The Fifteen Promises of Our Lady to St Bridget
Source: http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/prayer/15promise.htm
Besides the Indulgences attached to the Rosary, Our
Lady revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la
Roche additional benefits for those who devoutly pray
the Rosary. Our Lady's promise is shown in red text.
Additional explanation on and doctrinal connections
to each promise is shown following in the smaller normal
text font and color. Note that the Rosary is the prayer
(non-Liturgical) with the most published Magisterial
/ Papal documents expounding on its excellence. Vatican
II's summary on Our Lady is contained in Lumen Gentium
chapter VIII.
- 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.
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