Saint Louis Mary of Monte Forti - The Admirable Secret of the Rosary - 42

When we recite this Divine Prayer attentively, we perform as many acts of the noblest Christian virtues as we utter the words. In saying Our Father, who art in heaven, we perform acts of faith, adoration, and humility. In desiring that his name may be sanctified and glorified, we demonstrate a fervent zeal for his glory. In asking him for the possession of his kingdom, we perform an act of hope. In desiring that his will be done as in heaven and on earth, we demonstrate a spirit of perfect obedience. In asking him for our daily bread, we practice poverty of spirit, and separation from earthly goods. In praying that he may forgive us our sins, we perform an act of penance. And in forgiving those who have offended us, we exercise mercy in the highest perfection. In asking his help in temptations, we perform acts of humility, prudence, and fortitude. While we await his deliverance from evil, we exercise patience. Finally, by asking all these things, not only for ourselves but also for our neighbor and for all the members of the Church, we fulfill the duty of true children of God, we imitate him in his charity, which embraces all men, and we fulfill the commandment to love our neighbor. We detest all sins and observe all the commandments of God when, after reciting this Prayer, our heart agrees with our tongue, and we have no intentions contrary to the meaning of these divine words. For when we think of God being in heaven, that is, infinitely exalted above us in the greatness of his majesty, we fall into a sense of the deepest reverence in his presence, and, seized with reverence, we flee pride and humble ourselves to nothing. When, pronouncing the name of the Father, we remember that we receive our existence from God, through our parents, and also our education through our teachers, who are here for God, whose living images they are, we feel obliged to honor them, or rather to honor God in their persons, and we take great care not to despise or grieve them. When we desire the holy name of God to be glorified, we are far from profaning it. When we have the kingdom of God as our inheritance, we deny all affection for the goods of this world; when we sincerely ask for the same goods for our neighbor that we desire for ourselves, we deny them with hatred, dissension, and envy. When we ask God for our daily bread, we detest gluttony and lust that feed on abundance. When we truly pray to God to forgive us, as we forgive those who have offended us, we restrain our anger and desire for revenge, we return good for evil, and we love our enemies. When we ask God not to allow us to fall into sin in the moment of temptation, we show that we flee from laziness, that we seek means to combat vices and obtain our salvation. When we pray to God to deliver us from evil, we fear his justice, and we are blessed, because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; through the fear of God every man avoids sin. 15 Rose