The Catholic Defender: The 15 Promises Our Lady gave for the Rosary. The Fourth Promise

4. The Rosary will cause virtue and 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. As we move along through the Promises that Our Lady offers, I can't help recognize how biblical the Virgin Mary is. The Virgin Mary is telling us that the Rosary, which she prays with us and for us, that virtue and good works will flourish. Psalms 11:7 states, "The LORD is just and loves just deeds; the upright will see his face."

Our Lady is clearly promising that we will see God "face to face" and live. Through the Rosary we are being transformed to a high degree and our "good works" will be made manifest. James 2:14-17 states, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead." What Our Lady is really saying is that we are being offered life through the merits of the Rosary. In the Rosary, we are delving into the mysteries of our Catholic Faith. The Rosary will foster strength into the Sacraments and living out of faith daily.

How will the Rosary obtain "abundant Mercy" from God? There can be countless ways God can offer His mercy, but for me, the devotion to the Rosary will strengthen the believer against sin and vice. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a way of life for the Christian. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the mercy seat, the place where you confess your sins and the Lord forgives you throwing those sins into the Sea of Forgetfulness and remembers them no more. In this great Sacrament you are given a judgement, a judgement of mercy. Through the practice of the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit will wound our hearts to have desire for the love of God.

None of us is perfect, but the Rosary will aid us to get to a high state of perfection. We will be lifted to that desire for "eternal things". The Virgin Mary is capable through the power of God, to take us to a deep place in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There again, we receive His rich mercy. God's Word touches the eternal soul of man through the power of His eternal Love. Psalms 136:1-26 puts an acclamation point on God's love stating "God's love endures forever" 26 times in this chapter.

Can you feel Our Lady's deep desire that people would respond to dedicate themselves to the Rosary that will aid us in the process of sanctification? 2 Thessalonians 2:13 states, "But we ought to give thanks to God for you always, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in truth." Sanctification relates to the making of saints that makes us holy setting us apart.