What do you think when it comes to this feast? That it occurs in the "Month of the Holy Rosary" and that is why October is dedicated as such? It is a feast in thanksgiving for the victory of Christianity against the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto.
I have always found it significant that the last apparition at Fatima happened in October with the great miracle of the sun. The name 'Fatima' being the same as Mohammed's daughter, hearkens back to the days when a large part of the Iberian peninsula was under the control of the Moors. I cannot help but think the purpose of Heaven has been to alert us to what is happening in our own day, with the conflict between Islam and the Christian West. It may be good to muse about these things and give the prayers of the Rosary greater place in our spiritual lives.
Presented here is an excellent homily for today's feast from an English priest:
[snip] "On 7 October 1571 the forces of Christendom, under the command of Don Juan, defeated the Turks at Lepanto. The famous sea victory was attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin because the Rosary had been recited both by the soldiers before battle and by many of the faithful in Rome. St Pius V instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victories and, shortly afterwards, Gregory XIII changed this to Our Lady of the Rosary. In the early eighteenth century, following some further victories against the Turks, the Feast was extended throughout the Church. And so October became known as the month of the Holy Rosary." [snip] -Roman Miscellany
"Pray the Rosary every day." - Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima
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