CBB Review – Praying the Rosary for Spiritual Warfare

Many of us may have a sense of something not being quite right with the world today. We see news reports filled daily with acts of violence, terrorism, crime, political corruption, and attacks on human life at nearly all stages. To put it simply we are at war and the war we are engaged in is on the spiritual level. Father Dwight Longenecker recognizes this and arms the faithful with a weapon to go into battle with. That weapon is his latest book Praying the Rosary for Spiritual Warfare.

Our world seems to be in a state of chaos. We are witness to Islamic terrorists, moral breakdown of society, disintegration of marriage, gender wars, financial inequality, and poverty. Natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and violent storms all give us pause. Many people are anxious as we are constantly inundated with these issues. Father Longnecker sums this up well.

“When you hear about the frightening advance of biotechnology, global pollution, war, terrorism, torture and genocide, do you feel as if the dark side is winning? When you read about abortion, child abuse, euthanasia, and the sale of baby body parts, do you feel helpless in the face of an overwhelming evil? When you see rising crime, irrational rage in society, and violence in the streets while corrupt politicians do nothing, do you fall into fear and confusion?”

What automatically comes to mind while contemplating all of these issues is “what can I do?” The answer is prayer and this book gives us the tools do that.

To aid us in battle we have a partner and that partner is Mother Mary. The Rosary is our weapon in the spiritual warfare we find ourselves entrenched in. We are the troops in Mary’s army. “We are Mary’s fellow soldiers, donning our armor with a glint in our eye, a song in our heart, and a spring in our step.”

The twenty chapters of this book correlate with the mysteries of the rosary. Each chapter helps us to focus on different issues today that are relative to each mystery. Each chapter opens with a Scripture passage related to the mystery at hand. This is followed by a reflection that bridges the gap between the Gospel mystery and the modern issue being reflected upon. Closing out each mystery is a list of ten positive things to pray for as each mystery is prayed.

As an example, let’s walk through the first Joyous Mystery, the Visitation. The chapter leads off with Luke 1:39-56. Next up is a reflection dealing with issues we find today involving the beginning of life. Artificial contraception and the separation of the sexual act from procreation is covered. The crime of abortion in all it’s guises is also a point of reflection. Next comes a section “Witnesses from the Battle” featuring examples Father has encountered in his work relative to the reflection. Or this chapter we read about Jenny who was suffering from post-abortion trauma. “Meditate for Victory” for this mystery prompts a deep meditation on the pregnancies of Mary and Elizabeth and the tragedies society faces today relative to abortion. “Battle Points” are intentions to be pondered during each Hail Mary. For the Visitation, we pray for expectant mothers; women in crisis pregnancies; the father of unwanted, unborn children; pro-life campaigners; pro-life lobbyists and legislators; pregnancy counselors; gynecologists and women’s medical staff; parents who have chosen life for a disabled child; adoption-agency workers; adoptive and fostering parents. Closing out the chapter is a short prayer to say after the Fatima Prayer.

Praying the Rosary for Spiritual Warfare is a powerful weapon to have in our arsenal. Let there be no doubt, we live in dark times but the battle will not be lost. Jesus has guaranteed us that we are on the winning side of this battle. Pray, pray hard, and we shall persevere the culture of death and self-centeredness we find ourselves living in.

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