The Rosary is the traditional
devotion in honor of the Mother
of God,
combining vocal and mental prayer. It is composed of 15 decades which
are
divided into 3 parts of 5 decades, each of which recall Our Lord's
Life,
Passion, and Glory.
The Rosary is the prayer which is
most pleasing to Our Lady.
The word,
rosary, means a garland or wreath of roses, thus each prayer said in
the
Rosary is a spiritual rose offered to our Blessed Mother.
In its present form the Rosary is
due to St. Dominic, of the Order of
Friars Preachers which he propagated in obedience to a revelation
received
from the Blessed Virgin in the year 1206. To him we owe also the spread
of the devotion which for many centuries has produced the most
marvelous
results in the Christian world: heresies have been uprooted, morals
reformed,
misfortunes averted, wars ended.
In keeping with tradition the
complete set of Mysteries------15
decades has 150 Hail Marys,
the number of Psalms and there are 15 Promises attached to the faithful
recitation of the Rosary. The Psalms, found in the Old Testament are
hymns of praise to God. One of the best ways to praise God to praise
His Holy Mother, Mary, by honoring her in the manner she requested
renders homage to the Blessed Trinity Who created her free of Original
Sin, the most pure and beautiful of all creatures, above even the
Angels. With God there is no such thing as a "coincidence". Thus we
know
that there is a parallel between 15 Mysteries and 15 Promises and 150
Hail Marys in the decades of the whole Rosary [we do not include the
first 3 in the count, which are for an increase in the virtues of
faith, hope and love, but the decades themselves, and the number of
Psalms: each Hail Mary is a hymn of praise, begun by the Angel Gabriel
and added to by Mary's cousin, St. Elizabeth.
As for the 15 Promises, they can
also be divided into 3 sets of five
each. The first five speak of protection and special graces and a
desire for heavenly things and not the those of the world. These
correspond to the Joyful Mysteries. The next five concern death and our
everlasting fate, the promise that is we are faithful to the Rosary we
will not have an unprovided for death, in essence. These correspond to
the Sorrowful Mysteries. The last five address Heaven, the help of the
Saints, becoming the children of God. And these call to mind the
Glorious Mysteries.
The Fifteen Promises of Mary to Christians Who Recite the Rosary
1) Whosoever
shall faithfully serve Me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive
signal graces.
2) I promise My
special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall
recite the Rosary.
3) The Rosary
shall be a powerful armor against Hell, it will destroy vice, decrease
sin and defeat heresies.
4)
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.
5) The soul
which recommends itself to Me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not
perish.
6)
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.
7) Whoever shall
have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the
Sacraments of the Church.
8)
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.
9) I shall
deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10) The faithful
children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.
11) You shall
obtain all you ask of Me by recitation of the Rosary.
12) All those
who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by Me in their necessities.
13)
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.
14) All who
recite the Rosary are My Sons, and brothers of My Only Son Jesus Christ.
15) Devotion to
My Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Pray the Rosary
Here is a beautiful webpage I found for praying the Rosary.
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