The Virgin Mary’s words in St. Luke’s gospel, “Henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48), speak prophetically about her own future. Thirty-three years later, from the cross on Good Friday, Christ declares His mother’s thereafter universal maternity by saying to her, “Woman, behold, your son” (Jn 19:26)! And to St. John, “Behold, your mother!” (Jn 19:27), thereby bequeathing Mary not only to St. John, but to all of us, as well.
Because of this great gift of Our Lord Jesus Christ, most generously given at the moment of His extreme and utter agony and redemption, the Catholic Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary. Honor and devotion to Our Blessed Mother is “intrinsic to Christian worship,”[1] says the Church, and the praying of the rosary, which is nothing short of an “epitome of the whole Gospel,”[2] is a sure way to show honor to Christ’s precious gift to us.
The rosary, given by the Virgin Mary to St. Dominic in the 12th Century, and later to Blessed Alan de la Roche in the 15th, is complete with 15 promises for the faithful for its loyal recitation and devotion. These 15 promises given by Our Mother are as follows:
The 15 Promises of the Rosary:
1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and 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. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, shall never be conquered by misfortune.
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.
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 the recitation of the rosary.
12. All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
I3. 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.
The Rosary and Holiness
One can be lead to greater holiness by faithfully praying the rosary on a regular basis. In the words of St. John Paul II, one needs to “recite the Rosary daily, so that an atmosphere may be created in you that fosters listening to God and faithfully doing his will.[3] Additionally, praying the rosary, he says, can “help us to become in turn generous and courageous apostles of the Gospel,”[4]. Moreover, “Anyone who assimilates the mystery of Christ—and this is clearly the goal of the Rosary—learns the secret of peace and makes it his life’s project,”[5] says the beloved saint.
By taking the rosary to heart and praying it, peace will be seen to increase. By its repetition, one puts him/herself in the arms of our Mother who, with her maternal heart, intercedes for us before her Son. To re-emphasize, in addition to our loving Mother’s attention and intercessory power on our behalf for our needs and petitions, the one who faithfully prays the rosary is beneficiary to its 15 gloriously rich promises seen in this life and in the life to come.
To learn how to pray the rosary, see the following link: https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary
[3] John Paul II. (2014). Homilies of Pope John Paul II (English). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
[4] John Paul II. (2014). Homilies of Pope John Paul II (English). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
[5] John Paul II. (2014). Homilies of Pope John Paul II (English). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
