The Secret Of The Rosary – Forth Decade – Part 1

The surpassing merit of the holy Rosary as seen in the wonders God has worked through it

(St. Louis Marie de Montfort)

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Thirty-first Rose

The saintly Blanche of Castille, Queen of France, was deeply grieved because twelve years after her marriage she was still childless. When St. Dominic went to see her he advised her to say the Rosary every day to ask God for the grace of motherhood, and she faithfully carried out his advice. In the year 1213 she gave birth to her eldest child, who was called Philip. But when the child died in infancy, the Queen sought our Lady’s help more than ever, and had a large number of rosaries given out to all members of the court and to people in several towns in the Kingdom, asking them to pray to God for a blessing which this time would be complete. This was granted to her, for in 1215 St. Louis was born, the prince who was to become the glory of France and the model of Christian kings.

Alphonsus VIII, King of Aragon and Castille, had been leading a disorderly life and had been punished by God in several ways, and he was forced to take refuge in a town belonging to one of his allies.

St. Dominic happened to be in this town on Christmas Day and he preached on the Rosary as he usually did, and spoke of the graces that we obtain through this devotion. He mentioned, among other things, that those who said the Rosary devoutly would overcome their enemies and regain all they had lost.

The King listened attentively and sent for St. Dominic to ask whether what he had said about the Rosary was really true. The Saint assured him that nothing was more true, and that if only he would practice this devotion and join the Confraternity, he would see for himself. The King resolved to say the Rosary every day and persevered for a year in doing so. The very next Christmas, our Lady appeared to him at the end of his Rosary and said, “Alphonsus, you have served me for a year by saying my Rosary devoutly every day, so I have come to reward you. I have obtained the forgiveness of your sins from my Son. Here is a rosary, which I present to you; wear it, and I promise you that none of your enemies will be able to harm you.”

Our Lady vanished, leaving the King overjoyed and greatly encouraged; he immediately went in search of the Queen and told her all about our Lady’s gift and the promise that went with it. He touched her eyes with this rosary, for she had lost her sight, and she was cured.

Shortly afterwards the King rallied some troops and with the help of his allies boldly attacked his enemies. He forced them to give back the territory they had taken from him and make reparation for his losses. They were completely routed, and he became so successful in war that soldiers came from all sides to fight under his standard, because it seemed that, whenever he went into battle, the victory was sure to be his.

This is not surprising because he never went into battle without first saying his Rosary on his knees. He made certain that the whole of his court joined the Confraternity of the Rosary and he saw to it that all his officials and servants were devoted to it.

The Queen also joined the Confraternity, and they both persevered in the service of Blessed Virgin and lived very holy lives.

Thirty-second Rose

St. Dominic had a cousin named Don Perez or Pedro, who was leading a highly immoral life. When he heard that his cousin was preaching on the wonders of the Rosary and learned that several people had been converted and had amended their lives by means of it, he said, “I had given up all hope of being saved but now I am beginning to take heart again. I really must hear this man of God.”

So one day he went to hear one of St. Dominic’s sermons. When the latter caught sight of him, he struck out against sin more zealously than ever before, and from the depths of his heart he besought God to enlighten his cousin and let him see what a deplorable state his soul was in.

At first, Don Perez was somewhat alarmed, but he still did not resolve to change his ways. He came once more to hear the Saint preach and his cousin, realizing that a heart as hardened as his could only be moved by something extraordinary, cried out with a loud voice, “Lord Jesus, grant that this whole congregation may see the state of the man who has just come into your house.”

Then everyone suddenly saw that Don Perez was completely surrounded by a band of devils in the form of hideous beasts, who were holding him in great iron chains. People fled in all directions in abject terror, and Don Perez himself was even more appalled when he saw how everyone shunned him. St. Dominic told them all to stand still and said to his cousin, “Unhappy man that you are, acknowledge the deplorable state you are in and throw yourself at our Lady’s feet. Take this rosary, say it with devotion and with true sorrow for all your sins, and make a resolution to amend your life.”

Don Perez knelt down and said the Rosary; he then felt the desire to make his confession, which he did with heartfelt contrition. St. Dominic ordered him to say the Rosary every day; he promised to do this and he entered his own name in the register of the Confraternity. When he left the church his face was no longer horrible to behold but shining like that of an angel. Thereafter he persevered in devotion to the Rosary, led a well-ordered life and died a happy death.

Thirty-third Rose

When St. Dominic was preaching the Rosary near Carcassone, an Albigensian was brought to him who was possessed by the devil. The Saint exorcised him in the presence of a great crowd of people; it appears that over twelve thousand had come to hear him speak. The devils who were in possession of this wretched man were forced to answer St. Dominic’s questions in spite of themselves. They said:

1. That there were fifteen thousand of them in the body of that poor man, because he had attacked the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary;

2. That by the Rosary which he preached, he put fear and horror into the depths of hell, and that he was the man they hated most throughout the world because of the souls he snatched from them by the devotion of the Rosary.

3. They revealed several other things.

St. Dominic put his rosary round the neck of the possessed man and asked them who, of all the saints in heaven, was the one they feared most, who should therefore be the most loved and revered by men.

At this they let out such unearthly screams that most of the people fell to the ground, seized with fear. Then, using all their cunning so as not to answer, the devils wept and wailed in such a pitiful way that many of the people wept also, out of pure natural pity. The devils, speaking through the mouth of the Albigensian, pleaded in a heart-rending voice, “Dominic, Dominic, have pity on us, we promise you we will never harm you.

You have always had compassion for sinners and those in distress; have pity on us, for we are in grievous straits. We are suffering so much already, why do you delight in increasing our pains? Can’t you be satisfied with the pains we now endure? Have mercy on us, have mercy on us!”

