The Secret of the Rosary - Forty-second Rose

Forty-second Rose - With Attention

IN ORDER TO pray well, it is not enough to give expression
to our petitions by means of that most excellent of all
prayers, the Rosary, but we must also pray with real
concentration for God listens more to the voice of the heart
than that of the mouth. To be guilty of willful distractions
during prayer would show a great lack of respect and
reverence; it would make our Rosaries fruitless and would
make us guilty of sin.
How can we expect God to listen to us if we ourselves do not
pay attention to what we are saying? How can we expect
Him to be pleased if, while in the presence of His
tremendous Majesty, we give in to distractions just as
children run after butterflies? People who do this forfeit
Almighty God's blessings which are then changed into
curses because they have been praying disrespectfully.
"Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully."
(Jer. 28:10)
Of course, you cannot possibly say your Rosary without
having a few involuntary distractions and it is hard to say
even one Hail Mary without your imagination troubling you
a little (for our imagination is, alas, never still). The one
thing you can do, however, is to say your Rosary without
giving in to distractions deliberately and you can take all
sorts of precautions to lessen involuntary distractions and to
control your imagination.
With this in mind put yourself in the presence of God and
imagine that Almighty God and His Blessed Mother are
watching you and that your guardian Angel is standing at
your right hand, taking your Hail Marys, if they are well
said, and using them like roses to make crowns for Jesus and
Mary. But remember that at your left hand lurks the devil
ready to pounce upon every Hail Mary that comes his way
and to write it down in his deadly note-book. And be sure
that he will snatch every single one of your Hail Marys that
you have not said attentively, devoutly and with reverence.
Above all, do not forget to offer up each decade in honor of
one of the mysteries and while you are saying it try to form a
picture in your mind of Jesus and Mary in connection with
this mystery.
The life of Blessed Hermann (of the Premonstratensian
Fathers) tells us that at one time when he used to say the
Rosary attentively and devoutly while meditating upon the
mysteries Our Lady used to appear to him resplendent in
breathtaking majesty and beauty. But as time went on his
fervor cooled and he fell into the way of saying his Rosary
hurriedly and without giving it his full attention.
Then one day Our Lady appeared to him again----only this
time she was far from beautiful and her face was furrowed
and drawn with sadness. Blessed Hermann was appalled at
the change in her, and then Our Lady explained:
"This is how I look to you, Hermann, because in your soul
this is how you are treating me; as a woman to be despised
and of no importance. Why do you no longer greet me with
respect and attention meditating on my mysteries and
praising my privileges."

The Canada54 National Novena includes a daily reading from the Secret of the Rosary.

There are exactly 54 readings. 

• A white rose for priests;
• A red rose for sinners;
• A mystical rose tree for devout souls;
• A rosebud for little children;
• Plus 50 roses representing each Hail Mary recited during 5 decades of the Rosary

JesusMarie.com  - Le Secret du Rosaire - ICI

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Do you pray the Rosary? For the most powerful way to pray, click HERE

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Visiting Our Lady of the Cape on Pilgrimage? What you need to know HERE

A priest discovers a pig chewing on a Rosary. What he does next transforms his dying parish into a National Shrine!

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