Review: Linking Your Beads: The Rosary's History, Mysteries and Prayers

I went to Catholic schools for almost all of my education:  9 years parochial elementary, 4 years in a Dominican highschool, 4 years in a Jesuit college -- these were wonderful years of learning with a bit of a Catholic tint.  Unfortunately, all this schooling was from 1966-1983 -- not exactly the heyday of good, solid Catholic education.  It was post-Vatican 2 and on the West Coast at least, alot of what we loved, lived and learned previously was thrown out with the proverbial bath water.

One of the "holes" in my Catholic education was understanding the Marian devotions -- to this day, I can't remember all the mysteries of the rosary without some prompting, nor do I have a clear understanding of why folks for centuries have been praying these beads.

Enter the opportunity to review the new book by Patricia Ann Kasten:  Linking Your Beads: The Rosary's History, Mysteries, and Prayers.  Reading a bit like a doctoral thesis (but with a light-hearted touch as to make it very readable), this book has explained so much to me.  Kasten starts with the background devotion of using beads or other markers when reciting prayers.  She links the rosary to the Desert Fathers who would recite each of the 150 psalms while they went through their work-day.  To keep track of which psalm they were on, the good men would used beads on a string.  These beads eventually shifted to people using them to recite the Our Father or other prayers -- beads on a string help us to keep track (something that is quite important in our hectic modern world!).

The entry of the rosary -- with it's now-four sets of mysteries (Venerable John Paul the Great added the 5 Luminous Mysteries to the traditional Glorious, Joyful and Sorrowful mysteries in his apostolic letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae in October 2002), has been prayed with slight modifications for 500-600 years.  Although traditionally attributed to St. Dominic (1170-1221), Kasten explains that the popular use of the rosary only dates to about the 15th century -- but the spread of its usage throughout Europe is definitely from the Domincan preachers who traveled Europe, catechizing the peoples.  

Kasten than walks the reader through every piece of the rosary -- from the sign of the cross at the beginning of the devotion, through the Apostle's Creed, the Our Fathers, the Hail Marys, the Glory Bes (also known as the "doxology"),  the Salve Regina, and the final AMEN.  She explains the background behind each of these prayers and why they are included in the rosary.  She also quickly points out that the rosary, as with all prayer, leads us to a devotion to Jesus and God's love; the rosary does this through meditation on the life of Jesus:

• in the Joyful Mysteries:  the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth, the Presentation and the finding of the Child Jesus in the temple
• in the Luminous Mysteries:  baptism of our Lord, wedding feast at Cana, proclamation of the kingdom, transfiguration and the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper
• in the Sorrowful Mysteries:  the agony in the garden, the scourging at the pillar, the crowning with thorns, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion
• in the Glorious Mysteries:  the Resurrection, the Ascension, Pentecost, Assumption of Mary and the coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Kasten does a fabulous job at explaining each one of these mysteries, giving the reader something to meditate upon when "saying the beads". She ends her book with details about some of the variations (including additional prayers such as the Fatima prayer), the myriad chaplets that can be said using the rosary beads, and even the different colors used for rosaries and why.

This is an amazing book -- filled with the author's deep love of the rosary, a deep love she wants to share with her readers.   I highly recommend this book -- especially for those of us who have this "hole" in our Catholic understanding.  This book will fill that hole!

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Linking Your Beads:The Rosary's History, Mysteries and Prayers. They are also a great source for serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

 

Novenas: when prayers are answered ....

... sometimes God really needs to give me a "thwack" upside the head!  Back on November 30th, I began a St. Andrew Novena -- 15 times per day I said the following prayers, each day from November 30th till December 25th.  I made it easier to remember by printing the below prayer card which I'd designed, printing it out, and putting it right next to my computer -- throughout the day, I would pray this prayer, mentioning my intention, and thinking about the words (especially that Jesus was born, not just in a dirty, messy stable, but at midnight in freezing cold!).

