4 Yet another excellent fruit follows from the Rosary, exceedingly opportune to the character of our times. This we have referred to elsewhere. It is that, whilst the virtue of Divine Faith is daily exposed to so many dangers and attacks, the Christian may here derive nourishment and strength for his faith. Holy writ calls Christ the Author and finisher of faith (Heb. vii. 2), the Author, because He taught men many things which they had to believe, especially about Himself in whim dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead ( Colos . ii., 9), and also because He mercifully gives the power of believing by the grace and, as it were, the function of the Holy Ghost; the Finisher , because in Heaven, where He will change the habit of faith into the splendour of glory, He openly discloses to them those things which they have seen in this mortal life as through a veil. Now Christ stands forth clearly in the Rosary. We behold in meditation His life, whether His hidden life in joy, or His public life in excessive toil and sufferings unto death, or His glorious life from His triumphant resurrection to His eternal enthronement at the right hand of the Father. And since faith, to befull and sufficient, must display itself, - for with the heart we believe untojustice, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. x., 10), - sohave we also in the Rosary an excellent means unto this, for by those vocalprayers with which it is intermingled, we are enabled to express and profess ourfaith in God, our most watchful Father; in the future life, the forgiveness ofsins; in the mysteries of the august Trinity, the Incarnation of the Word, theDivine Maternity, and others. All know the value and merit of faith. For faithis just like a most precious gem, producing now the blossoms of all virtue bywhich we are pleasing to God, and hereafter to bring forth fruits that will lastfor ever: for to know Thee is perfect justice, and to know Thy justice and Thypower is the root of immortality (Wisdom xv., 3). It is here the place to add aremark respecting the duties of those virtues which faith rightly postulates.Among them is the virtue of penance, and one part of this is abstinence, whichfor more reasons than one is necessary and salutary. It is true the Church isgrowing more indulgent towards her children in this matter, but they mustunderstand they are bound to take all care to make up for this maternalindulgence by other good works. We rejoice for this reason also to proposeparticularly the use of the rosary, which is capable of producing worthy fruitsof penance, especially by the remembrance of the sufferings of Christ and HisMother.
Source: Fidentem Piumque Animum (Vatican.va)