29 April 2007

The Power of the Rosary

A Sarum bow to English Catholic for posting this.

"Let us crown ourselves in emulation of the roses of heaven and pray the entire Rosary every day, the fifteen decades or three Rosaries of five decades each. There are two reasons for praying all fifteen every day.

The first reason is to honor the three crowns of Jesus and Mary - Jesus' crown of grace in His Incarnation, His crown of thorns in His Passion, and His crown of glory in heaven, and the three-fold crown of Mary received in heaven from the Most Blessed Trinity.

The second reason is to receive three crowns from Jesus and Mary - a crown of merit in our lifetime, a crown of peace at our death, and a crown of glory on heaven.

If you are faithful in praying the Rosary devoutly until death, believe me that despite the gravity of your sins "you will receive an unfading crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:4)

Even if you are on the verge of being damned, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do, even if you are a heretic as hardened and obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and saved, if - mark well my words - if you pray the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and forgiveness of your sins."

St Louis de Montfort, The Secret of the Rosary

(Translated by Rev. John A. Otto, published 2004 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)