Anyway, a dear online friend mentioned today that she had rec'd her request in a wonderful way ... and I duly remarked on how wonderful that was and kept on keeping on ... until tonight.  I then realized that I too received my request ... and God is so very good!

May all your needs be filled by our good and gracious God!  Thanks be to God for giving us not just His love (which is amazing) but also other humans who have given it all to Him and now help all of us who ask!  Thank you St. Andrew for your intercessions and thank you, God, for your great love!



 

Feast Day: Pope St. Leo the Great

Today is the feast of St. Leo the Great, given the credit for stopping the sack of Rome by Attila the Hun through the his gift for speaking the truth without fear.  He is also known for his amazing homilies and condemnation of many heresies at the Council of Chalcedon.  He is one of the 33 doctors of the Catholic Church.

Dear St. Leo, you were always strong in your voicing of the Faith to all around you ... never afraid to declare heresy when you saw it ... may I, too, be ever vigilant in my faith, willing to stand-up and argue for the Church whenever and wherever necessary.  Pope St. Leo, please pray for us ...

And if you could add my Uncle Leo to your prayers ... my mother's youngest brother (just 69 years old) he seems to be dying of a virulent cancer; he and his family could certainly use your prayers!

 

Month of Thanks Day 8: Thanks be to God for Baking Weather!

Bam-bam was sick with a cold, so we didn't go to morning Mass ... instead, I baked!  What a great way to warm the house (and make it smell great, too!).  I made 3 loaves of pumpkin bread and tonight I baked a Leek-Mushroom-Red Pepper Quiche (to serve with cold leftover ham from last night).

Wow, did the house smell good.  And since it didn't get much above 60 today, it was so nice to rev up the oven!

God is so good isn't He?

BTW, if you've got a minute ... I know so many folks who need prayers; prayers for illness, diagnoses, family issues, pregnancies, etc ... please add all my friends' prayers to your own!  Bless you!

 

Feast Day: St. Ignatius of Loyola

Today is the feast of the founder of the Society of Jesus (aka, The Jesuits).  St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556)

We like this guy ...  alot.  What's not to like?  He was a soldier ... a hard-talking and tough spiritual leader for the first Jesuits and he's Bam-Bam's patron saint this year.  Oh, and to top it off, he's from the Basque region of Spain (and altho we're French-Basque, we'll just go right ahead and claim him, ok?)

In my family, we have a long history with the Jesuits -- Dad went to a Jesuit college, my brothers (well, 4 out of 5) went to a Jesuit high school, and 2 brothers and I went to a Jesuit university.  We've seen the good Jesuits and the bad Jesuits (and the bad Jebs don't take a thing away from their founder).  St. Ignatius attacked heresy and lack of faith with military precision and tactics and was quite successful.  He mentored future saint and fellow Basque, Francis Xavier and many saints have come from the Jesuit ranks:  St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Edmund Campion, St. Isaac Jogues and St. Stanislaus Kostka ... to name just a few.

My favorite prayer (and one my father particularly liked) attributed to St. Ignatius is:

Lord, teach me to be generous.

Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

to give and not to count the cost,

to fight and not to heed the wounds,

to toil and not to seek for rest,

to labor and not to ask for reward,

save that of knowing that I do your will.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us!

A Happy Ending and an Amazing Beginning ....

... for our dear friend, Karen over at That I May be of Use.  A little less than a year ago, I came to ask your prayers for Karen as she discerned God's will for her to join the Domincans of Nashville.  A major stumbling block was the heavy financial burden she had with her undergraduate student loans. 

She has reached that goal through the prayers and sacrifice and financial support of many people and organizations and on August 11, 2010, Karen will enter the Domincan Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, TN.  Thank you for all your prayers for Karen ... and please continue to keep her in your prayers as she begins the walk to follow God's will for her.  She will join a former student of Rick's who has been in the novitate a year and has taken her first vows.

St. Dominic and St. Cecilia ... please pray for Karen and all those discerning a vocation to the religious life!

 

Lent 2010: Fridays in Lent

Fridays of Lent are so much more than "suffering" through abstaining from meat (btw, we're having sweet potato soup for dinner -- don't tell the kids). 

We as Catholics are called to remember the AMAZING sacrifice Jesus made for us all.  One way we do that is by praying the Stations of the Cross.

Years ago (at least 5 or 6! man, I'm getting old), someone on 4real mentioned a Stations of the Cross box with items that would help the kids (and moms, too) remember each station in a very direct way.  Here's our Stations of the Cross that we prayed this morning, and the symbols we use.  We'll do this every Friday during Lent, both in the morning and then again at dinner with Dad.

Stations of the Cross

Station 1 --  Jesus is condemned to die

symbol --  string for binding his hands

We adore you o Christ, and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 2 – Jesus takes up his cross

symbol – a small wooden cross

We adore you o Christ, and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 3 -- Jesus falls for the first time

symbol -- a bandaid

We adore you o Christ, and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 4 -- Jesus meets his mother

symbol -- a rosary

We adore you o Christ, and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 5 -- Simon helps Jesus carry his cross

symbol -- a heart for charity

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 6 -- Veronica wipes the Holy Face

symbol -- cloth with the face of Jesus drawn on it

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 7 -- Jesus falls a second time

symbol -- a bandaid

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 8 -- Jesus comforts the weeping women of Jerusalem

symbol -- facial tissue

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 9 -- Jesus falls for the third time

symbol -- bandaid

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 10 -- Jesus is stripped of his garments

symbol -- piece of purple cloth

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Staton 11 -- Jesus is nailed to the cross

symbol -- large nail

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 12 -- Jesus dies on the Cross

symbol -- a crucifix

Kneel and Pause for a moment

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 13 -- Jesus is taken down from the Cross and laid in his mother's arms

symbol -- picture of the Pieta

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Station 14 -- Jesus is laid in the tomb

symbol -- rock

We adore you o Christ and we praise you

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Prayers for all your intentions this Lent 2010.  Please keep our family in your prayers, too.

Sometimes it's the little things ...

... that remind us of God's great love ...

We just put out the suet feeder and seed in the bird-feeder ... and the bluebirds have found their bounty!  If you look closely, you can see five bluebirds ... Monday they found the feed and since we often see two or three on the feeder while others are below eating the spillage; as many as 10 have been enjoying the feast we provided for them.

God is so good to give us this gift today ... the bright blue plumage against the white, pure snow ... the hope of Spring to come. 

I really needed to see this today ... we have so many prayer intentions for friends and neighbors ... prayers for new lives and the saving of old lives ... for many things that weigh heavy on our hearts ... for providence to fill our needs.

It's wonderful that the birds are taken care of .... and God is reminding me that He will do the same for us all.

God bless you all ... and thank you for your prayers for all our intentions today.

Review: Go to Joseph!

After our "year of Job and Lamentations" (when we spent a full year trying to sell the house in Denver while living in Virginia and trying to buy a house here), I have found a new love and devotion to St. Joseph!  This is the go-to guy for all things impossible and necessary; he is the saint that is second only to Mary in the panoply of Catholic saints; this guy is good!

Well, when I saw a new book on the review shelf for the Catholic Company called Go to Joseph, I knew I had to read it.  And, boy am I glad I did!

Written by a Joseph-devotee and scholar, Fr. Richard Gilsdorf (1930-2005), this book is a very readable but scholarly book on all the things that make Joseph the "go-to saint".  Fr. Gilsdorf quotes scripture -- what little there is that mentions the head of the Holy Family; he synthesizes papal documents like encyclicals and apostolic letters; he summarizes other theologians' writings about St. Joseph. 

And, even with all this heavy scholarly writing, Fr. Gilsdorf imbues his writing with a sense of the love the author feels for the subject; a love that is a reflection of what St. Joseph must have felt for Mary and Jesus. 

