The Tradition of The Rosary Part 4 The Fifteen Promises of Mary to Christians who Recite the Rosary By Bruce W. Robida

 

The fifteen promises of Mary (Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan) Imprimatur & Patrick J. Hayes, D.D. Archbishop of New York, are taken from page 37 of the Pieta prayer booklet.

Saint Dominic was the founder of the Dominican order, established in 1216, for the purpose of preaching against heresy. According to the World Book Millennium 2000, Heresy is a doctrine that conflicts with the accepted teachings of a religion or other authority.  Blessed Alan de la Roche was one of the Dominican Fathers from the monastery at Dinan, in Brittany.  After Saint Dominic established the tradition of the rosary, it started to lose its popularity.   In 1349, Blessed Alan believed that God punished all of Europe and “...sent the most terrible plague that had ever been known into every land. It started first in the east and spread throughout Italy, Germany, France, Poland, and Hungary, bringing desolation wherever it came - for out of a hundred men hardly one lived to tell the tale. Big towns, little towns, villages, and monasteries were almost completely deserted during the three years that the epidemic lasted” . After the plague was over, Blessed Alan claimed that Christ, Saint Dominic, and the virgin Mary told him to revive the ancient Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary (The Secret of the Rosary, St.Louis De  Montfort, pages 22-24, Tan Books & Publishers).

I will list the fifteen promises one at a time, with my own comments after each promise. 

Promise 1: Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.

I was not able to determine what signal graces are, however the issue here is not signal graces, but a promise is made that a person who is faithful to serve Mary by reciting the rosary, will receive such graces.  We are commanded to serve God only. 

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' " MT 4:10

Promise 2: I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.

There are many passages of Scripture referring to God’s protection for His people, especially in the Psalms. (see DT 13:14, Psalms 12:5, 7, 20:1, 32:7, 40:11, 41:2, 59:1, 64:1, 69:29, 91:14, 140:1, 140:4, Jer 49:11, John 17:11, 15, 2 Thessalonians 3:3)  It is as if Mary has taken over God’s role as protector by making such a promise. 

God alone administers grace to all He desires to give it to. 

Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD. ISA 26:10

He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. PR 3:34

John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' "  From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. JN 1:15-16  (See also
Acts 15:11, Romans 1:5, 7, 3:24, 4:16, 5:2, 5:15-17, 5:20-21, 6:1, 6:14-15, 11:5-6, 12:3, 6, 15:15, 16:20, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 4, 3:10, 15:10, 16:23, 2 Corinthians 1:2, 12, 4:15, 6:1, 8:1, 6, 7, 9, 9:8, 14, 12:9, 13:14, Galatians 1:3, 6, 15, 2:9, 2:21, 3:18, 5:4, 6:18, etc.)

In all of the above references, you will see that the administration of God’s grace was done By God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit.  You will also see that Mary had nothing to do with administering grace.  Why, after the death of Mary, would God suddenly change the way grace is to be administered and to whom it may be administered?  There are more than sixty more references in the Bible concerning grace that I could have referenced, but those that I have referenced should be sufficient to show that grace is administered by God alone.

Promise 3: The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

The Bible explains very precisely, what makes up the full armor of God.  Interestingly enough, the rosary is not mentioned. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. EPH 6:10-18

The real armor against hell, and all vice and sin is the armor which Ephesians 6:8-10 describes.  The rosary is a counterfeit armor.  Another interesting note here is the last part of promise number three, “...and defeat heresies.”  Praying the rosary is itself a heresy based on the definition of the word.  The Roman Catholic Church should have considered praying the rosary a heresy also, based on Biblical evidences against such a practice.

Heresy is a doctrine that conflicts with the accepted teachings of a religion or other authority. World Book Millennium 2000

Promise 4: It 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 of eternal things.  O that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

Virtue and good works abound by the grace of God.  We have already seen that grace is administered by God and not Mary.  Here is another example of Mary taking over the role of God in saying that good works will flourish by praying the rosary. 

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2CO 9:8

Christ has already obtained the abundant mercy of God for us, if we put our faith in Him, not by some other means.  The rosary is nothing but a wall between men and God.  Mercy also comes to every person, whether he believes in God or not.  It is given to men as God determines it should be given, just as grace is given.  There is so much to be said about the abundant mercy that God has extended to us.  Therefore, I have included many examples to show that no external activities are needed to obtain such mercies.

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. PS 6:9

To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: PS 30:8

In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. PS 31:22

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion    blot out my transgressions. PS 51:1

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. PS 86:3

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. MT 5:7

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. LK 1:50

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven. LK 1:76-78

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. RO 9:14-18

As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
RO 11:28-32

Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.
GAL 6:12-16

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit... TIT 3:3-5

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. HEB 4:16

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1PE 1:3-5

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1PE 2:9-10

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love. 2JN 1:3

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. JUDE 1:2

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. JUDE 1:20-21

Turning away from the love of the world, and having the desire for eternal things can only come from the grace of God and the Gospel of God.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. TIT 2:11-14

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." RO 1:16-17

The last part of this fourth promise is extremely offensive.  “...Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.”

We are sanctified by the truth of the Word of God.

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.  I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. JN 17:13-19

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
2TH 2:13-15

We are sanctified by faith in Christ.

"Then I asked, `Who are you, Lord?' " `I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. `Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' AC 26:15-18

We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. RO 15:14-16

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1CO 6:9-11

We are sanctified by believing in Christ.

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.  And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 1CO 7:12-14

Souls cannot sanctify themselves, it is God who sanctifies.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1TH 5:23

We are sanctified by the blood of Christ.

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! HEB 9:11-14

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  HEB 10:26-29

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1PE 1:1-2

Promise 5: The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.

