The Secret of the Rosary - Twenty-first Rose

THIRD DECADE

The surpassing merit of the holy Rosary as a meditation on
the life and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

Twenty-first Rose - The Fifteen Mysteries

A MYSTERY is a sacred thing which is difficult to
understand. The works of Our Lord Jesus Christ are all
sacred and Divine because He is God and man at one and
the same time. The works of the Most Blessed Virgin are
very holy because she is the most perfect and the most pure
of God's creatures. The works of Our Lord and of His
Blessed Mother can be rightly called mysteries because they
are so full of wonders and all kinds of perfections and deep
and sublime truths which the Holy Spirit reveals to the
humble and simple souls who honor these mysteries.
The works of Jesus and Mary can also be called wonderful
flowers; but their perfume and beauty can only be
appreciated by those who study them carefully----and who
open them and drink in their scent by diligent and sincere
meditation.
Saint Dominic has divided up the lives of Our Lord and Our
Lady into fifteen mysteries which stand for their virtues and
their most important actions. These are the fifteen tableaux ;
or pictures whose every detail must rule and inspire our
lives. They are fifteen flaming torches to guide our steps
throughout this earthly life.
They are fifteen shining mirrors which help us to know Jesus
and Mary and to know ourselves as well. They will also help
light the fire of their love in our hearts.
They are fifteen fiery furnaces which can consume us
completely in their heavenly flames.
Our Lady taught Saint Dominic this excellent method of
praying and ordered him to preach it far and wide so as to
reawaken the fervor of Christians and to revive in their
hearts a love for Our Blessed Lord.
She also taught it to Blessed Alan de la Roche and said to
him in a vision: "When people say one hundred and fifty
Angelic Salutations this prayer is very helpful to them and is
a very pleasing tribute to me. But they will do better still and
will please me even more if they say these salutations while
meditating on the life, death and passion of Jesus Christ----
for this meditation is the soul of this prayer."
For, in reality, the Rosary said without meditating on the
sacred mysteries of our salvation would be almost like a
body without a soul: excellent matter but without the form
which is meditation----this latter being that which sets it
apart from all other devotions.
The first part of the Rosary contains five mysteries: the first
is the Annunciation of the Archangel Saint Gabriel to Our
Lady; the second, the Visitation of Our Lady to her cousin
Saint Elizabeth; the third, the Nativity of Jesus Christ; the
fourth, the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple and
the Purification of Our Lady; and the fifth, the Finding of
Jesus in the Temple among the doctors.
These are called the JOYFUL MYSTERIES because of the joy
which they gave to the whole universe. Our Lady and the
Angels were overwhelmed with joy the moment when the
Son of God was incarnate. Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the
Baptist were filled with joy by the visit of Jesus and Mary.
Heaven and earth rejoiced at the birth of Our Savior. Holy
Simeon felt great consolation and was filled with joy when
he took the Holy Child in his arms. The doctors were lost in
admiration and wonderment at the answers which Jesus
gave----and how could anyone describe the joy of Mary and
Joseph when they found the Child Jesus after He had been
lost for three days?
The second part of the Rosary is also composed of five
mysteries which are called the SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
because they show us Our Lord weighed down with
sadness, covered with wounds, laden with insults, sufferings
and torments. The first of these mysteries is Jesus' Prayer
and Agony in the Garden of Olives; the second, His
Scourging; the third, His Crowning with Thorns; the fourth,
Jesus carrying His Cross; and the fifth, His Crucifixion and
Death on Mount Calvary.
The third part of the Rosary contains five other mysteries
which are called the GLORIOUS MYSTERIES because when
we say them we meditate on Jesus and Mary in their
triumph and glory. The first is the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ; the second, His Ascension into Heaven; the third, the
Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles; the fourth,
Our Lady's glorious Assumption into Heaven; and the fifth,
her Crowning in Heaven.
These are the fifteen fragrant flowers of the Mystical Rose
Tree; devout souls fly to them like wise bees, so as to gather
their nectar and make the honey of a solid devotion.

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

To purchase a hard copy of this defining work by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, please visit

CANADA - Sunrise Marian HERE

USA - Montfort Publications HERE 

Read the not-for-profit public domain PDF version HERE

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

Do your children pray the Rosary? Click HERE

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!

WATCH ONLINE WITH UNLIMITED STREAMING ON VIMEO HERE

BUY DVD HERE