St. Dominic was not in the least moved by the pathetic words of those wretched spirits, and told them he would not let them alone until they had answered his question. Then they said they would whisper the answer in such a way that only St. Dominic would be able to hear. The latter firmly insisted upon their answering clearly and audibly. Then the devils kept quiet and would not say another word, completely disregarding St. Dominic’s orders.

So he knelt down and said this prayer to our Lady: “Oh, most glorious Virgin Mary, I implore you by the power of the holy Rosary command these enemies of the human race to answer my question” (O excellentissima Virgo Maria, per virtutem psalterii et rosarii tui, compelle hos humani generis hostes questioni meae satisfacere).

No sooner had he said this prayer than a glowing flame leaped out of the ears, nostrils and mouth of the possessed man. Everyone shook with fear, but the fire did not hurt anyone. Then the devils cried, “Dominic, we beseech you, by the passion of Jesus Christ and the merits of his holy Mother and of all the saints, let us leave the body of this man without speaking further; for the angels will answer your question whenever you wish. After all, are we not liars – so why should you want to believe us? Do not torment us any more, have pity on us.”

“Woe to you, wretched spirits, who do not deserve to be heard,” St. Dominic said, and kneeling down he prayed to the Blessed Virgin: “O most worthy Mother of Wisdom, I am praying for the people assembled here, who have already learned how to say the Angelic Salutation properly. I beg you for the salvation of those here present, compel these adversaries of yours to proclaim the whole truth here and now before the people” (O Mater sapientiae dignissima et de cujus salutatione quomodo illa fieri debeat jam edoctus est populus; pro salute populi circumstantis rogo. Coge hosce tuos adversarios, ut plenam et sinceram veritatem palam hic profiteantur).

St. Dominic had scarcely finished this prayer when he saw the Blessed Virgin near at hand surrounded by a multitude of angels. She struck the possessed man with a golden rod that she held and said, “Answer my servant Dominic at once.” (It must be noted that the people neither saw nor heard our Lady, only St. Dominic.)

Then the devils started screaming:

“Oh, you who are enemy, our downfall and our destruction, why have you come from heaven to torture us so grievously? O advocate of sinners, you who snatch them from the very jaws of hell, you who are a most sure path to heaven, must we, in spite of ourselves, tell the whole truth and confess before everyone who it is who is the cause of our shame and our ruin? Oh, woe to us, princes of darkness.

Then listen, you Christians. This Mother of Jesus is most powerful in saving her servants from falling into hell. She is like the sun which destroys the darkness of our wiles and subtlety. It is she who uncovers our hidden plots, breaks our snares, and makes our temptations useless and ineffective.

We have to say, however, reluctantly, that no soul who has really persevered in her service has ever been damned with us; one single sigh that she offers to the Blessed Trinity is worth far more than all the prayers, desires, and aspirations of all the saints. We fear her more than all the other saints in heaven together, and we have no success with her faithful servants.

Many Christians who call on her at the hour of death and who really ought to be damned according to our ordinary standards are saved by her intercession. And if that Marietta (it is thus in their fury they called her) did not counter our plans and our efforts, we should have overcome the Church and destroyed it long before this, and caused all the Orders in the Church to fall into error and infidelity.

Now that we are forced to speak, we must also tell you that nobody who perseveres in saying the Rosary will be damned, because she obtains for her servants the grace of true contrition for their sins by which they obtain pardon and mercy.”

(O inimica nostra, o nostra damnatrix, o nostra inimica, o nostra damnatrix, o confusio nostra, quare de coelo descendisti, ut nos hic ita torqueres? Per te quae infernum evacuas et pro peccatoribus tanquam potens advocata exoras; o Via coeli certissima et securissima, cogimur sine mora et intermissione ulla, nobis quamvis invitis, et contra nitentibus, totam rei proferre veritatem. Nunc declarandum nobis est simulque publicandum ipsum medium et modus quo ipsimet confundamur, unde vae et maledictio in aeternum nostris tenebrarum principibus.

Audite igitur vos, christiani. Haec Christi Mater potentissima est in preservandis suis servis quominus precipites ruant in baratrum nostrum inferni. Illa est quae dissipat et enervat, ut sol, tenebras omnium machinarum et astutiarum nostrarum, detegit omnes fallacias nostras et ad nihilum redegit omnes nostras tentationes. Coactique fatemur neminem nobiscum damnari qui ejus sancto cultui et pio obsequio devotus perseverat. Unicum ipsius suspirum, ab ipsa et per ipsam sanctissimae Trinitati oblatum, superat et excedit omnium sanctorum preces, atque pium et sanctum eorum votum et desiderium, magisque eum formidamus quam omnes paradisi sanctos; nec contra fideles ejus famulos quidquam praevalere possumus.

Notum sit etiam vobis plurimos christianos in hora mortis ipsam invocantes contra nostra jura salvari, et nisi Marietta illa obstitisset nostrosque conatus repressisset, a longo jam tempore totam Ecclesiam exterminassemus, nam saepissime universos Ecclesiae status et ordines a fide deficere fecissemus. Imo planius et plenius vi et necessitate compulsi, adhuc vobis dicimus, nullum in exercitio Rosarii sive psalterii ejus perseverantem aeternos inferni subire cruciatus. Ipsa enim devotis servis suis veram impetrat contritionem qua fit ut peccata sua confiteantur, et eorum indulgentiam a Deo consequantur.)

Then St. Dominic had all the people say the Rosary very slowly and with great devotion, and a wonderful thing happened: at each Hail Mary which he and the people said, a large number of devils issued forth from the wretched man’s body under the guise of red-hot coals. When the devils had all been expelled and the heretic completely delivered from them, our Lady, although invisible, gave her blessing to the assembled company, and they were filled with joy.

A large number of heretics were converted because of this miracle and joined the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary.