Mary The Mother Of God And The Rosary

We are bonded to our mothers in a very special way. Our mothers are bonded to us in a very special way. God in his wisdom allowed us to spend the earliest part of our lives wrapped up in the comfort of our mother’s womb. No wonder we share such a special bond.

It doesn’t stop there. Moms are usually the ones who brighten our days and kiss our bruises and wounds to miraculously heal them. Whatever mom says is gospel. She watches us as we grow up, laughs and cries with us through our many moments and experiences of life.

If we share such a bond with our earthly mother, how much more should we share this bond with Mary the Mother of God and our heavenly mother, the one who was given to us by Jesus our Lord and Saviour from the cross?

The month of October is dedicated to praying the Rosary, but we must be devoted to Mary and the Rosary our whole lives through. Mary through the Rosary journeys with us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus her son. As we contemplate these mysteries, we bring to life the saving mystery of Jesus. Mary was closest to Jesus as their hearts beat together. As we ponder Mary’s role in the life of Jesus through the recitation of the Rosary, we learn the heart of Jesus. The closer we grow to Mary the closer we grow to Jesus. The closer we grow to Jesus the closer we grow to Mary. By loving one we learn to love and appreciate the other.

Why do we love and honour Mary, because of her beauty, or because she is the mother of God? We love and honour Mary because of her faith, humility, obedience, love and trust in God. We admire her because of her great example of living the Christian life. Mary trusted God totally. She trusted God through her joys and sorrows. She treasured and pondered the word of God deeply in her heart. Unlike us, Mary was willing to put off her personal plans for life in order to accommodate that of God. Be it done unto me according to your will.

In the gospel of Luke 11:27, the woman who listened to Jesus, realized that she had encountered heavenly greatness, couldn’t contain herself, but exclaimed, “blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast that nursed you”. How did Jesus react towards her? He said “blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it”. This is exactly what Mary did. Jesus while not denying the significance of her motherhood, was drawing attention to what is most commendable about Mary, her faith.

Like Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, we acclaim Mary for believing “that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” Mary said yes to a pregnancy that seemed impossible. She waited patiently for God to shed light on unsolved mysteries, and advised others to “do whatever he tells you.” She travelled with her Son and his disciples and stood with Jesus at the cross in what must have been the darkest of all possible nights of faith. Through it all Mary believed. She believed that God loved her with an everlasting and unfailing love and this renewed her faith. How about us?

Looking at Mary, the first and best of Jesus’ disciples, we learn how to believe. Mary is intimately involved with us because she is essentially a mother. The mother of God, the mother of the Redeemer and therefore of the Church, the body of Christ of which we are members.

“Here is your mother” (John 19:27). With these words from the cross, Jesus established a new family and affirmed Mary’s maternal role in it. More than a friend, more than an advocate and intercessor, more than a role model, Mary the exemplary disciple has become our spiritual mother. What a gift we have in Mary’s maternal presence and protection. As we discover it we may find ourselves echoing Elizabeth’s words of wonderment when Mary came to visit: “Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to visit me?” (Luke 1:43)

As Mary visits us she brings for us countless blessings and graces.  Our Lady revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche additional benefits for those who devoutly pray the Rosary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aYecuDlDYM

Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.

Signal Graces are those special and unique Graces to help sanctify us in our state in life. See the remaining promises for an explanation for which these will consist. St. Louis de Montfort states emphatically that the best and fastest way to union with Our Lord is via Our Lady [True Devotion to Mary, chapter four].

I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

Our Lady is our Advocate and the channel of all God’s Grace to us. Our Lady is simply highlighting that She will watch especially over us who pray the Rosary. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII – Our Lady #62) [a great more detail is available on this topic in True Devotion to Mary, chapter four, by St. Louis de Montfort]

The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.

This promise, along with the next, is simply the reminder on how fervent prayer will help us all grow in holiness by avoiding sin, especially a prayer with the excellence of the Rosary. An increase in holiness necessarily requires a reduction in sin, vice, and doctrinal errors (heresies). If only the Modernists could be convinced to pray the Rosary! (see Lumen Gentium chapter V – The Call to Holiness #42) St. Louis de Montfort states “Since Mary alone crushed all heresies, as we are told by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary)…” [True Devotion to Mary #167]

It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

This promise, along with the previous, is the positive part, that being to live in virtue. Becoming holy is not only avoiding sin, but also growing in virtue. (see Lumen Gentium chapter V – The Call to Holiness #42)

The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.

Since Our Lady is our Mother and Advocate, She always assists those who call on Her implicitly by praying the Rosary. The Church reminds us of this in the Memorare prayer, “… never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided …”

Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.

This promise highlights the magnitude of Graces that the Rosary brings to whomever prays it. One will draw down God’s Mercy rather than His Justice and will have a final chance to repent (see promise #7). One will not be conquered by misfortune means that Our Lady will obtain for the person sufficient Graces to handle said misfortune (i.e. carry the Crosses allowed by God) without falling into despair. As Sacred Scripture tells us, “For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:30)

Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

This promise highlights the benefits of obtaining the most possible Graces at the hour of death via the Sacraments of Confession, Eucharist, and Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick). Being properly disposed while receiving these Sacraments near death ensures one’s salvation (although perhaps with a detour through Purgatory) since a final repentance is possible.

Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.

Our Lady highlights the great quantity of Graces obtain through praying the Rosary, which assist us during life and at the moment of death. The merits of the Saints are the gift of God’s rewards to those persons who responded to His Grace that they obtained during life, and so Our Lady indicates that She will provide a share of that to us at death. With this promise and #7 above, Our Lady is providing the means for the person to have a very holy death.

I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

Should one require Purgatorial cleansing after death, Our Lady will make a special effort to obtain our release from Purgatory through Her intercession as Advocate.

The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.

This promise is a logical consequence of promises #3 and #4 since anyone who truly lives a holier life on earth will obtain a higher place in Heaven. The closer one is to God while living on earth, the close that person is to Him also in Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “Spiritual progress tends toward ever more union with Christ.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2014)

You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.

This promise emphasizes Our Lady’s role as our Advocate and Mediatrix of all Graces. Of course, all requests are subject to God’s Most Perfect Will. God will always grant our request if it is beneficial for our soul, and Our Lady will only intercede for us when our request is good for our salvation. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII – Our Lady #62)

All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

If one promotes the praying of the Rosary, Our Lady emphasizes Her Maternal care for us by obtaining many Graces (i.e. spiritual necessities) and also material necessities (neither excess nor luxury), all subject to the Will of God of course.

I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

Since Our Lady is our Advocate, She brings us additional assistance during our life and at our death from all the saints in Heaven (the Communion of Saints). See paragraphs 954 through 959 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.

Since the Rosary is a most excellent prayer focused on Jesus and His Life and activities in salvation history, it brings us closer to Our Lord and Our Lady. Doctrinally, Our Lady is our Mother and Jesus is our Eldest Brother, besides being our God. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII – Our Lady #62)

Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Predestination in this context means that, by the sign which is present to a person from the action of devoutly praying the Rosary, God has pre-ordained your salvation. Absolute certainty of salvation can only be truly known if God reveals it to a person because, although we are given sufficient Grace during life, our salvation depends upon our response to said Grace. (See Summa Theologica, Question 23 for a detailed theological explanation). Said another way, if God has guaranteed a person’s salvation but has not revealed it to Him, God would want that person to pray the Rosary because of all the benefits and Graces obtained. Therefore the person gets a hint by devotion to the Rosary. This is not to say that praying the Rosary guarantees salvation – by no means. In looking at promises #3 and #4 above, praying the Rosary helps one to live a holy life, which is itself a great sign that a soul is on the road to salvation. (See also paragraphs 381, 488, 600, 2782 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.) In fact, St. Louis de Montfort says even more strongly that “an infallible and unmistakable sign by which we can distinguish a heretic, a man of false doctrine, an enemy of God, from one of God’s true friends is that the hardened sinner and heretic show nothing but contempt and indifference to Our Lady…” [True Devotion to Mary, #30]

Reminder: these promises mean that, by faithfully and devoutly praying the Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary Graces to obtain said promises. It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those Graces in order to obtain salvation.

Let us ask Mary to intercede for us. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus. Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.