How many ways are there to receive eternal life?  Only one!  The rosary cannot save a soul by any means.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. JN 14:6

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. JN 3:16

Promise 6: Whoever 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 un-provided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

Misfortune is guaranteed to follow all believers in Christ. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MT 5:10

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. MT 5:11-12

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  Remember the words I spoke to you: `No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. JN 15:18-20

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. RO 12:14

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2TI 3:10-13

God Chastises all that He loves.

"...because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." HEB 12:6

We become worthy of eternal life not by our deeds, but by the grace of God. 

Promise 7: Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the church.

I cannot comment on the subject of the sacraments of the church.  It demands a detailed look into the sacraments in order to come to well reasoned conclusions about them, which would take me too far away from this subject, the rosary. 

Promise 8: Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death, the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.

Jesus is the light of the world and He resides in all who put their faith in Him.  We already have the light as you will see in the many passages of Scripture which I have included.  We have already seen how God gives grace to everyone He desires to give it to.  Praying the rosary is unnecessary since we already have these things if we apply our faith appropriately.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. JN 1:1-9

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." JN 3:19-21

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." JN 8:12

Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.  Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. JN 12:35-36

Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
JN 12:44-46

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. RO 13:11-14

Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2CO 4:1-6

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2CO 4:16-18

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." EPH 5:8-14

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. COL 1:9-14

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  1TH 5:4-5

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. HEB 10:32

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1PE 2:9

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1JN 1:5-7

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.  Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.  Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. 1JN 2:7-11

Promise 9: I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.

Purgatory is another subject which is considered in the protestant church to be heretical.  If purgatory does exist and it is necessary for the cleansing of our sins before we are allowed to go to heaven, then the blood of Christ is of no use.  Christ paid the penalty of death, for the sins of all mankind so that we wouldn’t have to pay the penalty ourselves. 

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. RO 6:8-10

Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. HEB 7:26-27

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! HEB 9:11-14

First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second.  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. HEB 10:8-10

Promise 10: The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of honor in heaven. 

Our rewards will come as a result of what we did while we were here on earth. 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.  What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. MT 16:24-27

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' lend to `sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
LK 6:32-36

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1CO 3:10-15

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
EPH 6:5-8

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. HEB 11:5-6

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. REV 22:12

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 1CO 3:5-9

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. HEB 10:35

Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.  Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.  Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. 2JN 1:7-11

Promise 11: You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.

We have already seen that it is to God that we should make all our requests.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. MT 7:7-8

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! MT 7:9-11

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." MT 18:19-20

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. JAS 4:1-3

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 1JN 3:21-22

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.
1JN 5:13-15

Promise 12: All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

God provides all our needs.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  As it is written:  "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2CO 9:6-11

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. PHP 4:19

Promise 13: 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.

We have already read in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray and that Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. RO 8:26-27

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. RO 8:31-34

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. HEB 7:23-25

Promise 14: All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ.

All who believe in Jesus Christ, and put their faith in Him, are already sons of God, not Mary. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. MT 5:9

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.  For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. RO 8:12-14

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. GAL 3:26-27

The last part of promise number 14 states that Jesus was an only child.  There are many Scriptures that show that He did in fact have brothers and sisters.  Some people would have us believe that whenever he referred to brothers and sisters, He was merely speaking figuratively, or He was actually referring to His cousins. 

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." MT 12:46-47

When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at him.  But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” MT 13:53-57

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. JN 2:12

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him. JN 7:1-5

However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.  Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, "Where is that man?" JN 7:10-11

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city.  When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. AC 1:12-14

Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.  I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord's brother.  GAL 1:18-19

Promise 15: Devotion to my rosary is a great sign of predestination.

We have seen that we have been justified by faith through grace.  The sign that we have is that we believe we have been marked with a seal, the Holy Spirit, that guarantees our redemption. 

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
HEB 11:1

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. RO 8:28-30

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.  In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. EPH 1:3-14

The conclusion

It is obvious that the practice of praying the rosary, is an attempt to divert well meaning Christians from true devotion to God.  The prayers that are made to Mary, essentially takes God the Father and Christ out of the picture.  When we are encouraged to come confidently to the throne of grace, why would we go to a third party to make our requests to God?  That is like buying a product from a third party instead of going directly to the source to get it at a better price.  Prayers to anyone but God are not only useless, but they are an insult to God since He has invited us to come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.  As if the prayers to Mary were not enough, we are told that if we are devoted to the rosary, that Mary makes fifteen promises.  It makes no difference that these same promises are made to believers, according to the Bible, even though there is no mention of the rosary there.  These promises also take God The Father and Christ out of the picture.  Some might say that Mary takes our requests to God on our behalf.  That is a nice thought, but the Bible says that there is only one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).  God will supply all of our needs, whether spiritual or physical if we ask Him. 

If Mary, the mother of Christ does condone these practices, she has contradicted the Bible in the most blatant ways, attempting to turn our devotion away from her Son, and toward herself.  This is not the Mary that I know from the Scriptures.  Mary, the mother of Christ was a humble servant and would in no way divert our attention away from her Son in favor of herself.  This is precisely what Satan wanted Christ to do when he was tempting Him in the desert and that is what he wants us to do now.  The Blessed Virgin Mary, was only a virgin until after the birth of Christ.  She was in need of a savior just like you and me.  She is not to be revered in any way, nor is she to be considered equal with God and Christ.  I think she would agree.

Contact me about this article

Blog Me - Feel passionate about this subject? Join my blog and lets talk about it. You'll have to register but it's quick and easy.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute this article in its entirety, provided that it is not sold or used in any publication that is sold.  Also, this disclaimer must accompany the article along with the author’s copyright and Zondervan’s copyright. All other uses for this article must be approved by the author in writing.