God's Promises

There are a lot of promises from God and our Blessed Mother. The two most obvious that come to my mind are the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart and the 15 Promises of the Rosary.

Jesus revealed these 12 promises to all those who kept devotion to His Sacred Heart:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced..
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

And Our Lady revealed these 15 promises to all those who prayer her Rosary faithfully:

1. To all those who shall pray my Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and great graces.
2. Those who shall persevere in the recitation of my Rosary will receive some special grace.
3. The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy.
4. The rosary will make virtue and good works flourish, and will obtain for souls the most abundant divine mercies. It will draw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary will not perish.
6. Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly reflecting on the mysteries, shall never be overwhelmed by misfortune. He will not experience the anger of God nor will he perish by an unprovided death. The sinner will be converted; the just will persevere in grace and merit eternal life.
7. Those truly devoted to my Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite my Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces and will share in the merits of the blessed.
9. I will deliver promptly from purgatory souls devoted to my Rosary.
10. True children of my Rosary will enjoy great glory in heaven.
11. What you shall ask through my Rosary you shall obtain.
12. To those who propagate my Rosary I promise aid in all their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Son that all the members of the Rosary Confraternity shall have as their intercessors, in life and in death, the entire celestial court.
14. Those who recite my Rosary faithfully are my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a special sign of predestination.

Reading these lists gives me a feeling of peace: all I need to do is pray and maintain my devotions and all my problems will be solved. And truthfully, it is this simple.

Lists such as these may make us superstitious, or develop the mindset that we must do certain things in order to gain these protections from God. That's definitely not what God wants from us though. He just wants our trust, and these promises all boil down to one: God will not abandon us when we need His help. He won't let us struggle beyond our capabilities. Every difficulty that befalls us is for our greater salvation or the salvation of others.

It's hard to put all our trust in God. We are rational creatures and God is not a rational being -- His logic is far beyond our grasp. It's nice to know that if we pray Jesus and Mary will take care of us. These lists of promises are tangible reminders of all the graces we receive every day that we remain in God's favor.

I've been reflecting recently about how I can tangibly add more prayer to my life, and small, solid ways to do that. All God wants is to spend time with us and from there all His graces flow. He bestows even more promises than these.