Important Spiritual Information: Praying the Rosary and
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Pray the Rosary Each Day
We recommend that Catholics pray the
entire 15-decade Rosary each day, if possible. One set of mysteries
at three different times in the day is the recommendation of St. Louis De
Montfort as a good way to get that accomplished. Frankly, many Catholics who are home most of
the day are not getting this accomplished, when they easily could. Thus, they are missing out on tremendous
graces, and the opportunity to help save other souls by their prayers.
Devotion to Our
Lady and the Hail Mary are essential. Catholics must come to learn and understand
the power of devotion to Our Lady and the Hail Mary.
St. Louis De Montfort (+1710): “Blessed Alan de la Roche who
was so deeply devoted to the Blessed Virgin had many revelations from her and we know that he confirmed the truth
of these revelations by a solemn oath.
Three of them stand out with special emphasis: the first, that if people fail to say the Hail Mary (the Angelic
Salutation which has saved the world) out of carelessness, or because
they are lukewarm, or because they hate it, this is a sign that they will probably and indeed shortly be
condemned to eternal punishment.” (Secret
of the Rosary, p. 45)
St. Louis De Montfort (+1710): “….there are some very sanctifying interior practices
for those whom the Holy Ghost calls to high perfection. These may be expressed in four words: to do
all things by Mary, with Mary, in Mary and for Mary; so
that we may do them all the more perfectly by
Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus and for Jesus.” (True
Devotion to Mary #257)
We strongly recommend that Catholics make the
consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary which St. Louis De Montfort explains in
his book, True Devotion to Mary.
St. Louis De
Montfort, True Devotion to Mary #39:
“We must not confuse devotion to the
Blessed Virgin with devotions to the other saints, as if devotion to her were
not far more necessary than devotion to them, and as if devotion to her
were a matter of supererogation [extra special devotion].”
St. Louis De Montfort (+1706): “Make for me, if you will, a new road to go to Jesus, and pave it
with all the merits of the blessed, adorn it with all their heroic virtues,
illuminate and embellish it with all the lights and beauties of the angels, and
let all the angels and saints be there
themselves, to escort, defend and sustain those who are ready to walk there;
and yet in truth, I say boldly, and I repeat that I say truly, I would prefer
to this new, perfect path the immaculate way of Mary.” (True Devotion to Mary #158)
It is
precisely because most don’t understand Mary’s unique connection to Jesus, and
her role in the Incarnation and the salvation of souls, that they never make
much progress in the way of perfection.
St. Louis De Montfort: “As there are secrets of nature by
which natural operations are performed more easily, in a short time and at
little cost; so are there secrets in the
order of grace by which supernatural operations, such as ridding ourselves of
self, filling ourselves with God, and becoming perfect, are performed more
easily. The practice which I am about
to disclose [of true devotion to Mary] is one of these secrets, unknown to the greater number of
Christians, known even to few of the devout, and practiced and relished by a
lesser number still.” (True
Devotion to Mary #82)
St.
Louis De Montfort (+ c. 1710): “By this
practice [the True Devotion to Mary which he teaches], faithfully observed, you
will give Jesus more glory in a month than by any other practice, however
difficult, in many years…” (True
Devotion to Mary #222)
St.
Louis De Montfort: “… many others have proved invincibly, from the sentiments
of the Fathers (among others, St. Augustine, St. Ephrem,
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Germanus, St. John
Damascene, St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine,
St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure), that
devotion to Mary is necessary to salvation, and that… it is an infallible mark
of reprobation to have no esteem and love for the holy Virgin.” (True Devotion to Mary # 40)
Regarding the Holy Rosary, Sister
Lucia told Father Fuentes in a famous 1957 interview:
"Look, Father, the Most Holy Virgin in these last times in
which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no
matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the
personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world,
or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations
that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter
how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.
With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We
will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls."
We
also recommend that all Catholics obtain and read the following books. If one reads and thinks about the four last
things, one will most likely avoid sin, the occasions of sin, and live a good
life. We consider these books to be
essential for proper spiritual formation, and we believe that one will gain
more from reading them than one will from reading many other books.
-True Devotion
to Mary by St. Louis De Montfort
-The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De
Montfort
-Preparation for Death by St. Alphonsus (abridged
version)
-Our Lady of Fatima by William Thomas
Walsh (get to know and live the message Our Lady delivered at Fatima)
Most
of these books are available from our online store.
www.mostholyfamilymonastery.com