Greece. Before the battle the commander of the European fleet, John of Austria, went from ship to ship to lead the sailors and soldiers in praying the rosary.
Meanwhile Pope Pius encouraged all the faithful throughout Europe to pray the rosary for victory.
In the long history of aggression between Muslims and Christians, Christians had never defeated the Muslims at sea, until the Battle of Lepanto.
The pope attributed the victory to the prayers of the Christians and established the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in gratitude to God.
We do not always need to increase our faith. We need to be aware of the faith we already have, and use it properly. Our faith will not always solve our problems or remove our difficulties, but it will strengthen us to persevere in the fight and lead us to the ultimate victory.
Pax Vobiscum
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time