Fr. Gilsdorf explains that in Joseph's life with the Holy Family, we can see his work and intercessory powers for us now (pg 69):

1. he provides for us by answering the prayers of the faithful with powerful intercession
2. he governs us for Christ has made him "Lord of His house and ruler of His possessions"
3. he cherishes us as he loved Mary and Jesus
4. he protects us under his title of "Protector and Defender of Holy Mother Church"

I particularly like how Fr. Gilsdorf explains the importance of the lack of detailed information about Joseph in the Bible and other early Church writings: 

We must understand there is a reason the Holy Spirit in His infinite wisdom has told us only so much and no more.  One obvious reason is that by limiting the information, all persons of all paces and times can apply the basic facts to their own individual lives .... Thus, families of all ages can more readily imitate the essentional virtues of the Holy Family.  Married couples can emulate the holy bond of Mary and Joseph ... Joseph, the just man, can be an example for all the faithful, but he serves in a special way as model for young men to answer God's challenge in all walks of life.  He can be the stron patron and intercessor of workers and family providers.  He can be a special patron of preiests married to the Church ..." (pg 101)

The appendices are well-worth perusing and using -- bibliography of other scholarly works and Church writings about St. Joseph, prayers written to St. Joseph (including the Litany to St. Joseph and one written by Blessed John XXIII) , and the homily delivered by Pope Benedict XVI for the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 2009.

Don't let this small (only four-by-six, 134 pages) volume fool you ... this is one of those books that I'll be constantly delving into when I need a boost, when I need to remember just how much St. Joseph has done for the Holy Family, Holy Mother Church, and me and mine.  This is a book to leave on the bedside table, in my purse, or on my desk for reference.  Yes, it's that good!

So "Go to Joseph" with whatever you need ... and he will intercede to God for you and yours!  And read the book if you want to know more about this quiet head of the Holy Family.

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Go To Joseph.


Gilsdorf, Fr. Richard W. (edited by Patrick F. Beno) -- Go to Joseph.  Star of the Bay Press (Green Bay, WI).  2009.  ISBN:978-0692-003-008.  paperback (134 pages). 

Making lemonade out of the lemons we've been dealt lately ...

God in His infinite mercy loves us through the times of sorrow.  And we've had many sorrows this last month or so ...

• a baby died shortly after child-birth
• a 14-yo boy drowned
• my brother, six weeks before his 50th birthday, died
• a 3-month-old little boy died of SIDS during his afternoon nap

There are many other sorrows hitting our online community recently -- sickness, accidents, troubles -- and we all "know" each other and feel the pain for each other ... but what else can we do?  Some set up funds to help the grieving families .... some put together wonderful memorials ... some just stay busy and pray and try to help out as much as possible ...

But, God is Love and helps us get through these days ... we band together ... we cry and pray and remember ... and we love those at home just a bit more ... hugging our babies, children, husbands and fathers just a bit tighter ... praying for their safety and sanctity.  And we pray for all those hurting and grieving and mourning their loved ones ... but God will comfort and they are in a better place.

 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:5

Family: RIP Pete!

Please send up a prayer or two for my brother and his family ... he died this morning and the grief his wife and daughters are feeling must be horrendous. Please pray that he is at peace and that his wife and girls are comforted ...

Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord,

and may the perpetual light shine upon him,

may his soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed

rest in peace!

Amen ....

Prayer: 85,000 Memorares please

Our favorite priest was here for dinner last night and mentioned a prayer request: one of the priests in the Arlington Diocese has made a promise to the Blessed Mother to obtain 85,000 Memorares if she goes to her Son and asks that this priest is able to build an orphanage/school down in the Ivory Coast ...

would you help this rather good man attain his goal of 85,000 Memorares said for this intention?

The Memorare to Our Lady

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Our Lady is an amazing advocate for all our needs. May God grant this good and humble priest his request.