The Catholic Book Blogger
I had prepared this review prior to the passing of our beloved Mother Angelica. It seems even more fitting to share my review of this book now.
There are a number of resources available for meditation and devotion to the rosary. Sophia Institute Press has teamed up with EWTN to bring us another option and it’s one that I have started using for our daily family rosary. Praying with Mother Angelica has at its central core the rosary but also includes the Way of the Cross and a sprinkling of other prayers for meditation.
This volume is actually a collection of three mini-books written by Mother Angelica in the 1970’s: My Life in the Rosary, Living Way of the Cross, and Ad Lib with the Lord. Of course Sophia has re-bundled these in a much sturdier hard cover edition that lends itself to daily use. There is also an addition to the rosary meditations. Saint Pope John II promulgated the Luminous Mysteries in 2002 in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. Mother’s health had declined by that time so much so that she could not compose additional reflections for the new mysteries. To address this the publisher had meditations that were written and inspired by Mother’s style and based upon her televised teachings on these five mysteries.
Suffice it to say these meditations are vintage Mother Angelica. What follows are some samples from the book. These are only short excerpts from each meditation’s two-page long entry.
The Annunciation: When the darkness of sin covered mankind, your love and humility, kind Mother, turned the face of the Father toward his erring children. Although the message of the angel was difficult for you to understand, you accepted the will of God with trust and love.
The Carrying of the Cross: Help me, my Jesus, to carry my cross with joy, keeping my eyes always on my Father’s will. Grant that I may not waste time deciding which cross comes from You and which comes from my neighbor. Let me accept all from You, realizing that some crosses correct me, some release me, some prevent me from a life of sin, some are redemptive, and some lead to repentance.
The Assumption: Teach me kind Mother, to keep my body pure, my mind undefiled, and my heart detached. Let your Assumption into Heaven give me the assurance and courage to be a Christian in word and deed. Fill my mind with the knowledge of your Son’s life, with compassion for His sufferings, and with zeal for His Kingdom.
This style of meditation also extends to The Way of the Cross with two-page reflections written by Mother for each station. Included with each mystery of the rosary and each station are full page black and white images that are stunning and thought provoking. I found the third part of the book Mother Angelica’s Conversation with God to be especially helpful in sparking meditation. This is a very complete devotional section with a paragraph or more for each of following topics: Humility, Hope, Detachment, Longing, Desire, Love, Faith, Patience, Courage, Self-Knowledge, Presence of God, Companionship, Forgiveness, Anger, Time, Suffering, Eternity, Wonder and Awe, Healing of Memory, and Search for God.
If you are a fan of Mother Angelica’s than you are going to want this book. On her show Mother Angelica Live, Mother had a certain flair for leading people in thought provoking meditation. You will experience the same in the pages of this book. Praying with Mother Angelica
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A recevied a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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