Daily Reflection for the Pontifical Mission Societies, October 7, 2025

Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for October 7, 2025

Here is the video of today’s reflection.

The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is: 

I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, coming to you from our chapel in New York City. Today, October 7th, is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. And so, the whole church does what the first apostles did and huddled around Mary like they did at Pentecost, asking for her prayers. In the gospel that the church pers, we’ve got that scene in the house of Bethany with Martha and Mary. Martha working so hard out of love for Jesus, but Mary choosing the better part, the one thing necessary and listening to Jesus seated at his feet. Jesus had come to their home in order to feed, not to be fed, to serve rather than to be served. And Mary of Bethany clearly got that message. Though I’m sure Jesus and the apostles were very happy at Martha’s hard work.

Our Lady teaches us first and foremost how to listen to and receive her son. She is the great icon of prayer of the church throughout the ages which is why she was able to teach the nascent church in the upper room. But our Lady has always been a worker. She was the one who went in haste to care for her cousin Elizabeth when she was pregnant late in age. She was one who obviously would have prepared so many of the meals for Joseph and Jesus. But while she was in the kitchen, she was likewise always attentive to what God was speaking through the word made flesh who had taken on her womb. And so today on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the whole church turns to her and we pray through her intercession. This feast comes from 1571 where the church in Rome led by Pope St. Pope St. Pius IV prayed to her for victory in the battle of Lepanto against the Turkish Muslims who are about to overrun Europe. Her prayers were efficacious and throughout this month of October which is not just the month of the Holy Rosary but likewise the month of the missions.

We pray through her intercession to the harvest master for laborers for his harvest. We pray for that harvest. Mary is the one who teaches us, as Jesus, the blessed fruit of her womb, would once say, to look up and see that the harvest is ripe. So many are ready now for the gospel. And we pray through Mary’s intercession for all of them. As we draw closer, we’re only 12 days away from World Mission Sunday. We start to intensify our prayer around Mary, the Queen of the Apostles, who shows us how to take the Lord with haste to others and shows us how to pray for all those who are responding. God bless you.

At the end of today’s reflection, brothers and sisters, I just want to make a special invitation to you. We’re getting closer to the month of October, which is two things. First, it’s World Mission Month, which we pray for and sacrifice for missionaries, which has its culmination on World Mission Sunday, which this year is October 19th. And secondly, October is the month of the Holy Rosary. In honor of both of these month-long celebrations, the Pontifical Mission Societies USA are going to be getting together with anybody who wants to join us from all over the country and world to pray the World Mission Rosary. This was put together by my predecessor, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, when he was director of the Pontifical Mission Societies to pray through our Lady’s intercession, the holy rosary for missionaries and those they’re serving in each of the continents of the world. Below on this email, you’ll be able to click on a box which will allow you to sign up to join us. I hope you will pray the World Mission Rosary with us throughout the month of October.

The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based on: