What's in a name?
Every so often we get asked about the name "Combat Rosary"... it could be curiosity or perhaps a deflection. Someone commented this to us recently on a social media post regarding the praying of the Holy Rosary and most specifically the name "Combat Rosary".
The comment is pasted below:
"Pretty sure the Mother of Christ endorsed peace and not combat as she spoke to Bernadette, pretty sure her instrument was a vehicle to a cessation of hostilities and a path to goodwill toward ALL of us, pretty sure she wouldn’t approve of it being called a combat rosary."
Our Response to the Name Combat Rosary When Called into Question
This is how we responded to the comment above.
Our Lady has appeared throughout history imploring us to pray and do penance for conversion and peace.
Our rosary is called a “Combat Rosary” as it is modeled after the 1916 WWI US military issued service rosary which soldiers carried into combat.
Our “Combat Rosary” is also a reminder of the call to spiritual warfare against evil spirits who threaten peace, “for we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers…” (Eph. 6:12). Revelation also speaks of the spiritual warfare being waged against Christians by evil spirits: “Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.” (Rev. 12:17)
In the battle against the evil spirits who oppose Christ’s Kingdom, we are called to “put on the armor of God”, take up “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” and “pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication.” (Eph. 6:10-20) This is what we aim to do when praying the rosary, for peace.
(c.f. CCC, 2725; Eph. 6:10-20; Rev. 12:1-17)
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