Important Spiritual Information: Praying the holy Rosary and
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Pray the holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary Each Day
How to Pray the holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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 the full rosary accomplished, when they easily
could. Thus, they are missing out on
tremendous graces from the rosary, and the opportunity to help save other souls
by their prayers.
Devotion to the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the Hail Mary, and the holy rosary are essential. Catholics must come to learn and understand
the power of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hail Mary, and the holy
rosary.
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 the Blessed Virgin 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."
MARY’S JUSTICE
Certainly the Mother of God was given a
special station of mercy by the Lord Jesus Christ. Any sinner, no matter how dark his state, can
feel confident in turning to her at all times.
At the same time, however, this quote reveals Mary’s justice. Having a
perfect soul and perfect faith, she is also perfectly in tune with God’s
justice. This incident shows us that
those who think they can sin mortally and despise His grace – and that she will
somehow find a way to obtain Christ’s mercy for them anyway – are very
mistaken. .
St. Alphonsus
(c. 1755): “In the year 1611, in the celebrated sanctuary of Mary in Montevergine, it
happened that on the vigil of Pentecost the people who thronged there profaned
that feast with balls, excesses, and immodest conduct, when a fire was suddenly
discovered bursting forth from the house of entertainment where they were
feasting, so that in less than an hour and a half it was consumed, and more than one thousand five hundred persons
were killed. Five persons who remained alive
affirmed upon oath, that they had seen the mother of God herself, with two
lighted torches set fire to the inn.” (The Glories of Mary, p. 659.)
We
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 the Blessed Virgin 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 the Blessed Virgin Mary delivered at
Fatima)
Most
of these books are available from our online store.
www.mostholyfamilymonastery.com