St. Louis Montfort : The Secret of the Rosary : A Red Rose: The blood of our Lord has fallen upon it

Poor men and women who are sinners, I, a greater sinner than you, wish to give you this rose, a crimson one, because the precious blood of our Lord has fallen upon it. Please God that it may bring true fragrance into your lives — but above all, may it save you from the danger that you are in. Every cry of ours should be: “Let us crown ourselves with the roses of the Holy Rosary.”

Sinners’ Roses vs Rosary Devotees

How different are sinners’ roses from the roses of Rosary devotees! The sinners’ roses are pleasures of the flesh, worldly honours, and passing riches which wither and decay in no time. But the roses of Rosary devotees — the Our Fathers and Hail Marys prayed devoutly again and again, together with acts of penance and sacrifice — will never wither or die. They will remain beautiful and fragrant even thousands of years from now, because they are offered to God and kept for eternity.

The False Roses of the World

The worldly roses only appear to be roses, but in reality they are cruel thorns. During life they wound the soul with pangs of conscience; at death they pierce the heart with bitter regret; and in eternity they become burning shafts of anger and despair.

The Thorns of Christ

But if the roses of Rosary devotees have thorns, they are the thorns of Jesus Christ, who transforms them into roses. These thorns wound only for a short time, and only to heal the sickness of sin and save the soul.

Crowning Ourselves with Roses of Heaven

So by all means, we should eagerly crown ourselves with these roses from heaven and recite the entire Rosary every day — that is to say, three rosaries of five decades each, which are like three little wreaths or crowns of flowers.

There are two reasons for doing this. First, to honour the three crowns of Jesus and Mary: Jesus’ crown of grace at the Incarnation, his crown of thorns during the Passion, and his crown of glory in heaven. And the threefold crown given to Mary by the Blessed Trinity.

Three Crowns for the Faithful

Secondly, we do this so that we ourselves may receive three crowns: a crown of merit during life, a crown of peace at death, and a crown of glory in heaven.

Promise of Persevering in the Rosary

If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins, “you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.” Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted, will amend your life, and will save your soul—if, and mark well what I say, you say the Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.