I believe Our Lady gave us 15 promises for those who pray the rosary daily! they were given to St Dominic and Blessed Alan by Our Lady herself. The third promise of Mary for those that faithfully pray the rosary is.... 3] The rosary shall be a powerful armour against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies. My thought/dilemma on this third promise is this......... if those of us on the MoG forum are saying the rosary daily, and I believe most of us do, then how can some of us believe that different high ranking members of the hierarchy are in heresy and others believe that these same hierarchy members are not in heresy? especially as we are all praying the rosary daily?
This is a question I have also. I pray the daily rosary and wear the scapular (removing for water activities) and have also consecrated myself and my family to Jesus through His mother. I've completed the 3 year devotion to the drops of blood of Jesus which carries the promise "you will be free from the pains of purgatory" and "it will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith". Listing these "good deeds" is uncomfortable as I know we are to do these things in private, not for men but for God alone. I say all of this, though, because I have the same question as Josephite and wonder how this can be.
I asked our Holy Mother this just this week and had the though immediately "hidden sins". Do some have "hidden sins" keeping them from receiving God's grace? I don't know.
I take it to mean that the soul who faithfully prays the Rosary will not fall into heresy. They will not be fooled or taken in by heresy, or become a heretic themselves.
This is a quote from The Secrets of Purgatory (author unknown) for your discernment: "In this holy place, where I see the souls so clearly, I have also learned what genuine and feigned piety are....I saw many souls, even those of religious, which were very pious on earth - but, according to their own conception of piety.... Individual, egoistic piety will be as devout as the soul wants, but not as God wills. This piety is complicated, intricate and seemingly of great importance. There are souls who make a great fuss about themselves. They live in this thought: "I offer sacrifices; I strive for sanctity; I work to become holy." On the other hand, piety that is humble thinks: "Oh Jesus, You must do it. Have patience for with me, for I cannot." Such souls as these live and grow in Jesus; the other souls, on their egoistic feelings and sentiments. These latter think they can become holy by themselves, while humble souls, in their good will, rely upon Jesus and pray again and again for grace and mercy. Unfortunately, there are more hypocritical, pharisaical souls in Purgatory than I would have surmised. If I had not seen this in Purgatory, I would believe that the whole world and everything which appears good in it were good. And because my heart too eagerly considers everything good, the good God must instruct His child in Purgatory. He knows how terribly hard it is for me to believe that there are such hypocritical souls... There are souls in Purgatory, even religious, who have very much to suffer because of their sham and feigned piety. I must, therefore, often feel their excruciating pain in order to make atonement for them; for their piety was narrow-minded and they possessed a hard, unjust heart towards others... Men who have real, genuine piety are always discreet and understanding, because they are intimately united with the Holy Spirit and therefore harm no one. ... This is why there is correct judgment. The discreet are never harsh or bitter; they can understand everyone, even sinners. "
There is no promise that there won't be heresy in the church. Nor is there a promise that praying the rosary will give you the power to recognize heresy on sight. The promise is saying that the rosary will defeat heresy after it crops up. No time frame on how long it will take is given. Also, believing that others may be in heresy doesn't automatically make a person a heretic. It could lead that way though, so tread carefully and keep saying those rosaries.
Exactly, very well put. The phrase 'defeat heresies' implicitly suggests a battle, and I suppose that battle is where all of us here currently find ourselves, no matter which side of the fence we are on. I'd add that the battle should not be with each other but with the powers and principalities of this world!
I never heard of the three year devotion to the drops of blood of Jesus. Would love some details or a link to more details if you have them, please.
Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ on His Way to Calvary St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Bridget, wishing to know something of the Passion of Jesus Christ, offered fervent and special prayers, upon which Our Lord revealed to them: To all the faithful who shall recite for 3 years, each day, 2 "Our Fathers", 2 "Hail Marys" and 2 "Glory Bes", in honor of the drops of Blood I lost, I will concede the following 5 graces: 1st The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins. 2nd You will be free from the pains of Purgatory. 3rd If you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them. 4th It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith. 5th I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation. Blessed by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII in Rome, April 5, 1890. Please keep this prayer card with others that you say daily to remind you to recite these prayers. Please record the date you started: ____/____/____ Mo Day Year
Uncomplicated, revealed to three saints and with huge rewards! Sounds good to me. Even I should be able to manage it. Thank you very much.
I share your concerns about negative posts. It can be worse than the constant bad news on the telly. Sharing the good deeds you have tried to pursue is interesting, and can remind us to try other ways of seeking to please our good God. These shared things have helped me over the years to see Faith in a new light. I don't feel people who get into disputes are bad or carrying hidden sins necessarily; but realise we are all on a journey, and some are at a certain point where God permits them a trial of reason versus Faith, or something like that. The more intelligent the person the worse the trial, or so it seems. Simplicity, humility, self denial must be the only solution. Just how I deal with it.
This thread is pretty good. It highlights an undertone that kept me from going to church for years. I remember going to church and this old lady wanted to rant about assisted suicide to me, and I because I had no interest, so she freaked out on me. I would sooner work towards giving people a reason to live, rather than freak out because they do not want to. This sort of thing happened enough that I had enough, and walked away. It gets old after awhile. I still get worked up about stuff sometimes, but then I let it go. The difference between calling a spade a spade, and going on a rant is internal I find. There is something I am getting off of. I could be milking anger, fear, or something else that isn't healthy. What really appeals to me are genuinely Catholic people. They are joyful, pleasant, and never have anything really bad to say. They suffer quietly, and show a side of life that is so rare and precious that it is no wonder people do not know what it means to be a Catholic. My favourite part of them is their smiles, there is something so radiant about their smiles that it refreshes my soul just looking at them. They could be 90 years old, but their eyes are bright and their faces are radiant and full of color.
But thats what I am looking for, and I figure if I do it for three years then I should get the promised rewards. Jesus said to store up rewards in heaven, and God doesn't break contracts. Even Abraham bartered with God. Sweet Sweet get out of Purgatory Card.
I think sometimes just dealing with difficult people with love and patience can be part of that Get out of Jail Free card..... I think all of us has at least one. "Charity covers a multitude of sins." Ack, it's not my strong suit, so I'm not saying that lightly.
